Category Archives: Harlem

BuyingtipsforManhattanproperty, HamiltonHeights, Harlem, multifamily, Townhouse

Harlem townhouse shortage below $2 millon

According to the July Harlem townhouse report, not one townhouse below $2 million was listed for sale. In July,  2 of the 4 sales recorded in the Central Harlem,Hamilton Heights townhouse market, were below $2 million. That brings the number of available properties below $2mm to only 6 out of over 80 listings. I am seeing a little bit of a tug of war as sellers priced at around $2.3-2.6 now begin to see the market may not sustain these prices for their Harlem properties  and probably not for 4 family homes above 125th 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.

Harlem, Marketreports, multifamily, Townhouse

July Harlem townhouse market report

3 Comments

The July market saw 13 new townhouse listings come on the market in the Central Harlem, Hamilton Heights area. The first table shows the number of new listings by price on the left side and the prices of the 4 sales on the right.

The 2nd  table shows the amount of active listings which has stayed steady the last several months and the amount of time it would take to sell the existing inventory.

The last table shows the current active listings by price range. 40% of the listings are in the $2-3 mm range and very few listings are less than $2 million.

average  $       3,225,000 4 sales
6 $2-3 mm 3,175,000
5 $3-4 mm 3,350,000
2 >$4mm 1,625,000
1,800,000
# active Inventory
82 21 months
Listings by price
<$2mm 6
$2mm-$2.99mm 33
$3mm-$3-99mm 26
$4mm + 17

June Harlem townhouse report

Harlem townhouse May report

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.

Amenities, Harlem, Investment, Manhattan, Marketreports, Rentals, Upperwestside

Most sought after and least supplied amenity in a Manhattan rental is?

Apartmentlist.com did nationwide research to see what amenities were most sought after by renters and compared that to what is most supplied by landlords. Interestingly enough in the NYC market, 39% of the renters were looking for an in-unit laundry while only 10% of the apartments had it. This coincides with the on the ground data of my past rentals where many tenants ask if the unit has an washer/dryer in the apartment and most do not.

When you do a search on streeteasy.com for 1 bedrooms for rent on Manhattan’s upper west side, you find 204 listings but when you check the box for washer/dryer, the number goes down to only 8!

In Central Harlem, under $2,500 per month, you find 59 listings with at least 2 bedrooms and when you only look at apartments with washer/dryers the number goes down to 7!

Full coverage from Apartmentlist.com

The Author-  Brian Silvestry , a licensed real estate broker, has been selling residential and commercial real estate since 1999. He has sold in every Manhattan market from Battery Park City to Washington Heights.

HamiltonHeights, Harlem, Marketreports, Townhouse

Thinking of buying a Harlem townhouse around $2 million?

Though inventory has increased in the Harlem townhouse market in the last few months, the under $ 2 million range is still experiencing  a shortage of inventory. Currently, there are 12 townhouses priced at $2.25 million or less but all but 4 of them are SROs. The four houses that are not SROs are all 4 family homes and the two that are priced at $2.25 million and $2 million  are excellent values. One of the other 4 family homes has a contract out and the other one has a rent controlled tenant in place in one unit paying $200.

At the next level of price, between $2.25 million and $2.5 million you will find 11 townhouses for sale and only one with major issues. The rest are more or less intact townhouses close to move in condition but in most cases not renovated. As days on the market increases the lower tier of the price may become more crowded as some of prices are lowered over the next few months.

June Harlem townhouse report

July mid month Harlem townhouse report

The Author-  Brian Silvestry , a licensed real estate broker, has been selling residential and commercial real estate since 1999. He has sold in every Manhattan market from Battery Park City to Washington Heights.

HamiltonHeights, Harlem, Historic district, Listings, Rentals

423 West 147th street apt 2 rented

A 1 bedroom with a den in a brownstone between St Nicholas avenue and Convent avenue was rented for $2,350. The apartment was in the market for less than 20 days and was rented without any concessions. The 900 sqft +/- space featured high ceilings, fireplace mantels, plenty of woodwork and pocket doors.

