Manhattan home featured on Bravo's upcoming reality show "Design Sixx" sees broker switcheroo
November 09, 2009 01:00PM By Candace Taylor
Clockwise from top left: Cortney and Robert Novogratz, a living space at 400 West Street, a dining area in the same property, Raphael De Niro of Prudential Douglas Elliman, the kitchen at 400 West Street
The family's current home, located at 400 West Street, originally went on the market for $25 million in June with Brown Harris Stevens' Wendy Maitland and Susan Green. This weekend, it was re-listed at the same price with Raphael De Niro, a managing director at Prudential Douglas Elliman.
Under the auspices of their Manhattan development and design firm, Sixx Design, the Novogratzes specialize in renovating and flipping abandoned Manhattan spaces, and have moved 11 or 12 times in the past decade, living in houses they flipped. And the couple has seven children -- the last one was born in January -- which is what prompted Bravo to announce a reality series based on their lives. The show is slated to air this coming January.
Reality show or not, brokers have speculated that the house -- which comes with a private basketball court -- is priced too high, the New York Post reported.
Perhaps De Niro and the Novogratzes are hoping the publicity from the show will increase the home's value?
"We're not discussing pricing or price cuts," De Niro told The Real Deal by phone, when asked about the decision to maintain the $25 million asking price.
But, he added, "the pricing is appropriate."
As for why the house has sat on the market so long, he said very high-end properties often take longer to sell than lower-priced properties, especially in the current market.
He was confident, however, that it would generate interest, especially now that the high-end market seems to be gathering steam.
"The market has improved dramatically," said De Niro, son of the famous actor Robert De Niro. "People are buying eight-figure properties again."
The 22-foot-wide, five-bedroom home, which the Novogratzes built from the ground up, has a private garage with an automatic glass door that leads into a private garden, and a half-basketball court that converts to a screening room.
"The design is incredible," De Niro said. "It's very forward thinking and unique."
In a down market, it's common for owners to switch brokers when a property doesn't sell.
Maitland was not immediately available for comment by press time.
The Novogratzes' other projects include Bungalow, a 24-room boutique hotel on the North Jersey shore.
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Comments
Anonymous
"In a down market, it's common for owners to switch brokers when a property doesn't sell." Yes, and it is also common for owners to drop their asking price when a property doesn't sell.
Comment #1 Posted By: Anonymous 11/09/09
Anonymous
There is nothing classy about that Basketball court/screening room or the garage door opening to the backyard. The basketball court looks like it belongs in a midwestern YMCA. For $25m I'd expect better.
Comment #2 Posted By: Anonymous 11/09/09
Anonymous
I'm sure those kids loved moving 11 times in the past 10 years. Are these people going to follow in the footsteps and Jon & Kate plus 8?
Comment #3 Posted By: Anonymous 11/09/09
Anonymous
Wasn't their home just on LX TV's Open House NYC this weekend?
Comment #4 Posted By: Anonymous 11/09/09
Anonymous
the lack of an elevator in this house (5 stories in all) is a huge drawback to the inflated asking price
Comment #5 Posted By: Anonymous 11/09/09
Anonymous
Bottom line a townhouse on the West Side Highway not too appealing. Step outside your front door to what ? The first, second and third floors won't be very appealing. Given what the Meier buildings were getting at the peak and what they are now getting the pricing on this is way off base. And no the publicity from Bravo TV won't help one bit.
Comment #6 Posted By: Anonymous 11/09/09
Anonymous
Being DeNiro's son means zip...obviously this lad is living in the same La La land as his father...this place is a joke. AGreed...$25M on the WSH is pathetic...rather live on a nice, quiet, SAFE side street on the UES or UWS...no contest...plus one has Central Park at their front door instead of constant car noise. Publicity hungry parents are not the best at raising children...where is the stability? Where are REAL values?
Comment #7 Posted By: Anonymous 11/09/09
Anonymous
The segment on OpenHouse NYC was a joke (and both NBC/Bravo are owned by GE, so let the cross-selling begin). The wife looked like she just rolled out of bed for the shoot....at least put on a pair of shoes and not flip-flops for the camera! The property will only appeal to a limited buyer pool and will take years to sell at a deep discount.
Comment #8 Posted By: Anonymous 11/09/09
Anonymous
Wow- wouldn't touch this one as a listing agent. Publicly fired due to what will be described as incompetence (from unrealistic sellers who are thoughtless enough to remove any sense of permanence or stability for their kids?)- NIGHTMARE clients, stupid brokers. What a show.
