Superstar broker Dolly Lenz departed Douglas Elliman last week, causing industry-wide speculation as to where she will land. Whether Lenz attaches herself to another major firm or establishes her own company, one thing’s for certain — not all of her listings have followed her.
Lisa Simonsen, the Elliman broker behind the $48 million sale of a Plaza Hotel condominium in 2011 — at the time, the most expensive apartment trade in New York history — has snapped up Lenz’s highest-priced residential listing. The 18th-floor terraced property at the Sherry Netherland on Fifth Avenue had been asking $95 million, according to StreetEasy.
Simonsen appears to have added the seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom property, owned by former Liberty Travel CEO Gilbert Haroche, to her team’s page on Elliman’s website today. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the listing, nor did Lenz. The property is still listed as a co-exclusive with Kathy Sloane of Brown Harris Stevens, who was also unavailable.
Some of Lenz’s other pricey listings have also been taken over by Elliman brokers.
Rick Friedberg, who was previously listing a $12.5 million townhouse at 116 East 61st Street as a co-exclusive with Lenz now appears to be the sole broker marketing the property, according to Elliman’s website. Friedberg did not respond to a request for comment.
Lenz also looks to have left behind her $10.95 million listing for a parlor unit at 15 East 70th Street, although it seems that no specific Elliman broker has been assigned to that property.
The owners of these homes could not be reached for comment. Elliman declined to comment.
Meanwhile, Lenz’s listing for a vacant 29,700-square-foot residential property at 66 East 11th Street appears to be up in the air; at press time, it had been removed from Elliman’s website and from StreetEasy. When contacted by The Real Deal, Renato Termale of Delos Living, the owner, referred all questions to a spokesperson, who was not immediately available for comment.
The brokerage community has been indulging in much guesswork as to Lenz’s next move, with some speculating that she might solicit offers from luxury-focused firms like Sotheby’s International Realty or Brown Harris Stevens. Sotheby’s declined to comment, while a spokesperson for Brown Harris Stevens said the firm was “not currently in talks with Dolly Lenz.” Others believe Lenz will start her own company.