Netflix’s latest reality hit, “Owning Manhattan,” premiered in June, and one of the luxury apartments featured on the show is making headlines.
“Owning Manhattan” follows celebrity broker Ryan Serhant and a group of agents who work at his real estate brokerage, SERHANT., as they try to sell properties in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The penthouse at 527 West 27th St, known as Jardim or “garden” in Portuguese, was featured in several episodes.
“It’s a great architectural gem that combines outdoor and indoor living in New York City, which is something you don’t generally see,” Chase Landow, the SERHANT. agent who sold the property,
By the season finale, Serhant and his team rented the apartment to Bad Bunny for $150,000 a month, who lived in it for a few months, according to Landow. The news made headlines in 2023 after it was reported that the Puerto Rican rapper and singer had secured the most expensive rental in New York City at the time.
The Real Deal first reported the penthouse was sold in May for $15 million. It had been on the market with the SERHANT. brokerage for about a year.
On “Owning Manhattan,” the sale price was listed at $20 million, with a potential 3% commission of $600,000. If the 3% commission remained the same for the final sale, Landow’s commission was $450,000. Landow did not want to comment on the exact amount in our interview.
While it wasn’t Bad Bunny who bought the place, public records show that the penthouse apartment was sold to the Head of Banking and Executive Vice Chair at Citi, Viswas “Vis” Raghavan and Pamela Raghavan. Frances Katzen with Douglas Elliman represented them in the sale.
“I think real estate is finding the goodness of the fit —finding a buyer who appreciates what you’re selling and finding a seller who appreciates a buyer,” Landow says. “I think this particular buyer fits perfectly with what this property is and what this property offers.”
The apartment has four-bedrooms, four-bathrooms and is roughly 4,500 square feet with 4,600 square feet of outdoor space. It also includes a lap pool, several terraces, a library, an outdoor kitchen, a spiral staircase, and direct elevator access.
The 36-unit building was designed by iconic Brazilian architect Isay Weinfeld and marked his first New York City building.
“It was really important for them to have a bit of reprieve from New York City and have a little bit of an oasis in the middle of the city,” Landow says. “Everything is really thoughtful in the sense of where it’s placed in the apartment.”
The amenities include a fitness center, a private club, a 60-foot lap pool, a yoga studio, onsite parking, and a “paparazzi-proof” private driveway.
