Well played, The Edge Condominiums. The new Brooklyn highrise realized condom manufacturers aren't the only ones who can benefit from Sarah Palin's free publicity. Enter this dramatic signage plastered on the side of the in-construction building: "Sarah Palin / Live Here / See Wall St." You know, because Palin loves to tout the fact that she can see Russia from her homestate? This is what those in the industry call "clever." (Click to enlarge)

Worth nothing? The Edge's PR firm who orchestrated the stunt is none other than Rubenstein Associates, which is run by a one Howard Rubenstein, who not only is helping get Michael Bloomberg in the mayor's seat for a third term, but, with the exception of Rudy Giuliani's campaign, he's also quite the Democratic donation maker. And Rubenstein represents the hedge fund Avenue Capital Group, which just so happens to employ a woman named Chelsea Clinton.

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In New York, if the criminals aren't kicking your ass and taking your wallet, the businessmen are, and they're doing it while staying well within their legal rights. That's why New Yorkers looking for real estate have learned to eat shit and like it.

Not even very rich and powerful Manhattan-based companies are above getting jacked. Take, for instance, Viacom, which is said to be renewing its lease at 1515 Broadway when it expires in 2010, even though they won't even be broadcasting TRL, which is what made the space so preferable to begin with. Says Greg Hughes, CFO for New York City's largest commercial landlord SL Green, Viacom will probably continue to rent most or all of the 1.5 million square feet they do at the horrendous Times Square location for the new price of $85 per square foot, up from the $50 per square foot it's currently paying.

Too lazy to do the math? We gotcha covered: Starting in 2010, Viacom will be spending about $128 million per year to rent space in one of the ugliest buildings on one of the ugliest streets in the world.

We are no longer shocked at how crappy MTV has become.

The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers (with assets of $639 billion). The fed's buyout of Merrill Lynch. The end of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as we know them. Sure, all of this is going to effect the average American somehow — your taxes will now be going toward a war you didn't support and a bank you didn't have an account with — but how will it effect … the luxury market? Art! Jewelry! Real estate! Big commissions are on the line here:

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Heath Ledger was paying $22k for his loft in SoHo at the time of his death in January. Now, the apartment is back on the market, with a four thousand dollar boost in price. What's weird about this story of the post-postmortem rent increase is…..didn't the one of the Olsen twins own that apartment? (Yes, the listing price in that post is one grand less than the one that is quoted now.)

So did Mary-Kate jack the price of her Broome St. pad? If she's capable of such morbid decisions, you can't put it past her to purposely wait until the Dark Knight hit the theaters before putting the apartment back on the market to increase buzz.

That, or Little Olsen had nothing to do with the re-listing of the property, because she is too rich, too famous, and too thin to concern herself with such matters. That's what brokers are for. Brokers with incredibly bad taste or incredibly good timing.

Debt-laden hope-hawker Ed McMahon did manage to unload his Hollywood Hills home after facing foreclosure after defaulting on a $4.8 million loan, but it wasn't to Donald Trump, as had been speculated. Which means Trump doesn't have the liability of owning the deadbeat's estate, but does get the endless press and warm fuzzy vibes for saying he would do the guy a favor, which absolutely wasn't his intention from the very beginning. [AP]

IRS and Page Six target Keith Olbermann is selling his West 57th Street apartment, which he bought under the company Olbermann Broadcasting Empire Inc., to something called the Chinese American Trading Co. This is clear evidence NBC's ties to China go deeper than we thought. [WoD]

Hey, remember Donald Trump's record-breaking "$100 million" sale of his Palm Beach manse? Turns out his deal, which actually went into contract for just $95 million, could be bested by a real $100m estate. Villa Maria (aka Siena Spirituality Center), a former nunnery on 15-acres in the Hampton's Water Mill, will ask "in excess of $100 million." Not that any of that guarantees a sale at that price. But: Interested in buying? You'll receive "a 21,000-square-foot Beaux Arts mansion with 12 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, a ballroom, an institutional kitchen, three guest cottages and 1,200 feet of shoreline." You'll be purchasing the estate from Nine West co-founder Vincent Camuto and his wife Louise, who bought the place in 2005. For $35 million. Three years later, the mark up is a reasonable 285 percent. [NYP]

New York City stain Donald Trump has taken his brand of obnoxious down to Palm Beach, where he has finally unloaded his enormous ocean-front mansion there, which he bought for $41 million in 2004 from Abe Gosman, for a cool $95 million. The buyer of 515 N. County Road is Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, who made his money ruining the earth's soil with fertilizer.

The transaction is said to be the largest real estate sale ever, which is a pity, because Manhattan's wealthy have been trying so hard to unload homes that are a fraction of the size for sums larger than that.

Though the house sold for $95 million, down from the $125 million asking price, and Mr. Trump paid all closing costs and brokerage commissions, he is still calling it a $100 million sale. For extra obnoxious factor.

