The Real Deal - New York Real Estate News

Link to The Real Deal New York

Recession-proof self-storage market heads into second boom

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 02:00 PM PDT

Self-storage, once regarded as a niche investment, is looking better than ever. Occupancy rates at self-storage facilities nationwide jumped to 94.5 percent in 2021 from 91 percent from pre-pandemic 2019. Average monthly costs for a 10′ by 10′ climate-controlled storage unit rose 10.5 percent to $146.72 in the second quarter of 2021 from the same period two years earlier, according to the 2022 Self-Storage Almanac. For self-storage companies across America, the pandemic meant a surge

Agent’s departure leaves rival with exclusive at Circa Central Park

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 01:30 PM PDT

The Corcoran Group’s Steve Gold is back to being the sole representative for Circa Central Park. Gold was the exclusive sales agent at the luxury Harlem project between 2018 and 2020. However, that changed two years ago when three apartments at the 38-unit condominium went live on StreetEasy with Compass broker Rachel Glazer as the listing agent. But on March 7, the developer, Artimus, dropped Glazer from the project, leaving Gold again with the exclusive.

Ladder Capital filed foreclosure on FiDi Holiday Inn

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 12:36 PM PDT

Chinese developer Jubao Xie is facing the long descent from the top of the tallest Holiday Inn in the world. Ladder Capital filed to foreclose on a $137 million loan on the 50-story hotel at 99 Washington Street in the Financial District, PincusCo reported. The 10-year, non-recourse, interest-only, fixed-rate loan at the 492-key hotel was provided four years ago, but the hotel has been in distress for some time. Xie previously attempted to sell the

Foreclosed co-living site sells in Bed-Stuy, and four other deals

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 11:39 AM PDT

The former site of the historic Slave Theater in Bedford-Stuyvesant sold to developer EJS Group in last week’s largest mid-market investment sale. Records show the sale came after co-living firm The Collective couldn’t pay its mortgage and its lender, Acres Capital, foreclosed on the London-based startup’s property. Beyond that nearly $34 million transaction, the middle of the city’s investment sales market was muted last week. Just five investment properties valued at between $10 million and

Shuttered Williamsburg Key Food readies for multifamily dev

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 10:30 AM PDT

A Williamsburg property is shedding its mob ties and moving forward with a project from a different developer. Goose Property Management acquired 575 Grand Street from Tapps Supermarkets for $42.5 million, REW Online reported. The company, run by Jacob Katz, was represented by Daniel Lebor and Dan Marks of TerraCRG Partners. Goose’s moves don’t end there. The developer also scored $86.7 million in acquisition and construction financing from SCALE Lending, according to the Observer. Henry

Tishman Speyer lands $100M for first proptech fund

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 09:00 AM PDT

UPDATED, 12:19 p.m., March 25: Tishman Speyer has invested plenty of its own capital into proptech. Now the developer will help others, including its own investors, put money to work in the field. The firm said Thursday that it has rounded up $100 million for its first proptech fund, with major commitments from the National Pension Service of Korea — the world’s third largest public pension fund — and the Investment Management Corporation of Ontario,

Blackstone again weighing Manhattan HQ move, expansion

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 07:45 AM PDT

Blackstone is reportedly getting restless at its 345 Park Avenue office once again, eyeing options for an expansion or move. The private equity firm is seeking 1.5 million square feet of office space, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. The company is weighing options that include a move to another building in the city, or redeveloping a building to create the space. Blackstone isn’t shutting the door on 345 Park. Bloomberg reported the firm

Brits hand over Candler Tower to Isaac Hera’s Yellowstone

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 06:45 AM PDT

A troubled Times Square office property has dodged foreclosure with a change in ownership. UK-based investment firm EPIC signed over the deed for the property at 220 West 42nd Street to Yellowstone Real Estate Investments last week, PincusCo reported. The transaction, which was in lieu of foreclosure, came with a $161.1 million valuation of the property. The transaction ends a decade of ownership after the firm purchased the Candler Tower from Paramount Group in 2012

