A new real estate reality television show is putting the spotlight on Manhattan brokers. With a focus on the New York City residential market, “Open House NY” began airing in the tri-state region in June on WNBC, channel 4.
The program recently featured boutique brokerage Barak Realty as part of a regular eight-minute segment of the show called the Hunt, which follows brokers and their buyers to listings.
“Real estate is the office sport of New Yorkers,” said Morgan Hertzan, CEO and executive producer of LX.TV, the show’s producer. “New York realtors are great characters, lots of drama and very watchable.”
Real estate is always such a hot topic, added Barak Dunayer, president of Barak Realty, that a local TV show makes sense.
“You see it on cable and national shows, but this is the first show on what’s happening in New York City,” he said. “You get to see real buyers and brokers and real properties on the market.”
In the pilot, Antonio del Rosario, managing director and executive vice president at Barak Realty, took a buyer out to see two- and three-bedroom listings on the Upper West Side. Del Rosario said Open House NY does a good job of depicting the nature of an apartment search, but — television being television — skims over the length of time brokers spend with their clients.
“Buyers don’t usually make an offer after seeing one property,” he added. “On average, brokers spend two months with a buyer; but they edit the parts that are boring to watch.”
Other segments on the show include features on home improvement, new residential developments and environmentally friendly buildings.
Del Rosario said the program focuses more on high-end properties — anything over $1.5 million.
New episodes will air every Saturday at 6 a.m. on WNBC and repeat on Fridays at 11:30 a.m.