It turns out Marie Claire's Joanna Coles isn't the only Hearst-y who's pulling double duty pushing real estate. Last month we followed the bizarre set of puzzle pieces that went like so: Coles put Tina Fey on the cover of Marie Claire to promote the actress' movie Baby Mama; the movie filmed outside 210 Riverside Drive, where Coles lives; an apartment listing for 210 Riverside mentions that Baby Mama filmed there; the listing is posted by Coles' own real estate agent (Hearst spokeswoman Jessica Pollack says "Joanna has no relationship and has never used Victoria Matus as her broker.").

And now a few other recognizable faces at Hearst are jumping on the trend, whether they volunteered to or not.

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"Why do real estate agents put their photo everywhere?" It's a good question, and one we sometimes ask ourselves when an unsolicited "EXCITING NEW OFFER!!" or "EXCLUSIVE CONDO LISTING!!" finds its way into our 8-square-inch mailbox. There are certain classes of people, we understand, that need to have their picture out there: News anchors, for one, and Ben Silverman. But real estate agents?

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What one might have easily assumed to be an essay content to raise awareness for great literature and encourage aspiring writers might have actually been a way for one self-published author to unload her house in a crappy housing marketing.

In April, Clementina Marie Giovannetti, of Florida, kicked off a "best pet lover" essay contest contest where, for a $200 entry fee and a personal essay, entrants had a chance to win her $1.25 million home, because she wanted to "bless someone else's life with this magnificent house." Only caveat? Giovannetti reserved the right to cancel the contest at anytime.

And she did just that.

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Times Square's Virgin Records store will close, and the Union Square location isn't far behind. [Fox]

"A few years ago, when the housing market was white-hot, companies that publish how-to books were tripping over themselves to pump out titles about buying property and making money in the real estate business.

"Now that the bottom has fallen out of the housing market, the opposite is true: publishers are updating their backlist titles as well as rushing out newly acquired manuscripts to advise consumers who may have stumbled in the housing game." [NYT]

Two months after a crane fell on East 51st Street and killed seven people, another fatal construction accident. A crane collapsed on East 91st Street, at the Azure Condominium building, with the death toll hovering around two, including the crane's operator. Reports say the crane fell twenty stories before exploding on the street below. [WNBC]

Trump Entertainment Resorts has sold, for three hundred sixteen million dollars, the Trump Marina Hotel Casino in Atlantic City. Its buyer, Coastal Marina, is renaming it Margaritaville. [AP]

Follow us on this one, would ya?

Joanna Coles edits a magazine called Marie Claire.

Coles put a one Tina Fey, star of NBC's 30 Rock, on the cover of her May issue.

Fey starred in the movie Baby Mama, which is what the May cover was promoting.

Scenes from Baby Mama were filmed outside the building at 210 Riverside Drive, at 93rd Street.

Coles lives at 210 Riverside Drive. (Before you get huffy about us violating her privacy, her home address is already available to anyone, thanks to election donation records.)

An $649,000 apartment listing from Halstead for a 1 bedroom/1 bathroom co-op at 210 Riverside Drive (Apartment #5D) happens to mention that the building "served as the backdrop for You've Got Mail, Baby Mama, and other recent films."

The realtor attached to the listing, Halstead's Victoria Matus, is also said to be Coles own real estate broker. (Hearst spokeswoman Jessica Pollack says "Joanna has no relationship and has never used Victoria Matus as her broker.")

A coincidental confluence of events? Or a carefully executed marketing ploy where everybody benefits?

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Oh, New York!

Home to scalliwags, hoodlums and people who glamorize living in rat-infested lofts. It's really quite spectacular.

After the jump, intern Anastasia indulges her New York loving side with a romanticized dissection of city living. But not everything's hunky dory, of course, like - wait for it - "misplaced" anger at hipsters.

Yeah, we were shocked, too.

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DONALD TRUMP'S SOHO PROBLEMS Notwithstanding the actual construction dilemmas of Trump Soho, The Donald's biz partners' skeevy pasts are coming to light. There's investor Felix Sater, the ex-con who might be tied to the mob, whose involvement in a pump-and-dump stock scam forced him to flee the country. And now there's German real estate tycoon Thomas Kramer, an investor in the building's restaurant, Quattro, who was arrested last year for allegedly fondling a 13-year-old boy in the Rainbow Room's bathroom, which added to reports of his allegedly raping his secretary, assaulting a homeless man, and fonding a woman's breast at a party.

Real estate giant Corcoran, known for its cutesy advertising, earns kudos for stepping off the deep end of controversy!

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Do you want to live with a New York Times reporter? How about a New York Times blogger? 'Tis your chance! Former TVNewser Brian Stelter is hitting up Facebook to look for a roommate up on 170th Street. It's only 700 bucks a month, and that includes laundry in the building and knowing which show Jeff Zucker is canceling next.

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