Keller Williams NYCJonathan Answers · Selling privately
Can I sell my New York apartment privately, before it goes on the public sites?
Answered by Jonathan NormolleFounder, NextGen at Keller Williams NYC
The short answer
Yes. Many sellers start with a private window: the home is shown quietly to a circle of serious buyers and their advisors before it appears anywhere public. If the right buyer is in that circle, you sell without days-on-market or a public price history. If not, you launch publicly with everything already in place.
Why sellers start privately
A home that sits online picks up a history: price cuts, days on market, the same photos for months. Buyers read all of it. A private start protects your price. And some of the buyers most willing to pay simply don't scroll listings.
How the private window works
- Pricing first. We price against recorded sales in your building and neighborhood, not asking prices.
- Film and photography done to launch standard, so you're ready either way.
- A private circle. We share your home with our list of buyers and investors and with trusted agents who have active buyers.
- A set window. Usually a few weeks. Then we decide together whether to sell or launch publicly.
When to go public instead
If your home will benefit from the widest competition, or the private window doesn't produce the price you want, we launch publicly on day one with the film already done and the circle already warmed up.
What we do
Nearly one in five of our listings sells in the private window. Every seller gets a private valuation within 24 hours, our in-house film crew, legal fees covered and 20–50% of their move.
Also asked
Is a private sale legal in New York?
Yes. You can choose how your home is marketed. Your agent should explain the trade-offs of limiting exposure in writing.
Will I get less money selling privately?
Not if it's priced against real sales and the right buyers see it. If the private window doesn't deliver, you launch publicly.
How long is a private window?
Usually a few weeks, agreed in advance.
The NextGen Promise
Your legal fees, covered. 20–50% of your move, on us.
Buying or selling, at every price. We're the only brokerage that does it.