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In the Neighborhood: The High Line

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Photo via Yimby

Nov. 24

76 11th Avenue

Since the High Line’s reopening this year, the Meatpacking District has been experiencing rapid development of mixed use and luxury condo buildings.

Purchased by HFZ Capital for $870 million back in April, the 76 11th Avenue project has been underway alongside starchitect Bjarke Ingels. Preliminary details are now available.

The proposal calls for 800,000 square feet split between a western tower (402 feet) and an eastern tower (302 feet) with a shared base. The base will host a retail space and a hotel three consecutive floors above it. Outdated zoning has forced Ingels to get creative, pushing a previously reported 300 condos to the top floors in an inverted, or top heavy, design plan.

As it stands, 76 11th Avenue will be the tallest among new development in the High Line area.

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Photo via Curbed

520 West 28th Street

Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid has built his first New York City condo tower at 520 West 28th Street in Chelsea. Related Companies is the developer.

The 39 condo luxury tower, offering two to five bedroom apartments at $6.395 million to $16 million, falls within the current trend of building sleek towers with lavish amenities in the High Line area.

Official floorplans indicate a top of the line attaché service, a storage vault, an IMAX theater (the first in New York residential development), and a cold pressed juice bar on the building’s wellness floor.

Apartments at 520 West 28th Street have been open to the market since October.

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Photo via The Bauhouse Group

515 HighLine

Designed by SCDA Architects founder Soo K. Chan and developed by the Bauhouse Group, 515 HighLine is set to become yet another trendsetting development on the High Line with amenities previously unheard of in the city.

Chan has designed a mixed use building, with 32,000 square feet of residential space and 4,600 square feet of commercial space, according to the Bauhouse Group’s website.

Pricing for the 12 residential units will range from $5 million to $25 million.

The amenities are simply spectacular. Each unit will have its own attached outdoor space with a fire pit and views of the High Line, Hudson Yards, and Culture Shed (site of New York Fashion Week). A private elevator allows each resident to walk directly into his or her space. The building also hosts a chef’s kitchen for caterers brought in by residents for hosting events.

515 HighLine is expected to reach completion by December.


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Written by Alexandra Gámez New York

In the Neighborhood: The Bronx

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Mott Haven-Port Morris waterfront warehouse via The New York Times

Nov. 18

South Bronx Development

South Bronx experienced a summer housing boom this year, particularly within affordable housing. TRD reports that developers, attracted to the area’s low land prices and city initiatives for affordable housing, have submitted plans for over one million square feet of building space.

A particularly strong reference month for the affordable housing boom can be noted in July, when 40 percent of the 1,176, or 470 units, applied for affordable housing status.

Developers, including Nelson Management and Monadnock Construction, are building at La Central, Lafayette-Boynton Complex, and 491 Gerard Avenue.

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Gilder Center mock up via Observer

American Museum of Natural History: Gilder Center

Earlier this month, the Observer’s Culture section reported that the American Museum of Natural History, in tandem with Studio Gang Architects, released its expansion plans for the proposed Gilder Center on the Upper West Side.

The Gilder Center would take up an estimated 218,000 square feet of space; three buildings would be renovated according to the center’s needs and 11,600 square feet, a quarter of an acre, would spill into the adjacent Theodore Roosevelt Park. According to Sig Gissler, president of the Defenders of Teddy Roosevelt Park, “[Gilder Center] is taking less park land than originally proposed, but the fact that they’re removing nine mature trees gives us continuing cause for concern.” Increased foot traffic doubles as an environmental concern.

Defenders board member Martha Dwyer’s raised the proposal to relocate plans to the Bronx, near The Bronx Zoo and New York Botanical Garden. AMNH vice president of government relations Dan Slippen countered the idea by pointing to the disjointedness that visitors would experience should the museum be in separate locations. Instead, the center is meant to be a fluid continuation that connects its twin buildings.

The project’s environmental report will still need to pass through the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and Landmarks Preservation Committee.

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Grand Concourse Plaza via Bronx Times

Grand Concourse Plaza

Feil Organization’s vice president of leasing Randall Briskin recently told the Bronx Times of its plans for the Bronx’s Grand Concourse Plaza, located between East 158th Street and 159th Street.

