10/5/2014
By Ivan Pereira
Mayor Bill de Blasio joined a small, elite group of New York City bigwigs by putting his Park Slope house on the market last week.
The mayor’s asking rental price of $4,900 a month is not nearly as astronomical as some of the other A-list stars who navigate the city’s real estate market, but experts say de Blasio still has to face similar barriers when it comes to getting the best deal for his space.
“The market is strange. Celebrity and gossip is the currency of the marketplace,” said Carter B. Horseley, editorial director of City Realty.
Steven Cohen of the real estate Corcoran Group, who has represented celebrities with deals in the past, said some of his famous clients choose to disclose they are the owner of the property while others stay anonymous. In the end, their star power can be a blessing and a curse, according to Cohen.
“The flip side is that you have people who just want to see the apartment because so and so lives there,” he said.
Indeed, some celebrities have recently taken a long time to unload or lease out their space, such as Anne Hathaway, who sold her three-bedroom DUMBO loft in June after nine months on the market.
Michael Mansfield, a licensed real estate salesman at Citi Habitats, said the market is prime for homes sold and rented by celebrities, especially since the city’s real estate is seeing a resurgence.
“There’s plenty of other people who desire that stuff,” he said. “New York attracts the best. There is inventory and people will buy them.”
Here are a few of the current openings from boldfaced New Yorkers:
Mayor Bill de Blasio: Three-bedroom town house for rent, Park Slope.
The mayor’s pad, which he purchased in 2000, is listed for $4,900 a month and includes a host of amenities. The three-floor, century-old property has only one bathroom, but it contains a private herb garden with a crabapple tree, according to the real estate group StreetEasy, which posted the listing.
Michelle Williams: Six- to eight-bedroom town house for sale, Boerum Hill.
Williams, 34, bought the house in 2005 with her late boyfriend Heath Ledger. The pad was made for the stars and put on the market last week.
In addition to its 1,000-square-foot loft-like parlor floor, the house has 12-foot ceilings; a media room with built-in entertainment surround sound; a wood-burning fireplace, full-size deluxe kitchen with walk-in pantry; and a furnished basement with a wine cellar and a paneled library, according to the listing on StreetEasy.
The home’s outdoor garden has a waterfall, plenty of planters and an ivy-covered trellis. Don’t worry about parking; the home has a three-car garage.
Kirsten Dunst: Two-bedroom penthouse for rent, SoHo.
The “Spider-Man” actress put her loft near Canal and Washington streets that she bought in 2007 on the market last month, listing it at $12,500 a month.
Interested tenants, who have to sign a one-year term, will get some cool furnishings, such as an eight-seat dining table, oversized windows that overlook the Hudson River and modern kitchen appliances. There is also a reading room and a separate powder room, the Douglas Elliman posting for the pad said.
David Cone: Four-bedroom condo for sale, Upper East Side
The former Met and Yankee is looking to unload his Manhattan home that he purchased in 2011 for $6.49 million. The apartment, near 85th Street and Lexington Avenue, doesn’t include a pitcher’s mound, but it does have plenty of entertaining features.
Tenants have to pass a gallery to get to the 27-by-17-foot living room, according to StreetEasy. The nearby “European” kitchen has the latest appliances and glass-to-ceiling windows.
Jon Bon Jovi: Six-bedroom duplex penthouse for sale, SoHo
The Jersey rocker bought his luxury apartment on Mercer Street near Houston Street in 2007 but has been trying to sell the place since March 2013. Prospective tenants certainly won’t be living on a prayer when they stay at his pad, which includes a wood-burning fireplace and a master bedroom with arching windows.
The second floor of the duplex includes another fireplace and a private screening room.
These celebrities recently closed their real estate deals:
Jason Kidd: Four-bedroom apartment for rent, Upper West Side
The former basketball player and coach of the Brooklyn Nets is heading Midwest to lead the Milwaukee Bucks, but he’ll still have a Big Apple presence.
Kidd found a tenant for his pad last month and will charge them $22,000 a month, according to the posting on StreetEasy.
Michael Strahan: Two-bedroom apartment for sale, TriBeCa
The former Giants lineman and co-host of “Live with Kelly and Michael” had some trouble selling his home near Murray and Clinton streets for more than four years but finally scored a tenant in January.
The pad sold for $2.25 million.
