In this podcast, Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, and his guests Barbara Blair, President of the Garment District Alliance, and Howard Raber, a Director in Investment Sales at Ariel, unpack the recently approved Midtown South Mixed-Use (MSMX) Plan, which replaces outdated manufacturing zoning with residential use. The Midtown South rezoning spans 42 blocks across four distinct quadrants—roughly between 23rd and 41st Streets and Fifth and Eighth Avenues—and is expected to create nearly 10,000 new homes, of which close to 3,000 will be permanently affordable.

Raber said that owners and developers are tremendously optimistic about the Midtown South rezoning plan because it will allow both office-to-residential conversions and ground-up residential developments. Blair noted that adding housing to the Garment District, when combined with the 54 existing hotels, will create a 24/7 live/work environment that will bring in better amenities and retail to the neighborhood.

Join Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, Partner Sean R. Kelly, Esq., and Director Stephen Vorvolakos, for an in-depth discussion of the state of Brooklyn's commercial real estate market. They analyze the market's robust performance, including $3.25 billion in total investment sales in 1H 2025, trends shaping investment strategies across the borough and other key findings from Ariel’s Brooklyn 2025 Mid-Year Commercial Real Estate Trends report.

Highlights include:

• In the first half of 2025, Brooklyn saw 282 multifamily transactions, totaling over $2 billion, representing a 10% and 14% increase respectively over the first half of 2024.
• Of the multifamily transactions, 51.45% were for buildings with fewer than six units, underscoring a consistent post-HSTPA (Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019) investment strategy of prioritizing smaller, tax class protected assets that primarily offer free-market, value-add opportunities, largely unburdened by rent stabilization regulations.
• Brooklyn’s development market was strong in the first half of 2025, with 68 transactions totaling $610 million and pricing that exceeded $300/BSF for the first time.
• City and state housing policies and rezonings, like in Gowanus and Atlantic Avenue, have created incentives for developers.
• Brooklyn saw a resurgence in the retail market, particularly in Williamsburg. Investments from entities like Acadia Realty and Empire State Realty Trust represent the most significant institutional investments in the Brooklyn retail market since before COVID.

In this episode of Coffee & Cap Rates, Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, discusses Ariel’s Bronx 2025 Mid-Year Commercial Real Estate Trends report with the Bronx market experts Senior Director Jason Gold and Director Daniel Mahfar.

Key findings include:

• The Bronx investment sales market experienced a significant recovery in the first half of 2025 with dollar volume rising to $1.07 billion and transactions to 126, year-over-year increases of 106% and 18%, respectively.
• Multifamily sales totaled $565 million across 60 transactions in 1H 2025, driven by investors seeking low-basis, high-cash-flow opportunities in rent-stabilized assets.
• The most significant rent stabilized transaction was the sale of Related Companies’ 36-
  building, 2,021-unit Bronx portfolio to PH Realty Capital LLC for $189 million, discounted from $253 million paid by Related in 2014.
• Dollar volume in the development market was up 50% year-over-year, as developers became more comfortable with the UAP City of Yes initiative and 485-x tax abatement to underwrite larger projects.

For a deeper dive, read the full report: Bronx 2025 Mid-Year Commercial Real Estate Trends report.

Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, Mike Tortorici, Founding Partner, Chris Brodhead, Senior Director, and Howard Raber, Director, unpack the findings of Ariel's Manhattan 2025 Mid- Year Commercial Real Estate Trends report. They discussed Manhattan's strong real estate performance in the first half of the year, with nearly $7 billion in dollar volume driven by the sale of exceptional Class A office, free market buildings, development sites and retail.

Key Manhattan report highlights include:

• Investors are paying top dollar for Class A office assets because high quality tenants are seeking buildings with amenities in great locations.
• The recently approved Midtown South rezoning could revitalize Class B and C office stock in the area due to the potential for office-to-residential conversions.
• The development market saw a significant upswing with the $/BSF reaching $488 in the first half of the year, a 15% improvement over the 2024 and the highest level since 2021.
• Strong rental fundamentals and the below-peak basis are attracting investors to free market buildings, which saw the average $/SF at just under $800, up 4% year-over-year but 27% lower than peak values.

In this episode, Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, reviews the latest trends in New York City’s multifamily market with Victor Sozio, Ariel Founding Partner, and Matthew Dzbanek, Senior Director in Capital Services. They discuss financing options and highlight findings from Ariel’s Q2 2025 Multifamily Quarter in Review New York City.

