All posts by Brian Silvestry

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.
Billionaire'sRow, Luxury, Marketreports

29 Luxury contracts signed last week

Last week was another strong week of sales of Manhattan property listed at $4 million and above as 29 contracts were signed according to the Olshan report. The most expensive contracts were a couple of resales ,units 71A and 71B, at 432 Park avenue which were asking a combined $68.5 million, nearly $10 mm above their 2016 sold price.

This continues to show the dichotomy that is the Manhattan resale market. A recent report showed overall number of sales year over year is down but each week the $4 million and above apartments keep notching a steady amount of contracts. Interest rates rising, the recent tax reform and a very weak rental market are having a more pronounced effect on the lower end of the market than on the luxury sales. However, DOM continues to be at around 300 days for luxury and negotiation is the norm within the market of around 6% or so.

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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.

 

Central Park, Tennis, Upperwestside

Central Park Tennis Center opening day Saturday April 14th

It does not seem that long ago that there was snow in Central Park but all of sudden it seems that Spring is here. So as a result, the Central Park tennis center is opening on Saturday April 14th. The weather is supposed to be 77 degrees!

 

Court conditions and updates 212-280-0205
Lessons 212-316-0800

Central Park Tennis center website

Buying tips for your NYC apartment, Marketreports, Real estate

Current Manhattan residential market conditions

As days on the market increases for most residential real estate, the consensus is that the Manhattan residential market is in buyer’s market. New realities are setting in for sellers and not just in the luxury market but in all price ranges including starter homes. In 19 years of selling residential real estate, I have seen this cycle a few times already. The last time through, the market forces were accelerated by the financial crisis. This time around perhaps the winds behind the sails may be the tech bubble as well as the Tax Reforms and Jobs Act and rising interest rates.

But in any case, a buyer’s market tends to not last too long so while some buyers are waiting it out and deciding to rent instead, now maybe the time to make that purchase, knowing that finding the absolute perfect time to buy may be like trying to catch the bottom of the stock market. One thing is for sure is that with a little patience and good negotiation, a purchase now can lead to serious appreciation once the buyer’s market turns again into a seller’s market.

Also I think understanding that the Manhattan property values are not decreasing across all asset classes. Townhouses in Harlem continue to see steady sales and modest appreciation. Also, try finding a 6-12 family property for sale uptown with upside potential. There is very little for sale. In these markets both investors and end users are pouring in and there is a lack of inventory. Recently, I had a 8 family for sale at 313 W 138th street and there was a high level of interest and the property went to contract at over asking price within 1 month of listing.

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.

CentralParkWest, Sales, Upperwestside

400 Central Park west 7K SOLD

A 1 bedroom, 1 bath south facing apartment at the 400 Central Park west condominium closed yesterday. The asking price was $1,255,000 and the sold price was $1,235,000. The apartment featured a 18′ south facing terrace with views just above the trees into Central Park. The sellers were longtime owners/investors in the building and had purchased the apartment 18 years ago.

The building has a full time concierge, live-in-super, on-site management, renovated gym, childrens’ playroom, residents’ lounge, storage and parking available both on wait-list.

 

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.

 

HamiltonHeights, Harlem, Historic district

401 West 147th street being cleaned up

401 West 147th street, a 16′ wide townhouse that has been abandoned for the last several years, in the Historic district of Sugar Hill, is being cleaned up. A crew of 2-3 people were in the house yesterday loading up a full dumpster’s worth of materials.  No permits are filed to give an indication of what work will be done. But at least, this may be the beginning of the end of this being an eyesore of one of Manhattan’s most beautiful blocks.

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.

 

Celebrity real estate, Chelsea, Luxury

Sting rents a upper floor apartment in West Chelsea luxury building

The late Dame Zaha Hadid designed 520 West 28th street, is now home to Sting and his wife Trudy Styler. The Related building features a 75 foot sky-lit pool, spa, 24 hour juice bar and robotic parking. The West Chelsea building has 30 units and it appears that it is nearly sold out. Closings began mid 2017 with 6 apartments showing available on streeteasy from just over $5 million to $16 million. Two apartments are for rent- one for $15,750 and one for $26,000.

 

This swimming pool in 520 West 28th street where Sting and Trudy Styler have just rented an apartment.

