Tag: Realestate

Last month, Fox Business’ Deirdre Bolton interviewed Manhattan’s #1 go to person for clear and unfiltered real estate data, Jonathan Miller, President and CEO of Miller Samuel, Inc. a top appraisal and consulting firm. The questions on everyone’s lips today: Are developers building too many luxury homes and super-luxury condominiums in New York? Is there enough demand to meet the supply, and why have we not seen any significant new construction that serves the $3,000,000 or under market in Manhattan for years?

Jonathan does a fantastic job of answering these questions in this video. For a high net worth client considering a new development I recently completed a study of same unit re-sales in some of Manhattan’s top buildings built since 2006. Which buildings saw huge equity growth and which saw little, surprised me. I will share more on that in a future post.

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The uber luxury condominium being developed in New York, 432 Park Avenue, topped out Friday at 1,396 feet high making it the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere. If you don’t include the 400+ foot high antenna on top of One World Trade Center, then the top floor is actually 28 feet higher* than One World Trade delivering breathtaking views to its future residents. For the high net worth individual, owning one of these amazing homes with its promised luxurious finishes and views will set you back $17 to $80+ Million. Preview these incredible views – watch the video (below).

Historically, New York’s former top condominium buildings like Time Warner and 15 Central Park West delivered immense investment returns when first owners re-sold their homes. Looking for views and financial security? 432 Park stands out in the luxury home market for its iconic height and world renown location on Park Avenue. 

Sales and Marketing: Courtesy by Douglas Elliman Development Marketing and Macklowe Properties

My Disclosure

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The Manhattan real estate market is picking up again in the luxury sector. While there was a slight lull in the summer between mid-June and July by August properties that had been on the market for a month or two started going to contract.  While I was in in San Francisco in July at Inman Connect’s real estate conference speaking on a luxury panel, I heard that the mid-luxury levels in San Francisco and Los Angeles had also been slow for a month or more. Was the market turning?

Traditionally the Fall market in New York is our secondary market – Buyers who did not have a chance to secure a property in the robust spring market re-enter market again in the Fall after a summer off.

I believe the Fall market started early this year – in August. The intense seller’s market for the first six months of the year lead to a slower June and July because of buyer fatigue. Added to that, listing inventory while having climbed somewhat in the 2nd quarter of 2014 over the 1st quarter was still well below the 5-year averages making it more challenging for buyers to find the properties they hoped for – rather than continuing a seemingly futile effort they stopped. (Read Streeteasy’s July Condo Report here)

As a result, in my view the level of pent-up demand is still extremely high. The buyers who are willing to step up and make a quick decision and not sweat the small stuff with regards to negotiations will buy properties this fall. Those buyers who are choosy and question every aspect of the deal or contract will be a disadvantage in negotiations.

For the buyers who’ve decided to stay put in their current homes until ‘the right one’ shows up some will (like many before them) choose instead to stay put and to invest in a country or Hamptons home to provide the escape from Manhattan.

What I’m seeing in the first two weeks of September is that the mid to high-end luxury market is very strong and contracts are getting signed on new properties and those which had seen showings but no contracts. Listings that I have been following as well as new developments also reported signed contracts in the first 19 days of September. For me August was very busy with properties that went to contract including 30 Bond, Penthouse and 200 Eleventh Avenue after multiple bids.

In the luxury development market new properties have started to be announced for the fall market. The face of New York’s residential real estate is changing, as is the design and height limits. With super tall sky-scrapers coming to the city, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for the world’s global elite in terms of luxury offerings in the future. It’s an exciting period in residential design.

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Stunning Carolwood Estate In Holmby Hills

Traveling between New York and Beverly Hills / West LA numerous times a year to meet and work with my bi-coastal clients, I spend time on each trip visiting the best luxury estates and properties available on the market. I’ve seen many luxe homes but this one certainly stands out as one of the most gracious and beautiful properties I’ve viewed in a long time. The Agency, a leading and forward-thinking real estate firm in Los Angeles luxury homes founded by Mauricio Umanksy and Billy Rose, has this beautiful listing in Holmby Hills. Watch the video and see what $90 Million buy you on the West Coast today… – Tony Sargent

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With 78 Active luxury condominium and Penthouse listings priced at or above $20 million in Manhattan as of March 18th, 2014 I wanted to explore and share New York’s Top 10 Active Sales by price. All of the top 10 are either on or near Central Park. The highest asking price is $100 million with lowest of the top 10 being priced at $60 million. As a reference point, in 2008 when the market crashed, $43 million was about the highest price being paid for New York’s top properties.  Today Read more…

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As technology brings us all closer together and provides us the opportunity to email, text, phone, follow up, respond, request at a nano-second’s notice, I’ve found that as a luxury real estate broker in Manhattan the urge to respond immediately to every email and inquiry is huge and it definitely pays off to do so in many cases, however there are also costs to doing so all the time. Part of my increased productivity recently has been to start my day in a more pro-active and focused manner vs. looking at my cell phone first thing and rushing to answer emails. It’s extremely hard not to, given how client-focused I am but it’s working.
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The area along the 10th Avenue corridor from 16th Street to 30th Street is fast becoming Manhattan’s newest luxury residential neighborhood. Renaming it “The High Line District” instead of the generic “West Chelsea” will best capture the district’s new and exciting eclectic nature and architectural significance.

Already featuring a mix of boutique condos, long-established art galleries, and distinctive architecture designed by such luminaries as Jean Nouvel, Frank Gehry, Annabelle Selldorf and Shigeru Ban, now new developments of uber luxury residential condos are coming to the area including modern designs by Thomas Juul-Hansen, Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid and other prominent architects. These projects are being developed by HFZ Capital, the Related Companies, Cary Tamarkin and others to create an exclusive new neighborhood deserving of new recognition. Read more…

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