“This [Concourse Plaza] is part of the exciting Bronx revitalization,” Briskin voiced. “We had to pay close attention to the area’s shoppers, permanent residents, along with its employees, so we could remodel the plaza to properly serve everybody’s needs. We reinvested in this plaza, and it is clearly paying off as we add new retailers and services.”

Feil’s $18 million dollar renovation has attracted deals from four major retailers and two major fast food chains, Burger King and Popeye’s, to the premises.


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Written by Alexandra Gámez New York

In the Neighborhood: Lower East Side

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50 Bowery rendering via The Low-Down

Nov. 16

50 Bowery

Jonathan Chu is realizing a “multigenerational vision.” The Chinatown developer told The Lo-Down that building this 22-story Joie de Vivre hotel at 50 Bowery has been in the making since his grandfather bought the site in the ‘70s.

Neighborhood residents regard 50 Bowery as a place of historic significance, being home to 18th century Bull’s Head Tavern and Atlantic Garden, an 1860s German beer hall. Development manager David Ho is assessing the possibility to implement artifacts uncovered from the project’s excavation, such as a cistern and Atlantic Garden bricks, into the hotel’s infrastructure.

Dedicating Joie de Vivre’s second floor to the Museum of Chinese in America exhibitions and a public gathering space, Chu explains that this project will open the door between second and third generation Chinese Americans who are increasingly welcoming interaction with external ethnic groups and tourists.

“It’s an iconic location,” Chu says of 50 Bowery, “[This project] puts Chinatown on the map in a way that it hasn’t been in a long time.”

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Lowline Lab via Curbed

Lowline Lab

Since 2008, Dan Barasch and James Ramsey have been building Lowline Lab, an inventive garden space meant to serve as a prototype for the city’s first underground park on Essex Street in the Lower East Side.

Growing thousands of plant varieties, from moss to baby pineapples, through a process akin to channeling sunlight through multiple mediums, the installation is expected to support the actual Lowline park’s technology upon its debut in 2020.

Lowline Lab opened its doors to the public in October.

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Yunan BBQ via Timeout

Yunan BBQ

On Sept. 22, Yunnan BBQ (formerly Yunnan Kitchen) debuted on the Lower East Side, between Clinton and Rivington Street.

Erika Chou and chef Doron Wong have infused Yunnan province-inspired dishes, like BBQ pork chao shao, into a small plate, BBQ establishment popular with the locals.

One Yelp reviewer notes, “Unlike many Chinese joints, Yunan successfully combines cool, comfortable décor with pleasant, friendly service, and most importantly, fist pump-worthy food.”

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Written by Alexandra Gámez New York

In the Neighborhood: Midtown East

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303 East 44th Street via Curbed

Nov. 12

303 East 44th Street

Triangle Equities has been working with ODA Architecture to design a condo tower, 303 East 44th Street, expected to set a precedent for residential outdoor leisure space.

The tower, expected to come to market in 2017, will be 600 feet tall, encompassing 41 floors of glass units. Units occupying the top half of the tower will have access to individual garden spaces totaling 1,400 sqft each, and situated every two floors.

Eran Chen, ODA’s founder and executive director, commented to TRD, “There’s going to be a time in New York City where living without a substantial outdoor space is just going to be unacceptable. It’s going to be like living in the suburbs without a backyard. All these towers that don’t have them are going to lose their value.”

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Grand Central Station via Real Estate Weekly

Midtown East Rezoning

Since May 2014, Midtown East rezoning plans have been in the works for developers, landmark councils, and the public concerned about improved transportation.

The East Midtown Steering Committee, headed by Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Council Member Dan Garodnick, released their plans, from East 39th to East 57th Street and Fifth to Second Avenue, in a press release last month.

Their plan expresses three goals: 1) open up residential development restrictions relating to FAR (floor area ratios); 2) allowing retail space above the ground floor of a mixed use building; and 3) freeing landmarked properties to sell their air rights to residential developers.

Curbed reports that the city would absorb 20 to 40% of the funds from air rights sales to improve public transit access in the area.

“These recommendations will help enhance the East Midtown area as a world class commercial district in the 21st century,” said Brewer. “They will ensure that development doesn’t happen haphazardly and that landmarks, open space, and transit upgrades are at the forefront of the development process, rather than an afterthought.”