Beechwood plans dozens of homes in Westhampton Beach

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 05:50 AM PDT

The housing stock in Westhampton Beach is on the verge of getting a boost from the Beechwood Organization. The developer is planning to build 26 single-family homes in the Hamptons village, Newsday reported. A majority of the homes will be part of a single development close to the LIRR station. The former site of the Wholistic Tennis Academy at 44 Depot Road will be replaced by the 22-home development known as Country Pointe Estates. Three

By God, you can’t sell that co-op: Church sues to stop deal

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 05:00 AM PDT

The afterlife of 108 East 82nd Street unit 7C may be brief. In a litigious if not sacrilegious saga, the church that claims to own the seven-room co-op is suing the pastor and the brokerages who thought they had sold it for more than $2 million. The Metropolitan New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America sued Douglas Elliman, Brown Harris Stevens and Pastor Gregory Fryer of the Immanuel Lutheran Church after the

German billionaire splurging on New York City real estate

Posted: 25 Mar 2022 04:00 AM PDT

UPDATED, March 25, 2022, 11:45 a.m.: A storm is a’Berggruen. Billionaire investor and philanthropist Nicolas Berggruen is on a real estate buying spree in New York and plans to keep going until he’s spent more than half a billion dollars. Berggruen Holdings, a private investment firm, and a company called Firebird Grove formed a partnership in 2020 called Oculus to build a portfolio from under-managed, operationally distressed historic multifamily properties in Brooklyn and Manhattan, according

Council bill demands landlords turn up thermostats

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 02:30 PM PDT

The City Council is turning up the heat on landlords — literally. Council member Crystal Hudson introduced a bill Thursday to make them raise the minimum temperature in apartment buildings, reasoning that it would reduce the use of dangerous space heaters. City law requires that from October through May, landlords heat multifamily buildings to at least 68 degrees during the day and 62 at night. The bill would bump those temperatures to 70 and 66

SmartRent acquires SightPlan for $135M

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 01:01 PM PDT

SmartRent, the smart-home startup that went public via SPAC last summer, continues to use its access to the capital markets to swallow up competitors. The company is buying maintenance and resident service software SightPlan for $135 million in an all-cash transaction, it announced just after releasing its earnings Thursday. SmartRent estimates the acquisition will add $10 million to its revenues in the remainder of 2022, meaning the deal is happening at a revenue valuation multiple

Developer David Walentas ups the ante on Hamptons listing

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 12:04 PM PDT

Is two a lucky number for David Walentas? The developer is about to find out after listing his Southampton mansion for a second time. The Two Trees Development founder relisted the home at 199 Coopers Neck Lane for $37 million, the New York Post reported. That is $2 million more than the developer, known for building up much of Brooklyn’s Dumbo neighborhood, initially listed the estate for following two years of renovations. Walentas purchased the

Blue Moon Hotel fades into bankruptcy

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 12:00 PM PDT

Randy Settenbrino hopes bankruptcy only happens once in a Blue Moon. Unfortunately, it did this week. Settenbrino, the owner of the Blue Moon Hotel on the Lower East Side, filed for Chapter 11 on Wednesday, Bisnow reported. The property, at 100 Orchard Street, has racked up $11.2 million in liabilities, according to the filing. In the filing, Settenbrino detailed a sordid several years for the property, starting with a 2015 lease agreement with El Idi

CRE finance platform Lev in talks to raise $70M: sources

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 11:46 AM PDT

Less than a year after a $30 million Series A, commercial real estate finance platform Lev is in advanced discussions to raise more than twice that for its next round, The Real Deal has learned. Lev is in talks for about $70 million in a Series B round at a valuation that could be in the range of $400 million, sources familiar with the negotiations said. The company, led by Yaakov Zar, was valued at

Jekyll and Hyde Club files for bankruptcy with $1.5M owed in back rent

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 10:00 AM PDT

The battle between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde may have a victor, likely to the dismay of the restaurateurs behind the popular Greenwich Village tourist destination. The Jekyll & Hyde Club at 91 7th Avenue South filed for bankruptcy, Bloomberg reported. The restaurant reportedly owes $1.5 million in back rent and almost $7.5 million to creditors overall. Deacon Brody Management, which owns the establishment, filed its case under the Subchapter V of the bankruptcy code,

