Yankees Win 27th World Series Championship

The Yankees captured their first title since 2000, humbling the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, 7-3, in Game 6 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium.

For the past eight seasons the Yankees have led the way in payroll and in many major victories. They have also built a new stadium—and now they have christened it with their first World Series championship in nine years.

The Yankees will celebrate their World Series title with a "ticker tape" parade up the Canyon of Heroes on Friday.

Derek Jeter, A-Rod and the rest of the Bronx Bombers will be celebrating in grand fashion amongst confetti and congratulatory cheers on lower Broadway from the Battery to City Hall starting at 11 a.m.

"Congratulations to all the Yankees for bringing the world championship back home to New York City, where it belongs," said Bloomberg, who revealed the parade plans after the Yanks' stunning victory last night. He will present the keys to the city to the champs at a City Hall ceremony right after the triumphant march.

While anyone can line the route, a limited number of tickets to the City Hall celebration will be available, the mayor's office said. Information on how tickets will be distributed will be available today.

NY Real Estate

Time to Invest in Manhattan Real Estate!

This may surprise you: Manhattan residential real estate has performed better than the broader U.S. real estate market and comparable major cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles.

For potential buyers, now is the time to shop. The Dow is at 10,000 without justifying fundamentals, unemployment is at 10%, and the dollar is weak and inflation is coming. Relative to the stock market and comparable major cities, Manhattan has performed well.

Cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco have seen their real estate prices decline more than 40% from their bubble highs while prices in Manhattan have taken a significantly smaller hit.
The Manhattan market is showing signs that it is starting to find its bottom. Third-quarter 2009 data show prices declined at a lower rate while transaction volume surged 46%. Experts predict that it will decline another 10% with an eventual U-shaped recovery. However, the duration and the magnitude of the decline have been less than for comparable major cities.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Wall Street firms are expected to pay a record $140 billion in bonuses this year because of the resurgent stock market, an easing in credit markets, an increase in deal-making and government programs. This is despite the recession and despite an unemployment rate of 10.3% in New York City. These bonuses may be undeserved, but regardless, their payday will boost Manhattan real estate prices.

Manhattan is a landlocked island. While developers in most cities keep expanding outward, developers in Manhattan do not have this alternative.

Manhattan is a global must-see destination. Emerging markets like Brazil and China are creating wealth at a very high rate and churning out millionaires and Manhattan is often the first international destination they want to visit. It's also one of the first places where they want to buy investment property.

Manhattan is full of diverse industries. Besides finance, New York has media, hospitality, advertising and professional services like law and accounting firms. These industries will be serving emerging-market economies and will benefit the local New York economy in terms of job creation and housing demand.

The city's unemployment rate was at 10.3% in August. If not for the diversity of the current New York City economy, the unemployment rate would be even higher. While the finance industry lost jobs, sectors like education, health, leisure and hospitality gained jobs.

Manhattan provides top quality of life. The air in Manhattan is pristine compared to air in other global metropolises like Hong Kong. Transportation, although via a 100-year-old subway system, is still efficient and dramatically reduces commuting time for those living in Manhattan. The legal system is established and there is a better work-life balance compared with countries like China. These are major considerations for attracting global talent.

It's time to invest. Manhattan residential real estate has a net rental yield of 4% and still benefits from rental income and price increases. Real estate prices and rental income will increase with inflation.

For the primary residence buyer who is still renting, the value of your saved dollars is getting weaker. The Dollar Index is now at 75, down from 88 in March, reflecting the world's pessimism about our currency. Rents will increase. So start shopping for real estate. It's better than sitting on a pile of cash with weakening buying power.

Mortgage Rates Holding Steady

According to a Freddie Mac weekly survey, mortgage rates remained fairly steady for the week ending October 29, with the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage coming in at an average of 5.03 percent—up only slight from last weeks 5 percent average. Last year at this time, the 30-year averaged 6.46 percent.

Over the past 10 months, the 30-year rate average has been at its lowest levels in the 38-year-old survey's history. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage average was 4.46—a small increase. The five-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) averaged 4.42 and one-year ARMs averaged 4.57 percent, up from 4.40 and 4.54 percent, respectively, for the week earlier. The five-year ARM was at 6.36 percent and the one-year ARM was at 5.38 percent during the same period last year.

Government stimulus efforts, including up to $1.45 trillion of mortgage-related debt purchases by the Federal Reserve — the U.S. central bank, have reduced and held down borrowing costs to bolster the housing market and the economy.

However, demand for mortgages slid last week for the third straight week, with home purchase applications the weakest since mid-May and refinancing requests at a two-month low.
Congress is currently debating a possible extension of the tax credit to keep adding fuel to the fragile housing market.