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200 East 59th Street via Curbed

200 East 59th Street

Continuing the trend in outdoor space, Macklowe Properties is developing a “fun sized” 490 foot, 35 story tower at 200 East 59th Street. The tower will accommodate 10,000 sqft of commercial space and about 100,000 sqft for 67 condos.

The residential portion of this tower is unique in that each unit will provide an attached terrace.

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Written by Alexandra Gámez New York

In the Neighborhood: Financial District

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Santiago Calatrava’s “Bird in Flight” oculus via Global Construction Review

Nov. 10

3 World Trade Center Transportation Hub

Last week, Curbed reported extended delays for the World Trade Center transportation hub’s underground mall.

The underground mall, originally planned for a late 2015 debut, will now open in the first half of 2016. Water used by construction workers to reduce debris caused leakage into the structure.

Retail giants Apple, Kate Spade, and Eataly have all signed on as tenants.

Patrick J. Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey commented that his team has made “significant progress” toward the building’s recovery.

45 Broad Street via Real Estate Weekly
45 Broad Street rendering via Real Estate Weekly

45 Broad Street

On Oct. 3, Robert Gladstone’s Madison Equities and the Pizzarotti Group closed on a vacant lot at 45 Broad Street for $86 million, The Real Deal and Real Estate Weekly reported.

Cushman & Wakefield is marketing the planned 65-story condo site. The Financial District, notes the team in a press release, has been benefiting from rising international interest for residential properties.

“The Financial District is experiencing tremendous condo demand from domestic and international buyers, with existing condos experiencing 25% year-over-year growth and properties under development projecting sellout prices of $2,500 to over $3,000 per square foot – more than twice the Downtown average,” read the release.

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One Wall Street via NY Curbed

One Wall Street

The latest news of Harry Macklowe of Macklowe Properties’ residential conversion of One Wall Street came on Oct. 30 in the form of filed permits declaring 944,000 square feet for 500 plus residential units.

The tower will hold a mix of condos and rentals, including four penthouses taking up individual floors.

An apportioned 350,000 sqft of retail space is also noted in the permit, although details on tenancy have been sparse.

A glass conversion, One Wall Street should serve as a bit of ‘New Guard’ eye candy, particularly among the limestone commercial buildings and the gothic revival Trinity Church just a stone’s throw away.

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Written by Alexandra Gámez New York

The End of the Golden Era for Low Interest Rates: Sellers Take Note

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Nov. 8

Latest market reports have suggested that the Federal Reserve will increase interest rates in December from 0 to .25%, keeping inflation in check. November 6’s jobs report brought nothing but good news, with employment sitting at a benchmark of 5% and wage growth steadily increasing 6 cents per hour, or an annualized 2.5% gross salary take home. This news, then, necessitates some fine-tuning so that a money surplus does not drive the economy into overdrive, or, in simple terms, devalue the dollar.

New York real estate is about to become a lot more expensive. A December rate hike will effectively alter the identity and behavior of New York property buyers and sellers. To what end, it’s too soon to say, but a conservative estimate is that sellers, who’ve enjoyed naming their prices in a low inventory environment, will find it necessary to court buyers and negotiate their bottom lines.

Third quarter reports from the Corcoran Group indicate that Manhattan sellers have experienced their properties selling 26% faster than last year (days on market). In addition to resale co-op and condo inventory dropping a substantial 26% and 5%, respectively, their smaller unit properties have experienced price hikes, up 5% for co-op studios/10% for co-op one- bedrooms, and 15% for condo studios and 7% for condo one bedrooms since 3Q14.

New development has experienced a 69% increase in sales over the past year, with studio prices bumping up 1% and one-bedroom prices jumping up 9%. With that steady wave of buyers, the market has undergone a 30% reduction in months of supply, or total units available.

While these statistics suggest a general positive market slope, what is worthy of seller notice is the impending change in financing cost that will alter these numbers.

Cash buyers may not look twice at paying sticker price, but first time primary residence buyers are, historically, the most apprehensive about a policy that makes a given property that much more expensive. This sentiment, in turn, often necessitates negotiation on the part of the seller and leverage on the part of the buyer.

Buyers have been long primed for a rate hike, and the market has enjoyed a cyclical period of sustained highs. These stifling high sticker prices, notes Corcoran broker Antonia Watson, won’t be supported by the market much longer given the fed’s promise to make borrowing funds more expensive in the coming year.

