In the last days of 2023, Governor Hochul signed the LLC Transparency Act to create a database of limited liability corporation (LLC) owners accessible to government agencies and law enforcement. It comes at a time when LLCs have attracted attention for their use in activities like money laundering and tax fraud, and Governor Hochul has said it will give law enforcement the tools they need to crack down on such actions.
However, bad actors only account for a small percentage of LLC buyers. The far more common use of LLCs is for high-profile buyers to make real estate purchases anonymously, a practice that has grown increasingly common in the wake of some terrifying celebrity stalking cases. Indeed, the vast majority of the highest-priced celebrity sales of 2023 involved the buyer, seller, or both parties conducting the transaction through LLCs.
However, bad actors only account for a small percentage of LLC buyers. The far more common use of LLCs is for high-profile buyers to make real estate purchases anonymously, a practice that has grown increasingly common in the wake of some terrifying celebrity stalking cases. Indeed, the vast majority of the highest-priced celebrity sales of 2023 involved the buyer, seller, or both parties conducting the transaction through LLCs.
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In the first quarter of 2023, The Wall Street Journal identified the seller of a condominium at 220 Central Park South as Stonehenge NYC chairman Ofer Yardeni and pointed out that it sold for 52% more than the $22.2 million he paid for it in 2019. This was the beginning of another year of high-priced sales at 220 Central Park South, but none to dethrone Ken Griffin's $238 million purchase.
The Hampshire House, #27 (Douglas Elliman) and Rupert Murdoch (David Shankbone - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15048578)
In spring 2023, News Corp. chairman and media mogul Rupert Murdoch won the bidding war for a full-floor apartment with a private terrace overlooking Central Park at The Hampshire House. He is the latest luminary to take ownership: It was sold by the estate of hedge fund executive Julian H. Robertson Jr. following his death in August 2022; Mr. Robertson, in turn, purchased it from opera singer/philanthropist Alice Tully.
From the Listing:
Once in a lifetime does the most remarkable home come to the market. This is one of those, from its provenance to its breadth of over 100 feet precisely centered over Central Park with west and east windows at each end. Few buildings accommodate a full floor apartment comprised of approximately 6,500 square feet of interior space. No other home on Central Park offers a 38’ x 20’ living room with 18’ 3" ceilings and three arched doors, each soaring over 15’ high, and opening onto the terrace and the park. This is a perfect home that combines oversized windows with views, and still has walls to accommodate a great art collection or over scaled art work. The entry gallery, with its own view of the park, is a hint of the glorious rooms it opens onto, a perfect space connecting the formal dining room and grand living room.
From the Listing:
Once in a lifetime does the most remarkable home come to the market. This is one of those, from its provenance to its breadth of over 100 feet precisely centered over Central Park with west and east windows at each end. Few buildings accommodate a full floor apartment comprised of approximately 6,500 square feet of interior space. No other home on Central Park offers a 38’ x 20’ living room with 18’ 3" ceilings and three arched doors, each soaring over 15’ high, and opening onto the terrace and the park. This is a perfect home that combines oversized windows with views, and still has walls to accommodate a great art collection or over scaled art work. The entry gallery, with its own view of the park, is a hint of the glorious rooms it opens onto, a perfect space connecting the formal dining room and grand living room.
3 Available Listings for Sale from $1,585,000
Prior to joining John Hardy as creative chair, designer Reed Krakoff made a name for himself at Coach, Tiffany & Company, and with his eponymous line. His wife, Delphine Krakoff, is principal of interior design firm Pamplemouss Design. The couple also brought their eyes for style to the renovation and interior design of a Flagg & Chambers-designed Upper East Side townhouse. It took a few price cuts before it found a buyer, but The Real Deal notes that they nevertheless made a profit, having paid $28 million for the property in 2014.
From the Listing:
The Internationally known designer couple who own this house have spent decades creating several masterpiece homes, in both country and urban settings. To present their philosophy in their own words: "Each home follows a story, taking cues from what a property once was, and what it might have been The challenge is to reimagine a place - not to be historically precise - but to blend its past with our personal view of the present." Their latest totally renovated work is spectacular: Imagine a house with a staircase drawing inspiration from the Guggenheim Museum. Imagine huge square rooms and high ceilings on every floor. Imagine a serene white environment - with the latest mechanical systems artfully hidden - and massive wide windows affording exceptionally bright sunny interiors.
