Fannie Mae director is behind $5.5 million UWS townhouse sale

Jonathan Plutzik also took care of his mortgage at the same time, records show.

Fannie Mae is frequently involved in residential property deals, but usually not in such a direct way.

The sellers of an Upper West Side townhouse that made the list of the most expensive deals of last week, is Jonathan Plutzik, who sits on the board of directors of the government-sponsored mortgage giant, and Lesley Goldwasser, his wife and business partner in various ventures, The Real Deal has learned.

Unlike millions of homeowners across the country, Plutzik and Goldwasser were certainly not underwater on their townhouse.

Earlier this month the couple snagged $5.5 million for their residence at 312 102nd Street between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive, according to city property records. The deal closed Feb. 1, the same day they paid off a $910,000 mortgage, records show.

Fannie Mae recently released a report finding that the housing sector would contribute to the country’s gross domestic product for the first time in seven years.

Plutzik and Goldwasser first put the six-bedroom home on the market this past May for $5.895 million, cutting the price to $5.495 million in October, according to listings website Streeteasy.com. The property features a fully-equipped gym with a ballet barre, a library, a gift-wrapping room and a wine cellar wired for music, the listing says.

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Plutzik has been a Fannie Mae director since November 2009. Together, he and Goldwasser own the Betsy Hotel, a 61-room luxury property at 1440 Ocean Drive in Miami Beach.

Plutzik and Goldwasser are also engaged in a range of philanthropic efforts through their foundation, Jonathan Plutzik and Lesley Goldwasser Family Foundation. Plutzik retired as vice chairman of Credit Suisse First Boston in 2003.

The buyer was an anonymous LLC. The deed was signed by Rachael Fink, the general counsel of financial advisory firm Institutional Financial Markets, who did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Samantha Reiss, a senior vice president at the Corcoran Group who handled the listing, was not available for comment.

The Plutziks purchased the townhouse in 1989 for an undisclosed sum, property records show.