Now available for subscribers: The Real Deal’s 2022 Data Book

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 09:00 AM PDT

“Statistics are like bikinis,” academic Aaron Levenstein famously said. “What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital.” If this is true, then get ready for several pages of fully exposed data. See, in the golden age of information, it’s as much about what you know as it is knowing where to look. What were San Francisco’s largest office leases of 2021? Or the largest hotel sales in Los Angeles? Who brokered South

Paramount rejects all-cash takeover bid

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 08:15 AM PDT

Paramount Group sounded a familiar refrain in response to the latest takeover bid for the REIT: thanks, but no thanks. The company announced this week it rejected a bid from Monarch Alternative Capital to purchase the company for $12 per share, a 33 percent premium on what the shares were worth when the bid came in last month. Paramount’s board of directors were unanimous in their decision. Paramount chairman Albert Behler said Monarch’s all-cash bid

Digital mortgage startup Tomo expands as competition pulls back

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 07:30 AM PDT

Digital mortgage lender Tomo is growing, even as rising interest ratings threaten to derail the runaway housing market and a beleaguered competitor pulls back. Tomo, co-founded in 2020 by ex-Zillow executives Greg Schwartz and Carey Armstrong, raised $40 million in a Series A round and expanded into two new states, the company said this week. The Stamford, Connecticut-based startup claims to have more than doubled its valuation to $640 million with the fundraise, which follows

Fire reveals over 100 violations at Rockland County apartment complex

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 06:30 AM PDT

A fire in a Rockland County apartment complex that resulted in four hospitalizations this month has led to scores of safety violations at the property, officials said. Rockland County’s Office of Buildings and Codes cited more than 100 violations at the Country Village Towers at 101 Kennedy Drive in Spring Valley, LoHud reported, including haphazard bedroom conversions, faulty smoke alarms, exposed wires and black mold. County inspectors found worrisome subdivisions, such as bedrooms attached to

Biden unveils 5 steps to reduce racial bias in appraisals

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 05:45 AM PDT

The Biden administration unveiled a five-point plan Wednesday to reduce racial bias in home lending and appraisals. The Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity Plan calls for federal agencies to use their existing oversight to enhance accountability of the appraisal industry and empower homeowners and buyers to take action when they receive a valuation they consider unfairly low. “For generations, millions of Black and brown Americans have had their homes valued for less than their white

Loan default could eject 35 tenants from Harlem condo

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 05:00 AM PDT

A dispute between the developer of a West Harlem condo building and his former lender could push its tenants out of their homes. The disagreement dates back to March 2019. Lender Arena Investors had approved a $26 million loan for Levi Balkany of Happy Living Development to build a condo tower at 308 West 133rd Street, public records show. The loan’s terms called for the building to be used “exclusively” as a condominium and dictated

Civil rights museum heading to Peebles’ West Side tower — if it’s ever built

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 04:00 AM PDT

The city’s first civil rights museum is moving from one uncertain project to another. The Museum of Civil Rights has agreed to take at least 50,000 square feet at “Affirmation Tower,” a 2 million-square-foot skyscraper envisioned by developer Don Peebles for 418 11th Avenue. The museum, founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton and Judge Jonathan Lippman, was originally supposed to occupy 48,000 square feet at One45, a building planned for West 145th Street and Lenox

14 major metros now rent-burdened; Miami leads pack

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 03:51 PM PDT

Rents climbed after vaccine rollouts drove Americans’ return to cities, and now the average tenant is on the brink of being rent-burdened. A report by Realtor.com revealed that last month, tenants earning the median income in their metro areas were spending nearly 30 percent of their earnings on rent, up from 25 percent a year earlier. The federal government considers any tenant devoting more than 30 percent of income to housing rent-burdened. The average tenant

Rare butterfly could kill Costco, apartment project

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 03:00 PM PDT

The Karner blue butterfly is about an inch across, but a flap of its wings could take down a big-box behemoth in Albany. The rare insect is part of a legal dispute between the Crossgates Mall and Save the Pine Bush in the Albany suburb of Guilderland, the Times Union reported. The two sides are slated to square off in court today. At stake is a planned Costco at the development site next to the