From the Listing:
The Internationally known designer couple who own this house have spent decades creating several masterpiece homes, in both country and urban settings. To present their philosophy in their own words: "Each home follows a story, taking cues from what a property once was, and what it might have been The challenge is to reimagine a place - not to be historically precise - but to blend its past with our personal view of the present." Their latest totally renovated work is spectacular: Imagine a house with a staircase drawing inspiration from the Guggenheim Museum. Imagine huge square rooms and high ceilings on every floor. Imagine a serene white environment - with the latest mechanical systems artfully hidden - and massive wide windows affording exceptionally bright sunny interiors.
520 Park Avenue is the tallest building in its Upper East Side neighborhood and racked up one of the highest sales of 2023 when Albert Tylis, former president and CEO of Northstar Asset Management, sold his high-floor, full-floor home in the building in an off-market deal. The Wall Street Journal identified Mr. Tylis as the buyer and noted that he paid $31.5 million for it in 2018.
3 Available Listings for Sale from $18,500,000
When West Village condominium 150 Charles Street was still in the works, developer Steve Witkoff paid $24 million to keep a penthouse with five bedroom, five and a half baths, 4,610 interior square feet, and over 2,500 square feet of private terraces for himself. Mr. Witkoff sold it to an unidentified buyer for $32 million in June 2019. More recently, The Real Deal revealed that the penthouse had changed hands again in an off-market deal.
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In summer 2019, Related Companies CEO Stephen Ross and then-wife Kara Ross listed their penthouse at One Central Park, a Related development, in preparation for their move to Hudson Yards, another Related project; it ultimately sold three years later. While the final sale price was among the highest of 2023, it nevertheless represents a 47% reduction from the original listing price of $75 million.
From the Listing:
Meticulously conceived by Tony Ingrao and Randy Kemper, this sprawling home boasts 11.5’ ceilings and is grand in design and detail, with no expense spared. The perfect combination of jaw-dropping panoramic views, abundant natural light and extravagant but elegant finishes, this six-bedroom home occupies the entire 80th floor of the Center’s South Tower. The interiors feature a unique blend of exotic materials beginning with the entry’s inlaid stone flooring. A wall of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Central Park greets you as you enter the palatial 42’ long living room. Flooring made of Bubinga wood and doors and moldings of Padouk wood, as well as dual fireplaces are but a few of the unparalleled finishes in this showstopping room. A handsome corner den features a fireplace and custom coffered ceiling and a 22’ long formal dining room with gorgeous marble floors and custom moldings provide iconic city and park views and round out the substantial entertaining areas.
From the Listing:
Meticulously conceived by Tony Ingrao and Randy Kemper, this sprawling home boasts 11.5’ ceilings and is grand in design and detail, with no expense spared. The perfect combination of jaw-dropping panoramic views, abundant natural light and extravagant but elegant finishes, this six-bedroom home occupies the entire 80th floor of the Center’s South Tower. The interiors feature a unique blend of exotic materials beginning with the entry’s inlaid stone flooring. A wall of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Central Park greets you as you enter the palatial 42’ long living room. Flooring made of Bubinga wood and doors and moldings of Padouk wood, as well as dual fireplaces are but a few of the unparalleled finishes in this showstopping room. A handsome corner den features a fireplace and custom coffered ceiling and a 22’ long formal dining room with gorgeous marble floors and custom moldings provide iconic city and park views and round out the substantial entertaining areas.
110 East 76th Street (CityRealty); Julia Koch (David Koch Foundation - https://www.davidkochfoundation.org/julia-koch (archived), CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=115073770)
The past few years have been busy ones on the real estate front for philanthropist Julia Koch: About a year after her record-breaking purchase of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's Upper East Side penthouse, she has offloaded the Upper East Side townhouse she and her late husband David Koch bought from real estate developer Joseph Chetrit for $40.25 million in 2018. The Real Deal announced the sale and notes that the townhouse was renovated by architect Peter Marino. Features include a first-floor garden, a roof terrace, a media room, a spa, a sports court, and a grand staircase and elevator connecting all six levels.