The National Association for Realtors reported a 9.4 percent jump in existing home sales for September and said last week that first-time buyers accounted for more than 45 percent of sales during the past year.

Surprisingly, however, the Commerce Department reported that new home sales experienced a 3.6 percent drop last month after rising the five prior months.

Manhattan Real Estate

Market Reports Show Good News for Potential Renters

According to third quarter market reports released earlier this month, those looking to rent in Manhattan still have the upper hand. Rents in Manhattan remain low and flat this winter, except in trendier areas like SoHo and TriBeCa. Vacancies in Manhattan rose 1.72 percent this month, the most sizable increase in six months. Inventory is also up—giving potential renters their choice of prime Manhattan apartments in desirable neighborhoods.





Tips for Renters

• A walk in the park. Gramercy Park non–doorman two–bedroom units have hit their lowest price points this month. These units fell 5.31% to $3,416. And while many of these do not come with a key to the park, they do come complete with easy access to virtually all of Manhattan’s other neighborhoods.
• Hang out on the hill. Non–doorman and doorman studio units in Murray Hill are both reporting their lowest price points in months. Non–doorman units fell 2.35% this month to $1,775, while doorman units fell 2.84% to $2,112. So whether you’re a new hire looking for your first apartment in Manhattan or a long–time resident looking for a fresh start, there has never been a better time to check out Murray Hill.
• Head to Harlem. Harlem is known for great deals, but the already low priced non–doorman two–bedrooms have dropped further this month to their all time low of $2,032.
  

NEWS UPDATE: National Home Sales Rebound to Highest Level Since July 2007

The dollar is low, prices are low, and mortgage rates are low. For Americans, but even more so for foreign investors, now is the time to purchase Manhattan real estate.


According to a report released Friday, sales of existing homes rebounded sharply in September to their highest level in two years, in part due to a strong boost from first-time homebuyers.

Sales of previously-owned homes jumped 9.4% in September after falling for the first time in four months in August, said the National Association of Realtors. Information from a NAR report to be released next month suggests first-time homebuyers accounted for more than 45% of home sales in the past year.

"Much of the momentum is from people responding to the first-time buyer tax credit, which is freeing many sellers to make a trade and buy another home," said Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist.

Yun said the market is still underperforming as the prices of homes continue to fall.

The $8,000 tax credit that has helped first-time home buyers take advantage of the most affordable conditions since 1970, but the looming expiration date of the incentive could hold buyers back from entering the market, said NAR president and real estate broker Charles McMillan.

To help boost home prices and sales, lawmakers are considering extending the tax credit and expanding it to all but the wealthiest homebuyers.

While keeping the credit would help lift housing prices, senior economist at PNC Robert Dye says it would only be a temporary effect until the program stopped, as was seen with Cash for Clunkers.

"First-time homebuyers don't represent the bulk of the market and there is strength well beyond them," said Dye. "If economic indicators such as consumer confidence show improving trends, then experienced homebuyers will stay in the market and take advantage of [the low] prices" even without the credit.

Buyers: Prices are low and the market is moving. Time to buy.
Sellers: Buyers are starting to have more confidence.

Click Here to view beautiful apartments in Manhattan.

Port Authority Plotting “Plan B” for World Trade Center

It appears that the Port Authority has begun planning an alternative “Plan B” for when/if the Silverstein's Towers 2 and 3 go unbuilt. $20 million was allotted to 14 consultants working on a design study for "Plan B." The redesign is unrelated to the Silverstein plan to construct six-story stumps, and will look at where to stick the WTC Transportation Hub's mechanicals should Silverstein just vanish into thin air (the various tanks and such are currently supposed to be housed in the lower floors of the two skyscrapers).

Throughout all of the confusion and muddled planning for the new structure, there were rumors that the WTC Performing Arts Center planned next to One World Trade Center could move to the current site of the Deutsche Bank Building in order to speed up construction. However, the Downtown Express reported that there are all sorts of complications with changing the plan, and the move seems unlikely to happen. Keeping in tune with all of the confusion, there are also all sorts of complications with keeping it where it’s currently planned.

What are your thoughts on the new World Trade Center construction?

NYC Real Estate

Demonstration to save historic Greenwich Village Buildings Today

Following the city’s approval Monday to build an oversized building in place of a recently demolished 1862 row house at 178 Bleecker Street, the Greenwhich Village Society for Historic Preservation led neighborhood activists in protest of the new construction. Locals say the proposed eight-story building would violate zoning restrictions and would tower over its neighbors, including the MacDougal Sullivan Gardens Historic District, which is comprised of 22 identical 3.5-story row houses from the 1840s. A public hearing will be held next Tuesday regarding the landmarking of 30 percent of the neighborhood, which does not include the site at 178 Bleecker Street.

