Amazon's Long Island City Base Will Increase Residential Property Prices Dramatically According to PropertyShark

Amazon has finally decided on a new headquarters for their operations.  Instead on just deciding on just one location, they have decided on dividing it up with one location in Arlington, Virginia and another right here in Long Island City.  There have been numerous prognosticators discussing the implications on the move.  Some have not been positive.  What has been a consensus is that the interest in Long Island City and surrounding areas will be heightened.  A new article by PropertyShark shares their insight on what they are expecting for the future of the area surrounding the Amazon HQ.

There has been an increase in interest in Long Island City, Astoria and Sunnyside.  Point2Homes indicated that there was 198% increase in page view in Long Island City.  Residential neighborhoods around Amazon's headquarters will boom at a high pace but also neighborhoods around the subway 7 line will see increase in residential home prices as well.  Matthew Haines, real estate investor and founder of PropertyShark states “Prices along various subway lines are going to rise by 25-40%. Neighborhoods that have been stable for generations are going to get gentrified and existing residents pushed out.” 

Long Island City itself has seen a 35% increase in home prices in the last 5 years reaching a peak of $435,000 in 2017.  PropertyShark expects prices to increase at a more accelerated pace with a higher demand.  Hunter's Point they believe will see average prices hit $1 million in the near future.
Another result of Amazon's move and increased property prices will be gentrification of areas that have remained the same for many decades.  Matthew Haines explains “Until now the 7 train and the communities surrounding its stations haven’t really seen the gentrification and increase in price that other lines like the N, E and F serving Queens or any of the lines serving Brooklyn, even if commutes into Manhattan were significantly longer on those lines.  Suddenly the 7 train is going to be discovered.  Prices are going to swing in the other direction, from relatively affordable (for NYC) to very high.".  Neighborhoods that were pointed out with being impacted are Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, Corona Downtown Flushing.  Further out, Richmond Hill, Forest Hills and Rego Park will be affected.

Blue Harbour Property Management is a full service NYC property management company servicing the boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx.  Whether it be a 1 bedroom condo or multi-family building we are able to assist our clients maximize their investments.

http://www.blueharbourpropertymanagement.com/amazons-long-island-city-base-will-increase-residential-property-prices-dramatically-according-to-propertyshark/

Violations of Loft Law Put Landlords In Jeopardy Throughout NYC

A new article by Real Estate Weekly highlights the jeopardy landlords are placed in by violating the Loft Laws.  As many as 339 buildings throughout the City are sanctioned as a result of the law and 264 buildings lack a Certificate of Occupancy meaning that tenants can withhold rent until the buildings are brought up to code.  This has led to many landlords not receiving rent for years resulting in bankruptcies, pre-emptive sales and buyouts by tenants.  It has also led to deteriorating conditions in the buildings due to revenue not being produced to fix repairs.

According to the article, the states interim multiple dwelling (IMD), has given tenants of illegally-converted lofts a tremendous amount of leverage over the process of getting the units compliant with the law.  Property owners have complained about renters not assisting with allowing access to the units for the necessary fixes.  Also tenants must agree to the improvements that must be made by the landlords.  Landlords have nine months to complete the first phase of compliance, which includes compiling reports about the present state of the building and how it will look once improvements are made.  Jason Frosch, a Loft Law specialist at the law firm Borah Goldstein says that a building owner on average will have a year to obtain a certificate of occupancy before tenants can go on perpetual rent strike. However, since most of them former factories and warehouses that’s nearly impossible to do. He states that “the requirements of the Loft Law are costly and time-consuming.  The law doesn’t acknowledge that reality and it requires owners to front those costs while allowing the tenants to deprive them of a revenue stream that is necessary to pay those costs by withholding rent. And it creates a perverse incentive for certain tenants to delay the process and obtain a windfall for doing so."

The IMD drafted in the 1980's was initially aimed warehouses in Soho, Chelsea and Tribeca.  The new updates to the IMD from 2010 also targets warehouses in what is deemed industrial sites located in Williamsburg, Dumbo, Bushwick, Bed-Stuy, Fort Greene, Park Slope and Long Island City.
Senator Martin Malavé Dilan, a Democrat from northern Brooklyn has introduced a bill allowing owners more time to make improvements before tenants could withhold rent. That bill was not voted for by the legislature and owners are hoping that they will open a special session to vote on it.  It is uncertain whether they would have the votes to have it pass at this time.

