'RHONY' alum Kelly Killoren Bensimon says she quit real estate job after vile proposal from male client
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Former Real Housewife of New York-turned-real estate mogul Kelly Killoren Bensimon opened up about the real reason behind her stepping back from showing apartments. In a recent interview, Bensimon detailed an indecent proposal worth $1 million that came from a potential buyer while she was working.
"I’m trying to show them a $50 million apartment and they’re trying to date me," the 54-year-old told the Daily Mail about the male clients she had to face at work. Notably, most of them are on a considerably smaller budget. Bensimon, who is also a former Playboy model, continued: "Some of them do [have the money]. I showed one guy an apartment and he said to me if I was his girlfriend, he was going to give me $80,000 a month." Bensimon, who was not enticed by the offer, snapped back by saying, "The apartment’s for sale but I’m not." She remarked that after this incident she stopped doing "preliminary showings."
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'The most prolific and one of the most educated'
After experiencing evident success in her new career, Bensimon reportedly does not need to show apartments as she can afford to bankroll an army of employees to do it on her behalf. "Now I have a team of 12 who are working in NY, Florida, and the Hamptons," she said. She also closed a historical deal on a $42 million property in Downtown Manhattan during the pandemic after taking up the job only three years prior to that. Despite describing her as “the most prolific and one of the most educated,” Bensimon does not credit her education for her success. "For me, one of the reasons I resonate in real estate is because I understand the balance of transaction and luxury. I’ve written books for Anna Wintour, so I understand what people want, and when they tell me what they need we come to a nice balance," she said, mentioning the book 'American Style' she wrote for Anna Wintour in 2004.
Bensimon misses being around the other housewives
"I sold my own home in the Hamptons and now I’m very specific about my clients - whether they are buying or selling, I get them good prices," she continued. Bensimon further compared the fashion style of glamorous women in the TV show and her New York real estate contemporaries. "I think some of the housewives, for the most part, dress really, really great. They wear a lot of colors but whether you like their style or not at least they are trying versus people that don’t," she said, as per the outlet.
The A-lister concluded the interview by saying how much she misses the other housewives and expressed her disappointment as she wouldn’t be working around them anymore. "I miss the camaraderie. I miss women who take care of themselves. I like being around women that are hot", said Bensimon.