New Money Wants Elevators, Not Staircases 🛗

October 1, 2025

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What Up Family?!

Welcome to The Edit with Aaron Seawood, a lifestyle letter serving a weekly dose of real estate, culture, and wisdom—all in three minutes or less. Let’s dive in. 

 

Real Estate Remix

New Money Wants Elevators, Not Staircases.

Turns out the new generation of wealthy NYC buyers are skipping the “walk-up chic” their parents romanticized and going straight for penthouses and single-floor living. Why? Convenience and seamless flow. 

I’ve experienced this personally with buyers I took out this past weekend. The places that resonated the most were half or full-floors, with no stairs anywhere!

It’s a subtle but seismic shift: prestige used to be about multiple floors, grand staircases, and parlor entrances. Now it’s turnkey condos, keyed elevators, and square footage all on one level. 

So, if you’re marketing to this crowd, forget the winding stairwell shots. New money isn’t checking for that, they’re looking to live life horizontally. 

 

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In case you missed it, I just created one of the most comprehensive guides to buying a Townhouse in NYC. This is the same guide I give to my private clients, and now you can download it for free. 

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NYC Insider: What’s Happening This Week

2025 Kips Bay Decorator Show House

Running now through October 19, this year’s Kips Bay Show House is making its downtown debut in a 9,000-SF West Village townhouse (20 West 12th St). Twenty-one top design firms transformed rooms in just about eight weeks, weaving their narrative, colors, and details into each corner. I’m excited to see one room in particular, designed by Leyden Lewis, a Brooklyn-based designer whose work is rooted in “theater for living,” a dedication to spaces that feel as much like art installations as homes. He’s also been honored repeatedly on the AD100 list, so there’s that. 

If you’re available, join me tomorrow (10/2) before 3:30pm and let’s be inspired together and check out some dope ass interiors along the way.

 

Weekly Gem 💎 

Pause for the Applause

The world conditions us to always be looking to what’s next: the next deal, next milestone, next achievement. But if you looked back five or ten years, you’d realize you’re at a place you once prayed for.

I shared this on Instagram yesterday, where I had a ‘wow’ moment. I was sitting in my car on Fifth Avenue, and it hit me like a ton of bricks: a kid from San Diego made his way to NYC over 31 years ago… and made it. The ups, the downs, the complete confidence at times, the utter self-doubt at others, have all led to this moment. I’m thriving, raising two amazing kids, and shining my light every day for the world to see. It almost brought me to tears when I stopped to process how far I’ve come from my early twenties.

This week, press pause on the tape.

You’re exactly where you once wanted to be. The job you said you’d die for, the city you dreamed of living in, the relationship you always knew you deserved, the growth, the resilience. If you’re anything like me, you’ve completely breezed by all of these notable mentions without any acknowledgment.

Take stock of your situation. Breathe it in. Be proud of yourself. Be grateful for all you’ve accomplished. The more you honor your progress, the more fulfilled and aligned you’ll become.

 

Family: If my weekly gem isn’t enough, I’m Broadcasting from the Bright Side every day. If you need encouragement, a place to be heard, or someone to remind you of your greatness, please call me at 646.699.3969. You’re not alone. I got you.

 

 

The Best Home on the Market This Week  

Here’s a special listing that caught my eye that I think you should consider if you’re in the market. I’m prioritizing quality, soul, and a space that truly speaks.

Listed by Lisa Lippman and Scott Moore

42 Downing Street

$18,000,000     6 Beds / 6.5 Baths    West Village

This 9,000-square-foot townhouse delivers scale, flexibility, and amenities rarely found in the West Village. Currently configured as two condos, the home can be lived in as-is or combined into one remarkable single-family residence.

🔑 Best Features

• 29 feet of frontage, private curb cut, and covered parking

• six outdoor spaces, including terraces, a wraparound suite garden, and a skyline roof deck
• soaring double-height ceilings with skylights and an 80-foot great room

• guest duplex, art studio, or home HQ

• wraparound terrace, cedar walk-in, soaking tub, lounge with fireplace + wet bar

 

 Who wants a tour?

 

Before you go…

🌇 Your golden ticket to the city’s best-kept secrets is back! 

🧀This cheese is so good it dethroned 1,900 contenders!

🚚 In Brooklyn, libraries aren’t just for readers anymore.

🎨 The art trip in New York you didn’t know you needed.

👀 Guess which waterfront just claimed the crown for the coolest hood in NYC?

🛀🏽 Consider this your monthly pass to chill.

🐕 Get your pets blessed this weekend.

🧸 Pop Mart, the owner of Labubu, makes its NYC debut!

 

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Looking to Buy, Sell, or Rent? Let’s talk.

 

Like I ask GOD every day, who can we help next?