'Sex' and the Brokers

When Elaine Clayman was starting out as a real estate broker, she sold a four-bedroom luxury condominium for $1 million to a couple who had planned to spend $480,000.

That's exactly what happens in "Sex and the City: The Movie," the hit film based on the HBO series. Ms. Clayman said the scene in which Mr. Big and Carrie purchase a pre-war Fifth Avenue penthouse priced far above their original budget is one of many that depicts — far more accurately than most films — the unique world of New York City real estate.

For a skilled broker, offering a pricey but beautiful penthouse is "a very realistic move," Ms. Clayman said.

Critics have panned the film, but brokers say it brought down the house, real estate-wise, despite a few less-than-believable "movie magic" moments.

"People who aren't going to see it are missing out, at least from a real estate perspective," a senior vice president at Corcoran, Sherry Matays, said.

When "Sex and the City" began airing on HBO in the late 1990s, the show, about four single friends in their mid-30s, quickly became known for its focus on New York City real estate. Carrie's struggle to buy her apartment, Miranda's tussle with her co-op board, and Samantha's move to the meatpacking district were central story lines.

"I can think of at least 10 episodes where real estate played a central role," Ms. Matays said. "That's enormous. Some of Carrie's boyfriends were in fewer episodes than that."

Brokers say the movie, like the series before it, accurately reflects the importance of real estate in New Yorkers' quality of life — or lack thereof.

"This city is passionate about real estate," Ms. Clayman, who saw the movie with her daughter, said. "It really belongs in the movie. It's such a big part of our lives."