New York Habitat Blog

So, Scorsese has finally turned his obsession with “Gimme Shelter” into a full-blown film of the Rolling Stones called Shine a Light. It’s been released in IMAX so viewers can have the sensation of being surrounded by Mick and the boys. But why not do it one better by staying in the actual surroundings where the Stones’ frontmen used to live? New York Habitat has accommodations that put you right in the middle of Mick and Keith’s former London neighborhood of Cheyne Walk —‘satisfaction’ guaranteed!

In the late 1960s, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were both living on Cheyne Walk just a few doors apart (Keith was at #3 with girlfriend Anita Pallenberg, whom he stole away from bandmate Brian Jones; Mick was at #48, first with girlfriend Marianne Faithfull—during which time the Chelsea drug squad carried out on infamous raid on the flat—then with wife Bianca).

Many of the Stones’ most recognizable songs were written in the studio that Mick had built in his backyard garden. The Chelsea Drugstore, part-pharmacy, part-soda fountain, part-pub mentioned in “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” was a ten-minute walk away (unless you wanted the purple-clad, scooter-riding delivery girls to make a home delivery), so it is quite possible that Mick popped down there from time to time to get some prescriptions filled. David Bowie, whose wife Angela is believed to have been the inspiration for “Angie,” lived just a few blocks over on Oakley St. It is incredible to be walking the same streets that served as such inspiration to two of music’s most prolific songwriters—and after living in our rentals in the Cheyne Walk section of Chelsea, you’ll understand why.

This area has long been attracting luminaries in the arts, making Cheyne Walk the single street with perhaps the most blue plaques in London. Among those who have called it home are: painters J.M.W. Turner (#119) and James McNeil Whistler (who moved around from #21 to #96 and #101), writers George Eliot (#4), Bram Stoker (#10) and Henry James (#21), poet Dante Gabriel Rosetti (#16), and George Best, who was an artist in his own right with a soccer ball. What brought them all here is obvious—the beautifully-constructed early 18th century houses, the Thames River views framed by the Albert and Battersea Bridges, the celebrated Chelsea Physic Garden, and the bohemian houseboats clinging colorfully to the riverbank.

What you’ll see when you stay in one of our outstanding rental accommodations is a neighborhood that has not changed all that much since Mick and Keith were residents. In other words, it still rocks! The pubs are friendly, the pints are frothy, nearby King’s Row is full of fabulous people and fashionable shops. Sure, the Chelsea Drugstore (where Kubrick also filmed some of Clockwork Orange) is now a McDonald’s—but you can’t always get what you want…or can you?

The answer is an absolute yes if you stay in one of these well-appointed New York Habitat apartments:

• A pretty one-bedroom vacation rental in Kensington-Chelsea (LN-460) with an ornamental balcony and gas log fireplace
• A bright one-bedroom rental apartmnet in Kensington-Chelsea (LN-355) located on Cheyne Place on the fourth floor of an apartment building that comes with an elevator and its own caretaker
• A fully-equipped, air-conditioned one-bedroom rental in Kensington-Chelsea (LN-504) on Chelsea Manor Street;
• A gorgeous one-bedroom rental in Kensington-Chelsea (LN-459) that offers spacious interiors and luxury surroundings, including communal gardens—where, like Mick, you may be inspired to write a few classics of your own.

So skip the IMAX theater and head on over to a New York Habitat vacation rental to see Mick and Keith’s old haunts on Cheyne Walk in London. Most of us may never lead the rock star life, but at least you can walk the Walk.

Which London blue plaque houses are you most interested in seeing? Leave your comments below.

The Paris market continues to be one of the most dynamic in the world for both vacation rental and furnished apartment rentals. New York Habitat’s experience in Paris renting vacation rentals and furnished rentals has allowed us to compose one of the most detailed market reports in the industry. In the Paris Furnished Apartment Rental Market Report you will find details about the current market conditions as well future trends with regards to the industry.

We have created a website so you can access the various Paris furnished apartment market reports we have compiled. The 2007 Furnished Apartment market report details the current state of the Paris Market and look ahead to 2008 to make some predictions about what to expect.

Major findings for the Furnished Rental service include:

• Supply of apartments has continued to increase due to recently enacted laws which offer incentives to apartment owners to rent out their apartments
• Pricing in the market is stabile because of greater supply and the pressure of the slowing world economy
• Neighborhood selection remains highly concentrated on the central Paris neighborhoods, though other neighborhood have been able to increase the number of rentals because of specific group looking for rentals and better values

In the Vacation Rental service we found:

• Prices were stabile, with France remaining a top international travel destination keeping demand for Paris rentals at a high level but the world’s economy slowing keeping owners from boosting price too much
• People considered studio apartments versus 1 bedroom offerings  to keep cost down
• The central neighborhoods of Marais – Les Halles and St. Michel – St Germain – Notre Dame remain the most popular neighborhoods

Our market report has been designed with you in mind; owners, renters, real estate and travel professionals should find this Paris Furnished Rental Apartment Market Report to provide interesting and informative information about New York Habitat’s niche within the Paris Market.

