HGTV’s “Selling New York” follows CORE agents as they navigate the country’s most competitive—and compelling—real estate market. Here’s our behind-the-scenes look at Episode #507, which first aired on March 8, 2012. For more SNY recaps, click here.
In “Creative Tactics,” CORE Managing Director Emily Beare was forced to think outside the box to market a unique waterfront listing at 220 Riverside Boulevard, aka Trump Place. Naturally, Emily’s first instinct was to plan a fabulous open house for her fellow brokers, but the seller, Rebecca Clemente, informed Emily that Trump Place has a “no open houses” policy. Emily had to come up with another plan to get people in the door and decided to act fast.
To create a buzz around this 2,962-square foot beauty, Emily enlisted the help of event planner to the stars, Colin Cowie. After a quick trip to Colin’s office, they decided to throw an invite-only cocktail party to show off the apartment’s perfect entertaining layout. Emily knew that getting people to visit 220 Riverside wouldn’t be a problem if a signature Colin Cowie party was being held there. Colin and his team put together a one-of-a-kind event, perfectly tailored to the luxurious property. The party, complete with an electric rock violinist, was flawless, and had brokers pulling Emily in all directions to tour the apartment. After a successful party, it was no surprise that potential buyers were interested and that an offer was soon on the horizon.
Keep on reading for some exclusive behind-the-scenes information about what didn’t make it into last night’s episode of “Selling New York” and what happened after the cameras stopped rolling!
1) Oprah’s event planner is Emily’s dear friend. To Emily, Colin Cowie is much more than a stellar event planner. Emily’s husband and Colin are both South African, and Colin has been a friend of the family for years–25 to be exact. He’s practically part of the Beare family, so it was no surprise when he lent Emily a helping hand at 220 Riverside. Last December, Colin even sat down for a CORE Talks interview with Emily to offer tips on holiday entertaining.
2) Velvet ropes are not uncommon. A ban on open houses?! In New York City, it’s actually not so strange. Many exclusive buildings don’t want just anyone prancing through the front door, especially big crowds. And that’s exactly why these buildings appeal to a certain segment of the population. Emily was able to find another way to get people inside the listing, but she had to provide a guest list to the doorman beforehand.
3) The best parties have the best teams. When Colin Cowie is in charge, everything is top-of-the-line. Mary Giuliani, whose clients include Bradley Cooper, Gwen Stefani, and Vogue magazine, catered the event with spectacular food. Even the bartender was well-versed in the world of celebrity, having just poured drinks at John Travolta’s birthday party.
4) Parrots say the darnedest things. The event couldn’t have gone smoother, but Emily was a bit on edge throughout the night. Why? The homeowners’ parrot, Louie, is known to be somewhat of a loose cannon. Louie has the tendency to make what Emily describes as “inappropriate comments,” and she was terrified that the bird would start chatting away to guests. Thankfully, Louie kept to himself.
5) A bidding war broke out! At the end of the episode, an offer on the apartment was in the works. However, the story is a bit more complicated than that. There were actually two potential buyers fighting over the property, and they were in the midst of a serious bidding war. In the end, the property went into contract for above the asking price and it’s set to close in just a few weeks!