Luxury Waterfront Listing: We’re seeing a powerful shift in how these magnificent buildings are sold, a change that’s as significant as a river carving a new path through the canyon. The big news making waves from the concrete canyons of New York City is that SERHANT. It has been tapped to spearhead sales for entire luxury waterfront condominium buildings. This isn’t just about putting a “For Sale” sign on the lawn; it’s a whole new way of telling a story, of building a community before the first family even moves in. It’s about taking a building and giving it a soul.
For generations, my people, Native Americans, have understood the power of a good story. A story can carry our history, our values, our very identity across time. It connects us to our ancestors and to the land. Now, in the fast-paced, high-stakes world of American luxury real estate, a visionary named Ryan Serhant and his firm, SERHANT., are using this ancient wisdom of storytelling to move mountains—or in this case, entire condo buildings. They’re not just selling square footage and marble countertops; they’re selling a vision, a lifestyle, a legacy. It’s a bold strategy, and let me tell you, it’s turning heads and, more importantly, it’s closing deals, especially when the stakes are as high as a skyscraper.

The trend of developers entrusting entire luxury buildings to a powerhouse firm like SERHANT. is more than just a headline; it’s a fundamental change in the real estate ecosystem. It marks a move away from passive, traditional sales methods toward an active, entertainment-driven, and story-focused approach. By treating each building as a unique brand and leveraging a massive media apparatus, SERHANT. is not just selling condos; they are crafting narratives, building communities, and redefining what it means to market luxury properties in the 21st century. This strategy, rooted in the timeless power of storytelling, provides a clear and effective path for moving high-value inventory in a competitive landscape, proving that the best way to sell a home is to first make it legendary.
Luxury Waterfront Listing
Highlight | Details & Data | Professional Insight |
---|---|---|
The Takeover Trend | Developers are increasingly handing over entire, often multi-hundred-million-dollar, condo projects to SERHANT. for a full sales and marketing relaunch. | This signals a shift from traditional brokerage models to a media-first, brand-centric approach to conquer challenging market conditions and sell inventory faster. |
Case Study: The Huron | A 171-unit luxury waterfront condo in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. SERHANT. launched sales with a massive, headline-grabbing boat party on the East River. | Experiential Marketing: Creating an immersive event tied the building directly to its key asset—the water—and generated organic buzz that traditional ads can’t buy. |
Case Study: The Westly | A 52-unit, 20-story condo on the Upper West Side, rebranded from its address (251 W 91st St) to “The Westly” by SERHANT. to create a distinct identity. | The Power of Branding: Giving a building a name and a story makes it memorable and allows potential buyers to connect with it on an emotional level. It’s no longer just a property; it’s a place with a soul. |
The “Brokerage 3.0” Model | SERHANT. operates as a media company first, real estate brokerage second. They have an in-house film studio and branding lab. | This vertically integrated model allows for complete control over the narrative, producing high-quality, engaging content (videos, social media) that builds an audience and generates leads directly. |
Staggering Sales Volume | The firm has managed billions in sales, with Ryan Serhant personally involved in over $14 billion in his career. The firm’s new development portfolio is a cornerstone of this success. | This track record builds immense E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), making them a trusted partner for developers with high-value assets on the line. |
Official Resources | For more information on these groundbreaking projects, visit their official websites. | The Huron Official Website |
Why a Developer Hits the Reset Button: A Tale of Stalled Dreams
Imagine you’re a master craftsman. You’ve spent years planning and building the most beautiful canoe. It’s carved from the strongest cedar, sanded to a perfect finish, and ready to navigate any water. But it just sits on the shore. People admire it, but no one is taking it on a journey. This is the nightmare some real estate developers face. They create these architectural marvels, these incredible places to live, but the sales are slow, the inventory isn’t moving, and the carrying costs are piling up like a winter snowdrift.
This can happen for a bunch of reasons in the good ol’ USA:
- Market Saturation: Sometimes, especially in big cities like New York or Miami, there are just too many shiny new buildings going up at once. It’s like trying to be the loudest voice in a crowded powwow.
- Wrong Story, or No Story: The initial marketing might have been bland. It might have focused only on the “what” (3 beds, 2 baths) instead of the “why” (a place to build your family’s story, a sanctuary from the city).
- Failure to Connect Digitally: In today’s world, if you’re not telling your story on platforms like YouTube and Instagram, you’re practically invisible to a huge chunk of wealthy buyers, especially the younger, tech-savvy generation. As reported by the National Association of Realtors, a vast majority of all homebuyers use the internet in their home search.
When a developer’s dream project stalls, they need more than a new salesperson. They need a new medicine man, a new storyteller. They need someone to come in, listen to the heartbeat of the building, and tell its story to the world in a way that resonates. This is the moment they pick up the phone and call SERHANT.
Luxury Waterfront Listing: A Guide to Selling a Skyscraper
So, what’s the secret sauce? How does this firm come into a building that was struggling and turn it into the hottest ticket in town? It’s not just one thing; it’s a philosophy, a modern-day ceremony that blends old-school salesmanship with new-school media mastery. Let’s break it down, step-by-step.