When political advisor Doug Band bought the Upper East Side townhouse of banker/philanthropist David Rockefeller for $20 million in 2018, it had been in the Rockefeller family for nearly 70 years. It did not last nearly that long for the Band family - they only owned it for five years, four of which were spent on an extensive renovation. The Wall Street Journal announced the sale and identified the buyer as Australian tech entrepreneur Bijan Tehrani.
From the Listing:
One of the finest townhouses in New York City, 146 East 65th Street presents the rare opportunity to own a newly-renovated, key piece of Manhattan’s storied past. The eight-bedroom, Colonial Revival masterpiece was originally constructed in 1924 and painstakingly underwent a four year renovation/restoration by top AD100 Steven Harris Architects which was completed in 2022 with exquisite interiors by Miles Redd. Elegant sitting rooms are perfectly proportioned and open onto sweeping entertaining and private spaces.
From the Listing:
One of the finest townhouses in New York City, 146 East 65th Street presents the rare opportunity to own a newly-renovated, key piece of Manhattan’s storied past. The eight-bedroom, Colonial Revival masterpiece was originally constructed in 1924 and painstakingly underwent a four year renovation/restoration by top AD100 Steven Harris Architects which was completed in 2022 with exquisite interiors by Miles Redd. Elegant sitting rooms are perfectly proportioned and open onto sweeping entertaining and private spaces.
The saga of Penthouse H at celebrity favorite 443 Greenwich Street has more twists and turns than the average Formula One course: Professional driver Lewis Hamilton bought the apartment from the sponsor for $43,991,455 in 2017, but never moved in and listed it for $57 million in 2019. It was on and off the market until the end of 2021, when Mr. Hamilton sold it to a Seattle-based shell company for $49 million; more recently, it changed hands again at the beginning of 2023. The transaction took place through a trust, but New York Post identified the buyer as Jennifer Gates, daughter of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
From the Listing:
Sprawled across three levels, with direct building elevator access and a separate a private elevator, Penthouse H is the largest residence in the building. The dramatic great room boasts 20’ ceilings with coveted character details echoing the original 19th-century book bindery factory including pine beams with steel fittings and seventeen restored windows. Spectacular light streams through corner exposures, north and west, playing a creative light story at all times of day. Refined and elegant, the windowed Christopher Peacock kitchen is outfitted with a Calacatta marble island, dual dishwashers, six-burner Wolf range with grill top, side-by-side 36-inch-wide Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezer, and a Gaggenau wine refrigerator. The flexible layout is ideal for entertaining with a circular flow from the entry, great room, kitchen and staff/AV room. There is an additional library/media room with wet bar, gas fireplace, and en suite bathroom, which can easily function as a sixth bedroom if needed.
From the Listing:
Sprawled across three levels, with direct building elevator access and a separate a private elevator, Penthouse H is the largest residence in the building. The dramatic great room boasts 20’ ceilings with coveted character details echoing the original 19th-century book bindery factory including pine beams with steel fittings and seventeen restored windows. Spectacular light streams through corner exposures, north and west, playing a creative light story at all times of day. Refined and elegant, the windowed Christopher Peacock kitchen is outfitted with a Calacatta marble island, dual dishwashers, six-burner Wolf range with grill top, side-by-side 36-inch-wide Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezer, and a Gaggenau wine refrigerator. The flexible layout is ideal for entertaining with a circular flow from the entry, great room, kitchen and staff/AV room. There is an additional library/media room with wet bar, gas fireplace, and en suite bathroom, which can easily function as a sixth bedroom if needed.
1 Available Listing for Sale for $28,000,000
Summer 2023 was a busy time for off-market penthouse sales at celebrity favorite 150 Charles Street: Less than a month before Penthouse B sold for $38.5 million (see above), Penthouse A sold for $52 million. Both the buyer and seller conducted the transaction through LLCs, but The Wall Street Journal identified the seller as former Credit Suisse executive Robert Shafir. Public records show that Mr. Shafir purchased the penthouse for $29.38 million in 2016, and an old listing indicates that it has five bedrooms, over 4,500 interior square feet, and approximately 2,500 square feet of private outdoor space.
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
Just complete the info below.
Or call us at (212) 755-5544
Would you like to tour any of these properties?
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