Stephen Meringoff picks up Verona penthouse in unconventional $21M deal

A little aggressive brokering can go a long way. Consider the $21 million deal recently struck by Sotheby’s International Realty broker Roger Erickson at The Verona On East 64th Street. According to the New York Times, Erickson had clients who lived in the Verona that wanted a larger apartment in the building; since none were on the market he sent letters to each of the owners in the 10-story co-op to see whether they were interested in selling.

“If you had asked me six months ago if I was going to sell my apartment, I would have said, ‘No way,’ ” Jonathan Sobel, who ultimately unloaded the apartment in which he had resided for 10 years, told the New York Times.

Sobel said the letter sent by Erickson prompted him to reconsider his living situation and helped him decide it was time to leave the apartment. He became the lone respondent to Erickson’s outreach.

But in a twist, the clients on behalf of whom Erickson sent the letter decided the 5,300-square-foot 10th-floor apartment, redesigned by Charles Gwathmey in 2007, was out of their price range. Erickson ultimately engaged Himmel + Meringoff Properties principal Stephen Meringoff and brokered a “seamless” off-market transaction.

“I knew it was perfect for him,” Erickson said. “And when he saw it, he fell in love with it.” [NYT] — Adam Fusfeld