Controversial Austin developer Nate Paul sells self storage portfolio for $588M

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 02:19 PM PDT

UPDATED March 23, 2022, 7:40 p.m.: Embattled Austin real estate magnate Nate Paul’s World Class Holdings sold off its bankrupt Great Value Storage portfolio, about a quarter of its holdings, to CBRE and William Warren Group/StorQuest for $588 million. Paul, a hotshot millennial developer who has faced foreclosure threats and even raids by the FBI, this week sold the 64-property self-storage portfolio, with properties spanning 10 states. Paul’s company will make as much as $178.8 million

Redfin wields RentPath assets with rental search platform

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 01:30 PM PDT

Redfin this week launched its first nationwide rental search, allowing consumers to search for both rental and for-sale listings on the platform. The Seattle-based company’s newest search feature is powered by listings from RentPath, which it acquired for $608 million in cash in April 2021. Under the acquisition, ​​Redfin gained control of RentPath’s subsidiaries, including Apartment Guide, Rentals.com and Rent.com. “Most people who are considering renting a new home in the next six months say

Luxury sales director leaves Corcoran Sunshine for Douglas Elliman

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 12:30 PM PDT

Corcoran Sunshine has said “goodbye, Norma-Jean,” to its former senior sales director, who has joined Douglas Elliman in Florida and New York. Norma-Jean Callahan will be based out of Palm Beach and Manhattan, focused on luxury projects in her new role. The broker said her move into the Sunshine State marks “the next chapter of my career.” She will join Elliman’s Callahan Group, which the broker formed with her husband, Shawn Callahan. The team handles

Barnett lands $900M for Disney UWS campus

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 11:45 AM PDT

Gary Barnett’s Extell Development has locked down another slice of the Upper West Side, securing financing for the purchase of part of the former Walt Disney Company-owned ABC campus. Extell recently purchased the West 67th Street property from Silverstein Properties and Seven VAlleys for about $930 million, the Commercial Observer reported. The developer scored at least $900 million in acquisition financing from Guggenheim Partners and Aquarian Holdings. Aquarian, Beaumont Partners and JVP Management are all

Modernization in major metros is priority for industrial: Newmark

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 11:00 AM PDT

Warehouse and manufacturing developers should prioritize modern, high-tech facilities in metro centers if they want to meet the demand for e-commerce through 2025. They also should be willing to sell properties with cryptocurrency and consider building manufacturing centers in space, according to a new report from Newmark discussing long-term trends for the industrial sector. As consumer demand for e-commerce grows, warehouses will need to have the capability to process more goods efficiently. That means higher

TRD Brand Studio: Your business, powered by The Real Deal

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 09:30 AM PDT

You may think of The Real Deal as the leading authority on real estate news, delivering in-depth, hard-hitting journalism on all facets of the industry. And you’d be correct! But that’s only half the story. TRD Brand Studio extends our media expertise to your business, placing it center stage in front of our ever-expanding audience, the most active and engaged real estate players on the scene. Does your brokerage have a story to tell about,

GFI, Elliott Management plan 99 condos at Midtown hotel

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 08:15 AM PDT

UPDATED, March 23, 2022, 2:45 p.m.: Three years after closing on Midtown’s Parker New York, GFI Capital Resources Group and Elliott Management are moving on a plan to add condos to the top of the hotel. Allen Gross’ GFI and Elliott submitted a condominium plan for 119 West 56th Street, PincusCo reported. The plan calls for 99 residential units, as well as one commercial unit. The plan submitted with the New York State Attorney General

Two Midtown South offices land $52M refi

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 07:15 AM PDT

R&B Realty Group is at it again, refinancing a pair of office buildings one year after a similar deal staved off foreclosure at the Midtown South properties. Aron Rosenberg’s firm landed a combined $52 million to refinance office buildings at 28 West 36th Street and 32 West 39th Street, the Commercial Observer reported. Lightstone Capital was the senior lender on the transaction. Lightstone senior managing director Eugene Rozovsky told the outlet the buildings are historically

