+25%
Manhattan closings above $3 million, year over year
The $3 million to $5 million band rose 40%. Demand is there; the fight is for the buyer's attention.
New York luxury real estate marketing for trophy condos
Manhattan closings above $3 million are rising while sponsor supply thins, and the new pied-à-terre tax changes how you pitch buyers who live elsewhere.
Corcoran counted a 25% year-over-year jump in Manhattan closings above $3 million in the July to September 2026 quarter. From 1 July 2026, owners of New York homes that are not their primary residence also face a new annual tax. We build the film, the brand and the buyer journey for sponsors and listing teams selling at that level, travelling from our Chicago base. See brand building.
Trophy condo launchesCinema film on RED and ARRIBuyer tax questions answered up frontPrivate viewings by design
Manhattan's high end in the third quarter of 2026
19%
share of all closings above $3 million
Tied for the highest share Corcoran has recorded, so a trophy launch competes with more resales than usual.
$1.25M
Manhattan median sale price, a third-quarter record
Even the middle of the market sits at a high, so a trophy price has to be earned on screen through finish and view.
3.9%%
top buyer transfer tax, mansion plus supplemental, at $25 million and up
1%3.90%
A 1% mansion tax from $1 million, plus a supplemental tax that reaches 2.9% at $25 million, both paid by the buyer.
2031
year the new pied-à-terre tax is due to expire
It took effect on 1 July 2026 for city homes that are not the owner's primary residence, condos and co-ops included. Out-of-town buyers will raise it on the first call.
Sources: Corcoran third-quarter Manhattan figures, published October 2026; Katten on the New York City pied-à-terre tax, 2026; New York State Department of Taxation, memo TSB-M-19(1)R.
How we market a trophy home in New York
01
Sell the block before the floor plan
A buyer at this level is choosing a life on that street. We film the walk to the park, the restaurant downstairs, the view at dusk.
02
Show the real finish up close
Macro shots of the stone, the joinery, the hardware. Before completion we use renderings, each labeled as a visualization.
03
Answer the tax question in writing
Out-of-state and international buyers now ask about the pied-à-terre tax and transfer taxes early. A one-page explainer, reviewed by your counsel, saves weeks of email.
04
Small audience, exact media
Paid campaigns aimed at a few thousand likely buyers, billed through accounts you control, with no markup on spend.
05
Private by default
Gated floor plans and appointment-only film for the top units, so a seller's or sponsor's privacy is never the cost of reach.
06
Count appointments, not views
We report qualified private showings and the source of each one, every week.
At $10 million, the film is the first showing
Buyers at this level see a residence on a phone long before they walk it with a broker. That first viewing is the film, and it has to be as good as the apartment.
Our nearest comparison is a luxury villa development in Europe, under NDA: two of the three villas found buyers 70 days ahead of completion, $17 million in sales. A different city, but the same buyer psychology.
We have no Manhattan listing to show you yet. What I can offer is the same crew, the same cameras and the same refusal to fake a single frame.
A client's view, unedited
“...their creative execution for all video concepts and special photo shootings was top-tier.”
Luxury sellers and sponsors in New York ask
The closing data says yes: Corcoran reported closings above $3 million up 25% year over year in the third quarter, and the median sale price at a third-quarter record. Signed contracts across all prices slipped 6%, so a launch still has to convert attention into appointments.
Since 1 July 2026, New York City homes that are not the owner's primary residence pay an annual tax, condos and co-ops included, through June 2031. International and second-home buyers will model it, so we prepare a counsel-reviewed explainer before they ask.
The buyer pays the 1% mansion tax plus the city supplemental tax of 2.9% at $25 million and above, 3.9% of the price in total. The seller's transfer taxes are separate. Your attorney confirms the figures for each deal.
Personal items leave the frame, addresses stay off public cuts, and the full film is shared only after a buyer is qualified. Inside a private home, the owner's consent is the only approval the shoot requires.
A residence film costs $15,000 to $50,000. Naming plus identity for a trophy building: $25,000 minimum, $60,000 at most. Monthly launch programs: $8,000 at the low end, $25,000 at the top. Media is extra and sits in your accounts. Full detail on pricing.
Plan a launch worthy of the address
Tell us the building, the price band and who you expect to buy. We will outline the film and the buyer journey around them.
Book a private call