Welcome to Bravo's Million Dollar Listing New York, where three young brokers, Fredrik Eklund, Michael Lorber, and Ryan Serhant, show the world what it takes to sell high-priced New York apartments. Check in each week for recaps by Eater NY's fearless nightlife editor Scott Solish. Episode air date: 4/25/2012.
In what is probably the most exciting episode of the season, our heroes go big to sell a big unit, venture where other brave brokers have perished, and return to their roots to tie up a few loose ends. Let's get to it!
Crisis 1: He Who Bets Big Also Loses Big
After Ryan Serhant deflects Dina's raise request by telling her to go buy a pair of shoes at Saks, he fields a call from Ken, who wants to sell his Soho loft. Ryan has a strategy: bringing along a stunning co-worker who was there when Ryan and Ken met. Hope he doesn't mind that she seems to have soiled herself on the way to the listing. When they arrive, it turns out that the listing is actually 95 Greene Street, a Curbed favorite owned by Ken Nahoum. He's had...a few issues trying to sell his penthouse and make nice with the neighbors. But how about those 36' ceilings? Yes, please!
The apartment is actually a combination of several penthouse apartments and has 4 bedrooms, 6 terraces and a Phillipe Stark-designed kitchen. The problem is, the seller has put so much time and money into the home that he wants to get way too much money out of it. Ryan convinces him he is the man for the job, landing our hero the biggest listing of his life.
So how is he going to sell it? By throwing a Fashion Week after party! Is he serious? Who would ever spend that much time and effort into building the coolest loft in Soho and then decide that the only way it can be sold is to let some sleaze broker throw a raging kegger in it? We guess this guy. Ryan already misled him into thinking it's only 40 or 50 people when it's really 100+. This has Risky Business written all over it.
Ryan teams up with a designer for the party, and the designer tells Ryan the number is more like 400 than the 40 Ryan promised. This listing seems like it's about to go down the toilet.
Yeah, down the toilet. But we have to wait until next week to find out for sure. We're guessing not so good. But if you are a Curbed reader, you already know how this one ends up.
Crisis 2: Selling Where Other Brokers Hath Not Sold
Michael is riding high after selling not one but two apartments at 100 Eleventh Avenue. Can he top it this week? Maybe, but first he heads to Buster Browns to pick up some new shoes "for the season." But since this is Michael, they aren't normal shoes, they are custom designed slippers. Why?
Nothing like a guy with tiny feet and a sweating problem never wearing socks in Manhattan. Oh, ladies! Meanwhile, he gets a call from a townhouse owner in Soho who wants Michael to list the property. Maybe he is wowed by his giant uptown rolodex. Either way, Michael celebrates by buying a few pairs of slippers for this much.
Puke. Anyway, Michael goes to see the seller who has been stuck with this stunning Federal style townhouse in the West Village for two years and wants to know why Michael is the man for him. Mikey tells him that he will be dedicated to this project 24/7, unlike any of the other brokers who failed him before. And how is he going to make it sell? Staging, baby. But unlike other brokers who charge the client for the furniture, Michael is willing to pay for it himself because that's just who he is. And Michael is doing some staging of his own?staging himself as Austin Powers with some shagadelick jackets.
We think this is one deal he could pull off.
Ha! The staging goes down and now it's open house time. But before that, Michael decides to take a comedy class. Take a look.
HILARIOUS! Hopefully he has some more zingers saved up to help move this townhouse, but again, you have to wait until next week. Boooo.
Crisis 3: Internationally Known, Nationally Recognized, Locally Accepted
Did you know that Fredrik isn't just a big broker in New York, he is also one in his native Sweden? This week, Fredrik is in Stockholm with the big challenge of selling one of his own employee's homes. But it's in Sweden so who really cares, right? The former horse stable is very cool, except for the two bedrooms that have ALL GLASS WALLS. One of them is a baby's room.
How on earth does that work? Fredrik tells her to adjust her sales price down to start a bidding war, something that excites the #1 broker in Sweden to no end.
Let's do it! Anyway, they get the bidding war and it sells and Swedish meatball time and the end. Except for a touching scene between Fredrik and his father Klas, who is a big time banker who Freddie compares to Alan Greenspan and who wasn't really there for him when he was younger, when he looked like this:
GAH! But Klas says he loves him and is proud of him and we all feel warm and fuzzy inside. And then Fredrik ends the family warm-and-fuzzies by giving his mom a big check. See you back in New York!
· Official site: Million Dollar Listing NY [Bravo]
· Million Dollar Listing NY coverage [Curbed]
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