Matt Lauer will soon have a new neighbor: The Wall Street Journal reports that Bernie Madoff's penthouse at 133 East 64th Street has gone into contract. The buyer has yet to be identified and it's unclear how much the apartment went for—it had been listed for $8.9 million—but whoever it is, let's hope he/she performs a thorough home exorcism before moving in. [WSJ]
Bernie Madoff's East 64th Street penthouse didn't attract any buyers at $9.9 million. How does a more modest $8.9 million sound? Did we mention the "elliptical staircase" and the "sun-flooded rooms"? Or the "tremendous wrap-around planted and irrigated terrace"? Or the fact that Mr. Matt Lauer will be your downstairs neighbor? Get moving, people. A "sophisticated" and impeccably renovated apartment" at this price won't last long. [Curbed]
• Joseph Azrack, the former head of Citigroup's real estate investment group and now a partner at Leon Black's Apollo Management, has picked up the townhouse at 24 West 11th Street. The 6,250-square-foot property (left), which first went on the market last September for $17.5 million, had been listed most recently for $14.9 million. (Curbed has photos and a floorplan here.) [NYP]
• Tony Margolis, who retired as CEO of the Tommy Bahama Group in 2008, has dropped the price of his eighth-floor apartment at 1010 Fifth Avenue for the third time since listing it in January 2008 for for $11.995 million. The three-bedroom co-op can now be yours for $9.95 million. [Cityfile, Sotheby's]
• Nancy Rutter, a former reporter for Forbes and the ex-wife of Netscape co-founder Jim Clark, has paid $3.55 million for a penthouse apartment at 230 East 73rd Street. [Cityfile]
If you haven't had a chance to take the full tour of Bernie Madoff's East 64th Street penthouse with U.S. Marshall Roland Ubaldo as your official guide, you can do so below.
The deal that Ruth Madoff signed with prosecutors last week will force her to give up her penthouse apartment on East 64th Street (as well as her other homes in Palm Beach and Montauk). So where will she move next? Finding a building willing to rent an apartment to her is proving challenging, according to the Post, since accepting Ruthie means also accepting the fact that photographers may be camped outside the building and Madoff victims may occasionally hurl rocks from across the street. What to do? Well, she hasn't moved out of the place yet, so if you have some brilliant ideas for her, you could always update the text on this card and send her your suggestions. Maybe you have a spare bedroom and you're desperate for some attention? Do reach out if you can help. [NYP, Curbed]
A couple of weeks ago, there was talk that Bernie Madoff's penthouse on East 64th Street could sell for as much as $8 million when it hits the market. (It's not officially up for grabs yet, although several brokers have been asked to assess its value in anticipation of a sale.) It seems the $8 million figure, though, doesn't factor in the fact that prospective buyers would be purchasing it from the devil himself, even though the proceeds would go to victims of Madoff's alleged scheme.
We thought we'd set a record when we made it past the police cordon at 133 East 64th Street and into Bernie Madoff's lobby with a delivery of Chinese food. But it looks like the New York Post can now lay claim to the title of having gotten closest to the penthouse of the Ponzi mastermind. A Post reporter posing as a real estate broker made it to the hallway just outside Bernie's apartment before he was arrested by cops on Saturday for trespassing. If anyone wants to pose as a refrigerator repairman, please let us know. [NYDN]
Clusterstock got its hands on the floorplan of Bernie Madoff's penthouse at 133 East 64th Street, which the Post reported today is expected to hit the market in the near future. (There are two penthouses in the building; we understand Bernie's is the one on the left.) Expect tours of the apartment to be very awkward: Since Bernie can't actually leave the place, he may have to hang out in another room while prospective buyers take a look around.
• Several top brokers have reportedly visited Bernie and Ruth Madoff's penthouse at 133 East 64th Street to assess its value in anticipation of a sale. The four-bedroom, five-bathroom apartment could go for $8 million or so. [NYP]
• The Sloane Mansion has undergone a $10 million price cut. It's now listed with Paula Del Nunzio for $54 million. [NYO, BHS]
• Investor Amit Ben-Haim's penthouse at 15 CPW, which was listed at $80 million last year before it was taken off the market, is now sporting a much more modest $47.5 million price tag. [Real Estalker, Sotheby's]
Bernie Madoff isn't so happy he's being forced to spend his days and nights confined to his $7 million Upper East Side co-op. "I'm a prisoner in my own house!" Madoff reportedly told a friend. "I can't go anywhere! I'm stuck here all day!" Apparently Bernie is particularly annoyed that "he can't even go outside just to go to the corner, or get something to eat." That's what Chinese delivery is for, silly! But as soon as we figure out how to bottle fresh air, we'll be sure to send that over and see if we have better luck this time. [NYP]
Is it possible the board of 133 East 64th Street will eject Bernie Madoff from the co-op? It's possible, but don't count on it, says Braden Keil. David Brooks, the former CEO of body-armor maker DHB Industries who was charged with conspiracy and insider trading in late 2007—he was accused of using $10 million of company money to pay for his daughter's bat mitzvah, among other things—was supposedly booted from One Beacon Court late last year, although he remains in the building. Here's a thought: If prosecutors are so determined to put Madoff in jail pending trial, maybe they could encourage the co-op board to kick him out, send a city marshall to his door to enforce the eviction, and then arrest him for violating his bail by stepping out of his building? Et voila!