Comment #9 Posted By: Anonymous 11/09/09
Anonymous
This has 'amateur hour' written all over it. Poor layout, lack of an elevator, gimmicky garage door at the back, etc. It's not much of a design for the asking price. Plus it's right on the West Side Highway. Nothing like trying to enjoy a sunset while a thousand diesel trucks spew fumes below your terrace. I think the tacky 'no name' artwork says a lot about these attention-seeking clowns.
Comment #10 Posted By: Anonymous 11/09/09
Anonymous
I've met them numerous times and they happen to be really nice people....Its funny how people bash them on this site... after all, they've renovated/built and sold 10 or 11 properties successfully....They got caught in a tough market on this one. It might not sell for ask, but to bash their parenting? So pathetic.
Comment #11 Posted By: Anonymous 11/09/09
Anonymous
They are essentially high-end flippers, and as such think that they're smarter than everyone else, even though they were simply riding the wave. Now that the market has turned they stand there - still believeing that it was their magic touch that turned things into gold. Hence they are likely to ride the wave down as it continues to crash, refusing to believe that a declining market applies to them. Their new (unfinished) E 4th St townhouse is 10 times more marketable, for location alone, but they'll likely price that into oblivion as well.
Comment #12 Posted By: Anonymous 11/09/09
Anonymous
This house is drech. It's on a highway. It will never sell for that. It's on a highway. It may work as a cool catering hall or nightclub...the new limelight maybe...is it zoned for that? It's on a highway.
Comment #13 Posted By: Anonymous 11/09/09
Anonymous
We all know who closed that deal............ & Wendy you still have better listings..........
Comment #14 Posted By: Anonymous 11/09/09
Anonymous
If I were listing, I'd list with Wendy over Raphael any time. anybody who's listing with him is hoping for some sick chance to meet his father. This is just outrageous.
Comment #15 Posted By: Anonymous 11/13/09
Anonymous
Their construction is poorly done, bad lighting in the back section of the house, which means the quality isn't up to par with the asking price. Located two blocks away from Christopher St, which is the transexual stop and shop, never mind the highway. Best of luck.
Comment #16 Posted By: Anonymous 11/14/09
Anonymous
Are they the new Jon & Kate?
Comment #17 Posted By: Anonymous 11/14/09
Chalie Leak
I think these guys got rich riding a real estate mkt, but I dont think that takes away from their design. The photos seem beautiful and creative. i googled the family and these guys seem to be successful in NY in design finance and philanthropy. I dont know if they are all related but it appears so. Most commenting on the page seem the shallow and insecure type that make themselves feel better by bashing successful people..as opposed to trying to be successful themselves. Good luck to SixxDesign and I hope you are good people and talented as I just defended you to this mob...
Comment #18 Posted By: Chalie Leak 11/14/09
Anonymous
They have two houses for sale. The first one has been on the market for over three years.
Comment #19 Posted By: Anonymous 11/15/09
Jennifer H.
My husband and I have actually met them a few times and one of our friends has looked at their house. Very nice people with very respectful kids. Most of the posters here have never been in this house and it is classless to question their parenting. I've been told their other properties did very well.
Comment #20 Posted By: Jennifer H. 11/16/09
forex robot
Great read, you can always learn something new about forex!
Comment #21 Posted By: forex robot 11/17/09
Anonymous
wow, this comment thread is a mean place. Stability for the kids? They seem to have stayed in NYC the entire time. I moved btwn states almost as often because of my father's job and turned out incredibly well balanced and happy. UWS or UES over west village across the street from the now gorgeous Hudson river park? I guess we all have different taste.
Comment #22 Posted By: Anonymous 11/21/09
Anonymous
Whoopdeefrickindo.....These folks and the things they do have such a narrow focus that it only matters to people who live therre. New York appears to be its own little world ....and what a piece of work it is...who the hell cares who these people are, what they do and how they do it except for the New Yorkers that live there???
Comment #23 Posted By: Anonymous 12/01/09
cakinics
hm. amazing text :)
Comment #24 Posted By: cakinics 12/12/09
sicadigh
I should notify my pal about it.
Comment #25 Posted By: sicadigh 12/12/09
annie
cant believe how negative people are, its one thing to not like the house but to say they are not good parents is below the belt, how do you know? i have 7 children 10 and under, and you move when you have to and you work together as a family, we have renovated houses sometimes for space sometimes for money, if thats where your skills are use them, i have to say the designs of their houses suit me because they cater for big families, and they have a mix old and new i like that.
Comment #26 Posted By: annie 01/16/10