PHOTO: New York. FILE
The power brokers behind sales for names including Jennifer Lawrence, Bella Hadid and Shawn Levy talk about a surge of high-end transactions in the reinvigorated city: “I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon.”
In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City was hit first — and hardest. With the unfolding tragedy came a flood of residents suddenly looking for properties outside the city as well as anxious whispers that the city might never return to its former glory. The effect on NYC’s real estate market was severe: In the second quarter of 2020, Manhattan sales fell 54.1 percent, their steepest decline in 30 years, while prices dropped 17.7 percent, according to data from Douglas Elliman.
But by the last few months of 2020, there was an upsurge in activity, and demand has only grown through 2021. “It’s still the greatest city in the world, and everybody wants to be here,” says Core NYC broker Emily Beare. Homes priced over $10 million in Manhattan recently had their best sales week in eight years, and both sales volume and prices continue to spike. “New York City has a resiliency that a lot of other markets don’t have,” says Pamela D’Arc of Compass. “We’re seeing exactly what we saw after other tragic events that have happened in the city, which is that people paused, and then the rebound was extraordinary.” Here, The Hollywood Reporter highlights the city’s top agents who are inking marquee deals and helping A-list clients navigate the brisk, reinvigorated market. (Note: Client names that are included, unless otherwise noted, were all publicly reported transactions.)
OREN AND TAL ALEXANDER
Douglas Elliman
When it came time for hotelier André Balazs to sell his $10.3 million SoHo apartment, he turned to Douglas Elliman’s Oren and Tal Alexander of The Alexander Team. The pair are known for breaking multiple SoHo price records and hold listings in trophy buildings from 432 Park Ave. to 111 West 57th St. In 2021, New York City’s market “has been wild,” says Tal, “and I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon.” They also are licensed in Florida, where they have handled sales for Tommy Hilfiger and restaurateur Jeff Zalaznick (Carbone).
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EMILY BEARE
Core NYC
Core’s Emily Beare is consistently one of New York City’s top agents, with more than $4 billion in career sales. She also has become the broker of choice for designer Nate Berkus, whom she represented in the off-market sale of a $13.5 million West Village townhouse in August. Beare previously has worked with Diane Kruger and sold a SoHo property once owned by Kanye West. She currently holds a $35 million listing at tony condo building 15 Central Park West. “There’s a lot of good buyers out there and not enough inventory,” says Beare. “Not a day goes by that I don’t get emails from brokers asking, ‘What do you have for $20 or $30 million in the West Village?’”
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