Blue Harbour Property Management is a full service NYC property management company servicing the boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx.  Whether it be a 1 bedroom condo or multi-family building we are able to assist our clients maximize their investments.

http://www.blueharbourpropertymanagement.com/violations-of-loft-law-put-landlords-in-jeopardy-throughout-nyc/

Queens County Is Seeing A Housing Boom Increasing Affordable Housing Options Throughout The Borough

The New York Post recently published an article highlighting something that many have known for years.  That is that Queens County has increased options of housing with new construction happening all throughout the borough.  The article indicates that middle class families are finding relief in Queens as rental prices have remained moderate due to increased apartment choices.  Queens has always been an affordable option in NYC as median rent is an estimated $600 less than other areas of the city.  The NYC Economic Development Corp. (NYCEDC) registered 2,847 new housing units in February, with 1,234 of those in Queens.  This is 43% of all housing units in the city and a 300% increase for the last 12 months preceding.

Long Island City has been the center of the housing boom for the borough, however other areas are seeing new developments as well.  According to construction data analyzed RentCafe in June 2017, Long Island City led the nation in most new apartments since 2010.  The neighborhood had 66% more apartments built than the 2nd placed locale.

Queens Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Grech said of housing starts “we’ve been waiting for someone to notice this for a while. Queens has become very popular, and it is a low-cost housing alternative for many in the city. We have, as we speak, between 20,000 and 40,000 housing units being built in a cluster in Long Island City as well as in certain parts of Jamaica, which is also an up-and-coming area.”

Most recently Curbed New York highlighted the development boom in and around Jamaica, Queens.  The 15 new projects is overall impressive and the centerpiece project is The Crossing at Jamaica Station.  The project will have 669 affordable housing units across two buildings adjacent to the Long Island Railroad Station hub.  Clearly these are major changes that will change the landscape of the borough for decades to come.

Blue Harbour Property Management is a full service NYC property management company servicing the boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx.  Whether it be a 1 bedroom condo or multi-family building we are able to assist our clients maximize their investments.

http://www.blueharbourpropertymanagement.com/queens-county-is-seeing-a-housing-boom-increasing-affordable-housing-options-throughout-the-borough/

NY Has Most Apartments Under Construction Nationwide; NYC Remains Alluring to Renters As Economy Grows

GlobeSt.com is reporting that New York has more than 60,000 apartment units under construction and that’s the most out of any city that CoStar Group has been tracking nationwide.  CoStar is a provider of information, analytics and marketing services to the commercial real estate industry in the United States founded in 1987.  In an in-depth interview with CoStar Group analyst Lauren Baker many interesting tidbits of the state of New York City apartment renting came into light.  CoStar reports that the since the economy is growing, we should see a healthy rental market for years to come.  Here is some highlights of the interview:

“People want to live where they are working, so office construction drives residential properties, and all of these companies want to be in Manhattan,” says Baker. “Highly educated, younger people, 24 to 35-year-olds with a bachelor’s degree are moving into Manhattan.” In contrast, the outer areas in the state of New York have been decreasing in population.

The financial sector accounts for more that one-quarter of total wages paid and there is expansions by private equity investors, M&A and hedge funds.  The growth in the financial sector has been higher that the national average however they have been seeing some of the bigger banks still laying off employees and reducing bonuses.  However they do believe that with the profits of the six largest US banks substantially growing with deregulation assisting there may be a greater jump in the sector.  

Media and technology will be the stimulus of the city’s future economic growth according to CoStars NYC 2017 multifamily market report as it as been growing for the last 3 decades. Eighty six percent of tech job are in Manhattan but firms are beginning to set up in Brooklyn and Queens as well.  As more people are moving in these industries we are seeing more units being built in places like Long Island City located in Queens and Brooklyn.  More than 8,000 housing units are under construction in Long Island City which is the most in any submarket in the US according to Baker.  She also says “There’s a ton of multifamily units being constructed currently, especially in the outer boroughs.”

The outer boroughs offering lower prices, larger apartment sizes and more amenities.
At the end of the day, NYC will remain an attractive area for renters to be moving to.  Baker states “New York is New York. It’s not going anywhere. People want to live here. It’s proven time over time. It doesn’t matter how many units are built. People want to live here at the end of the day.”

 Blue Harbour Property Management is a full service NYC property management company servicing the boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx.  Whether it be a 1 bedroom condo or multi-family building we are able to assist our clients maximize their investments.

http://www.blueharbourpropertymanagement.com/ny-apartments-construction-nationwide-nyc-remains-alluring-renters-economy-grows/