A fundamental aspect for sellers to understand going into a more expensive marketplace is that market policy is built on succession; one policy builds on another. Similar to the way the cost of living rises every year, the cost of borrowing in a relatively monied market rises year over year.

Noted in CNN Money’s “What a Fed rate hike would mean for you,” Robert Denk, senior economist at the National Association of Home Builders, clarifies, “The precise starting date [of rate hikes] is much less important than the path of rate increases that follows.” Translation: .25% is only the tail’s end of what’s up the fed’s sleeve.

The most important upcoming data sellers should watch out for going into the fourth quarter is year over year contracts signed in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. This information will illustrate the strength of the market and buyer willingness to purchase property despite ballooned cost.

At this rather late point in the game, sellers looking to maximize profit would do well to consider listing in the short time before the fed’s next announcement.

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Written by Alexandra Gámez New York

Watson International Teams with Liberty Board of Realtors for Education Cause

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On Thursday, October 14, Antonia Watson and the Watson International team trekked to Fox Hollow Golf Club, located an hour outside of the city in Branchburg, New Jersey, to support the Liberty Board of Realtors’ annual golf outing. The outing is hosted by chairwoman Margaret Watson. The proceeds of the event go toward the Liberty Board of Realtors scholarship fund for education.

As always, both Watsons joined forces and called in their spheres of influential real estate communities and philanthropists, ready and eager to join them for a tranquil, non-competitive day on the fairway.

Before teeing off at midday, guests were greeted with a catered beer and barbeque lunch, sponsored by Antonia Watson of Watson International. Guests helped themselves to cheese melted hamburgers, freshly grilled hot dogs, and Coors Light while chatting amongst themselves about the sharp turn in autumn air and the upcoming Giants game.

At tee off, guests were assembled below the clubhouse, facing the fairway. Dozens of ready and able golf carts were parked in two rows and equipped with individual sets of drivers, clubs, and irons. The club was organized, having each team’s name attached to a sheet of paper that hung inside of the cart.

“Thank you so much for coming to our event,” said Margaret Watson through a loudspeaker. “Everyone is encouraged to go at their own pace. We want you all to have a wonderful day on the course!”

Both Watsons could be found throughout the day greeting golfers on the fairway and thanking each one for their participation.

Eager to document the occasion where so many donated their day to support the important education cause, the mother-daughter pair travelled to each team on the course and posed for photographs.

As daylight drew to a close, each team drove their golf carts into the same patio below the clubhouse that greeted them in the early afternoon. A formal dinner reception was announced and hungry guests took their seats amongst their colleagues and friends.

One by one, each guest stood before a smorgasbord of steak, scallops, mashed potatoes, feta crumbled asparagus, and wild rice. The club’s dining staff were well prepared for the famished appetites coming off the green. A seemingly endless back and forth took place, with guests trying one beef entre and then moving on to a seafood dish.

The dinner sponsor for the event was BCB Community Bank. All were in high spirits by the time the gift raffle was announced by Margaret Watson and her team.

“As you know, every $10 bundle of tickets has an individual number on it. We’ll be drawing numbers at random. We have some nice prizes this year,” said Watson, gesturing toward a flat screen television and a gift certificate to an elegant New Jersey steakhouse. “Watch your tickets, and thank you, everyone, for coming to this special event. Antonia and I are so grateful to have our friends here with us today. Enjoy!”

At each intermission, guests rubbed their hands together as if in prayer, creating enough friction to set off a little fire in their hands. They fixed their eyes on Watson, who would announce a number drawn from a bucket at random.

“15-598,” said Watson, holding her chin to the crowd.

A piercing shriek came from the back of the room. A tall blond woman stood up, flabbergasted, and strode through the aisle to claim her salon certificate. This was the fourth time that she had won that night.

Others watched the scene go down in disbelief, holding their hands up. Some chuckled at the comedy of her wins.

“It’s rigged!” said one guest in jest.

As it turned out, this woman, standing for a total of seven times, was claiming prizes for her entire table. Her shrieks would never be forgotten, nor the disbelieve on the room’s faces after watching her stride down the aisle every time.

To end the evening, guests were treated to tiers of homemade chocolate chip cookies, cannoli, and tiramisu.

