From August 17-23, 2026, 161 residential contracts were signed in Manhattan, reflecting a small week over week decrease in the number of residential contracts signed and the second-lowest number of deals of 2026. This time of year is typically a quiet time for contract activity, but the numbers of contracts signed was down fifteen percent from the same week a year ago. Moreover, this was the quietest week of the year by dollar volume, with just over $300 million in contracts signed.
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Carnegie Hill townhouse leads NYC contracts
111 East 81st Street, #TH, top residential contract of the week (Douglas Elliman)
The week's top contract was for 111 East 81st Street, a 20-foot-wide townhouse in Carnegie Hill that was asking just short of $14 million. It was initially listed for $15 million in May 2026, and it entered contract shortly after the price was reduced. The buyer has not been identified.
The five-story, 6,546-square-foot, 20-foot-wide townhouse is located just outside of the Metropolitan Museum Historic District and features a tasteful light stone facade, not to mention rare eastern-facing windows on the second through fourth floors that fill the home with light. The house features an elegant parlor floor, an eat-in kitchen with state-of-the-art appliances and generous prep and storage space, a full-floor primary suite with two dressing rooms and two en suite baths, a basement-level home gym and wine cellar, and a high-speed elevator servicing every floor.
On the entrance floor, a family room/informal dining room offers access to a spacious, beautifully landscaped private garden designed by Robin Key Landscape Architects, whose portfolio includes the gardens at St. Patrick's Cathedral and Tavern on the Green, the latter of which received the Lucy P. Moses Preservation Award. The house is also topped with a north-facing roof terrace.
Public records show that the seller paid $13.25 million for the house in March 2022. They are listed as an LLC, but the New York Post identified them as mattress entrepreneur Craig Schmeizer. Following his death in November 2025, his estranged widow and personal representative under his will, Sarah Shalev, accused his live-in housekeeper, Hilarie Page, of squatting in the house and refusing to let her enter to inventory assets like wine and artwork for insurance and estate purposes. Ms. Shalev filed a lawsuit in February 2026 after unsuccessful attempts to enter the house, and Ms. Page left after being served an eviction notice about a month later.
Jonah Hill's former Noho loft finds a buyer
The Schumacher
The week's top apartment contract was for Residence #5A at Noho loft condominium The Schumacher, which was asking $11.5 million in the week's second-highest contract overall. The four-bedroom loft nods to the building's history as a printing factory with restored features like arched windows, 12' exposed brick barrel-vaulted ceilings, and blackened steel accents.
Public records show that the seller used an LLC to buy the condo from Academy Award-nominated actor Jonah Hill for over $10.5 million in June 2022. They initially listed it for $12.35 million this April, and it entered contract at a reduced price. The buyer has not been identified, though Crain's New York Business notes that RFR co-founder Aby Rosen and art investor/collector Alberto Mugrabi, longtime friends and collaborators, now own all four ground-floor duplexes in the building.
The Schumacher, 36 Bleecker Street, #5A | https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/noho/the-schumacher-36-bleecker-street/54872/5A/aBftlptlctehR
Thomas Leeser-designed Soho penthouse enters contract
90 Prince Street, #PHN (Serhant)
Another notable Downtown contract was signed at 90 Prince Street, a loft building located in the Soho-Cast Iron Historic District and converted to a boutique condominium in 1984. More recently, Penthouse N was renovated and redesigned by Thomas Leeser, an architect whose portfolio includes the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, the amenity spaces at the redeveloped Domino Sugar Factory in Williamsburg, and the elevator to Summit at One Vanderbilt.
A living room with a 30-foot ceiling, a massive skylight, a wood-burning fireplace, and a modern marble staircase makes a dramatic first impression, and the contrast in whitewashed and red brick creates a clear division between the living room and the chef's kitchen. A sleeping alcove is located upstairs, and the penthouse features two private terraces hand-painted with a three-dimensional design and spanning over 1,000 square feet.
"The project suggests that in a world defined by complexity, the most honest and hopeful forms of architecture may be those that resist closure, embrace contradiction, and reimagine the very meaning of beauty" - Leeser Architecture on 90 Prince Street, #PHN
The penthouse was initially listed for $8 million in February 2025, but did not find a buyer. It returned to the market for $6.35 million this August and entered contract with the eighth-highest asking price of the week. It reportedly sold a short time later, but the sale has not yet been recorded by the city.
New development contracts in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens
Billionaires' Row skyline with Central Park Tower in the center
Last week, Billionaires' Row supertall Central Park Tower was home to the top sponsor contract of the week. Residence #68N entered contract with an $8.8 million ask, the week's fourth-highest contract overall. The contract was signed shortly after Central Park Tower was home to Manhattan's highest-priced apartment sale, and remaining availabilities range from a two-bedroom for nearly $7 million to an eight-bedroom Apex Duplex asking $128 million. Almost directly to the east, two contracts were signed at Sutton Tower, the tallest tower in Beekman/Sutton Place.