The Author-  Brian Silvestry , a licensed real estate broker, has been selling residential and commercial real estate since 1999. He has sold in every Manhattan market from Battery Park City to Washington Heights.

 

 

 

BuyingtipsforManhattanproperty, HamiltonHeights, Harlem, Inventory, Listings, Marketreports

9 New Harlem townhouse listings so far in July

So far in the first half of July, we have seen 9 new townhouse listings come to the market in Harlem. That is fairly in line with the number of new listings that we saw come to market in April and May. June seemed to bring a pause in the rising inventory. The least expensive Harlem townhouse brought to the market was listed at $2.3 million but a recent 4 family lowered it’s ask to $2 million.

June Harlem townhouse report

The Author-  Brian Silvestry , a licensed real estate broker, has been selling residential and commercial real estate since 1999. He has sold in every Manhattan market from Battery Park City to Washington Heights.

HamiltonHeights, Harlem, Historic district, SugarHill

Harlem neighbors trying to prevent Methadone clinic from opening

Neighbors in the Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill historic district gathered to protest the potential opening of yet another drug treatment facility in Harlem. According to officials 13 of the 29 methadone clinics in Manhattan are located in Harlem. The operator, Argus Community Inc. needs to get a license from the State to operate a methadone clinic and neighbors are trying to prevent that from happening. The building in question 730 Saint Nicholas avenue was purchased for $ 4.3 million in August of 2017.

Why does an operator buy such an expensive property in a landmark, residential district to convert to a methadone clinic?

Full coverage from Patch.com

Previous coverage

Harlem, Investment, multifamily

How to take advantage of the difference in pricing of 4 family versus 2 family

As you examine listings in the Harlem townhouse market, you  notice the discrepancy in price per square foot of 4 family homes versus 2 family. One idea is to buy a 4 family which in today’s market can be purchased for around $2 million or less and then begin combining the units to make a 2 or even 3 family home.  One recent 4 family that I viewed had a small studio, duplex and 2 floor through apartments. In this case, taking down one wall and you create a duplex plus two floor through apartments. Additionally, more and more you are seeing the cellar being incorporated as a game room, den, exercise room so that also can be recaptured, space.

The least expensive 3 family home in the market right now in Central Harlem is for $2.5 million. With that being the case, if you purchase a 4 family for around $2 mm or less then convert to a 3 family, you would already have equity in the difference in the pricing.

The least expensive 2 family right now in Central Harlem is over $2.8 million.

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.

 

 

 

BuyingtipsforManhattanproperty, HamiltonHeights, Harlem, Rentals, Sales

Thinking of moving to Hamilton Heights?

CurbedNY takes a look at the Hamilton Heights neighborhood and gives you the lowdown on it.

Edgecombe avenue

I agree that it is a wonderful place to live with some of Manhattan’s most beautiful tree lined blocks. If you are looking to purchase very little is available below $2 million right now. For a property that needs work but you can live in, the starting point is just north of $2 million. Recently, I had a chance to show property  to a buyer client that had many historic details in place and was a 2 family home that could have been purchased for $2.1 million.

Continue reading Thinking of moving to Hamilton Heights? →

BuyingtipsforManhattanproperty, HamiltonHeights, Harlem, Townhouse

Why does a Harlem 2 family sell for more than a 4 family?

If you examine listings on the market in Harlem, you see a price difference between a 4 family and a 2 family.  Why is that?

One reason is that the buyer for a 2 family is typically look at the purchase to gain more space and perhaps live on 3 floors and rent the garden level apartment. In a 4 family, the most common layout is a floor thru and that might be a 1 or 2 bedroom which is not going to address the space needs of a primary residence buyer. It is going to be an interesting offering for an investor or someone who wants to buy instead of renting. But these are not need based buyers so they will shop for a better price.

Another reason is that a 4 family may have been converted from SRO or some other use and the historic details that make a Harlem townhouse so appealing may not be present. Certainly, that is not always the case but many times it is. For example, I evaluated a solid 4 family townhouse in Hamilton Heights for an owner and it was 4 well maintained 1 bedrooms with a value of around $2 million more or less. A similar 2 family home in the same area that has many original details in place but in inferior condition is asking $2.3 million, or 15% more.

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.