Vodka Vaults and Human Centerpieces: Real-Estate Pros Dish on Over-the-Top Open Houses

What is the most elaborate catering you’ve ever done for an open house?

Samantha Rose Frith, real-estate agent, Coldwell Banker Warburg, New York City 

In February 2016, my partner, Joel Moss, and I were representing the seller of two duplex penthouses on the 22nd floor of a prewar building in Chelsea that were listed for $1.795 million and $3.395 million. It was the dead of winter, and absolutely freezing outside, but we wanted the 200-or-so guests at our open house to experience the beautiful terraces and, especially, the views of the city. So, we decided to throw what we called a “vodka vault party” to encourage people to sample vodka on the terraces. We hired a fabulous bartender and offered the guests vodka tastings from brands such as Anestasia, Barr Hill and Purity. To encourage people to go outside, we bought fluffy white faux-fur coats, as well as RH faux-fur hats, and guests took turns putting on the coats and hats to wear outside. We hired a prominent chef to cater the event. It mostly Portuguese tapas, and it was incredible. We also hired a DJ, and by the end of the evening, everyone was dancing in their faux fur. We raffled off a Bose speaker too. The event cost $8,000, but it was the most fun open house I’ve ever been to. The penthouses sold a few months later. One sold in August 2016 for $1.625 million, and the other in September 2016 for $2.999 million.

Emil Hartoonian, managing partner, The Agency, Calabasas, Sherman Oaks and Studio City, Calif. 

I did a very elaborate party for brokers and prospective buyers in Calabasas in the spring of 2009 at a custom-built estate that was very ornate. It was listed for about $18 million and had really over-the-top features similar to what you’d see in an ancient structure in Europe, with a lot of architectural motifs, some Italian and some French. The style of the home wasn’t exactly what everyone’s flavor was at the time we were selling it, so we brought a different theme for the party. We called it “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” and created a Shakespearean evening full of fantasies. There were over 300 people there. We built a king’s table in the middle of the formal living room and had a live human centerpiece. She was dressed up like a tree and was holding appetizers and fruits. It was pretty extravagant. We also had a mermaid out by the pool, live centurions and other characters in costume, as well as specialty cocktails and a charcuterie board with everything you could imagine. The theme, the lighting and the music all came together and created a magical night. Ultimately, the party, which cost us about $30,000, helped give the property exposure to people who might not have been attracted to a property like this, and that was the goal. Although we had a lot of serious interest in the property, we ended up taking it off the market because the seller’s circumstances changed.  

Stacey Oestreich, real-estate salesperson, Douglas Elliman, Armonk, N.Y.

In March 2017, my partner, Nancy Strong, and I listed a 10,441-square-foot Colonial estate in Rye, N.Y., that had been on the market with another brokerage since 2014. This was a custom home designed by Shope, Reno and Wharton, with about 1,100 feet of direct waterfront on the Long Island Sound, but it had been overpriced for a long time, so other agents had seen it and forgotten about it. To create buzz, we hosted an exclusive brokers’ open house in May 2017, with just 22 top-producing agents, most from New York City. After cocktails and caviar on the deck, we served an elegant three-course, sit-down dinner in the formal dining room, which had a glass wall overlooking the temperature-controlled wine room. It was a very talked-about event because we didn’t open it to every agent. The event cost $9,600, and it reignited interest in the property. Because we got so much attention from agents who didn’t get to attend, we followed up with an additional, simpler, brokers’ open house for them. While we had showings as a result of the dinner party, the house didn’t sell until July 2018, for $12.75 million.  

—Edited from interviews by Robyn A. Friedman