Trump Sells Apartment He Never Lived in for $21 Million

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ZillowA private elevator leads to the five-bedroom, 7.5-bath apartment on the 24th floor of the Trump Park Avenue building.

By Melissa Allison

When he’s not stumping for the Republican presidential nomination or making decrees on “The Celebrity Apprentice,” Donald Trump still works in real estate — and he just made a killing on a Manhattan apartment.

Trump sold the nearly 6,200-square-foot dwelling on the 24th floor of his 32-story Trump Park Avenue tower for $21 million, the Wall Street Journal reports. He listed it in 2013 for $35 million and cut the price twice, settling on $24.995 million earlier this month. (However, Trump purchased the entire building in 2001 for $115 million, the Journal reported, and since has converted it into 120 luxury condo units.)

Trump never lived in the just-sold apartment, listing agent Michelle Griffith of Trump International Realty told the Journal. She also said Trump rejected an offer to rent the place for $80,000 a month.

A private elevator leads to the five-bedroom, 7.5-bath space, which boasts high ceilings and lots of windows. Luxurious details include Italian brass doorknobs, custom moldings and a kitchen with marble floors and counter tops.

The master suite features two bathrooms, two walk-in closets and a study.

 

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Home Security Doesn’t Have to Be Expensive

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Security Camera,CCTV with orange wall background.
anekoho/Shutterstock A simple video camera often can be installed by the homeowner. Its presence alone is a deterrent to thieves.

By Teresa Mears

You want to keep your home safe from thieves, but you don’t want to spend a fortune doing so because, frankly, you don’t have a fortune worth stealing.

Technology has significantly brought down the cost of home security systems and home surveillance cameras, many of which you can install yourself. But there are also many low-tech solutions that cost little or nothing that will keep your home safer from intruders.

“Most burglars are just opportunists,” says Martin Holloway, owner of Hollotec.com. A security expert who teaches lock-picking and specialized entry techniques to law enforcement and the military, Holloway says burglars are going to “find the easy house.”

A professionally installed security system can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, plus $30 or so a month for monitoring. But in the last decade, dozens of do-it-yourself alarm systems have come on the market, some with monitoring options and others that send alerts to you via email or text so you can decide whether to call police. Even a rudimentary system is likely to make a loud noise when an intruder enters the house, and sometimes that’s all it takes to scare away a burglar.

“Some of them are almost plug and play,” says Holloway, who has a $60 security camera that he installed himself at his home. “I can control it with an app on my phone, and it’s great.” For a simple DIY security system, you can install cameras inside or outside your house, with a hard drive or cloud storage that collects the video footage so there is something you can review after a break-in.

Neal Scott, an Internet marketing consultant for security companies, cautions homeowners who go the DIY route to make sure they know what they’re doing and install the system properly. He says homeowners should also ensure the system includes sensors for doors and windows.

One factor to consider is your insurance company may not grant a discount on your homeowners insurance if the system is not professionally installed, and some municipalities may require installers to be licensed. Good tech support is important, too.

“A technology problem with your smartphone is not a big deal, but a technology program with your security system is,” Scott says. And the newest technology may not yet be tested, he warns.

“There an awful lot of time and experience that’s gone into professional home security devices,” says Scott, who has been working in the security system field since he started at his father’s company at age 15. “I’m a proponent of going professional.”

Security system or not, cameras or not, there are also free or cheap low-tech solutions that can be surprisingly effective against thieves. Here are seven free or low-cost ways to protect your home:

Use your deadbolt lock. The basic lock on your doorknob isn’t really very good, Holloway says. “Many knob locks can be defeated by simply grabbing the knob with, at most, a pipe wrench or with, at the least, two hands and twisting hard,” he says. “The internal locking mechanism shears and the door can be opened, and this can all happen in a matter of seconds. This is an old burglar trick.” Deadbolts are harder to defeat, and a cheap deadbolt is as good as an expensive one. “The lock isn’t going to break, but it’s the doorjamb and the wood around the door that’s going to break,” Holloway says.