Corcoran Sunshine takes over sales at 611 West 56th Street

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 06:30 AM PDT

Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group is expanding its sales reach from Billionaires’ Row to Architect’s Row, taking over sales at a condo tower in Hell’s Kitchen. Corcoran will replace Compass at 611 West 56th Street, where developers Sumaida + Khurana and LENY said they opted for the change because of the group’s strong sales at nearby Waterline Square. The 35-story tower wrapped in Perla Bianca limestone at West 56th Street and 11th Avenue is in an

Socialists, seeking seats in Albany, launch “evict your landlord” campaign

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 05:45 AM PDT

New York socialists’ latest campaign has a new slogan: “Evict your landlord.” The campaign, by the state chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, is seeking support for a slate of 12 candidates running for state Senate and Assembly seats. In an email last week, the DSA chapter highlighted real estate spending in state and city elections and called out the Real Estate Board of New York and Gov. Kathy Hochul. “REBNY and its power

Bronx nabbed February’s biggest outer-boro property loans

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 05:00 AM PDT

The Bronx had the two biggest outer-borough real estate loans last month as overseas investors exited Joe Simone’s mixed-use development in Pelham Bay while Mott Haven continued to attract residential investment. The borough scooped up three of the 10 largest loans outside Manhattan in February. Brooklyn saw the most big lending with five property loans. Queens had two. The 10 largest outer-borough loans last month totaled $820 million. That’s a drop of 37 percent compared

NYC home listings surge, setting February record

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 02:00 AM PDT

With home shopping season around the corner, perhaps sellers are doing a bit of spring cleaning. Last month they listed 4,078 homes across New York City, according to a report by StreetEasy — the most ever recorded in February by the company. The previous high was 3,538 in February 2018. “It’s been two years of unpredictability in the New York City market, but this data shows that the seasonality of the sales market is back,”

NYC office construction starts dwindle in 2021

Posted: 22 Mar 2022 02:42 PM PDT

The pandemic hasn’t hampered New York City’s supply of new office construction yet, but that time appears to be coming soon enough. Developers have started office projects totaling 2.1 million square feet since the beginning of 2021, according to Commercial Edge data reported by GlobeSt. That number is well below the 3.2 million square feet of office construction starts in 2019 and the 5.7 million square feet of office construction starts in 2020. There are

“Wolf of Airbnb” set up in luxury tower, Related claims

Posted: 22 Mar 2022 01:46 PM PDT

Related Companies is the latest landlord to say it has fallen victim to a short-term rental hustler who calls himself “The Wolf of Airbnb.” The company claims that Konrad Bicher is running a short-term rental business in its luxury MiMa rental tower in Hell’s Kitchen with an associate who owes more than $100,000 in rent. “His modus operandi is to enter into leases for Manhattan residential apartments or, as here, worm his way into occupancy,

NYC dominates self-storage sales in 2021

Posted: 22 Mar 2022 01:00 PM PDT

Self storage had a big year in 2021, and nowhere was it bigger than the Big Apple itself. Manhattan had the biggest self-storage sales volume of 2021 in the country with close to $3 billion transacted, according to StorageCafe. The sales volume marked a massive increase from 2020, when $483 million of self storage was transacted in the borough. Manhattan wasn’t the city’s only appearance atop the sales rankings. Queens finished third in self-storage sales

Avi Dishi nabs Washington Heights folio for $92M

Posted: 22 Mar 2022 12:00 PM PDT

Avi Dishi bought a 10-building multifamily portfolio from Cammeby’s International Group in Washington Heights for $92.2 million, records show. The sale of 407 residential units across 377,540 square feet includes four commercial units and leasing agreements with nearby Yeshiva University to continue renting apartments to students and faculty. The largest building in the portfolio, spanning 94,400 square feet with 87 units at 90 Laurel Hill Terrace, sold for $20.5 million. Lazer Sternhell and Peter Vanderpool

