A summer in the Hamptons can be life-changing. Months spent enjoying open space, privacy, outdoor entertaining and resort-style amenities tend to raise expectations—even after the season ends and city life resumes.
Eddie Shapiro, founder and CEO of Nest Seekers International, and Tamir Shemesh, who leads sales, are seeing these priorities influence buyers returning to Manhattan. Nest Seekers is the exclusive sales and marketing brokerage for the newly built Malabar Residences at 126 East 57th Street. The building recently received its Temporary Certificate of Occupancy, allowing prospective buyers to experience the property firsthand.
“After spending the summer in the Hamptons, buyers come back to the city with a bigger appreciation for space, privacy, and amenities,” Shapiro said. “They’ve spent months with outdoor space, room to entertain and a more resort-like lifestyle, and they don’t necessarily want to give that up when they return to Manhattan. We’re seeing buyers respond to Malabar because it offers all of that and so much more.”
Luxury living at MalabarCourtesy of Nest Seekers
Located where Billionaires’ Row meets Park Avenue, the 145-residence building was designed by Eran Chen of ODA as an alternative to the conventional glass-tower experience. The building rises like a contemporary hanging garden, its stacked, sculptural volumes forming terraces where greenery cascades through the façade.
Residents can gather in a secluded garden oasis, entertain in indoor-outdoor lounges or dine alfresco against the Manhattan skyline.
The amenity collection also includes a double-height, 42-foot swimming pool, spa pool, sauna, steam room and Technogym fitness center. A
private half-court accommodates basketball and pickleball, while multiple rooftop destinations provide space for dining, grilling and entertaining.
For Shapiro, the range and execution of these spaces distinguish Malabar within Manhattan’s luxury market.
The 57th Street entrance at MalabarCourtesy of Nest Seekers
“How many buildings can say they have pickleball and basketball courts and three different rooftop lounges at different points throughout the building, all with superior design and a living experience that far exceeds competing developments?” he said.
Shapiro also pointed to the building’s porte cochère, which creates a more discreet sense of arrival. “I can count maybe two buildings on Billionaires’ Row that have a porte cochère,” he said.
While the amenities bring elements of resort living into the city, the experience extends into the residences. Select homes offer double-height ceilings, while the building’s more than 100 layouts accommodate a variety of households and lifestyle needs.
Shemesh, who has represented more than 50 new-development projects over the course of his career, said the completed property communicates a sense of scale that plans and renderings could not fully capture.
The pool at MalabarCourtesy of Nest Seekers
“What’s unusual about this project is that the finished product exceeds what buyers expected from the original marketing and renderings,” Shemesh said. “When you experience it in person, you see the execution and attention to detail in a way that simply wasn’t possible during pre-construction.”
The proportions of the residences have also changed how Shemesh and the Nest Seekers sales team discuss space with prospective buyers.
“Many of the apartments have double-height ceilings that you can only fully appreciate when you walk through the residences,” Shemesh said. “We’re even talking to buyers about cubic feet, not just square feet, because that sense of volume is such an important part of the experience.”
The variety of layouts provides another kind of flexibility. According to Shemesh, some buyers are looking for a primary residence along with a separate apartment for their children or staff. These options allow members of a household to remain close while retaining a measure of privacy.
Exterior view of MalabarCourtesy of Nest Seekers
Malabar’s recent Temporary Certificate of Occupancy has introduced a new immediacy to the sales process by allowing prospective buyers to experience the completed property firsthand. Shapiro recalled one recent buyer who walked into the Nest Seekers sales storefront at 505 Park Avenue on a Saturday, toured Malabar within days and was in contract before the end of that week.
“Now that the property is finished, there’s an immediacy to the experience,” Shapiro said.
“You walk through it and understand very quickly what makes it different.”
The brokerage is also seeing activity at the top of the building. Two billionaire buyers have purchased marquee penthouses at approximately $5,000 per square foot, with two additional penthouses remaining. Shapiro views those transactions as evidence of sustained demand for ultra-luxury properties and believes the residences offer an appealing value relative to other penthouses of similar scale.
“There are two more left, and I believe those will go very quickly considering other penthouses of this scale are priced much higher,” Shapiro said. “The market is strong, as strong as ever.”
For buyers returning from the Hamptons, the goal is not necessarily to replicate a country house in Midtown. Instead, it is about preserving some of the qualities that made summer feel restorative: room to breathe, opportunities to spend time outdoors, privacy when desired and spaces that make wellness, recreation, and entertaining part of everyday life.
At Malabar, buyers no longer need to rely on plans or renderings. They can now see firsthand how the residences, gardens, terraces and amenities come together. Residences range from studios to expansive 3-bedroom units.
“At this level, buyers have seen virtually everything, so what gets their attention is when a property delivers something they haven’t experienced elsewhere,” Shemesh said. “That’s what we’re seeing at Malabar.”
Amenities on the 13th floorCourtesy of Nest Seekers