Douglas Elliman hosts swanky affair: PHOTOS

Luxury brokers mingled over bottomless glasses of Prosecco and Pellegrino last night to catch of glimpse of an Upper East Side home that Douglas Elliman is listing for $22.8 million.

The five-story townhouse, at 18 East 73rd Street between Fifth and Madison avenues, went on the market in October for $24 million; Douglas Elliman’s Corinne Pulitzer dropped the price earlier this month because many prospective buyers have told her they would want to renovate the 1866 home, owned by attorney George Pavia and his wife, Antonia Pavia.

Pulitzer, the exclusive listing agent, is confident a deal is near; she told another Elliman agent that a potential buyer had seen the property several times.

“To selling the house,” she told a handful of her colleagues in a toast.

Douglas Elliman CEO Dottie Herman didn’t make it for the toast, making a brief appearance as the party wrapped up.

Throughout the evening, noted listing photographer Evan Joseph signed complementary copies of his latest book, “New York Then and Now,” for the 50 or so guests. Joseph told the crowd that he is shooting photos for a new book on the residences of 400 Fifth Avenue, atop the Setai hotel.

The Pavias live on the first three floors of the townhouse and rent out the fourth and fifth stories. Their home has three bedrooms, four bathrooms, two kitchens, a library and four fireplaces. The top two floors have four apartments, a studio and three one-bedrooms. Two of the units are rented, George Pavia told The Real Deal last night.

“We have tenants, which helps with the overhead, but they’re also pains in the ass,” he said.

The couple told TRD that they’ve bought a new home on Park Avenue but wouldn’t share the address. This one, though, won’t have any tenants.