I think WE all are watching the implosion of We(Work) with curiosity. Beyond their chief co-working offering, I found the educational experiment of WeGrow fairly interesting, and my limited experience with Adam Neumann and his wife Rebekah, who were fellow parents at my school for a year, gave me some insight into what they were
READ MORE
One of my favorite times is when my customers, aka my homebuyers, bring their families to see their new apartment for the first time. Of course, some buyers bring a consensus-building approach to their purchases, bringing lots of family members to the property before they choose to proceed. Many others, however, leave their families out
READ MORE
Conventional Wisdom would see things this way: If the sales market is strong, the rental market should be weak. If the sales market is weak, the rental market should then be strong. Most of the time, it looks that way. And right now, it would appear, by most metrics, that the sales market is softer,
READ MORE
Probably 95% of what I do is empower buyers and sellers to move forward in their lives. Real estate remains the most tangible expression of who they are. And what is more tangible than doing a renovation exactly how you want to do it? And yet- this can be incredibly daunting. You need patience and
READ MORE
It’s that time of the summer when buyers are particularly tuned out from, well, most things. So, it’s not entirely surprising to get “please update me” questions about the real estate market. What seems odd is the question I’m getting quite often right now: “Do you expect the real estate market to drop 15-20% if
READ MORE
The question that was put to me last week: “Does a building’s rules to allow pets, specifically dogs, impact the value of a property?” I have sold about 25 units in a building on the West Side that has not allowed dogs in many years, so the question isn’t new to me. Some shareholders were
READ MORE
Quick thoughts about the Federal Housing Administration, also known at the FHA, or HUD – Housing and Urban Development. “The FHA estimates it could insure as many as 60,000 additional condo loans each year under new rules.” What does this mean? Whenever the government is the backstop for a particular property group, it means that
READ MORE
The summer is a time to recharge the batteries. In the case of the Manhattan and Brooklyn markets, it may also be a time to get really amazing deals. I’m thinking about how mortgage rates are likely to come down, inventory is slightly up in most places, and prices are slightly down from a year
READ MORE
A big question. How has social media affected real estate purchases? Are there positive impacts? Negative ones? Both? On one hand, I hear stories about how Facebook is helping realtors do business, Instagram helping us promote what we’re up to, spreading the word, quite effectively, with very beautiful photographs. I do get to see absolutely
READ MORE
Sellers of cooperative apartments who are seeing their properties linger are wondering what they can do. You can take a look at our reports here and here for a bit more color about inventory and the market. I can point out a few trends which hurt the resale prospects of older, less renovated properties: Buyer
READ MORE