Opendoor riding hot housing market to peak premiums

Posted: 22 Mar 2022 11:22 AM PDT

Opendoor is looking to avoid the hazards that helped take down Zillow’s iBuying business, riding the wave of appreciation in the housing market. The San Francisco-based iBuyer is listing its homes at a median premium of 17 percent above what it paid for the homes, according to data compiled by University of Colorado Boulder scholar-in-residence Mike DelPrete. The median premium works out to about a $60,000 gain on the flip, per DelPrete. That doesn’t mean

LePatner sues former Swig COO for unpaid bills

Posted: 22 Mar 2022 10:15 AM PDT

A Lannister always pays his debts. But a condo developer in financial straits? Possibly not, according to a new lawsuit from construction attorney and consultant Barry LePatner. Since 2018, LePatner has been suing Steven Kirschenbaum and Ronald Winkler, the developers of 320 West 115th Street, alleging they owe him a raft of bills for his work to get their struggling project across the finish line. A judge has already ordered Kirschenbaum and Winkler to pay

Stay atop the market and ahead of your competition with TRD EDU

Posted: 22 Mar 2022 09:15 AM PDT

Mark Twain once said he never let schooling interfere with his education. He never had to renew a real estate license. When Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation in 2019 that sent veteran real estate agents back to class, Compass’ Adelaide Polsinelli told TRD she found the assumption that senior brokers still needed continuing education to be an “interesting” one. She wasn’t wrong. Neither was Meridian Capital Group’s David Schechtman when he called 22-and-a-half hours a

Heritage suing lender over planned Bushwick Hotel

Posted: 22 Mar 2022 08:40 AM PDT

Toby Moskovits’ Heritage Equity Partners is taking aim at its lender behind the planned Bushwick Hotel, alleging predatory practices spiked the development. The developer filed a lawsuit against Fortress Investment Group, alleging it colluded with Heritage’s original mortgage lender to ruin its chances at securing the financing for the project, Crain’s reported. Bridge City Capital is the original mortgage lender for the site at 232 Seigel Street. The lawsuit alleged Fortress and Bridge City colluded

Rupert Murdoch lists One Madison condos for $78M

Posted: 22 Mar 2022 07:30 AM PDT

Rupert Murdoch is seeking $78 million for two units in a Flatiron condo tower. The media tycoon has listed a 7,000-square-foot triplex penthouse spanning the 58th, 59th and 60th floors of Related Companies’ One Madison tower, for $62 million, along with a smaller unit, one floor below, for $16 million, according to the Wall Street Journal. Murdoch paid about $57.9 million for the two apartments in 2014. The triplex was built out to his specifications,

Rare flop for Blackstone: Firm hands over keys to 1740 Broadway

Posted: 22 Mar 2022 06:30 AM PDT

Blackstone is taking a rare hit, handing over the keys to its Midtown office building at 1740 Broadway. A $308 million loan on the 26-story property has been transferred to special servicing, the Commercial Observer reported. Typically, handing back the keys results in the special servicer acquiring the title via deed-in-lieu of foreclosure. The special servicer can then either begin exploring foreclosure or work on loan modifications with the borrower; Blackstone is reportedly looking at

California reaming: Pacaso taking punches in home state

Posted: 22 Mar 2022 05:00 AM PDT

The proptech startup Pacaso has made a few enemies in its efforts to help its customers realize their dream of second-home ownership. Now comes the blowback, as legal and legislative actions in its home state of California spell trouble for the young company. This month in Napa Valley, the planning commission for the city of St. Helena recommended expanding its rule banning timeshares to include Pacaso’s fractional ownership model. The proposal will soon go before

Adams to revive denounced sprinkler bill after deadly Bronx fire

Posted: 22 Mar 2022 04:00 AM PDT

Two months after a fire in the Bronx killed 17 New Yorkers, Mayor Eric Adams said he would work with the City Council to pass fire safety legislation to help prevent another tragedy. One measure on Adams’ agenda would require sprinklers in city apartment buildings — an idea that Council members sent back to the drawing board in late 2020 after owners said it would be disruptive to tenants, impractical and unaffordable. Landlords now say they’re

