Posted by Leonard Steinberg on June 15th, 2014 Yesterday while touring the magnificent HUDSON WOODS development in the Catskills, a simply beautiful 130-acre development of DWELL-editorial-quality homes designed by Drew Lang and represented by James Cox and Frank Giordano of URBAN COMPASS, I spotted something that could be part of the solution to the turmoil that… [Read More]
NUMBER OF US MILLIONAIRE HOUSEHOLDS RISES 18%, CHINA UP 82%!
Posted by Leonard Steinberg on June 11th, 2014 For anyone worried that there may not be enough buyers for luxury New York apartments, take a deep breath. The Boston Consulting Group has determined that the number of millionaire households in the US grew by 18% last year from 2012. The total number of millionaire households in… [Read More]
560 WEST 24th STREET – WE LOVE THIS BUILDING!
Posted by Leonard Steinberg on June 7th, 2014 I cannot help but gush over this exquisite building currently under construction in the heart of West Chelsea: Its location is superb, perched aside 200 Eleventh Avenue across the street from Gagosian Gallery, between the Hudson River Park and the Highline Park, around the corner from AVENUE’S SCHOOL…..and… [Read More]
$500,000 for 15 CAMERAS: GOVERNMENT AT ITS VERY WORST?
Posted on June 4th, 2014 by Leonard Steinberg After the horrific stabbing of 2 young kids in the public housing buildings Boulevard Houses, Mayor De Blasio spoke up about the inefficiency of government to install cameras which are an outstanding deterrent and effective tool to capture perpetrators of such awful crimes. A $500,000 contract for… [Read More]
THE BEGINNING OF A NEW CHAPTER
Posted on June 2nd, 2014 Dear Friends: Today marks a historic day as I begin my role as President of URBAN COMPASS. We have always been at the forefront of the New York Real Estate industry, always with an eye towards the future of real estate: in URBAN COMPASS we see the future. URBAN COMPASS… [Read More]
INFORMATION WITHOUT INSIGHT – MANHATTAN PRICING DROP?
Posted by Leonard Steinberg on May 30th, 2014 Todays screeching headlines generated by a report from STREETEASY that Manhattan condominium prices registered their biggest monthly decrease in almost four years last month is further proof that information without insight is useless. According to the Streeteasy report, the median condo price fell 1.4% in April to… [Read More]
THE DEMISE OF CRESTRON: WILL APPLE CONTROL YOUR HOME?
Posted by Leonard Steinberg on May 27th, 2014 Apple, the creator of all things cool and simple-to-use, is planning to introduce a smart home concept at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference, according to The Financial Times. The company is planning to showcase a system that lets users control their lights, appliances and security systems with their… [Read More]
FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS DWINDLE HIGHLIGHTING INFLATION FARCE
Posted by Leonard Steinberg on May 25th, 2014 First-time buyers are a diminishing sector of the housing market and now account for about 16% of new-home purchases, down from 25% – 28% between 2001 and 2007, according to the National Association of Home Builders. In the existing-home market, first-time buyers accounted for 29% of purchases in April:… [Read More]
BROKER ETHICAL STANDARDS
Posted by Leonard Steinberg on May 24th, 2014 I am always impressed by the public emphasis real estate leaders place on honesty and strong ethics in the real estate industry: I am nevertheless ceaselessly disappointed in how poorly these ethics are policed. The silence is deafening. And silence is the equivalent of an endorsement of bad behavior… [Read More]
THE DEATH OF THE DINING ROOM?
Posted by Leonard Steinberg on May 23rd, 2014 This morning’s Wall Street Journal addresses the demise of the dining room in luxury homes: I wouldn’t be too fast in making this call. There is certainly a strong argument to be made that in large cities when confronted with high space costs the choice to have… [Read More]