I have been in the real estate industry first as a licensed agent and as a broker since 1999. I have sold in every Manhattan neighborhood though do work a lot on the Upper west side where I live and upper Manhattan. I speak French,Portuguese, and Spanish.
According to the latest data, there are 85 active listings in the market on the listings website streeteasy in Central Harlem and Hamilton Heights. 36 of these listings have at one point or another been reduced from their original asking prices and some more than once. This data shows that seller’s expectations were not in line with the current market and as a result, adjustments have been made to price sometimes not once but twice. In this market, buyers are even more hesitant to get involved with buildings that have issues or are expecting more of a discount to do so.
Between April and May we saw approximately 40 new townhouse listings and few contracts. Halfway through June, only 4 Harlem townhouses have been brought to the market.
The Author- Brian Silvestry , a licensed real estate broker, has been selling residential and commercial real estate since 1999. He has sold in every neighborhood from Battery Park City to Washington Heights.
According to the latest reports, about 4600 new condo units will be listed this year in NYC. That is in addition to over 3000 that came online in 2017. Given that new development without an amazing location, is selling slowly that sounds like a lot of choices for buyers and anxiety for developers.
Ziel Feldman is bringing to market $3.4 billion in inventory within two projects. One is the Upper West side conversion of the Belnord with large units over 2000 square feet and another is the twisting condo towers known as XI on the Highline. Both projects come with starchitect pedigrees with Robert A.M. Stern redesigning the Belnord and Bjarke Ingels handling the designing of the new construction Highline condo.
The Author- Brian Silvestry , a licensed real estate broker, has been selling residential and commercial real estate since 1999. He has sold in every neighborhood from Battery Park City to Washington Heights.
We are starting to see VR tools move into the real estate industry beginning with new developments and then filtering their way down the pipeline to your average listing. It’s interesting with all of the technology that we have at our fingertips that the average listing does not even have a video tour and the majority of the rental listing photos are taken with an smartphone. This delay in embracing new technology by the majority of the Manhattan real estate brokers is nothing new.
With international buyers searching Manhattan properties from all over the world and in many different time zones, having a video tour or 3D tour that can be navigated by the buyer (similar to Google maps) is an ideal 24 hour sales tool. Having only professional quality photos plus a 2D floor plan is akin to putting an ad in NYT and holding open houses. It might have been the tools that worked 15 years ago but times have changed.
Take a look at the video tour that was done for 189 Edgecombe avenue, a Harlem townhouse that is in contract. Video tours are an ideal way for buyers to get to know a property before they see it in person as well.
The Author- Brian Silvestry , a licensed real estate broker, has been selling residential and commercial real estate since 1999. He has sold in every neighborhood from Battery Park City to Washington Heights.
The LPC has approved the designation of a new historic district for Central Harlem. The stretch between West 130th street to West 132nd street between Lenox and Adam Clayton Powell encompasses 164 buildings which are mostly row houses. LPC rules take effect immediately. But with the LPC currently without a leader and reform potentially coming to the commission, the precise effect of new historic districts are unknown at this point.
The Author- Brian Silvestry , a licensed real estate broker, has been selling residential and commercial real estate since 1999. He has sold in every neighborhood from Battery Park City to Washington Heights.
Sometimes, clients ask me why the taxes on one townhouse are much higher than others or vice versa. The City tax system is a very difficult one to understand and few do. The City has appointed Vicki Been and Marc Shaw to co-chair this new commission. 10 public hearings will be held to solicit input from the public.
The Author- Brian Silvestry , a licensed real estate broker, has been selling residential and commercial real estate since 1999. He has sold in every neighborhood from Battery Park City to Washington Heights.
With approximately 6,000 units of new development in the market throughout NYC, there is an obvious glut. But some developments like 250 W 81st street are raising prices. In the Robert A.M. Stern designed building, the largest units were the first to sell and the buyers are coming from the local market with zero foreign buyers. In addition, the location on Manhattan’s upper west side, has a scarcity of new development.
Most developers believe that within 2-3 years, most of the existing inventory will be gone so now is a good time for them to begin the process knowing full well the market may swing in the favor by the time they are ready to start selling.
22 luxury contracts were signed last week at $4 million and above but only 4 of those were signed for new development according to the Olshan report. Transaction volume was down to $160 million from $225 million of the previous week.
Buyers are shopping for value at this point and we are seeing it across all market price points but especially the luxury market.
The Author- Brian Silvestry , a licensed real estate broker, has been selling residential and commercial real estate since 1999. He has sold in every neighborhood from Battery Park City to Washington Heights.
313 West 138th street, an 8 unit rent stabilized building recently closed. The asking price for the 17′ wide building between Frederick Douglass boulevard and Edgecombe avenue was $1,800,000 and the purchase price was $1,870,000. The buyer was a professional firm that owns a portfolio of buildings in the Bronx. One unit was delivered vacant at closing and the building had some deferred maintenance.
The kitchen in one of the 8 units
The ground floor unit features access to the backyard.
The view on West 138th street facing towards St Nicholas Park.
The Author- Brian Silvestry , a licensed real estate broker, has been selling residential and commercial real estate since 1999. He has sold in every neighborhood from Battery Park City to Washington Heights.
In the month of May, the townhouse market for Harlem continue to show steady inventory increase but with limited sales. See below table. 19 new listings came into the market and there were 6 closings. The high price for new listings was a renovated property which is asking $4.725 million and the low price is an SRO building at 361 W 116 street which is asking $1,850,000.
The total # of listings available in the Central Harlem,Hamilton Heights market is 85 with an average asking price of $3.156 million. Days on the market is an average of 116 and inventory is on the rise as we have over 14 months of supply available as of now.
I have been in many Manhattan buildings that have roof decks and it’s a wonderful place to enjoy especially a well designed one with a view. It’s difficult to say how much a roof deck adds in value to an individual apartment but it does add some value but probably not more than 5% more or less. However, for residents, it can be an urban retreat, a place to interact with neighbors or to entertain friends.
However, there are many items to consider including cost, changing of the buildings certificate of occupancy, reinforcing of the roof and design aspects including decking materials and how to secure items to the roof. The Cooperator takes a more in depth look at the factors that will affect your decision making process.
The Author- Brian Silvestry , a licensed real estate broker, has been selling residential and commercial real estate since 1999. He has sold in every neighborhood from Battery Park City to Washington Heights.
News about the NYC real estate residential and commercial markets provided and interpreted by an industry veteran licensed since 1999. Brian Silvestry of BSRG Inc. Licensed real estate broker
Brian Silvestry , a licensed real estate broker, has been selling residential and commercial real estate since 1999. He has sold in every neighborhood from Battery Park City to Washington Heights.