Margaret Watson thanked everyone who made the event possible. “It all starts with the sponsors who have faith and believe in the importance of education,” she offered, “I am so proud of my daughter, Antonia Watson of Watson International, and BCB Community Bank who generously donated resources to our charity.”

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Written by Alexandra Gámez New York

New Development’s Effect on Resale Condo Sticker Prices

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New York City’s proliferation of new condo development is scarcely news. The skyline is changing everyday, in every borough, and in record-breaking form for tallest residential buildings (432 Park Avenue and One57). Moreover, buyer demand for apartments at various price points is as lit as a California wildfire; Brooklyn, Queens, and Harlem are all undergoing new development projects with relatively affordable, Manhattan-adjacent pricing. Of course, every action has a reaction, so it follows that pricing of new development condos will ultimately affect pricing of neighboring resale condos across the named boroughs.

Condo development throughout the outer boroughs has escalated enough that reporting outlets like Curbed, Brick Underground, and The Real Deal are referring to it as a housing boom. The source of demand typically comes from newly established professionals and couples with budgetary constraints that take them out of Manhattan’s market. With news of a Trader Joe’s coming to DoBro, or Downtown Brooklyn, and new affordable-esque condos being built in places like Greenpoint, Queens, and Harlem, buyers have good reason to expand their search and consider the plethora of options offered to them today.

There is one small caveat to purchasing in an outer borough, and that is, ironically, escalating price. Every borough’s rate of appreciation is compared to Manhattan in market reports.

Corcoran Group’s own Q2 market report points to new development as an overall point of price takeoff for resale condos in the New York City market. When comparing new development to resale condos, new development’s competitive price points are often higher than resale’s, so it follows that “new development sales translated to higher pricing market-wide.”

As a result, buyers benefit from taking note of what is happening on the island, because more often than not, outer borough property prices will escalate in step with Manhattan’s.

Manhattan development, particularly in Midtown, has effectively served as a price lever, pushing other condo development’s prices in the outer boroughs to comparable highs.

According to StreetEasy’s spring analysis on New York City condo development, “Manhattan’s Midtown submarket is booming. [It’s] the only submarket to experience a yearly gain in inventory.”

With said supply growth has come added appreciation. Midtown condo prices have appreciated at a rate much faster than the Manhattan average: sprinting at 1.9 percent compared to Manhattan’s 0.7 percent appreciation. Appreciation spreads, and it is affecting surrounding neighborhoods.

Noted in a July market report by market analyst Alan Lightfeldt, buyers are increasingly looking to expand past 96th Street and enter into areas of Upper Manhattan, such as Marble Hill, Washington Heights, and Harlem. Since last year, property growth has appreciated 11.9 percent, or about twice Manhattan’s rate.

Lightfeldt comments on the price hikes experienced by the region. “With homebuyers being priced out of not only Manhattan but many Brooklyn neighborhoods as well, these northern neighborhoods are attractive now more than ever. Upper Manhattan is a new battleground for bidding wars.” In other words, the outer boroughs are not immune to the basic equation: price is a function of popularity, and popularity is nowhere near its descend.

Brooklyn’s Williamsburg and Greenpoint neighborhoods, notes real estate columnist S. Jhoanna Robledo in New York magazine, have bested Manhattan’s $960,000 median price with their $1.05 million. “Affordability,” says appraiser Jonathan Miller in the same article, “Is a problem across the board. [Brooklyn] is now a bigger competitor of Manhattan than probably any other time.”

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Written by Alexandra Gámez New York

New Faces, New Investors

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T he Chinese stock market crash, occurring over the course of June and August, saw its Shanghai Index falter in excess of 40%. That value, for perspective, is about 14 times the GDP of Greece. Chinese investors carrying a material percentage of mutual funds or stocks in their portfolios endured severe losses. Their money was, and continues to be, no longer safe in its home market.

Noted in Bloomberg Business, Survey and Research Center for China Household Finance in Chengdu completed a nationwide survey in 2013 based on asset size and residential property holdings. The result, reported director Gan Li, was that 75.5% of Chinese assets are in real estate.

Today, the U.S. economy is considered by foreign buyers, particularly the Chinese post-housing bubble burst circa 2014, to be a relatively safe place to put their money.

