A chat with global property expert Royce Pinkwater of Pinkwater Select

by | Jan 4, 2017 | Business, Real Estate

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Buff and Fluff

Royce Pinkwater doesn’t mess around. From issues as big as how to sell your New York City apartment for the highest price to as small as where to get the best French toast (it’s not where you think!); the French Roast Downtown. “They literally have the best French toast anywhere.” This founder of Pinkwater Select has it all figured out. So it’s not surprising that her one-stop shop has become the go-to place to buy and sell real estate.

Unlike others, her team includes brokerage, a development arm, and a design arm. In other words, she has everything clients could possibly need in order to improve a property they already own or to prep a property they’re looking to sell. Her unique division, the cleverly-coined “Buff and Fluff,” specializes in bringing spaces up to par with the type of aesthetic and finish that buyers expect today.

Downtown

While Hudson Yards — in the 30s on the West Side — is considered “downtown” to some, Pinkwater absolutely adores the lay of the land below that as well. “Downtown is totally different than uptown,” she mused. “I think one of the most charming things about New York is that it’s comprised of so many different neighborhoods. You can walk a few blocks and feel like you’re in another country.” She loves downtown for its “humanscale” building heights. “It’s more neighborhood-y. It’s more family-ish, dog-ish, cozy-ish.”

Royce Pinkwater

Royce Pinkwater

Another favorite spot is Tribeca, which, she acknowledges, “has gone up and down really in the last decade or so.” Tribeca, she explains, has something that the Village does not: lofty open spaces with views. “You can’t beat those views,” she sighed. But there’s one more spot still that has captured her heart. “Gramercy Park is so charming and just feels like London. There’s something very intimate and lovely and Henry James-y there,” she said.

When it comes to favorite restaurants and hot spots downtown, Global Property Expert Royce Pinkwater, the founder of Pinkwater Select. Pinkwater has almost too many to name. “Bar Pitti is one of my staples,” she said, “and Il Cantinori. It’s one of those standards that has been around for 25 years and is still going strong.” As for newer introductions to the scene, Pinkwater adores Jack’s Wife Freda and also has high hopes for Le Coq Rico, a transplant from Paris, where it is “packed all the time.” Pinkwater appreciates this newcomer’s emphasis on organic chicken.

Speaking of surprises, she admits that New York always blows her mind but says one thing never surprises her: how resilient the city is. “I think it’s one of the most resilient places in the entire world and one of the reasons for that is that there is a spirit here that just overcomes. What amazed me about New York is that, when 9/11 happened, six or seven months later, people were buying down there again. It was such a beautiful thing to see. We have a great enthusiasm that comes through in all things — including real estate.” No doubt that’s partly what makes her job so rewarding.

Pinkwater Select

If you wonder just what people are looking for these days, you’d in good company—and that’s why why Pinkwater Select has become such a huge success. Pinkwater reports that, while neutrals and clean lines remain perennial favorites, the current uncertainties in both the political and social climate have people hunting for “cozier” spaces. Pinkwater’s team achieves that feeling by masterfully incorporating layers, sprinkling in pops of rich color, and adding one-of-a-kind finds that can tie a room together in a surprising and memorable way. (Her team also has some properties on their roster that have allocated space for safe rooms.)

14 East 11th Street

Royce’s company, Pinkwater Select, has just added another stunning piece of real estate to its line-up. Nestled on a tree-lined block on 5th Avenue’s “Gold Coast,” 14 East 11th Street is a nearly 22-foot-wide, five-story townhouse with five bedrooms, an impressive 7,200 square feet of interior living space, and an additional 1,200 square feet of outdoor space. Inside, residents will enjoy a state-of-the-art marble kitchen, gorgeous hardwood floors, and thoughtful touches like a freestanding bathtub. The entire space is drenched in sunlight and captures the true spirit of New York City’s downtown.

Investing Money

One of the most important benefits Pinkwater brings to clients is the ability to avoid common mistakes people make when trying to sell their property. Two of the most common are investing money in the wrong places and failing to price the property properly. And, contrary to popular belief, the “right” price isn’t always the highest price you might be able to get for a space.

Recently, Pinkwater convinced a client to price an apartment very aggressively—below market value, in fact. But she had a plan. By pricing the place where she did, Pinkwater effectively created a bidding war, which drove the price higher than it likely would have been had they aimed dead center on the target. “It was a risky strategy, but an effective one,” she reported. Clearly, this is a woman with a vision, which is why it’s interesting to hear whose vision she admires.

The Related Companies are creating a whole new New York at Hudson Yards and are doing so much more than anyone else. I really credit them with having the vision and the billions of dollars required to transform New York,” she explained. “I would say no one has done anything like that. No one. This is above and beyond.”

Downtown Magazine