Step 1: Find the Soul of the Building (Branding)
Before they sell a single unit, the team at SERHANT., particularly their in-house agency called ID Lab, goes on a vision quest. They don’t just see steel and glass; they look for the building’s spirit.
- What’s in a Name? Take The Westly. Selling units at “251 West 91st Street” is dry. It’s an address. But “The Westly”? That has a ring to it. It sounds classic, sophisticated, like it has a history even though it’s brand new. It gives it a personality. This is the first and most crucial step: give the project an identity that people can fall in love with.
- Crafting the Narrative: They then build a story around this new identity. Who is the person who lives here? What do they value? For The Huron, a waterfront property in a neighborhood with deep roots, the story was about a connection to the water, a new wave of energy in a historic area, and a lifestyle that was both exciting and serene.
Step 2: Create the Blockbuster Movie (Content Creation)
This is where SERHANT. really changes the game. They believe every property deserves a movie, not just a simple virtual tour. Their in-house SERHANT. Studios functions like a Hollywood production house for real estate.
- Cinema-Quality Property Tours: They create high-energy, beautifully shot videos that feel more like a segment from a TV show than a real estate listing. Ryan Serhant himself often stars in them, bringing his signature “Big Money Energy” and making the property feel like the star of the show. You can see this on his YouTube channel, which has over a million subscribers.
- Social Media Domination: They don’t just post the video and pray. They slice it, dice it, and create dozens of smaller pieces of content for Instagram Reels, TikTok, and more. They create a constant drumbeat of excitement, showing off the lifestyle, the views, the details, and the neighborhood. They’re not just selling a home; they’re building a fan base for it.
Step 3: Throw a Party No One Will Forget (Experiential Marketing)
A great story needs to be shared. SERHANT. are masters of creating events that generate massive buzz and make potential buyers feel like insiders.
- The Huron Boat Party: This is a legendary example. To launch a waterfront building, what do you do? You throw a massive party on a fleet of yachts on the river, right in front of the building. You invite brokers, press, and potential clients. The message was clear and powerful: this is the lifestyle you’re buying. It was brilliant, it was bold, and it got everyone talking. This kind of event creates what we call FOMO, or the “fear of missing out,” a powerful motivator in the luxury market.
Step 4: Amplify the Story (Media and Public Relations)
Once the story is crafted and the content is created, it’s time to shout it from the rooftops.
- Leveraging the Brand: Ryan Serhant is one of the most followed real estate agents in the world. His personal brand and the SERHANT. brand act as a massive megaphone. When they take on a project, it’s instantly seen by millions of people.
- Strategic PR: They work with top publications like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal to get the building featured, not just as a real estate listing, but as a business and lifestyle story. This builds credibility and authority, assuring buyers that this is a premier project.
The Bottom Line: Does It Work?
You bet your favorite boots it does. While specific sales data for private companies is hard to come by, the anecdotal evidence and market reports are clear. When SERHANT. takes over a project, the pace of sales often accelerates dramatically. Buildings that were lingering on the market see a surge of interest and start selling out.
For example, after the relaunch, The Huron became one of the best-selling projects in Brooklyn. This success isn’t just about making money for the developer; it has a ripple effect. It brings new life to neighborhoods, creates jobs, and sets a new standard for how real estate is marketed and sold.
It proves that in a world full of noise, a good story, told with passion and authenticity, is the most powerful tool you can have. It’s a lesson my ancestors knew well, and it’s a lesson the modern world of business is rediscovering. It’s about connection. It’s about community. And it’s about understanding that a home is more than just bricks and mortar—it’s the place where our own stories unfold.
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FAQ on Luxury Waterfront Listing
1. Who is Ryan Serhant?
Ryan Serhant is an American real estate broker, CEO, author, and television personality. He became widely known for his role on Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing New York. He is the founder and CEO of SERHANT., a modern real estate brokerage that leverages media and branding to sell properties. He’s known for his high energy, innovative marketing, and building a massive social media presence.
2. What is SERHANT.?
SERHANT. is a real estate brokerage founded by Ryan Serhant in 2020. What makes it different is its structure as a media company first, and a brokerage second. It has in-house film and production studios (SERHANT. Studios) and a branding and marketing agency (ID Lab) to create unique, high-impact content and campaigns for its listings and agents.
3. What is the SERHANT. business model?
The business model is built on what they call the “flywheel effect.” They create media content (YouTube shows, social media videos, etc.) which builds a huge audience. This audience generates leads and attracts talented agents. The agents, armed with powerful in-house marketing and branding tools, sell more real estate, which in turn creates more success stories and content. It’s a self-reinforcing cycle of media, brand, and sales.
4. How is SERHANT.’s marketing strategy unique?
Their strategy is unique because it is story-driven and media-focused. Instead of just listing facts about a property, they create a compelling narrative and a unique brand for it. They produce cinema-quality films, create viral social media moments, and host elaborate, headline-grabbing events. This approach is designed to create an emotional connection with buyers and generate massive buzz that traditional advertising can’t match.
5. What does it mean for a brokerage to “take over” an entire building?
A brokerage takeover happens when a real estate developer decides to switch from their current sales team and hire a new brokerage to market and sell all the remaining units in a building. This is a significant move, often done when a project’s sales have slowed or stalled and the developer needs a fresh, more powerful strategy to sell the inventory.