Peter Zaitzeff—known lovingly to Owning Manhattan fans as Peter “Sexy Rabbit,” due to the Russian translation of his last name—brokered some of the biggest deals seen in the Netflix show’s sophomore season, including the $60 million sale at 150 Charles in the West Village.
Zaitzeff was first introduced in Season 2, Episode 1, when Ryan Serhant poached him for his own team. According to Zaitzeff—who came to SERHANT from Corcoran—the real estate mogul had been trying to hire him in the company for “close to four years.”
“It was a huge decision,” Zaitzeff said. “It took me three months to make the decision and [it was] an emotional one, because moving brokerages is very difficult.”
“There’s a lot that you need to do. You have to stay very focused. You have to bring all your clientele over,” he continued. “I was at a stage in my career where I was doing really well, and to make a change like this was a lot for me to process. I think I cried for three months in a row.”
When Zaitzeff did finally decide to make the move, he was tapped to sell $300 million of inventory at 200 Amsterdam in the Upper West Side (after nearly two years, only two listings at a combined total of $50 million remain available). But that wasn’t the only score from his debut season in Owning Manhattan. Zaitzeff also sold the $60 million unit at 150 Charles in a heated bidding war between Serhant’s buyer and his own buyer, who offered full asking price.
When Serhant first called him with the news that his buyer was willing to offer $55 million cash for the property in Season 2, Episode 5, Zaitzeff put up a fight in the name of his seller—who wouldn’t take below asking—before hanging up the phone, a move that shocked viewers.
When we caught up with Zaitzeff, he explained that he hung up on Serhant because he was busy closing a different $20 million deal at 200 Amsterdam.
“I already had the higher number [for 150 Charles] so my firm focus was on that development deal and doing that $20 million deal [at 200 Amsterdam],” Zaitzeff said. “Ryan knows, because I work for the company, I was doing business for the company for him, so I expected him to understand. I didn’t mean to be rude, but at the time, I needed to get down to business, which I was doing.”
Photo: Netflix
When it came down to it, Zaitzeff’s buyer was able to offer the full $60 million for 150 Charles, which Serhant’s buyer refused to do. With Serhant’s ego slightly bruised by this personal loss, Zaitzeff said he “didn’t expect” him to “be so emotionally charged.”
“I didn’t know Ryan was going to get that emotional in that moment,” Zaitzeff said. “He lost the deal to me in the moment. But it was a huge win for the company in the grand scheme of things.”
“I remember when we were negotiating that, like, [as] Ryan’s close, dear friend, I wanted to give him a hug,” he added. “I wanted to hug him and be like, ‘Is it OK? Relax. It’s just a deal.’ At the end of the day, people are what matters. Ryan matters. Everybody on the cast matters. Everybody in the business matters. And that’s how I really take things to heart all the time.”
Admitting the tense scene was still “fun to watch,” Zaitzeff also made sure to give Serhant his flowers.
“Ryan beats me on so many other things. He did a $250 million deal in Miami, which I’m not doing,” he said. “There’s enough business in this city for everybody. As long as you do it ethically, you do your job well, and you represent your clients in the best possible way.”
Owning Manhattan Season 2 is currently streaming on Netflix.