As the company continues to expand and grow in the Paris market we expect that we will be able to build onto this market report to build an even more comprehensive Paris Furnished Apartment Market Report for the future.

We hope that you enjoy reading this report and New York Habitat’s entire team of real estate professionals from our Paris services looks forward to being your source for apartment rentals and information about the market.

 To read the 1st half market report and the full year market report visit the Paris Furnished Apartment Market Report webpage.

Please comment below on the report or e-mail us at marketreport@nyhabitat.com if you have any questions, comments or remarks.

New York Habitat continues it market report series with the release of the 2nd half and full year market report for 2007 New York Apartments. Our report covers the following divisions: furnished rentals, vacation rentals and roommate share apartments. We are excited to offer you an opportunity to see more information about our company and look forward to hearing your reaction to the report. To read this report: New York Furnished Apartment Market Report.

In this report we look at data and analysis for the results of the 2nd half of 2007, compare that to the 1st half of 2007 and provide the full year results. Some of the graphs in the report include:

• Length of stay averages
• Average, median and mode prices by apartment type
• What types of apartments were chosen
• Neighborhoods selected
• And much, much, more

The company’s founder Marie-Reine Jézéquel comments on the 2007 market by saying, “2007 has been an interesting year, laws regarding short-term rentals in New York City continue to toughen and our legal team has worked to ensure that all of our new apartments meet the necessary requirements.” She goes on to say that, “For 2008 we will continue our push to offer the best alternative accommodation options in New York City.”

Visit our website New York Apartment search to view all apartment listings in New York City including Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.

To find this report and previous reports visit the New York Furnished Apartment Market Report webpage. We will periodically update this page with the latest reports for the New York City market. Check back in the summer of 2008 for the 1st half 2008 report.

Our market report has been designed with you in mind; owners, renters, real estate and travel professionals should find this Furnished Rental Apartment Market Report to provide interesting and informative information about New York Habitat’s niche within the New York City Market. Because we have tried to design this report to benefit the readers we ask that you submit any comments or suggestions either by posting a comment on this blog or e-mailing marketreport@nyhabitat.com

We will continue to build this report and expect to be able to include data on our new unfurnished apartment rental department in the future as that segment continues to grow for the company.

We hope that you enjoy reading this report and New York Habitat’s entire team of real estate professionals looks forward to sharing more information about our segment of the market.

Previous market report blog:

• New York Furnished Apartment Market Report: 2007 1st half

New York Habitat is proud to release our 1st Paris Furnished Apartment Rental Market Report. The report covers the Paris market with information about furnished apartments, vacation rentals our company has to offer. The report is available at the Paris Furnished Apartment Market Reports section of our website.

“Since 1996, New York Habitat has been housing urban tourists as well as an international clientele of mobile professionals,” says New York Habitat President Marie Reine Jézéquel. “In 2007, we have been focusing on servicing the needs of international universities needing temporary housing for their students in Paris, France. Because average rental prices in the French capital are ranked second in Europe after London and because Paris is the 10th most expensive city in the international market¹, New York Habitat has decided to help students really in a crunch for housing. Using our international expertise, we can be a tremendous help in this ever-rising market. ”

The market report contains statistics and analysis about the first halves of 2005, 2006 and 2007 in Paris. It includes information about the following market statistics:

• Price ranges by apartment type or neighborhood
• Percentage of apartments rented by type
• Percentage of apartments rented by neighborhood
• Average length of stay
• Average price by apartment type

The Paris division of New York Habitat has created a Furnished Apartment Rental Market Reports section, where all Paris market reports beginning with this one will be accessible. We plan to complete the 2nd half and full- year 2007 Paris Market Reports in January 2008.

Our goal is to provide timely information about the Paris furnished apartment rental market so that our current and potential clients, owners and other real estate partners can be kept abreast of the latest market trends in Paris.

We anticipate that you will find our Paris market report informative and encourage you to comment on the blog about any questions or items you would like to see in future New York Furnished Apartment Market Reports. You can also e-mail the market report team at marketreport@nyhabitat.com

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¹Isabelle Rey-Lefebvre “En dix ans, les loyers ont bondi à Dublin, Oslo, Londres et Paris,” Le Monde, May 22, 2007.