KLEIERS IN OTHER

Unique Brokers' Strategies to Attract Buyers

Michele Kleier, president of Kleier Residential in Manhattan, has held such similar events as book signings and mixology parties, where guests learn about different cocktails and drinks and how to make them. “We were hoping that the apartment looked better at night after tasting a few margaritas,” laughs Kleier.

At one prewar Park Avenue building, a unit was selling for $5.5 million and Kleier once again put her creative juices to task to get it sold. This nine-room apartment with high ceilings and fireplaces was owned by a cabaret singer, and Kleier knew that a party with the entertainer would be the perfect way to draw attention to the unit. “She entertained the guests while we served hors-d'oeuvres,” says Kleier. “She sang classics, which fit the prewar style of the building that she lived in. When you do events like these, you have to match the event you are doing with the building it is in. For example, the cabaret singer might not have worked as well in a new construction building.”

To push one unit, Kleier created a charity event prior to the Park Avenue tree lighting in December. The event raised money for the Fund for Park Avenue, a non-profit organization that spends $1 million a year to beautify the medians along Park Avenue. “There were 200 people there, and it brought wonderful attention to the unit,” she says. “These events are also typically held for buildings with a multi-million dollar price point. When you have a unit for over $10 million people are going to come and see the apartment anyway, especially if it’s well done.”…

…Kleier agrees that while creative promotional events do work to get potential buyers in the door of a luxury unit, they are not what ultimately sells it. “A good apartment that’s priced well is what gets an apartment sold all the time,” she says. “If it’s overpriced, the event doesn’t even matter. You’re taking a chance, because 90% of the people who are coming to an event are curious about the author, or the drinking. Also, these events work for condos, but not co-op buildings, where management needs to control the number of people who are attending.”

Michele Kleier is one of the titans of real estate highlighted in the new book "The Closing: Interviews with New York City's Titans of Real Estate."

We’re pleased to have recently worked with Marc Schaeffer of Kleier Residential, the boutique New York City realtor! He’s the first subject of our new blog series, Faces on Fifth, a look at Landmark Branding’s clients and the professionals who make Fifth Avenue and adjacent neighborhoods their home base for business and life.

An experienced broker who specializes in first-time buyers, Marc requested a special package of services that included a revised bio for his company’s website and a listing for 34 Gramercy Park East, one of the city’s oldest and most architecturally distinguished apartment houses.

An eye-catching mix of Gothic, Queen Anne and Romanesque elements, the 1883 landmark predates even the famous Dakota Apartments on Central Park West and faces the last private park in Manhattan, the exquisite Gramercy Park at the foot of Lexington Avenue. The above picture shows the park through a circular detail of the antique wrought iron fence.

An enthusiastic and market-savvy professional, Marc put together a team of colleagues from Kleier Residential for a special private tour of the park’s environs. Led by Landmark Branding’s David V. Griffin, the hour-long tour featured Victorian birdhouses, medieval knights, ceramic giraffes and largest private house in the district, among dozens of other unique details.

Visit Marc’s page at http://www.kleiers.com/Agent_Profile_76 to learn more about him and his services. It’s a pleasure to have him as a client!

Looks like ABC Family is on a roll! The channel, which has churned out numerous hit series recently, is planning to develop a new drama series called Hot Property, inspired by a book from the stars of HGTV’s Selling New York.

The new series will focus on a mother and her two daughters who live and work together in the world of real estate in New York. The show will be based on the book of the same name, written by HGTV stars Michelle, Sabrina, and Samantha Kleier of Selling New York, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Although no actors have signed on to the project yet, ABC Family has already nabbed writer Melissa Carter, who has also worked on Jane By Design and The Lying Game for the network.

ABC Family has released several hits recently. As we previously reported, the network’s hit show Baby Daddy was picked up for a third season before the second season even aired. ABC Family has also had success with shows like Pretty Little Liars, Switched at Birth, and the Secret Life of an American Teenager.

Will you be watching Hot Property?

The New York real estate market, in all of its high costs and market fluctuations, has been discussed in films and on television before, humorously in last year’s Wanderlust, when the couple buys a teeny tiny apartment they can barely afford. Now, it seems, ABC Family wants a piece of the New York real estate pie. To do so, the network has signed on for Hot Property, a one-hour drama based on a book written by Selling New York matriarch Michele Kleiner, and her daughters, Samantha and Sabrina.

