Hey, remember all those rich people who were supposed to pay for the free stuff that New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani promised voters? I’ve got good news and bad news for you.
The good news is that real-estate agents who cater to those who can afford to leave the city — and who don’t deal with real estate in the city — have been having a really great week.
You can probably guess what the bad news is.
In the least surprising news since soap was discovered in someone’s shower, both real estate agents and media outlets are reporting that upper-class New Yorkers are looking to decamp the city, even to Connecticut — not precisely a place known for low cost of living or taxes.
But it is known for one thing: being Mamdani-free, something that makes it livable without having to pay through the nose for the privilege of getting mugged by someone who probably won’t even be arrested by the social worker dispatched to deal with the situation, if Zohran gets his way.
The New York Post reported that “[r]ealtors in leafy Greenwich said their open houses have been packed and that selling prices are going through the roof after Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral win in New York City sparked fears over everything from unsafe city buses to an economic meltdown.”
“Every lot is desirable in Greenwich now,” said Berkshire Hathaway broker Mary Ann Heaven.
“Greenwich is extremely stable, and people are confident that the winds of change that are happening down there [in New York City] are not happening up here.”
She said that she was looking at “50 or 60 parties” for a colonial home in the pricey suburb, which is three times what she normally sees.
Will Mamdani do permanent damage to New York City?
“The people leaving New York City now are not like the people who left New York City four or five years ago,” said realtor Marshall Heaven, Mary Ann’s husband who works for his own firm.
“They’re not the ultra-rich that are going to keep their apartments in Manhattan and just buy another place here and another place there,” Marshall told the outlet.
“These are people that are selling their apartments in New York City and moving their families to Greenwich, Connecticut.”
His evidence: a house that sold for $2.5 million this past week, over half a million more than its asking price.
Meanwhile, in the Cos Cob neighborhood of Greenwich, interior designer Dimitry Melnikov said, “The [local housing] market is screaming, it’s hot.
“Places are selling for much more than they are worth,” he added. “My friend put a house up last Friday. Within 12 hours, by Monday morning, he had 90 offers. I don’t think it’s normal. I don’t think it’s good. I know it’s not good for New York City.
“I grew up in Belarus; I’m familiar with socialism,” he said. “It’s not going to work in New York City. To lay socialism on top of capitalism? That’s not going to work.”
Nor is Connecticut the only place where this phenomenon was being reported. Take Palm Beach, Florida, where real estate agent Kourtney Pulitzer posted this video about the so-called “Mamdani Effect.”
This woman is a luxury real estate agent in Palm Beach, Florida
Today following Zohran Mamdani winning her office has exploded with calls from wealthy New Yorkers wanting properties
It’s actually happening. The wealthy are fleeing New York City in droves
“I’m not gonna lie. I… pic.twitter.com/NwwwlFOnKG
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) November 6, 2025
The financial reasons for leaving are obvious, especially given that Mamdani proved on election night that he meant what he said — opening his victory speech with a quote from early 20th century U.S. presidential candidate and socialist agitator Eugene Debs. Apparently, he was desperate to get in front of the inevitable New York Post front-page headline regarding his victory:
Tomorrow’s NY Post Frontpage: The Red Apple pic.twitter.com/1NbOLEhH10
— Behind the News (@BehindNewsShow) November 5, 2025
“Our greatness will be anything but abstract. It will be felt by every rent-stabilized tenant who wakes up on the first of every month knowing the amount they’re going to pay hasn’t soared since the month before. It will be felt by each grandparent who can afford to stay in the home they have worked for, and whose grandchildren live nearby because the cost of childcare didn’t send them to Long Island,” the mayor-elect said at the end of his speech, a litany of free-stuff promises already.
“Most of all, it will be felt by each New Yorker when the city they love finally loves them back,” Mamdani continued. “Together, New York, we’re going to freeze the rent together, New York, we’re going to make buses fast and free together, New York, we’re going to deliver universal childcare.”
Yeah, unfortunately, you’re going to have to do it without a lot of the people who would pay for all that — and not just because of the price.
“I think the major thing that will affect people would be something as simple as free bus tickets, as bad as that sounds,” said John Antretter, who brokers real estate in Manhattan and Brooklyn, according to the New York Post.
“If people feel unsafe sending their kids across town on the bus every day or if they have to switch to private car services or Ubers or the parents driving them … that’ll be the No. 1 driving force.”
In other words, unsafe and more expensive. Who could refuse … to get the heck out? Don’t say we didn’t warn you, Gotham. You and Zohran are on your own now.
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