That New York City draws property hunters from around the world is no surprise.
In fact, 15 percent of buyers in the city today are international, according to Elizabeth Stribling, president of Stribling & Associates.
But just how big a force are foreign nationals in the highest reaches of the residential market? To find out, The Real Deal combed through the priciest deals of this year so far, relying on data provided by listings aggregator StreetEasy, to find out which of the biggest transactions involved international buyers and sellers. Of the top 20 deals, six had one or more parties from outside the U.S., according to property records, press reports and interviews.
These deals may be a small fraction of the properties changing hands, but between the Russian buyer spending $48 million on a pied-à-terre and the Irish seller unloading his Upper East Side mansion, they are a microcosm of a world in financial flux.