Sofia Song, former head of research at Streeteasy and presently executive vice president at Douglas Elliman elaborated in Brick Underground. “In the long term, what we have seen is that global volatility can lead to an increase in foreign demand, as the NYC real estate market is often seen as a ‘safe haven’ for investment, with moderate risk, yielding high rates of return.”

Sustained concerns over the troubled Chinese economy could mean one of two scenarios. Either the Chinese engage in a moratorium of foreign buying or they could vow ultimate faith in the American economy, and therefore American property, and invest neck-deep.
Since last spring, the Chinese have already added $28.6 billion of U.S. property to their portfolios, according to The Real Deal’s September issue. At present, we are in a wait and see period if the dollars will continue to roll in.

Total foreign investment is on a cyclical upswing, and the nationalities of buyers are changing.

Chinese developers like China Vanke, Greenland Holding, and XIN Development are partnering with American developers to build 50-plus story condominiums and office buildings.

Norway is a noted player in the field, buying $2.61 billion dollars worth of New York real estate over the past three years, according to real estate advisory firm Real Capital Analytics and TRD. Norway’s holding makes the country New York’s third most prominent investor, following China and Canada.

Germany is another noted foreign buyer, with a recent $1.58 billion invested in the state’s property. The country’s fund managers, such as Union Investment, attract the average citizen with low upfront investment sums, making involvement in New York property considerably feasible at cost and from a distance.

Christian Goebel, East Coast advisor to Munich-based GLL Real Estate Partners, a real estate fund manager group, attests to the shift in focus on New York from clients. “We have become far more active in New York,” he tells TRD, “You can generally say that there is a lot more demand from German investors for U.S. real estate today—especially for New York City.”

Singapore, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates are also making their presence known, both as shareholders, construction lenders, and million dollar residential buyers.

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Written by Alexandra Gámez New York

New York Property on the Upswing

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N ew York real estate is in a seller’s market. Although the current upswing in prices remains a cyclical phenomenon that will see its fall, experts by and large agree that now is the time to sell.

Widely referred to as the most desired point on the map to reside in by residents and foreign visitors alike, the city’s real estate is nevertheless not impermeable to the pale cheek price swings of the market, most notably, to the stock market and financial services industry. The city’s property owners hold, most commonly, an intimate relationship with these institutions.

Prices during the 2008 financial crisis were dampened, not entirely sunk below grade, but they nonetheless did not experience progressive hikes until late 2013, according to Miller Samuel president Jonathan Miller in The Real Deal. As of late, the increases have been much more sustainable. “In the context of prior booms, it feels like we’re still in the early stages,” said Miller.

Observing real estate price increases between 2013 and the current day, senior director at Standard & Poor’s Craig Lazzara gives his confidence that the recent mild hikes are “sustainable rather than a bubble,” and will support the current upswing.

Foreign investment continues to be a strong trend. Chinese buyers, whether for residential or investment purposes, have purchased $30 billion dollars of New York real estate since 2010.

While speaking at The Real Deal’s U.S. Real Estate Showcase & Forum in Shanghai, Partners Trust China’s founding partner Sean Mei refers to the “big six” American cities Chinese buyers are focusing their purchasing might. New York is at the top of the list. Mei sites the American market’s “liquidity and transparency” as highly desirable attributes to his country’s buyers.

Corcoran Group’s second quarter market report offers an explanation for climbing prices, making the bed for the seller’s market of today. Recent low inventory has not dampened demand to call New York City home. Prices have steadily increased, but there is one dominant factor that has made premiums out of recent listing prices, and that is new development, particularly within Manhattan.

The report elaborates on its hindsight, “The influx of higher priced new development closings combined with low inventory levels, particularly under $2M, drove Manhattan’s median price and price per square foot to their highest level in six years.”

Corcoran Group’s Senior Global Advisor and Associate Broker Antonia Watson observes the buyer’s psychology when comparing prices of new development and resale property. “With developers like Extell and Macklowe constructing high rise condominiums at $3,000 to $10,000 per square foot, properties that are not brand new can utilize their more moderate prices as a very attractive tool. The interesting result is that their property values are astronomically increased because they, ironically, look like a bargain,” said Watson.

The seller’s horizon, it seems, is at its peak.

 

Screen Shot 2014-06-07 at 3.11.48 PM Written by Alexandra Gámez New York