The fabulous New York City homes for sale now

Waterfront homes with yacht moorings are all well and good for the weekend but when there’s serious business to be done there’s nothing like the convenience of a base in the city. Just as with London’s prime real estate, when it comes to buying property in New York City finding the right building, property type and neighbourhood is key. Will it be a five-bedroom brownstone big enough for all the family? Or are you really after a chic Central Park penthouse filled with mod cons and complete with all the service of a five-star hotel? Here are the properties you need to know now…

The Crown Penthouse, 212 Fifth Avenue

Currently ranking among New York City’s most expensive real estate, this palatial penthouse spans more then 15,000 square feet including 5,730 square feet of outdoor living space. The jewel in the crown of Madison Square Park’s most exclusive residential building, the five-bedroom apartment spans three floors with large picture windows offering views over Central Park and downtown Manhattan.

Designed by Pembrooke & Ives to offer modern living spaces while retaining the building’s famous pre-war details, the penthouse offers five bathrooms, three partial bathrooms, foyer, library, grand ballroom, dining room, open-plan entertaining areas, utility room and third-floor observatory with views over the Empire State Building and World Trade Centre. The property’s high ceilings give rise to gallery-size walls perfect for art collectors while outside relaxation is offered in the form of numerous large wraparound terraces. Residents at 212 Fifth Avenue also have access to a large fitness centre, concierge, golf simulator, children’s playroom, billiards room, screening room, meeting rooms and residents’ lounges.

The Crown penthouse is listed for sale with Sotheby’s Realty for $62.8 million.

Townhouse more your style? This gorgeous five-storey property is located on a quiet tree-lined street and boasts a large garden making it the perfect urban base for families. A private gated entrance leads directly into an elegant foyer on the parlour floor, which also offers a sitting room and eat-in chef’s kitchen opening on to the garden. A basement-level media room, gym, wine cellar, bathroom, laundry area and customisable space, which could be used as staff accommodation, a games room or similar, are also accessed from the foyer.

The entertaining floor offers a large living room, formal dining room and powder room while the third floor is home to three guest bedrooms and two bathrooms. The fourth floor is dedicated to the master suite and includes a vast bedroom, master bath with double vanities and a private terrace overlooking the garden. There is also direct access to the roof garden complete with outdoor kitchen, outdoor fireplace and powder room. All five storeys can be accessed via a private elevator and benefit from 11-foot ceilings creating airy, inviting spaces.

40 Sullivan Street is offered for sale with Knight Frank for $12.95 million.

If classic New York City grandeur is your thing then step back to the city’s golden age with this graceful duplex in the storied River House building. Originally built with a pier on which residents could dock their yachts, the building still attracts those with a love of water thanks to its views over the Hudson and is so exclusive that the board has previously rejected potential residents including Gloria Vanderbilt, Richard Nixon and Joan Crawford.

Should you be accepted by River House’s gatekeepers, 18/19C represents a rare opportunity to invest in an expansive duplex with two south facing terraces. Decorated throughout in elegant neutral tones that highlight the original 1930s detailing, the property offers six bedrooms and seven bathrooms along with an enormous great room, dining room with magnificent hand-painted walls, library, chef’s kitchen, breakfast room, laundry room and sun room. Residents are also permitted automatic membership to the River Club, situated in the lower floors of the building, with access to an athletics club with swimming pool tennis and squash courts, garden, gym and restaurants.

18/19C River House is listed for sale with Christie’s International Real Estate for $22.5 million.

Tap into your inner creative with this modern condo in the artistic neighbourhood of TriBeCa. Designed by Haynes-Roberts AD, highlights of the open plan space include a high-ceilinged 906 square foot great room located in the south west corner to maximise on natural light and views over the city. Elsewhere, a stunning master suite includes a large windowed dressing room, part of which can convert into a bedroom, and a marble bathroom. The property also offers a further three bedrooms, once of which is currently set up as a screening room and office, three bathrooms, an eat-in kitchen and laundry room. Residents also have access to a Walter Melvin Architects-designed roof garden with outdoor kitchen, barbecue and table tennis equipment.

11B 166 Duane St is listed for sale with Knight Frank for $8.95 million.

One of just three townhouses remaining on Central Park West, this Queen Anne-style mansion has been sensitively restored to offer modern living while retaining the building’s late 19th Century grandeur – including a host of museum quality carvings on the façade. Set over five levels, the basement is home to a 50-foot lap pool and gym while the garden level includes a guest suite, recreation room and home theatre. On the first floor a foyer with patterned limestone floor and antique features leads to a library and formal living room showcasing decorative plasterwork, parquet de Versailles floors and antique fireplaces.

A grand staircase leads to the second floor which boasts a formal dining room with views over Central Park and a chef’s kitchen while the third level plays host to a lavish master suite, with double en suite bathrooms, and three guest bedrooms. The uppermost level offers a further bedroom and a roof deck with panoramic views over the park while further outdoors paves come in the form of an enclosed patio with fountain.

248 Central Park West is listed for sale with Sotheby’s International Realty for $21.9 million.

Designed with art lovers in mind, this converted pre-war condo puts emphasis on clean architectural lines and gallery-size walls perfect for highlighting beloved pieces. Spanning 9,600 square feet, the five-bedroom triplex’s main level is dominated by a sweeping marble staircase around which are situated a foyer, grand parlour, dining room, library and eat-in kitchen, all flooded with natural light and offering beautiful views of the West Village. The upper level is home to four bedrooms, including a master suite with his and hers dressing rooms and a home office, while the lower level offers an en suite guest bedroom, a recreation room, private gym, laundry room and powder room.

2 Abingdon Mansion is listed for sale with Christie’s Real Estate for $33.5 million.