13-05-2025
‘Shark Tank' star Barbara Corcoran found a buyer for her NYC penthouse in just 1 day: ‘I never thought I would ever leave'
Barbara Corcoran's Fifth Avenue penthouse didn't just find a buyer — it practically sold itself.
The real estate mogul and 'Shark Tank' investor listed her longtime Manhattan duplex for $12 million late last week — and within 24 hours, the Central Park-facing aerie was snapped up in a bidding war that pushed the price over ask.
Corcoran, the founder of the Corcoran Group, received multiple offers on the apartment, which is located atop a prewar building at Fifth Avenue and 97th Street, according to the latest Olshan Report.
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However, the final price to be paid for the unit — as well as the identity of its new owner — will not be known until the deal closes.
13 Barbara Corcoran's Fifth Avenue penthouse found a buyer within a day of hitting the market — a rare feat even in Manhattan's booming luxury sector.
Melanie Greene of Greenhouse NYC
13 Listed for $12 million, the duplex drew multiple bids, ultimately going into contract in under 24 hours, according to the Olshan Report.
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13 Corcoran, the founder of the Corcoran Group and a longtime 'Shark Tank' investor, had transformed the apartment, gut-renovating it over the years.
Melanie Greene of Greenhouse NYC
The flurry of interest helped drive the sale price above ask, one of 36 luxury contracts signed in Manhattan last week at $4 million or more.
Corcoran first encountered the home in the early 1990s while working a side gig as a messenger to make ends meet.
13 The penthouse occupies 4,600 square feet.
Melanie Greene of Greenhouse NYC
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13 The home boasts a chef's kitchen, a rooftop dining solarium and lush terrace gardens.
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13 The home, which she first fell in love with in 1992 while working a side job as a messenger, became a personal passion project — and a social hub.
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'I thought, my God, I've never seen anything as beautiful in my life,' she recalled to the New York Times in an interview.
More than two decades later, in 2015, she purchased the penthouse for $10 million and embarked on a full gut renovation, flipping the unit's floor plan, installing a chef's kitchen and transforming a greenhouse into an indoor/outdoor dining room.
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'You can control the space, but you can't control the spot,' she said.
Though the $12 million listing price was below her total investment, Corcoran saw it as a fair number.
13 Though the asking price was lower than what she invested into the unit, Corcoran said she priced it fairly and let the market decide.
Melanie Greene of Greenhouse NYC
13 The formal living space.
Melanie Greene of Greenhouse NYC
13 A second-level hallway.
Melanie Greene of Greenhouse NYC
'I never thought I would ever leave,' she said. 'It's easy to spend money when you're building a lifelong dream. For me, real estate is emotional.'
The 4,600-square-foot penthouse features five bedrooms, five baths, two half baths, a rooftop terrace overflowing with plants and a curved staircase — one of the few original design elements left.
'She's a real estate genius and the way she has designed this home represents her genius,' said Scott Stewart, a Corcoran broker who co-listed the unit alongside Carrie Chiang.
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13 A sitting room features built-in bookshelves and a woodburning fireplace.
Melanie Greene of Greenhouse NYC
13 One of five bedrooms.
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13 A second bedroom.
Melanie Greene of Greenhouse NYC
13 An outdoor seating space with dazzling Central Park views.
Melanie Greene of Greenhouse NYC
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'The apartment is laid out like a multilevel jewel box.'
Corcoran is relocating to a nearby one-story apartment in the same Carnegie Hill neighborhood, found with the help of Chiang.
After a brief bidding war on another unit she lost out on, she made an immediate offer on her new home.
'It's always about money, honey,' she quipped.