Protect your garage door. Garage doors have a pull cord that can be used to open them if the power is out. A burglar can stick a coat hanger down the top of a garage door, latch onto the cord and “unlock” the door. To keep that from happening, Holloway advises placing a zip tie through the piece from which the cord is hanging, which will make it almost impossible for a thief to open it from the outside with a coat hanger.

Secure sliding glass doors. Many older doors are easy to open from the outside. Use a broom handle lying on its side on the track to prevent the door from being opened.

Make sure your home is well-lighted outside. Motion detector lights are inexpensive and an easy way to illuminate anyone who approaches the house. “In all the years I was a cop, I don’t think I worked a single case where a burglar kicked in a front door,” says Alex Bracke, a police officer turned real estate agent in Northern Virginia. “The reason for that is because the front door is commonly the most visible part of the house, and if there’s anything would-be burglars don’t want, it’s to be visible.”

Make it look as if you’re home. Lights, radio and TVs on timers create the illusion that someone is home when you’re gone on vacation. Get a neighbor to pick up mail and newspapers when you’re away.

Make it painful for thieves to climb in your ground-floor windows. “A window is the most vulnerable part of your house,” Holloway says, reminding homeowners that keeping windows locked also is important. A thief who has to climb into a bed of thorns may be deterred. He suggests planting these three plants that grow in most parts of the U.S.: Pyracantha, also known as “firethorn,” European holly, which has very sharp leaves, and voodoo rose. Homeowners who live in tropical areas can plant Bougainvillea.

Make it easy for people to see potential entry points. You want to have easily “inspectable space,” says Joshua Godknecht, a sensitive compartmented information facility design specialist for AdamoSecurity.com, which designs and builds secure rooms for the government. “Most people have lots of overgrown plants or hedges to provide privacy, but trimming hedges and arranging your landscape so that it creates a single, very visible path to your front door, and only your front door, is practically free and ensures that no one could take advantage of the hidden places near your home.”

 

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‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ Brownstone Fetches $7.4 Million

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Holly At Tiffany's
Getty ImagesAudrey Hepburn was nominated for an Oscar for her role as Holly Golightly in the 1961 film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

By Catherine Sherman

Courtesy of Peter*Ashe Real Estate via ZillowThe brownstone at 169 E. 71st St. on the Upper East Side.

You may remember Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard standing on these front steps. The brownstone featured prominently in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” has sold for $7.4 million after most recently being listed for $8 million.

“Any time they had a street scene, the house was featured,” said Asher Alcobi of Peter*Ashe Real Estate, the Manhattan home’s exclusive broker. “The signature olive green doors are still the same.”

The 1961 romantic comedy was filmed in a studio for the interior shots, including the famous party scene with Mickey Rooney’s character, Mr. Yunioshi. But 169 E. 71st St. continues to garner interest as the place Miss Holly Golightly made her debut in The Big City.

“The house is on the tourist tour of the Upper East Side,” Alcobi said.

The 3,800-square-foot brownstone boasts four bedrooms, five bathrooms, a sweeping staircase and an enclosed greenhouse.

It’s split into an upper and lower duplex. Upstairs, two bedroom suites have their own renovated baths. There’s also a sunny living room with a wood-burning fireplace, a renovated kitchen and laundry room. Downstairs, a garden apartment with a separate entrance has a front library, powder room and a large bedroom and full bath.

The house was renovated in the mid 1980s and again in the late ’90s. It was last listed in 2011 before finding a buyer for $5.975 million in April 2012.

An earlier version of this story was published on Oct. 29, 2014.

 

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7 Ways to Save Water in Your Yard

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California Drought Water Fines
Associated PressReplacing some of your grass with drought-tolerant landscaping and native plants is one way to save water.

By Jennifer Gravely

Brown grass, dead shrubs, puny gardens — they’re an eyesore for sure. But keeping your yard in pristine shape can be quite a burden, especially in the summer heat, when drought conditions are rampant.

Here are seven tips to keep your yard looking its best, without wasting water.

1. Be sprinkler savvy.

Your automatic sprinkler can be a huge help when it comes to keeping your yard looking its best, but it can also be a huge water — and money — waster.