In Brooklyn, a sponsor unit at Boerum Hill condominium Bergen Brooklyn was the borough's top apartment contract. Townhouse #101W, a three-bedroom duplex with a large private garden, was asking $4.65 million in the borough's second-highest deal overall. The building is over 90 percent sold, and remaining availabilities range from a studio for $895K to a five-bedroom penthouse with private roof terrace and plunge pool for $5.75 million.
Brooklyn's top apartment contract was Bergen, #TH101W (Compass)
Winthrop on the Park (Serhant)
Also of note, sales have recently launched at Winthrop on the Park, a new boutique condominium in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, and two of the eight apartments have entered contract. Both two-bedrooms feature arched casement windows, custom kitchens with quartz countertops and Fisher & Paykel appliances, spa-inspired primary baths with double vanities, built-in speakers, and in-unit laundry. With these deals, the one public availability is a two-bedroom asking $999K.
Additionally, two contracts were signed at Loft 21, a new construction condominium at 11-50 45th Road in Long Island City. Like all apartments in the building, both two-bedrooms are reached via keyless entry and feature floor-to-ceiling triple-pane windows, kitchens with Calacatta quartz countertops and fully integrated Bosch appliances, and spa-inspired primary baths. Penthouse B, which entered contract with a $2.18 million ask, has a 273-square foot private terrace; all residents have access to an amenity suite that includes a landscaped courtyard, a fitness center with yoga terrace, and a lounge. Sales launched in the building earlier this spring, and current availabilities range from a one-bedroom for $1.06 million to a three-bedroom for $2.015 million.
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Loft 21
Loft 21 living room (Serhant)
Fitness center (Serhant)
Top NYC Contracts: August 17-23, 2026
#10. 10 Madison Square West, #8G
Last Ask: $5,995,000 (-7.7%)
Flatiron/Union Square | Condominium | 3 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths | 2,354 ft2
10 Madison Square West, #8G (Corcoran Group)
#9. 306 West 78th Street, #TH
Last Ask: $6,125,000
Riverside Dr./West End Ave. | Rental | 6+ Bedrooms, 6+ Baths | 5,648 ft2
306 West 78th Street, #TH (Leslie J Garfield & Co Inc)
90 Prince Street, #PHN (Serhant)
From the Listing: Designed by visionary architect Thomas Leeser-the mind behind New York icons like One Vanderbilt and the Domino Sugar Factory-this one-of-a-kind penthouse loft on SoHo's iconic Prince Street is both a conceptual masterpiece and a finely tuned home.
Rejecting the sterile uniformity of Manhattan's luxury condos, the residence embraces imperfection and contrast. Marble slabs, each unique in shape, tone, and finish, defy the rigid Cartesian grid, creating a living sculpture where complexity transforms into tranquility. See full details here.
90 Prince Street has no public availabilities.
#7. The St. Urban, #5S
Last Ask: $6,495,000 (-16.2%)
Central Park West | Cooperative | 5 Bedrooms, 4 Baths | 3,750 ft2
The St. Urban, #5S (Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales LLC)
#6. 59 Lefferts Place, #TH
Last Ask: $6,750,000
Clinton Hill | Townhouse | 5 Bedrooms, 3.5 Baths | 4,752 ft2
59 Lefferts Place, #TH (Compass)
56 West 12th Street (Douglas Elliman)
From the Listing: An exceptionally rare opportunity to own a townhouse in Greenwich Village’s coveted Gold Coast, located on a beautiful, tree lined block and set on an oversized lot exceeding 103 feet in depth. Rich original details, exceptional scale, abundant light, and remarkable flexibility distinguish this property as a true Village rarity. See full details here.
#4. Central Park Tower, #68N
Last Ask: $8,800,000
Midtown West | Condominium | 2 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths | 1,435 ft2
Central Park Tower, #68N (Extell Marketing Group LLC)
#3. 2 East 70th Street, #9/10/11B
Last Ask: $8,950,000 (-14.8%)
Park/Fifth Ave. to 79th St. | Cooperative | 5 Bedrooms, 5.5 Baths | 4,300 ft2
2 East 70th Street, #9/10/11B (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
#2. The Schumacher, #5A
Last Ask: $11,500,000 (-6.9%)
NoHo | Condominium | 4 Bedrooms, 4.5 Baths | 3,280 ft2
The Schumacher, #5A (Corcoran Group)
#1. 111 East 81st Street, #TH
Last Ask: $13,995,000 (-6.7%)
Carnegie Hill | Townhouse | 5 Bedrooms, 4.5 Baths | 6,546 ft2
111 East 81st Street, #TH (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
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