HGTV’s “Selling New York” follows CORE agents as they navigate the country’s most competitive – and compelling – real estate market. Here’s our exclusive, behind-the-scenes look of this week’s episode, “The Pressure’s On,” which first aired on June 7th. For more SNY recaps, click here.
In this week’s episode of Selling New York, veteran brokers Tom Postilio and Mickey Conlon are presented with a unique challenge, as they are faced with selling the home of one of television and film’s most legendary actresses, Joan Collins. As the fourth (yes, fourth) brokers to hold the listing within one year, viewers were certainly in for a treat as Tom and Mickey work to close a deal on the icon’s East Side apartment.
As the listing accumulates more time on the market, Tom and Mickey feel the pressure of not only selling the home, but revamping the decor of the 2,200-square-foot, 3-bedroom apartment, located in The Dorchster at 57th Street and Park Avenue. While determined to keep the signature style of the Hollywood starlet intact, the two develop creative tactics to attract potential buyers to the home.
Enlisting the help of John Lyle, Mickey relies on the expertise of the high-profile designer to provide an elegant and sophisticated redesign of the home for an upcoming open house. When asked by Mickey what words come to mind when he thinks of Joan Collins, John responds, “Glamour. Drama. Sexy.” To complete the bold decor concept, Mr. Lyle also calls in a favor from Connie Lee, Director at Doris Leslie Blau, a New York City gallery featuring exquisite antique rugs. With almost $500,000 worth of textiles donated by the company, the team works to make the apartment showroom-ready. Next, Tom connects with friend and noted musician Hilary Kole to provide on-site entertainment at the open house event. The two meet at Steinway Hall, where a representative offers to loan a gorgeous Steinway & Sons piano for Hilary to play during her solo performance.
As Tom and Mickey regroup at Joan’s newly decorated home, they are greeted by the actress herself as she invites the duo in, offering each of them a glass of champagne. As the three make their way into the apartment, Joan is thrilled with the pieces added to the home and anxious to see the fruits of Tom and Mickey’s hard work come to pass. As the team finalizes the A-list invite list for the open house, both Tom and Mickey prepare to welcome some of the area’s top brokers and guests to the unveiling of the property.
The day of the open house arrives, as brokers and members of the media file into the apartment for a tour of the newly-appointed home. Wowed by the sophistication and drama of the bold new interior, guests are found mingling, conversing over the home’s features and enjoying the sounds of Hilary Kole. Overall, the open house proves to be a success, a truly fitting ode to Mrs. Collins.
Read below to find out what happened when the cameras stopped rolling and what didn’t make it into today’s episode of Selling New York!
1) Chance encounters. Joan was first introduced to Tom and Mickey at a friend’s Thanksgiving dinner 2 ½ years ago. It was at this first meeting where Joan expressed her frustrations about her home not yet selling, prompting Tom and Mickey to seize the opportunity to completely revamp the listing. In addition to becoming Joan’s brokers, the two have also become friends of the actress.
2) No relief in sight. Despite how effortless Tom and Mickey made it look, the day of the open house happened to be one of the hottest days of the year! It also happened to be the one day when the air conditioning in the apartment was broken. Go figure, right?
3) Dressed to impress. Because of the weather, Tom and Mickey ultimately decided against the black tie theme they had originally discussed for the open house. In the end, the event called for cocktail attire as a more comfortable alternative for guests.
4) Creating the vision. Faced with the task of being bold yet tasteful, designer John Lyle worked tirelessly on the apartment’s million-dollar redesign. “It took an extreme amount of vision to pull the redesign together as quickly as John did, especially when given the confines,” said Mickey. Fun fact: Tom and Mickey were first introduced to John when he approached them as a Selling New York fan!
5) Hands on. Joan was very involved in the entire eight-month listing process, despite her sporadic appearances throughout the episode. For Joan, it was extremely important that despite the redesign, the apartment would still remain true to her personal taste. Ultimately, Joan embraced the new aesthetic, trusted Tom and Mickey’s style and judgment and was extremely pleased with the brokers’ efforts.
Coinciding with the Season 7 premiere, Tom and Mickey also hosted a live Twitter session as they followed along with viewers throughout the episode. The two offered followers additional tidbits of information and engaged in one-on-one conversations with fans. Here are a couple of our favorite tweets from the guys:
“What a thrill!” says Mickey of the live Twitter experience. “We’ve never ‘live tweeted’ before. It’s exhilarating! Thanks so much to everyone who wrote in. For those who haven’t seen the episode yet, don’t be shy. Tweet us when you do and let us know what you think!”
Stay tuned for more episodes of Selling New York and upcoming live Twitter conversations. Be sure to check out more epilogues right here on the CORE Blog!