First, make sure your sprinklers are watering your lawn, not the driveway or road, and frequently check the system for leaks. Consider installing rain and/or moisture sensors that will turn sprinklers off if it’s raining or if the ground is already saturated.

2. Water when it matters.

Water your lawn only in the morning. In the heat of the day, that water will touch the surface and then quickly evaporate — leaving you with less than ideal results.

A rain gauge can help you track how much water your yard is getting – about an inch of water per week is all it really needs. During especially dry times, it’s best to just leave the yard alone. Yes, it will brown, but it will be dormant and bounce back once it gets cooler, saving loads and loads of water.

3. Use a drip system.

For the ease of a sprinkler system but with far less waste, opt for a drip-irrigation system. With this type of system, a hose riddled with tiny holes is placed throughout your yard, allowing small amounts of water to seep directly into the ground over long periods — exactly what your yard needs to thrive.

4. Collect rainwater.

Stock up on water when you can to use around your yard and garden. Turn gutters into your own personal watering system by directing them into much-needed areas in your yard. Or, install a rain barrel to collect the runoff from your gutters.

Check local laws first, as there may be restrictions on water collection.

5. Adjust your lawn mower.

No matter how unruly your yard looks, don’t mow it down as low as it will go. Set your lawn mower blade a bit higher than usual, or at least 3 inches. Longer blades of grass shade each other, reducing some evaporation. Longer blades also mean longer roots, so the grass can reach water deeper than it normally would.

6. Use mulch.

A fresh layer of mulch around shrubs and trees will hold nutrients and moisture much longer than plain old dirt. Go green and make a compost of food and lawn waste to add to the mix. You’ll see that your trees and plants will need less water than before.

7. Opt for natural beauty.

Cut out the need for watering outdoors altogether by removing your grass. You can replace most of it with porous paving stones, which allow water to soak through to the ground.

You will want some plants in your yard to help absorb the rain and prevent runoff, however. The best plants to choose, as well as the easiest to care for, are those native to the region. If you live in a dry, drought-prone area, a xeriscaped yard might include desert shrubs and cactuses, but there are many colorful drought-tolerant plants. You’ll find that these plants will thrive without excessive watering.

 

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Dennis Miller Sells Beach House for $3.5 Million Below List

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Riskin Associates via ZillowThe house features 6,000 feet in a beautiful cottage-style white but the real selling point is the 63 feet of beachfront.

By Melissa Allison

UPDATE: Comedian Dennis Miller and his wife sold their oceanside California mansion south of Santa Barbara for $19 million — $3.5 million less than they were asking for the stylish estate.

ORIGINAL POST 1/4/2015: The beach retreat Dennis Miller and wife Carolyn Espley-Miller are listing for $22.5 million has an office — but the buyers should expect to accomplish very little there, she warned.

“We joke that no work ever gets done, because we’re either staring at the view or talking on the phone about how beautiful the view is,” Espley-Miller told House Beautiful. “I had such a strong vision of a serene, whitewashed house on the sea. So I just gave the whole place a big dollop of white, from floors to ceiling.”

People Dennis Miller Show
Associated PressDennis Miller

The 6,063-square-foot home has views of the Pacific Ocean and the mountains. It sits a little back from the beach on a half acre along Padaro Lane in Santa Barbara County, with five bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms and 63 feet of beachfront.

“Besides it being right on the sand, the Padaro location is the crème de la crème of beach locations for this area,” said Dina Landi, who listed the property at Riskin Associates.

“One of the things that makes that particular house on Padaro Lane special is its very open floor plan, the incredible amount of natural light that comes into the house and the privacy you get” from it being set a little back from the beach, Landi said.

The light extends all the way to the master suite, where the bathroom is “very white and very simple,” Espley-Miller told House Beautiful. “I wanted nothing to detract from the incredible view and the light.”

Miller, perhaps still best known for his roles on “Saturday Night Live,” appeared in the television series “House of Cards” in 2013 and narrated the reality series “Forever Young.”

 

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