Will the Famous ‘Saturday Night Fever’ Home Sell … or Sit?

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Any “Saturday Night Fever” fans still kicking up their dance shoes out there? Then you may want to hustle on down to Bay Ridge, NY, where the home of disco prince Tony Manero (played by John Travolta) is up for sale for $2,498,000.

Located at 221 79th St. in Brooklyn, this 2,472-square-foot, five-bedroom, 2.5-bath is currently owned by Julia Ashirova, who bought the house in 2005 with her then-boyfriend, a huge fan of the 1977 iconic film.

“He was in love with that movie,” Ashirova told the New York Post about her ex (who has since moved out from his beloved digs). “His relatives told me [that as a child] he would close the door to his bedroom and copy the dance moves from the movie.”

Ashirova was not originally a “Fever” fan,  she said, “but because he had been torturing me with it since we met, I basically had to fall in love with it.”

While the couple made extensive renovations to the home, they took care to preserve certain features made famous in the movie.

The dining room where Tony Manero’s hair was hit

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“They left the dining room alone,” says listing agent James Brocking at Ben Bay Realty. That’s the site of the famous scene in which Tony’s dad smacks him on the back of the head for grabbing an extra pork chop, prompting Tony to protest, in a thick Brooklyn accent, “He hits my hair!” Check it out below.

The home also has the same fireplace and built-in woodwork around it. But the rest of the house has been renovated, including the addition of a third floor.

Fame, extra square footage, vintage charm … what’s not to love?

Yet since the home was listed last week, it’s generated only mild interest, with a handful of phone calls and two showings scheduled this weekend. What gives?

Why the ‘Saturday Night Fever’ house might sit on the sidelines

Part of the problem may be that “Fever” fever has dwindled since its heyday.

According to Ted General, a trustee at the Bay Ridge Historical Society, when the movie first came out 40 years ago, the then-owner “was always being bothered by people ringing her doorbell or hanging around.”

But today? This happens only about once a year. Not even all the buyers interested in this home know of its famous film past.

“Some buyers are aware of the movie, but some aren’t,” Brocking admits.

As such, the movie’s cachet may not boost the price as high as hoped.

“Those that remember the movie are those close to or at retirement,” says Denise Supplee, a Realtor® and co-founder of SparkRental.com. “Therefore, I do not believe that the fact that the home was used in the movie is going to have too much of an impact on those of the age that will most likely purchase the home. In my opinion, the home is overpriced.”

The home went up for auction in June, with a predicted winning bid between $1 million and $1.5 million, but it didn’t sell.

“It kind of boggles my mind that, months later, the lister is listing it for twice that much,” Supplee adds.

“At $1,010 per square foot, where the median is $724, it’s quite on the high side for Bay Ridge,” Dolly Lenz, a real estate agent in New York City, says in agreement. “Only six houses in this area have sold for about $2 million, period.”

So if this place sells for anywhere near its $2,500,000 asking, it would set a record, she says.

All that said, “its presence in ‘Saturday Night Fever’ is a great marketing angle that could attract buyers who weren’t necessarily interested in the Bay Ridge neighborhood, allowing it to sell more quickly,” says Jeff Miller, co-founder of AE Home Group.

That is, if it’s priced appropriately.

“I believe that the home will sell for $2 million, not $2.5” million, Miller says.

Tony might not approve, but then again, he didn’t stick around Bay Ridge, either.

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