Swarovski to shine at forthcoming Fifth Ave flagship

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 02:00 PM PDT

Swarovski is ready to shine bright like a diamond at a new flagship store on Fifth Avenue. The crystal designer signed a lease for a two-level flagship location at 680 Fifth Avenue, Women’s Wear Daily reported. The lease encompasses 14,000 square feet and includes more than 150 feet of double-height wraparound exposure and frontage. The latest store is only a few doors down from a former location for the company at 696 Fifth Avenue. Fans

Catch Scott Durkin, Bess Freedman and Ryan Serhant at the NYC Showcase

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 01:00 PM PDT

It’s nearly showtime. We hope you’ve marked your calendars, because The Real Deal’s NYC Real Estate Showcase + Forum is back and better than ever. As promised, New York City’s premier real estate event is locked and loaded with an array of speakers who are ready to dish on the red hot residential market, the future of development, the latest innovations in proptech and much more. We’ve held up our end of the deal. Now

One Manhattan West to run on renewable energy

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 12:00 PM PDT

 Brookfield is planning to power One Manhattan West, its tower at 401 Ninth Avenue, with 100 percent renewable energy, Bloomberg reported. The building will use hydropower provided by another unit, Brookfield Renewable, which operates more than 70 hydropower facilities and three wind farms in New York state. The agreement for a fully renewable energy at One Manhattan West is one of the largest in-state renewable energy deals for a single building, Brookfield told Bloomberg. “Our

Century-old townhome with Verrazzano view leads Brooklyn luxury market

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 10:45 AM PDT

Brooklyn’s luxury market cooled after two banner weeks, with the borough’s priciest listing to go into contract seeking a relatively modest $6.95 million. That was the asking price for 36 Grace Court, a townhouse built in 1915 in Brooklyn Heights with seven bedrooms and four bathrooms, according to Compass’ weekly report on signed contracts for homes asking $2 million or above. The 4,500-square-foot home has high ceilings on every floor, central air conditioning, oversized bay

NYC’s market spawned a wave of “hopeful” first-time buyers, but stiff competition awaits

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 09:45 AM PDT

Ben Scaglione’s six-month search for a one-bedroom landed him in Brooklyn Heights. “When we saw this [apartment], light bulbs went off,” Scaglione said. Scaglione, who was working as a chef before the restaurant he was employed at shut down, put up a $630,000 cash offer for the apartment, which was asking $600,000. The sponsor selling the unit then came back and asked for $20,000 more from Scaglione, who couldn’t secure a mortgage. Still, Scaglione decided

Tribeca penthouse tops Manhattan luxury contracts

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 08:45 AM PDT

A duplex condo built on top of an 1881 cast iron building took the gold among luxury contracts signed last week in Manhattan. The 4,568-square-foot penthouse at 67 Franklin Street took the top spot in Olshan Realty’s weekly report on the borough’s signed contracts at $4 million and above. The four-bedroom, five-bathroom unit asked $14.95 million and entered the market in July 2019. The unit includes a den, four terraces totaling 1,374 square feet and

Hotel Chelsea quietly reopens after renovation delays

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 07:45 AM PDT

Hotel Chelsea is partially back in business, ready to rent out rooms to those who can tolerate some of its ongoing construction. The iconic hotel is taking bookings across two floors of rooms, the New York Post reported. The hotel’s website includes a message that rooms are being offered at a “hard-hat” rate due to ongoing renovation of the property at 222 West 23rd Street. While the limited bookings don’t constitute a full reopening, the

Equinox facing another unpaid rent suit from Manhattan landlord

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 06:45 AM PDT

Lawyers at the Equinox Group are getting more reps in than the fitness company’s clients. Real estate investment firm Savanna is suing the company, alleging three locations under the brand owe nearly $5.3 million of unpaid rent, Crain’s reported. Savanna filed separate lawsuits on Thursday in state Supreme Court. At 5 Bryant Park, SoulCycle and Blink Fitness haven’t paid any rent since April 2020, the landlord alleged. The cycling studio is still closed at the

Fishermen reignite East Hampton beach battle

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 06:00 AM PDT

Nothing enhances your property value quite like a pristine, private beach on the Atlantic — or erodes it like a parade of pickup trucks adorned with flags and fishing gear. That explains the spate of litigation at East Hampton’s so-called Truck Beach, which ended in victory for homeowners who sued to rid their refuge of rod-wielding interlopers. Or so they thought. Now East Hampton trustees and a dozen fishermen have filed a class-action lawsuit on

