The boys are back in town … and there’s a new kid on the block.
Steven Gold, who jumped from the runway to real estate 10 years ago, joins Ryan Serhant and Fredrik Eklund for a new season of drama and deal-making. In this week’s episode, the Town Residential broker attempts to unload an overpriced pad and a pair of Steves. Ryan celebrates marital bliss by digging deeper into Brooklyn, while Fredrik discovers the art of non-negotiation.
Let’s catch up with our three heroes:
The spiritual broker
It looks like Fredrik has discovered his zen… in Roxbury, Connecticut. It took a 5,144-square-foot estate in the country and some church-going to get the Douglas Elliman broker on the spiritual bandwagon, but upon initial examination, it seems a calmer, more at-peace Fredrik has emerged. That is, until he returns to the trenches of Tribeca, where the smell of fresh real estate helps to flip the fierce switch.
“I feel like I’ve been transformed, but… don’t get it twisted,” Fredrik purrs. “When it comes to business, I am more fierce than I ever was.” Cue the montage of intense negotiations!
Back in Manhattan, he meets with Nicole. Having learned that Fredrik landed an $11 million deal at a neighboring building last year, she’s inspired to sell her own pad at 415 Greenwich Street. Only she wants $13 million for the 4,100-square-foot pad, which seems only slightly unreasonable until you factor in the common rooftop. Buyers with millions of dollars to spend don’t want to share anything they don’t have to, argues Fredrik, who eventually settles on a $11.995 million price tag. The one condition? It’s non-negotiable.
This arrangement poses a major problem when Fredrik brings Nicole a $10.8 million offer. She’s so displeased with it she doesn’t even want to counter (she did say it was non-negotiable, after all). Following the unsuccessful bid, Douglas Elliman chairman Howard Lorber summons Fredrik to the principal’s office. Lorber’s friend is representing the prospective buyer who’s willing to put up with a common rooftop, and will convince them to bring it up by another $500,000… though, it’s still not $11.995 million. Nicole walks away from the deal (and Fredrik), which actually kind of works? Desperate not to lose the apartment, the buyer submits a new offer for $11.6 million, which Nicole can live with.
The key to negotiation? Don’t negotiate.
Back and bearder than ever
Ryan is in the honeymoon stage with his beard Emilia, which apparently comes with a live-in sister. He decides it’s better to work himself into the ground than spend any unnecessary time with his new roommate, Mariefaye.
“It used to be that I lived deal by deal by deal,” Ryan says. “But now… now there’s just so many.” Deep!
The bearded broker’s team is expanding, as is his presence in New York City. To make his new Bed-Stuy office worth it, Ryan meets with Brett, a real estate lawyer and developer who’s trying to unload a massive portfolio in Brooklyn. The 100-unit haul is comprised mostly of brownstones, but the portfolio’s centerpiece is a 10,130-square-foot home in Prospect Park South… or should we say Georgia? The mansion is less stately and more in a state of disrepair, with oddities like a dumbwaiter and tub dedicated solely to cleaning feet. Nonetheless, it’s a historical gem and someone out there somewhere has use for 10 bedrooms and a third-floor ballroom. Ryan and Brett agree to list the home at $3 million.
Now that Ryan’s Brooklyn outpost is all set up, he can finally get down to some real work — like planning a massive game of Clue! Rather than hide the home’s quirks, he believes he can play them up through a classic detective game. Just as he’s figuring out whether or not it should be Miss Scarlett in the kitchen with a candlestick or Colonel Mustard in the library with a lead pipe, New Jersey-based developer Josh swoops in and decides to buy the house the old-fashioned boring way. Josh asks Ryan to cancel the event so he put a deal in at full ask… so long as the home’s foundation is structurally sound.
Naturally, we think there are a few cracks that could break up this deal.
Steve’s company
Alas, we’ve seen the last of Luis Ortiz on “MDLNY,” but by the looks of his Instagram, he’s not missing the show or real estate all that much… but the new guy seems pretty alright!
Steven Gold, who 10 years ago hung up his daisy dukes for good, meets with the son and nephew of a client who’s looking to sell his 4,135-square-foot apartment on East 23rd Street. The mystery seller has left his two family members (who are also named “Steve,” oddly) in charge of selling the home, which they know can fetch $14 million. The three Steves finally settle on a $12.5 million price tag for the apartment, with the promise that the unfinished kitchen will be finished in time for showings.
Fast forward to a few weeks later, and — you guessed it — the kitchen remains a construction site.
“Everybody always says ‘don’t worry, it’s going to be done on time,’” Steve says. “But in the end, it never gets done on time.”
Not even Steve’s life vest can keep interest in the pad afloat, so he makes a plea to the Steves to reduce the price. Unlike Steve #1’s fake English accent, they won’t budge. Instead, they push the broker to host an open house, so long as they finish the kitchen…
Just like they did last time.