Key takeaways include:

•  Dollar volume rose to $2.3 billion in Q2 2025, up 11% from Q1 2025, while transactions fell 3% over the period to 293.
• Over 70% of the dollar volume and over 50% of the transactions were concentrated in affordable and rent stabilized assets.
• Related Companies sold a 36-building rent stabilized portfolio in the Bronx to PH Realty Capital LLC for $189 million, discounted from the $253 million Related paid for the same properties in 2014.
• Ariel arranged the sale of Ocean Park Apartments, a 602-unit affordable housing building in Far Rockaway to Tredway for $88 million.
• The bid/ask spread is tightening for rent stabilized assets because seller motivation has increased in recent quarters.
• Free market properties have started to increase in value but are still below peak.
• Financing for multifamily is getting more attractive.

Ariel Property Advisors hosted its summer Coffee and Cap Rates event on July 30th, sharing the latest trends in New York City’s investment sales market.

Over 250 NYC real estate professionals gathered for this live networking breakfast at TD Bank’s conference center at One Vanderbilt. The theme of the event was “Investing Through Change.”

Ralph Bumbaca, Regional President – Metro New York for TD Bank, moderated the panel of industry experts: Meredith Marshall, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at BRP Companies; Justin Pelsinger, Chief Operating Officer at Charney Companies; Jesse Hutcher, Managing Partner & Chief Investment Officer at Derby Copeland Capital; and Tom Ortinau, Head of Acquisitions at GFP Real Estate.

For more details on the event and to access our research reports, visit arielpa.nyc.

Ariel Property Advisors hosted its summer Coffee and Cap Rates event on July 30th, sharing the latest trends in New York City’s investment sales market.

Over 250 NYC real estate professionals gathered for this live networking breakfast at TD Bank’s conference center at One Vanderbilt. The theme of the event was “Investing Through Change.”

Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, opened the event with a comprehensive overview of New York City’s investment sales market and highlighted key insights from the firm’s recently published mid-year research reports.

For more details on the event and to access our research reports, visit arielpa.nyc.

In this episode of Coffee & Cap Rates, Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, and Ariel Partner, Sean R. Kelly, Esq., interview Justin Pelsinger, COO of Charney Companies, who will be one of the panelists at Ariel’s next Coffee & Cap Rates event 8:30-11 am on Wednesday, July 30. 

Pelsinger discussed how and why his firm became a pioneer developer in Gowanus and the recent acquisition by Charney and Tavros Capital of a vested 421-a site at 175 Third Street where the developers are planning 1,000 residences across approximately 1 million square feet. The project will be the fourth building in their Gowanus Wharf campus. When completed, Charney and Tavros will have developed and will own over 2 million square feet and 2,200 residences in Gowanus, making them the largest owner in the neighborhood. 

Pelsinger also discussed New York State’s new Housing Policy, which was approved last year, the old 421a tax abatement program versus the new 485x program, and how the 467-m tax incentive is encouraging office to residential conversions. 

In this episode of Coffee & Cap Rates, Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, explores key trends in the Bronx commercial real estate market with Senior Director Jason Gold and Director Daniel Mahfar. According to Ariel’s Bronx 2024 Year-End Commercial Real Estate Trends report, investment sales in the borough declined 33% to $1.23 billion, while transactions held steady at 220.

Despite the overall slowdown, development sales surged 39% to $363.1 million across 59 transactions, fueled by the extension of 421a, the introduction of 485x, and the Bronx Metro-North Station Area Plan, which rezoned a 46-block area around four future stations. Development pricing rose 9% to $107/BSF and new building filings jumped 112% year-over-year in Q3 2024. 

Meanwhile, multifamily sales struggled, falling 59% to $457.9 million, even as transactions rose 10% to 90. High interest rates and the Bronx’s heavily regulated multifamily market contributed to the decline.

For more insights, check out Ariel’s Bronx 2024 Year-End Commercial Real Estate Trends report.

In this podcast, Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, discusses Ariel’s Brooklyn 2024 Year-End Commercial Real Estate Trends report with Brooklyn experts Partner Sean R. Kelly, Esq., and Director Stephen Vorvolakos. Overall, the dollar volume of investment sales in Brooklyn rose to $7.15 billion in 2024, a 37% increase compared to 2023, and transactions increased 5% to 890 year-over-year. 

Mr. Vorvolakos said nearly 50% of the dollar volume in Brooklyn last year was in the multifamily sector, which totaled $3.5 billion, a 59% increase from 2023. He noted that investors last year shied away from rent stabilized assets but were attracted to smaller tax-class protected multifamily properties that were fully free market. Also, brick and mortar retail came back in a big way with $641.5 million in sales including Empire State Realty Trust’s acquisition of the L3 Capital Commercial Portfolio in Williamsburg for $143 million, or $2,050/SF. Mr. Kelly noted that development sales increased 10% to $1.33 billion. After the new Housing Policy approved last year introduced the 485x tax abatement, developers returned to the market making bids and chasing assets. 

