‘RHONY’ Sonja Morgan Gives the Housing Marketing Another Shot – After Almost Selling Her Townhouse in 2020
Sonja Morgan from The Real Housewives of New York City came painfully close to finally unloading her five-story Upper East Side townhouse only days before the pandemic lockdown.
And while that sale fell through, she’s ready to face the housing market yet again, this time listing the iconic home for $8.75 million.
Morgan’s desire to sell the property became an enduring storyline on RHONY as Morgan emotionally tried to decide if she was ready to part with the property. Morgan originally purchased the home with her ex-husband. But they’ve since divorced and her daughter went off to boarding school and then later college. So maintaining the sprawling residence didn’t make financial sense.
How many times has Sonja Morgan listed her townhouse?
Morgan has been trying to sell the townhouse for about 10 years. She and her ex-husband John Adams Morgan purchased the home at 162 East 63rd Street in 1998 for $9.1 million. She initially listed the property during the recession, brought on by the housing market in 2009. She listed the house for $12 million.
The townhouse didn’t move so Morgan removed it from the MLS. But she continued to try to sell the home through the years, listing it at anywhere from $7 million to $9 million. After no bites, she rented the townhouse, charging $32,000 a month.
She re-listed the townhouse in 2020, this time for $10.75 million. That was early March 2020, which is when Morgan told Showbiz Cheat Sheet the offer was in her hands, but slipped away thanks to the coronavirus (Covid-19). Cleary, timing hasn’t been a friend to Morgan when it comes to real estate.
Sonja Morgan’s near-sale was foiled by Covid-19
Morgan told Showbiz Cheat Sheet she struck a sweetheart deal with a buyer in 2020. “Just before Covid I had a full offer,” she said. “Full offer cash with everything in it.”
The buyer was a RHONY fan too. “Somebody that watches the show and she’s a businesswoman who owns six or seven different homes. She wanted it as is,” Morgan recalled. Adding, that the buyer wanted all the custom fixtures and even some of the furniture. “All the antiques except for the Morgan and Adams pieces. I have to take those obviously for my daughter.”
“But I started that deal with her in January and February,” she added. “She pulled out. Both of our lawyers were about to exchange financial reports and all that. Nope! Because of Covid.”
As New York City became the US version of ground zero for Covid, the housing market tanked during the early Covid months, where rock bottom deals were plentiful in the city. Morgan wasn’t about to give the beloved home away, so she returned to the property and lived there during the pandemic.
Sonja hopes this is the last time she lists her ‘RHONY’ townhouse
Morgan managed to snag another renter but told Showbiz Cheat Sheet in June that the rental agreement was ending. She teased filming at the townhouse once again, around the time when rumors surfaced that she and Luann de Lesseps were filming a Bravo spin-off.
The 4,650 square-foot home, with all the amenities, is currently back on the market and this time Morgan thinks she may have found the right agent to sell the home. Morgan hired Thomas Wexler from Leslie J. Garfield & Co. to get her home (finally) sold.
What makes Wexler the right agent for the job? “Back when Sonja Morgan (and her husband) purchased the house, we represented the sellers at the time,” Wexler told The New York Post. “We have sold this house three times before, way back in the day, including the time we sold it to Sonja.
“She now has the best townhouse broker that you can find anywhere,” he added. “I think this is a good time to put it on the market. The house is priced well and it should sell.”