NBC coverage

Listings in 520 W 28th street

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.

Investment, Upperwestside

How does a rent stabilized tenant affect a Manhattan townhouse’s value?

In an ideal setting,  a Manhattan townhouse will be delivered vacant and sold to a buyer who can convert it to a single family mansion, condos or a rental building. However, when a Manhattan building is conveyed with a rent stabilized tenant or a few rent stabilized tenants, then the buyer pool will narrow but it still has tremendous value. The factors that impact the value will be size of the apartment, likelihood of accepting a buyout, and what percentage of square footage, the RS tenants occupy within the building. The calculation of value is going to be based on the net operating income.(NOI). The NOI and cap rate will dictate the value, but the upside which the buyer/investor will evaluate will have to do the likelihood that the tenant might be bought out now or in the near future, the age of the tenant, and how likely they might have immediate family who will succeed them within the apartment.

For example, on a recent tour of Upper west side townhouses with an investor we looked a one building that was asking $5.4 million with 6 units 2 of which were rent stabilized. Within the same neighborhood, a 7 unit building was asking nearly $1 million more with all free market tenants. Both were both offered at an approximate 3% cap rate.

Now what happens when the majority or all of the building is occupied by rent stabilized tenants and the cap rate is extremely low or the income is not even covering the expenses, now you will see an even more narrow pool of buyers whose expectations for a discount go up as the rents paid by the tenants goes down as does the likelihood of a buyout. In this situation, a more thorough analysis based on current market conditions will need to be done by a Manhattan real estate broker experienced in the transfer of townhouses and multifamily properties.

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.

 

Harlem, Selling tips, Townhouse

Thinking of selling your Manhattan brownstone without a certificate of occupancy?

If you are thinking of selling your Manhattan townhouse one of the first things you should verify is your certificate of occupancy. A certificate of occupancy tells a prospective buyer what the legal use is. The challenge is that the certificate of occupancy rules came about in 1938 and many homes were built before that. As a result, you may have a building without a certificate of occupancy. Department of Buildings site  Go to the DOB site and enter the address of the property then click on certificate of occupancy link. Many properties will not have a certificate of occupancy on file. In some cases the CofO may contradict the actual use. Consult with your lawyer and architect and your real estate broker to see what would be required to modify the CofO and if it can be sold without bringing the C of O inline with the actual use.

If there isn’t a CofO on file then it may get even more complicated. Consult with your attorney/architect to see what the DOB records indicate. Sometimes, it can be confusing due to different NYC agencies classifying your Harlem townhouse as different usages. Recently, I met a homeowner who said his building was “registered” as a 4 family with the City. Upon initial research he was being taxed as a 4 family by the NYC Department of Finance but his CofO says 3 family home. If your CofO says 3 family, you have a 3 family.

As always, this blog is intended for informational purposes and not as a substitute for legal advice so please consult your attorney. Your real estate broker can normally recommend an attorney for you who specializes in real estate and hopefully can shed some light on any CofO issues that you might have. Additionally, an experienced, Manhattan townhouse broker can advise you  on what is customary as far as paper work and what would cost you money in terms of marketability.

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.

 

 

CentralParkWest, Historic district, Listings, Sales

Recent closed Upper West side townhouse sales

15-17 West 94th street– Two interconnected townhouses on a Park block which offering a mixture of free market and rent stabilized tenants were sold for a total of $9.6 million. The buildings were 18′ wide each and about 70 feet deep. This properties will be ideal for a conversion to condos or maybe a large mansion. The purchaser was Dikran Properties LLC. The sale closed 1/30/18.

42 West 94th street- Also located in the Upper west side/Central Park west historic district, this legal 8 unit townhouse had a mixture of free market and rent stabilized tenants. The 17 by 52 built townhouse sold for $4.35 million and closed 1/17/18. The purchaser was listed as 42 West 94th, Inc.

Both of these properties appeared to have changed hands in off market transactions though they were previously listed by real estate brokers.

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.

Luxury, Marketreports, Real estate, Sales

Manhattan luxury residential market keeps momentum going

There were 26 contracts signed last week at $4 million and up according to the Olshan Realty’s weekly report. The most expensive was a co-op on Fifth avenue that was asking $20 million. This is an especially good week considering the recent snowstorms and that it was Easter week.

The Real Deal coverage