Tessa Carla Blog's: Inside Elaine’s House from ‘Seinfeld’

Tuesday 15 October 2019

Inside Elaine’s House from ‘Seinfeld’—and How Much It Costs Now

realtor.com; Joey Delvalle/NBCU Photo Bank

“Seinfeld” fans can now own a piece of their favorite sitcom—specifically, “Elaine’s house,” which is now for sale for $8.65 million.

Although Elaine Benes (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) seemed to spend the majority of her time hanging at Jerry’s place on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, viewers may recall occasionally spotting her in front of her own apartment building—which is actually a lovely brick townhouse in New York’s Chelsea district.

Although the show only featured exterior shots of the home, it was enough to permanently make it “Elaine’s house,” at least in the minds of her fans.

So what’s the story behind this home, and what does it look like inside? Allow us to give you an inside tour!

Elaine's house from Seinfeld — The exterior of Elaine’s house from “Seinfeld,” now for sale for $8.65 million
realtor.com

A brief history of Elaine’s house on ‘Seinfeld’

Although this townhouse became famous on an iconic TV show, the four-story building was built way back in 1839, as part of a row of seven Greek Revival houses.

The property was last sold in 1995 to its current owners, Lori Monson and Harry Azorin, for a mere $950,000. “Seinfeld” aired from 1989 to 1998, and in fact, most of the shots of Elaine’s house had already been taken before they moved in. The couple say they only saw “Seinfeld” film crews once, when they came back to take a night shot of the exterior.

Inside Elaine’s house: It’s so not what you think

Even if Elaine had never posed in front of this place and put it on the pop culture map, it’s still an impressive place, in the neighborhood of Chelsea, where homes this large regularly sell for over $10 million.

Monson and Azorin spent almost 25 years renovating the place, which has six bedrooms, four bathrooms, two half bathrooms, and no less than six fireplaces. The fourth floor has been used as a separate unit for tenants, but it could be used as a mother-in-law unit, study, or home gym instead.

The high, beamed ceilings, wood-plank floors, and mahogany doors ground the home in 19th century luxury. There’s also a lovely patio with a privacy fence and mature plantings, where you could kick back and forget you’re in New York City at all.

Will Elaine’s house sell for $8.65 million?

Buying a house that’s been featured on a TV show may be fun. But are New Yorkers impressed by its pedigree? Will its claim to fame help it sell at all?

Manhattan-based real estate executive Dolly Lenz of Dolly Lenz Real Estate thinks the attention can’t hurt.

Bedroom with one of six fireplaces
Realtor.com

“In general, the more eyes on a property, the better the likely outcome for a sale,” she says. “The TV tie-in should garner more attention and interest. The ‘Brady Bunch House’ is definitely a good example of such a sale.”

But $8.65 million is a lot of money, even for a house that’s had its day on an iconic TV show.

“The price point on this home is quite high, and unless a network buys it à la Brady Bunch, with a promo/business purpose use in mind, sophisticated buyers and their advisers will likely not ascribe much, if any, value to this type of provenance,” says Lenz.

Still, you never know what an Elaine fan might do—so we’ll keep an eye on this property and see what happens!