NYC Real Estate

Subway Fares May Be Lowered During Off-Peak Hours

The MTA is considering altering subway fares to offer discounts for those using the train during off-peak hours, late nights and weekends. This will be the most prominent change to the subway system since the abolition of the token.

This past summer prices for a single ride went up 25 cents, from $2.00 to $2.25, although half of those riding the subway use an unlimited pass, and therefore the price differs depending on what type of card is used.

The unlimited-ride MetroCard was introduced in 1998. Ridership on weekdays has since swelled by 40 percent, and weekend ridership has risen almost 70 percent. In 2008, the average weekday ridership was 7.6 million, according to New York City Transit.

A new computerized, scannable fare card would allow New York City Transit to charge passengers different prices depending on the time of day. This kind of system is already available in London. Mr. Walder says the MTA has no plans to raise prices for longer trips, a system used in cities such as Washington DC and London.

Chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Jay H. Walder says, “We might imagine that we offer discounts at later times, or we offer weekend discounts. Time-of-day pricing might be very attractive.”

The goal would be to encourage use of buses and subways during traditionally quieter hours. “We have an infrastructure that is set for the capacity of the peak,” Mr. Walder said. “What we really want to do is use that infrastructure all the time.”

About $220 million is included in the authority’s new capital plan to install a smart card payment system, a no-swipe fare card that is waved over a sensor to speed up payment. Mr. Walder wants the cards to be linked to credit card accounts and usable in multiple forms of transit. Unlike in other cities like London and DC, however, passengers in New York would not have to wave their cards again to exit the system.

What do you think about this proposed system? Please post comments for discussion.

NYC Real Estate

The Debate on the State of the Market Rages On as Third Quarter Stats are Released

Today’s Headlines

Taken from:
The New York Times Manhattan Apartment Sales Bounced Back Over the Summer, but Not All the Way by Josh Barbanel
Published October 2, 2009

It’s the question that has been on the minds of many New Yorkers: Has the real estate market reached a bottom yet? After a year of declines in Manhattan co-op and condominium sales, the residential market has recovered enough to finally have real estate appraisers and brokers approach this debate. Here, some statistics from the third quarter market reports released today (Friday, October 02, 2009):

• From July through September sales rose sharply from the second quarter, up 45.6 percent, but are down 16 percent from the levels they were at a year ago.
• For the most part, sale prices moved sideways this quarter although prices of apartments and new condominiums continued to fall. The average co-op and condo apartment sale price is now at $1.32 million, off 10.6 percent from the same quarter in 2008, but up 0.8 percent from the second quarter.
• Co-op prices are down 5.9 percent from the previous quarter, while condominium prices are up 3 percent.
• Average sale price on Upper East Side townhouses is still 50 percent below the price in the first quarter of last year.
  

With all of this exciting new data, the debate on the market has sparked speculation from multiple New York real estate firms:

• A spokesman from Miller Samuel Inc. said that while the Manhattan housing market may be getting better in some ways, it has “not yet found a bottom.” The company attributed the current situation of the market to high local unemployment and tight credit.
• Many firms are more optimistic and are reporting that they had experience their busiest summer in years because buyers who had been scared of pulling the trigger in the spring had more confidence in the market. Dorothy Herman, the president of Prudential Douglas Elliman says, “We see the market as stabilizing. It has hit bottom.”
• Hall F. Willkie, president of Brown Harris Stevens, believes that with the rebound in the stock market and slowing job losses buyers are becoming more comfortable and that “confidence is returning to the marketplace.”
• Pamela Liebman of the Corcoran Group believes that “if we are not at a bottom, we are close to it.” However, she also says that despite the increase in sales, there is little evidence that prices will rise significantly in the near future.
  

Those who believe the market has yet to hit bottom attribute the sharp rise in sales to a shift in the busy season due to economic conditions. Usually, the spring is the busiest season for apartment sales in Manhattan. This year sales were halted due to the struggling economy and therefore the surge happened later. The spring market, in effect, occurred this summer.

Despite all of the hearsay, the new market has yet to take shape. But one thing is for certain—people are buying, and New Yorkers can’t ignore that sneaking suspicion that it is time, once again, to feel comfortable in the marketplace.


News Flash

Update from Alfred Real Estate

For those of you who think the real estate market is still dead, it is time to think again! The market is alive and property is selling. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Sellers—the time has come to once again feel comfortable putting your property up for sale. Buyers—now is as good a time as ever to invest in a new home.