The book basically looks at the women’s work in the Manhattan real estate market through the eyes of fictional characters and THR is reporting the ABC Family project will follow a similar plot. In the drama project, Elizabeth Chase and her two daughters, Kate and Isabel, work long hours in the city. Their devotion to their jobs and the women’s super close relationships with one another can sometimes take a toll on their personal lives. Jane by Design writer Melissa Carter is on board to write Hot Property. Bryan Furst, Sean Furst, Richard Shepard are set to produce.

ABC Family has spent the last few months re-signing network favorites and adding new shows to the schedule. Last month, Jennifer Lopez’s The Fosters was picked up to series along with another program called Twisted. Earlier this week, Baby Daddy was picked up for a third season ahead of its second season premiere. All in all, the network seems to be building a pretty sweet schedule, but I’m not sure if Hot Property will be able to hit the family friendly tone the network’s programming usually takes. We’ll let you know if Hot Property moves forward to series at the cable network.

NEW YORK--What can you get for US$28.5M in Manhattan?
Found out Thursday as I toured a castle in the sky with the amazing Kleier's of Gumley Haft Kleier. These well-connected residential real estate agents are featured on Selling New York, which premieres on HGTV Canada Sept. 8.
Mom Michele Kleier and daughters Samantha and Sabrina (yes, named after classic movie roles) are taking to their new found TV fame just fine, thank you. They've got a reported six-figure book deal in the works with HarperCollins and are more than open for some sponsorship deals on their show. The gals have to look the part, and these three arrive dressed head-to-designer-toe in Channel, dripping with jewelry, They are the original Housewives of the Upper East Side.
Michele knows this 'hood like the back of her well manicured hand. She has to--she doesn't use email or a computer, working it old school all inside her head. They travel in threes, arriving in matching red pumps and offering a family touch to what is often an overwhelming personal transaction.
And what a transaction. On Thursday, the Kleiers took myself and HGTV Canada publicist Ursula Terlecki on a tour of 995 Fifth Avenue, a breathtaking, 8360 square foot 16th floor penthouse overlooking Central Park and the Met.
The traditional, pre-war residence occupies the top full floor of the stately Upper East Side Candela classic. It has seven bedrooms and 8.5 baths. The .5 bath would be the showpiece of just about any other house.
Amenities include a concierge, health club and spa. There's no parking, but what do you want for $28.5 million?
Don't forget the maintenance fee: $35,620.47. Hey, there's a main floor laundry room and pets are allowed.
Some of the multi-million dollar condos shown on this tour of Selling New York real estate give you the wowwee moment the minute you step off the elevator. There's an old money restraint at 995 Fifth. When you exit the private elevator, you enter a gracious entry gallery. It's when you step around into the 42 x 19-foot living room that you lose your breath. The space is a hotel lobby-sized showcase and beyond the nearly 10-foot walls out the deeply recessed windows is a staggering view of Manhattan. You can see some crazy birds nest art piece being installed on the roof of the Met. Further up town, the large Central Park reservoir can be seen and further still, George Washington bridge.
The residence has windows facing north, south, east and west. Look south down Fifth and there's your view of the Empire State Building.
John-John once enjoyed the view from there. Mr. Big and Carrie, too. The place has played host to Manhattan's rich and famous.
The his and hers dressing rooms off the master suite are the size of many Manhattan apartments. There's a sitting room off the bedroom so the Missus can conclude her business deal without any of that unpleasantness spilling onto the sheets.
Michele said one of the 60 most wealthy men in the world checked the place out the day before. Biggest complaint so far is that the joint is too big. Exactly why I didn't buy it.
The Kleiers say being on TV is good for business. Not all of their rich and famous clients want any face time on the show but so far they've been able to shoot around that.
At $28.5 million, 995 Fifth may not move right away, especially in this economy. The owner, says Michele, may be willing to rent it out for a couple of years--at 75k per month. Look for it to be featured on the finale of the first season of Selling New York, starting Sept. 8 on HGTV Canada.