Barbara Corcoran has officially sold her Fifth Avenue penthouse, and the deal was a major success.
The Shark Tank businesswoman put her Manhattan residence on the market in May, and it was snapped up almost immediately. Reports say she walked away with an extra $1.5 million beyond her asking price, closing the sale at $13.5 million.
The deal came not long after Corcoran’s property in Pacific Palisades was lost to the California wildfires. This was a deeply emotional setback for Barbara, and she plans to rebuild the property.
Barbara Corcoran’s Early Fascination with the Carnegie Hill Duplex
City records show that the reality TV star bought the penthouse in 2015 for $10 million. Corcoran had admired the Carnegie Hill duplex since the early ’90s. This was when she first caught sight of it while working as a part-time messenger.
Barbara recalled her first encounter with the property by saying, “I thought, my God, I’ve never seen anything as beautiful in my life.”
She further described the incident by saying, “It was a bad time in real estate, and I was delivering an envelope to this penthouse. I walked in and saw this green, lush terrace through the French doors, and said to the lady who let me in, ‘If you’re ever going to sell this, would you sell it to me?’ She didn’t take me seriously. Years went by, and I got notoriety. When she was ready to sell it, she called me.”
Corcoran Tapped Her Own Team For The Sale
As someone fairly acquainted with the tricks of the trade, Corcoran turned to her own team for help. She chose agents Scott Stewart and Carrie Chiang to handle the $12 million listing of her Upper East Side home earlier this year.
The 4,600-square-foot property sparked quick interest, setting off a bidding battle that produced a winning offer in under a day.
Scott Stewart described Barbara and her apartment by saying, “She’s a real estate genius, and the way she has designed this home represents her genius. The apartment is laid out like a multilevel jewel box.”
How Barbara Corcoran Turned Her Penthouse into a Dream Home
The home offers five bedrooms, five full bathrooms, and two half baths. It also comes with a chef’s kitchen, a formal dining room, a library, and a rooftop terrace surrounded by greenery. The two floors are joined by the home’s original curved staircase.
Corcoran told the Times that she didn’t expect to make back everything she’d put into the apartment. During her years there, she spent about $2 million on a complete transformation.
The renovation involved reimagining the layout, adding a chef’s kitchen, and converting the terrace greenhouse into an airy dining solarium that blends indoor and outdoor space.
She said she never intended to sell, explaining in May, “It’s easy to spend money when you’re building a lifelong dream. For me, real estate is emotional.”
The New Address and The Reason Behind It
After years in her dream home, Barbara decided it was time for a lifestyle change, motivated by family and practicality. Corcoran and her husband, retired Navy captain and FBI agent Bill Higgins, have since relocated to another uptown address.
They chose a single-level condo that’s easier for Higgins to get around in. The couple had first hoped to buy the Fifth Avenue co-op once owned by Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, but that property also sold well over its asking price.
The apartment with its five bedrooms is a part of 1158 Fifth Avenue, a pre-war co-op built in 1924 by architects C. Howard Crane and Kenneth Franzheim. Additional perks that come with the building include round-the-clock doorman and concierge service, a live-in manager, and a gym.
Turning Challenges into Triumphs in Real Estate
Barbara Corcoran’s journey with her Fifth Avenue penthouse shows how personal passion and smart strategy can come together in real estate. She transformed a long-admired apartment into a dream home and sold it quickly, earning well-above the asking price.
Even her Pacific Palisades tragedy did not hinder her to the point of devastation. Barbara Corcoran is an embodiment of creating spaces that reflect a lifetime of ambition and endearment to her craft.
Known for her role on Shark Tank and her remarkable real estate acumen, Barbara Corcoran continues to prove that resilience and timing define lasting success in the property world.