One of Alfred Real Estate’s principal brokers recently decided to invest in property and submitted a bid that was 10% less than the asking price. A few months ago she may have had it in the bag, but as it turns out she was one of three bids, and not even the highest at that! In fact, encouraged by the demand on his property the seller decided to have another open house to solicit more potential buyers. At the open house he plans to have a highest-and-best-bid closed auction. People are back in the market, and if the price is right, they are buying!

An update on the NYC housing market and what it means for you

Keep track of trends. Since 3rd Quarter 2008 real estate reports, New York City’s housing market has faced some of its toughest challenges in twenty years. Manhattan has certainly felt the effects of the global financial crisis. It took New York City nearly 9 months to feel the effects of the housing crisis that the rest of the country had been struggling with. And when it hit—it hit hard. The decline in the amount of closings happened frighteningly fast. During the 2nd quarter of 2008, total closings on home sales decreased by nearly 60 percent. However, trends in recent months have shown signs of improvement. On September 18th the government announced that housing starts have hit a 9 month high—indicating that the market is most likely turning around. During the 1st quarter of 2009, closings had increased by 10 to 15 percent and research has shown that home sales will most likely increase further. With the market starting to reshape itself, this quarter and the next will most likely define the new levels of pricing in Manhattan.

The market may be recovering, so take advantage while prices are low. This fall the market appears to be behaving much more normally than it has been over the past 12 turbulent months. Reports show that the number of listings added in Manhattan after Labor Day was similar to last year’s. This bode of confidence in the market shows that consumers are once again feeling comfortable enough to sell. This is good news for sellers—the steep decline has certainly subsided—but it does not mean that the market has returned to the way it was in its heyday. Although inventory has somewhat stabilized, sellers will not be getting the prices they received a year or two ago. New data suggests that asking prices are about 24 percent below levels last year at this time. According to 2nd Quarter 2009 real estate reports for Manhattan, the average sales price of condos is $1,598,000 and the average sales price of co-ops is $922,000—the lowest prices the city has seen in years.

Foreign investors: Listen up! The Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate has released a survey of its members and has ranked New York City the number one city in the world for real estate investment. The real estate downturn has made New York apartments and townhouses an incredible value for those who earn money in euros, Japanese yen, British pounds, Brazilian reals and other foreign currencies.

Making Waves Within the Industry

Hello and welcome to our blog! This space will be used to discuss New York City real estate market trends as well as to provide information that may be useful to potential buyers and sellers.

New York City has a history of real estate agencies that are a cut above the rest. Principals have a history of experience not only in real estate but in marketing, law, and finances. In accordance with these high standards, we have selected our top boutique agency that we predict will make waves within the industry.

Alfred Real Estate

Alfred Real Estate is a residential New York City firm dedicated to providing outstanding service to home rental and sales clients from all over the world. Alfred has exclusive listings and staff whose mission it is to find the top properties that exceed our clients expectations. Their brokers are native to the city and NY Manhattan real estate experts with 35 years in the business. Whether you are searching for apartments, condos, co-ops, townhouses, luxury living, new homes or developments, we have professionals available to meet your requirements.

Their brokers, Daniel Babush and Erica Bunin, have 30 years in the business. Erica was educated at Baruch College of the City University of New York where she graduated Cum Laude and received her Bachelor of Business Administration. She went on to earn her J.D. from Fordham University Law School. Erica has her license to practice law in the State of New York and worked as an attorney in a New York City law firm for 5 years. She was an attorney in Morgan Stanley Legal Department for 20 years where she was an Executive Director and head of a practice group in the litigation area. Once Erica earned her real estate broker’s license, it became clear that the cause of Erica’s success has definitely been her deep understanding of the market, sharp eye for value and keen negotiating skills; yet just as important is the honest, communicative, hands-on approach she delivers throughout the real estate process.

Dan was educated at New York University where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts and later attended University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Finance where he earned his Master of Business Administration. He was the Vice President of Citibank’s Real Estate Division from 1973 to 1985 where his Real estate broker’s license was attached on behalf of Citicorp Real Estate Inc. He has been a partner in a real estate brokerage, syndication, and consulting firm as well as an independent real estate broker in New York. Dan is a licensed member of the Real estate board of New York and has his real estate broker’s licensed. Dan is also the Founder and President of RentInRio.com, the leading vacation and relocation apartment rental firm for South America. Dan’s years of experience as a dedicated professional in the business have been complemented by his personal expertise as a buyer and seller of multiple homes. Armed with great knowledge and accurate information, Dan feels confident in guiding and educating clients so they make the soundest decisions possible.