Blog

In this month’s video, I continue to muse on what seems to be driving the market into higher sales volume.  The very short answer?  Pricing.  That’s it.  If prices look to be “in the zone,” people make bids.  If prices seem to be too high, no offers.  Tumbleweeds.  So the question is this, sellers:  DoRead more

In This Month’s Video I discussed the missed opportunity in New York, that is ignoring more than half of the population here. That is, women! Women are buying properties for themselves. No one is waiting anymore to get married to buy real estate, least of all so many successful women. This includes our many amazingRead 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 thatRead more

I began my real estate career working at Citi Habitats, focused on rentals. It was trial by fire, and there couldn’t have been a better training ground for someone who had never worked in residential real estate. I saw 80-100 apartments per week, whether previewing them, showing them to prospective renters, and managing the hustleRead more

Certain buyers are drawn to certain homes. And some properties are more universally appealing, being a bit more generic, like 1-bedrooms or Studio units. In some cases, having a limited audience can be quite challenging when it’s time to sell. I am seeing 5- and 6-room apartments have an increasingly limited audience. But in thisRead more

Scott Harris from Brown Harris Stevens here, coming to you from my home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. We have lots to celebrate at home as two of my children have birthdays in April- and we do what we can to host lots of events here. So let’s talk TAXES. Something that notRead more

The 1st quarter of 2019 was a big dud. Though prices increased on average in the first quarter, it was “solely due to a jump in luxury new development closings, including a record-setting $240 million sale. The average price for just resale apartments was 3% lower than a year ago, as price adjustments continue atRead more

Let’s Talk Buyers Getting buyers get educated and confident about the market is my number one job. I do a deep dive with homebuyers to understand who they are and what they’re looking for. I get to know them, their dog(s), their kids, watching them bicker, argue, joke, yell- at me, at each other. TheyRead more

If you ask sellers, you may hear that the real estate market is horrible If you ask the New York Times, you may hear that the real estate market is capable of producing BOTH horrible results AND the highest sales prices ever in the history of the United States. If you ask buyers, you willRead more

What do you need to know about the 4th quarter 2018 report (link is here)? Here is the official BHS Brokerspeak: “Manhattan’s median apartment price fell to $1,050,000 in the fourth quarter, a 5% decline from a year ago. While the average price was up over the past year, this was due to a pickupRead more