Tim Davis, Dolly Lenz, and 39 Cobb Hill Lane

What may be fairly obvious is that Tim Davis, with 28 listings, worth about $292 million, is one of the top brokers in the Hamptons.

Harald Grant of Sotheby’s International Realty may have more listings in the wealthy beachside getaway, with 31, and for more expensive homes — a total of $378 million, with some prices not even disclosed. But Davis clearly is outmuscling agents like Peter Turino of Brown Harris Stevens, another major earner, whose 12 listings total $136 million.

Plus, the Corcoran Group’s Davis, a 30-year Hamptons real estate veteran, had a hand in last year’s biggest brokered deal: the $38.5 million sale of a colonial house on 15 acres to a group of buyers that included designer Tory Burch (the property was carved into three lots for the deal to happen).
[more]

Today in startling real estate trends, the Post devotes 853 words to the allegedly “increasing” phenomenon of “rich guys…buying lavish apartments to woo women.” (Our apologies to Jennifer Aniston — apparently it doesn’t work the other way around). Says the tabloid: “the right apartment can get you laid,” and adding credence, they’ve got Prudential Douglas Elliman superbroker Dolly Lenz weighing in with her two cents: “The swagger is back in the market,” she offers. “A trophy apartment says you’ve arrived.” After the jump, the Post’s handy real estate how-to on getting a woman to sleep with you. [more]

Listing broker Dolly Lenz and 870 Park Avenue

It’s been a tumultuous decade for the 13-room townhouse at 870 Park Avenue. Originally listed for $23 million in 2004, it’s plowed through a roster of the city’s most elite real estate brokers, endured the market’s boom and bust, and has a lengthy history of price hikes and cuts to match. In December, still unsold, it found itself at the center of a divorce settlement and was transferred for $10 million to Winick Realty executive Lori Shabtai after she split from former owner Benny Shabtai, the Raymond Weil watch mogul.

But it looks like the 12,000-square-foot mansion has finally found someone who actually wants it. The four-story residence, whose façade was designed by 15 Central Park West architect Robert A.M. Stern and which was most recently priced at $24.5 million by Prudential Douglas Elliman vice chairman Dolly Lenz, entered into contract this past Friday. [more]

Lenz speaks on Fox News this week

New York real estate attorney Adam Leitman Bailey declared that the housing market has another five years to go before recovery, on Fox News’ “America Live with Megyn Kelly” earlier this week. Bailey, who appeared on a panel with Dolly Lenz of Prudential Douglas Elliman and Liz MacDonald of Fox Business Network, was reacting to the latest home price report from Zillow.com, which sent shockwaves through the industry with its prediction that the U.S. housing market won’t bottom out until 2012. “It doesn’t make any sense to me why anyone has thought that we were close to the bottom,” Bailey said. “We can’t be.” [more]

John Madden, the interior of his Dakota apartment, and the private entrance off of the interior courtyard

Hall of Fame football coach-turned-legendary sports commentator John Madden has put the 2,000-square-foot co-op he owns at the Dakota on the market for $4.9 million. According to the Wall Street Journal, Madden, who now lives primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area, purchased the five-room apartment for $625,000 in 1985, from comedian Gilda Radner, who had paid just $150,000 for it during the late 1970s. The Central Park West maisonette, at 72nd Street, has original moldings, two fireplaces and a rare, private entrance off of the storied building’s interior courtyard. [more]

Dolly Lenz, a vice chairman at Prudential Douglas Elliman, appeared on “Good Morning America” (see video above) today to discuss the precautions buyers must take when considering purchasing foreclosed homes. “Good Morning America” found home sales of $100,000 or less are up 10 percent, and even found a $52,000 home outside Atlanta discounted from $242,000. But Lenz warned buyers to make sure “they know what they’re buying,” and that the below-market homes are even worth their reduced costs. Lenz said buyers should beware and ensure the building’s infrastructure is sound — otherwise a lot of hidden costs may be associated with those homes.

From left: Corcoran’s Tim Davis, Prudential Douglas Elliman’s Dolly Lenz and her Water Mill home

Dolly Lenz has upped the asking price on her seven-bedroom, seven-and-a-half-bathroom Water Mill home after a “major redecoration.” According to Newsday, the “stratospheric” Prudential Douglas Elliman broker, who in a rare move last June, granted a co-exclusive listing on the house to the Corcoran Group’s Tim Davis, is now asking $5.9 million for the property, up 7 percent from her previous, $5.495 million price tag. According to Davis’ listing, the 6,459-square-foot mansion, which sits on 1.5 acres with a pool and separate carriage house, has “fresh new interiors and a great floor plan.” [Newsday] [more]

Following the release of first-quarter residential real estate reports across the country, experts from some of the top markets appeared on CNBC (see video above) to discuss the findings. In New York, Prudential Douglas Elliman’s Dolly Lenz took to the screen, noting that the Manhattan market is bucking the trend seen in the rest of the country, with prices at the high end “holding quite firm.” As evidence, Lenz referenced a recent story from The Real Deal, which revealed that the owner of a 5,600-square-foot 15 Central Park West spread had pulled his $55 million listing from the market in order to renovate, rather than dropping the price or accepting a lowball offer.

From left: Howard Lorber, Leonard Steinberg, Herve Senequier, Dolly Lenz, Raphael De Niro and 41 W. 74th Street

A six-story Upper West Side townhouse has just sold for $12.5 million, according to the New York Observer, after a tumultuous past as a would-be condominium development. The townhouse, at 41 West 74th Street, which contains two 3,800-square-foot triplex units, was purchased by Prudential Douglas Elliman honcho Howard Lorber’s Vector Group this past August and was marketed by Elliman top dogs Leonard Steinberg, Herve Senequier, Dolly Lenz and Raphael De Niro. [more]

New York City’s own Prudential Douglas Elliman was named the number one brokerage in the nationwide Prudential Real Estate Affiliates network this week, Elliman CEO Dottie Herman announced following a ceremony in San Diego, Calif. The company’s Manhattan offices and agents took home a litany of awards and honors, including, for the eighth year in a row, the top office by gross commission income. Elliman’s 575 Madison Avenue office held onto that title (it was also fifth by number of units), besting some 1,940 other Prudential network offices nationwide. It was followed by Elliman’s 26 West 17th Street office at No. 2 and 1995 Broadway at No. 3. And, among individual agents, no surprise here: “stratospheric” superbroker Dolly Lenz was the top producer by gross commission income out of some 62,000 agents in the Prudential network. TRD [more]