Marketing Tactic
While this is, on the face of it, an odd marketing tactic, on an intuitive level whisper listings make sense: There are only a handful of people willing and able to sink their money into Venice, and those interested in doing so are probably willing to pick up the phone and call a broker. By keeping these buildings “off the market,” their owners can simultaneously control the market and avoid something so sordid as a listing on the internet.
The downside, of course, is that they remain hidden from a rapt public. “I’m so delighted to show anyone this place,” Doyle said, as she climbed the stairs to the second floor of the 30,000-square-foot palazzo. The 30-foot-long Oriental rugs, centuries-old furniture, elaborate velvet curtains, and small library can be included in the sale. The dozens of elaborate chandeliers, all original to the palazzo, come with the purchase price. “I’ve kept it so quiet for so long, I thought no one would see it.”
Even after a tour of the whole palazzo, it was still difficult to see the entire building: The housekeeper couldn’t count all of its bedrooms and secret doors, back passageways, and vast, empty halls that gave way to literal cabinets of curiosities. Entering the dining room, for instance, a visitor admired the massive table service of plates and tureens on display behind a glass case. “Mussolini ate off those,” she said in a careless aside, not bothering to stop.
A Few Concessions
There are some Venetian listings whose owners have chosen to market more publicly. One apartment, which was renovated by a French and Italian couple, was recently put on the market for 8.8 million euros. Directly across from the Gritti Palace, the apartment is decorated with Gobelins tapestries, a 15th century, hand-painted settee from Cordoba, Spain, and bone dressers by the mid-century French designer Maria Pergay. (The furniture can be included in the sale.)
Similarly, an apartment near the Hotel Cipriani on Giudecca has a full internet listing. Spanning the top two floors of a building that also includes a private, communal courtyard, the apartment’s proximity to the Hotel Cipriani “reminds people of Beverly Hills,” said Bombassei, who also represents this listing. “And Americans are willing to buy property on the Giudecca.”
Still, the brokers’ whisper listings seem to be the cream of the crop. It could be their interiors, their location, or their history. Or it could be the secrecy itself.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.