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“Million Dollar Listing NY”: Unplanned brokerhood
Recap of Season 5, Episode 10
On this week’s episode of “Million Dollar Listing New York,” Fredrik tries to find some peace and quiet at a very loud listing in Noho, Luis goes on the hunt for that one special broker, and Ryan tries to save his job at 56 Walker Street.
Let’s catch up with our three heroes:
Fredrik
After flushing $900,000 in commissions down the toilet at 11 North Moore, Fredrik is back in Noho, the new center of Manhattan’s universe. Marcella, a long-time client with a knack for flipping apartments, is listing a loft at the landmarked 644 Broadway. According to Fredrik, the space once resembled “a cross between a war zone and a crack den,” but following a $2 million renovation, the 2,900-square-foot apartment is enjoying a new lease on life. Marcella wants to sell this pad so she can get her hands on a $15 million apartment at 26 Bond Street. The pair agree to list it for $7 million, so she can get the money needed to move on to her next project.
Not even a Rorschach-inspired sex organ on the bathroom wall can distract buyers from what’s going on outside. It appears that those colossal arch windows are letting too much noise in to the second-floor apartment. “I would say 30 percent of all the buyers disappear when they see second floor, because it’s too low, visibility, noise, and old buildings from 130 years ago — they don’t have amenities,” Fredrik says. He does find some hope in Fred, a potential buyer who contacted Fredrik soon after the open house. Before Fred makes a $7 million commitment, however, he wants the windows soundproof. Because the building is landmarked, it’ll take more than just putting in new glass. The initial quote to seal the windows comes in at $410,000.
“Holy sh–!,” Marcella says. “I just fell off my high heels.” Us too!
In search of a new quote, Fredrik brings in an acoustic scientist to figure out how much noise is actually coming in Off The Street. With the help of a spectrum analyzer, she finds that the apartment is pretty quiet considering it sits above a busy intersection. The quote magically shrinks down to $56,000, but in the world of “Million Dollar Listing New York,” nothing ever concludes with such ease. The apartment at 26 Bond Street is no longer available, so Marcella must hold on to the loft at 644 Broadway, despite having accepted a $7 million offer. Fredrik pouts over his salad until Marcella expresses her interest in 1 Great Jones Alley — another development Fredrik is marketing in Noho. Though it won’t be ready for another year or more, Marcella promises to sell through Fredrik, and will snap one of the units at the new development once the deal is complete. Hopefully it will be worth the 16-month wait.
Luis
Luis is having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day at the start of the episode. He snaps at Ronita about calendars, phone numbers and other office-themed jargon. After a mini-meltdown, an unusually moody Luis says he’s missing something, but he can’t quite put his finger on it. The ever-wise Ronita suggests finding a partner to help with his business. The move seems right, considering co-listing has been his Achilles heel throughout the season. “I may need a partner that could help me focus on the things that I’m good at,” Luis says.
Tapping into his network at Douglas Elliman, Luis brings broker Michael Graves to Hudson Bar and Books for a mystery meeting. Luis doesn’t know Michael very well, but he likes him, so that seems like a good start? After Luis reveals his true intentions, the two decide to take the partnership for a test drive in Noho, where Michael has been commissioned to sell an apartment at the Schumacher Building. The seller bought the three-bedroom unit for $7.8 million in late 2014, and now wants to flip it for $8.75 million. The steep increase in price isn’t the biggest problem, however. The duplex comes with expansive views of a neighboring Planned Parenthood, where pesky protesters congregate morning, noon and night.
The blooming broker duo seem to be hitting it off, but it looks like the pair may be on separate pages when it comes to splitting responsibilities. Michael wants to be home to tuck his two kids in at night, while Luis needs someone who can be as committed as those Planned Parenthood protesters.
Ryan
At 56 Walker Street, Ryan finds out he should’ve walked a mile in Fredrik’s Swedish socks before posting that very familiar article all over social media. The developers of the boutique condominium want Ryan to “just get it sold,” which is proving to be easier said than done. Though he scored a victory with the first sale, Jason Lee, whose firm Six Sigma NYC developed the building, rejected an offer on the penthouse. Like every developer in the city, Jason believes there’s nothing else like it on the market. (Where else can you get speakers to follow you around the apartment?) To appease his overlords, Ryan hosts an “intimate gathering” to push 56 Walker’s townhouse unit asking $14 million. Without renderings, a kitchen or water in the private pool, Ryan can’t help buyers visualize what they’re exactly spending their millions on.
“I think I said a lot of things I probably shouldn’t have about Fredrik,” Ryan says. “It’s not really all his fault. It’s a difficult building. I could’ve made no noise, put it on, not gloated, not had an ego about it, and now I’m an inch away from losing it. And that’s complete failure to me.”
Ryan puts his very real ego aside when he rings the buyers whose offer for the penthouse was mercilessly rejected by Jason last episode. They’ve upped their offer from $7.5 million to $7.8 million, which is still considerably lower than its $9 million asking price. At first, Jason is willing to consider it if Ryan sacrifices his commission to make up for the price gap. Common sense prevails, however, as he persuades Jason to move forward with the deal, in order to drum up some momentum for the other two units.
“The numbers are not the best, but they’re not disastrous,” Jason says, which is probably the most encouragement Ryan has received from him since signing on to the project.
“These are not the numbers that he wants, but I did my job,” Ryan says. “So when other real estate agents are on vacation, I am in New York taking their business.”
Alas, Ryan’s ego is back to its normal self.