KABR scoops up luxury building in Bayonne for $50M

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 05:30 AM PDT

New Jersey-based KABR Group has expanded its New Jersey portfolio, picking up a mid-rise luxury apartment building in Bayonne. The private equity real estate firm purchased “19 East” for $49.6 million from joint sellers Ingerman Group and Verde Capital. KABR bought the 138-unit building in part with a $35 million fixed-rate loan with Kearny Bank. Constructed in 2018, the six-story apartment building, located at 19 East 19th Street, consists of 24 studios, 74 one-bedroom units,

LCOR reveals renderings for Hoboken Terminal redevelopment

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 05:00 AM PDT

It’s taken a long time, but a plan to redevelop the area around Hoboken Terminal is taking shape at last. New York-based LCOR presented plans for its project on the waterfront site during a virtual meeting this week, JerseyDigs reported. The developer is looking to add residences, offices and public space to the area around the Hudson County city’s most prominent transit hub. The multi-component project, dubbed Hoboken Connect, includes a 20-story office building that

StreetEasy to ban listings, rather than agents, that break its rules

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 04:00 AM PDT

Compass agent Phillip Salem had a listing that he wanted to keep quiet, so rather than post it on StreetEasy, he put it on his own firm’s “coming soon” platform. When StreetEasy found out, it retaliated by banning the agent from using its platform for two weeks. The city’s dominant listings site does not allow users to post properties elsewhere first, a policy it bills as democratic but Salem considers unfair. “If a client decides

Uptick in home values worth more than owners’ salaries in 2021

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 11:45 AM PDT

Skyrocketing housing prices in 2021 turned homes into windfalls for owners, some of whom earned more money thanks to the rise in the value of their property than they brought home in salary from their job. Citing a study by the Zillow Group, the Wall Street Journal is reporting the typical value of a home in the U.S. rose 19.6% in 2021 to $321,634, an increase of $52,667 from 2020 — more than the median

Shame game: Queens landlord calls out tenant who stopped paying rent

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 09:10 AM PDT

A Queens landlord who is trying to evict tenants he says owes him more than $17,000 in back rent went has taken his fight public, hanging two signs on the home he shares with the renters announcing to the world — and everyone driving by on the nearby Belt Parkway — that they are not handing over their monthly bill. The New York Post is reporting that homeowners Calvin and Jean Thompson are using all

Modernist Fire Island beach house designed by Horace Gifford hits market for $3.75M

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 07:26 AM PDT

A Fire Island beach house designed in 1967 by the architect who helped lead a modernist movement there has hit the market for $3.75 million. According to the website Dwell, Horace Gifford designed 67 homes on the island getaway just off Long Island that helped transform it from an old whaling town to a bohemian summer retreat. Built in 1967 on a beachfront lot in the village of Ocean Beach, the five-bedroom, cedar and glass

See Harry Macklowe’s handwritten plan for One Wall Street

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 07:00 AM PDT

One Wall Street is all about the details. The luxury condo’s kitchens have fluted cabinet doors meant to mirror the building’s undulating, 650-foot façade. The pocket doors catch and close themselves gently, no matter how hard one tries to slam them. The sills of the floor-to-ceiling windows are heated. But the colossal conversion of the former office building started with a handwritten business plan. Developer Harry Macklowe’s nine-year odyssey to turn the Irving Trust Company

Orlando-area mansion features Disney, Harry Potter and Star Wars rooms

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 06:20 AM PDT

An 11,250-square-foot mansion near Orlando, decked out for kid movie fans with rooms dedicated to Disney, Harry Potter and “Star Wars,” is asking $6.9 million. The 12-bedroom, 15-bath estate at 521 Muirfield Loop in Reunion is also only a few miles from Walt Disney World Resort, Seaworld and Universal Studios, according to the listing. The two-story mansion also has treats for adults, including views of the 14th hole of a Jack Nicklaus golf course. It