Inside The $13.5 Million Penthouse Barbara Corcoran Just Sold and What It Means for NYC Luxury Real Estate
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Stacy Sare Cohen
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Zuri Anderson
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Business maven and “Shark Tank” shark Barbara Corcoran has found a buyer for her 4,600-square-foot Manhattan penthouse in a “New York minute.”
Listed for $12 million, a bidding war ensued, driving the price up to $13.5 million — and the apartment went under contract just 24 hours after it was listed, according to Entrepreneur, which also reported the deal officially closed in October 2025.
The palatial penthouse features five bedrooms, five full baths, two half baths, a butler’s pantry and a library with a wood-burning fireplace. On her Instagram page, Corcoran said, “Real estate is always emotional, but I never thought I’d say goodbye to this beautiful palace in the sky. I’m just hoping the special person who buys it cherishes it as much as I do!”
Corcoran, 76, and her spouse, Bill Higgins, a former FBI agent who is 80, decided to exchange their two-story penthouse for a single-level apartment so Higgins wouldn’t have to climb the stairs.
GOBankingRates takes a look at the sale and what it means for NYC real estate, with data from the Elliman Report and Olshan Realty, which both report on the luxury real estate market (priced at $4 million and above).
New York Real Estate Is Thriving
While real estate is experiencing lulls around the country, Manhattan real estate has seen a 16.6% upsurge in sales compared to the second quarter last year, according to the Elliman Report, cited Brick Underground, an online publication dedicated to covering New York real estate.
What Does This Mean for NYC Luxury Real Estate?
Investor, “Shark Tank” judge and founder of the renowned Corcoran Group, Barbara Corcoran has just sold her Fifth Avenue duplex penthouse. Multiple bids drove the price up $1.5 million above asking an indication of a robust market in New York City. How does Corcoran’s deal reflect the Manhattan housing market?
Corcoran’s sale was one of 36 luxury real estate contracts signed in Manhattan, reported Olshan. Other deals in Manhattan luxury buildings reached $298.5 million and had a minimum asking price of $8.3 million. According to Olshan, Manhattan luxury real estate is on the move, with 30 contracts signed every month since February 2025, although March saw 15 more luxury contracts than usual.
The top contract listed at $25 million for a NoMad neighborhood (north of Madison Avenue) penthouse at the Madison House luxury building. The condo features four bedrooms and a 41-foot great room with a connected terrace offering panoramic views of the city.
Following closely behind was a contract for an eight-bedroom condop in a doorman building on Central Park and Fifth Avenue. The 16th-floor apartment features a 42-foot great room and a sitting room with breathtaking Central Park views. The condop originally hit the market at $29.5 million in 2021. However, it passed through several brokerages, with the last being Corcoran, which closed the sale for $24.25 million.
Among other luxury contracts in Manhattan, three apartments were townhouses. The highest sale price was for a four-story, 5,000-square-foot mansion townhouse on Charles Street in the West Village, listed at $12.995 million. The mansion featured five bedrooms, five fireplaces, a rooftop terrace and a dumbwaiter. Other luxury real estate deals in Manhattan included 11 co-ops, two condops and 20 condos, according to the report.
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