UPDATED Sept. 16 at 8:35am
A celebrity broker is saddling up in Austin, staking his claim on a penthouse that doesn’t yet exist.
Fredrik Eklund, former star of the Bravo TV hit show, “Million Dollar Listing New York,” bought a South Congress penthouse for over $2 million dollars, but he won’t be moving in for at least another three years.
The co-lead on the Douglas Elliman top-earning Eklund Gomes Team has frequented Austin often, ever since his horseback debut in 2022. He’s been personally involved in the floorplans and amenity programming for the Leland South Congress development at 2105 South Congress Avenue. After working with Austin designer Michael Hsu, who is designing the interior for the Leland, Eklund says he couldn’t resist snatching the luxury project’s choicest 2,400 square foot penthouse for himself.
“We’ll see, eventually, what I’m going to do with it,” he said, admitting he’s often smitten by the projects he works on, likening them to “his children.” “I wanted to buy it. I feel emotionally attached to that project.”
The condo will offer a “really spectacular” view of the Austin skyline, with four bedrooms and a terrace spanning over 400 square feet, the development’s largest. South Congress is better than downtown, because it has “such a vibe,” Eklund said.
Eklund added the penthouse to his ballooning list of personal residences across the country, including many in Florida, a home in Connecticut and a condo at 64 University Place, a few blocks down from Union Square in New York City. “I think it’s important to show skin in the game,” he said.
That’s the message he gave at a launch party for Leland South Congress’ sales lounge this week, after Intracorp’s Brad Stein pulled him to the microphone. He believes in the city, he said, and he believes in this project.
More than half of the building’s penthouses have been sold, and Eklund’s team sold two other penthouses at the launch party, he said.
The Leland will have 35,000 square feet of amenity space to include a pool, sauna and owner’s garden at its center, and it will offer everything from penthouses to studios.
Intracorp’s plan to bring retail to the project flags the South Congress corridor south of Music Lane as an area for prime investment. It’s changing fast — the area was previously known for its boutique shops and low-cost eateries, but now large brand name stores stud South Congress Avenue as rent increases pushed out long-established local businesses. The graffitied complex that currently sits on the site was a senior living facility before more recently serving as a temporary home for artists, the Austin Business Journal reported.
H-E-B, known across the state as a retail bellwether, caught the trend two years ago, rebuilding its store less than half a mile from the Leland site. That 145,000 square foot store will be three stories and will include a True Texas BBQ restaurant along with indoor and outdoor seating for live entertainment.
Eklund sees more growth coming to Austin broadly, specifically a shift to luxury.
“You can’t deny the energy around Austin, or the people moving there, the jobs that are being created — but there’s a lack of actual mid rises as the city is maturing,” he said. “In the new development space, the taste is going to increase, and sophistication in the amenity programming, and interior design, kitchen, bathrooms and all that.”
UPDATE: This story has been updated to reflect that Eklund’s penthouse is 2,400 square feet, not 24,000.
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