Finally, industrial increased 59% to $1.1 billion, as last mile logistics remained a driving force in that market. More information is available in Ariel’s Brooklyn 2024 Year-End Commercial Real Estate Trends report.

In this podcast, Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, interviews Ariel’s Manhattan experts Michael Tortorici, Founding Partner; Chris Brodhead, Senior Director, and Howard Raber, Director, about the Manhattan market in 2024.

According to Ariel Property Advisors’ Manhattan 2024 Year-End Commercial Real Estate Trends report, investment sales in Manhattan rose to $15.75 billion across 378 transactions, a 38% and 22% increase, respectively, compared to 2023. The office market rebounded, recording $5.1 billion in sales, a 74% year-over-year increase. Of the 55 office transactions, five were for Class A office buildings with the remainder for Class B and C properties. Multifamily sales rose 11% from 2023 to $3.44 billion in 2024, and transactions increased slightly to 182. Average pricing for multifamily properties dropped to $679/SF in 2024, while average cap rates increased from 5.24% to 6.23%. The report showed the most robust dollar and transaction volume since 2019. Development sales totaled $3.2 billion in 2024, a 121% increase from 2023, and transactions totaled 60, an 82% increase over this period. New City and State housing policies encouraged office to residential conversions, which accounted for approximately $2.3 billion of the development sales in 2024. Tourism surged in New York City in 2024, but Manhattan hotel sales fell 18% year-over-year to $1.47 billion last year. Finally, retail sales jumped 48% to $2.23 billion in 2024, and transaction volume rose 54% to 57 trades.

Join Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, as he delves into Ariel’s 2024 Multifamily Research Report with Founding Partner Victor Sozio and Senior Director of Capital Services Matt Swerdlow. 

In 2024, New York City’s multifamily market saw $8.91 billion in sales across 1,107 transactions, marking year-over-year increases of 14% in dollar volume and 4% in transactions. Rent-stabilized properties, which comprised 29% of the market, faced continued pressure due to high leverage, rising expenses and the lingering impact of HSTPA—leading some owners to consider 610 amendments for affordable housing conversions. Meanwhile, free market assets dominated in Manhattan and Brooklyn and attracted strong lender interest citywide. 

For deeper insights, explore Ariel’s research 2024 Multifamily Year In Review New York City. 

This podcast is a recording of the panel Ralph Bumbaca, Regional President – Metro New York for TD Bank, moderated at Ariel's February 5th Coffee & Cap Rates event hosted by TD Bank. 

The panel of affordable housing experts Eli S. Weiss, Principal of Joy Construction; Tell Metzger, SVP of Equity Investments at Community Preservation Corporation; and Brendan McBride, Senior Development Director at Gilbane Development Company shared their unique perspective on New York City’s commercial real estate market, with a particular focus on new housing policies and opportunities in the affordable multifamily sector.

Over 200 NYC real estate professionals attended the networking breakfast held at TD Bank’s conference center at One Vanderbilt. More information about the event is available here.

This podcast is a recording of the overview of the New York City investment sales market and key insights from Ariel Property Advisor’s newly released end-of-year research reports that Shimon Shkury, Ariel’s President and Founder, presented at the firm’s February 5th Coffee & Cap Rates event hosted by TD Bank. Over 200 NYC real estate professionals attended the networking breakfast held at TD Bank’s conference center at One Vanderbilt. More information about the event is available here.

In his latest podcast, Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, explored the challenges facing owners of rent stabilized buildings with guests Kenny Burgos, CEO of New York Apartment Association, a landlord group created by the merger of the Rent Stabilization Association (RSA) and Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP), and Matt Engel, President of Langsam Property Services Corp. and one of the executive members of the New York Apartment Association. Topics included the impact of the 2019 HSTPA regulation on rent stabilized properties; the need for the government to incentivize private investment in rent stabilized buildings; rising expenses to operate buildings including insurance costs and unfunded mandates approved by elected officials; how tenants are affected negatively when living conditions deteriorate due to the lack of investment in properties; and the need for government and the private sector to collaborate to identify solutions.

Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, Michael Tortorici, Founding Partner, and Sean R. Kelly, Esq. Partner, discuss highlights from the recently approved City of Yes for Housing Opportunity plan, which will add more than 80,000 new apartments over 15 years and invest $5 billion in infrastructure updates and housing. The partners explore how the new initiative will add housing in neighborhoods throughout New York City, increase the density of some development sites, promote office conversions, allow new development on large campuses and much more. A summary of the City of Yes is available here.

Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, Victor Sozio, Founding Partner, and Matt Dzbanek, Senior Director in Capital Markets, explore trends in the multifamily market and discuss Ariel’s Q3 2024 Multifamily Quarter in Review New York City research report in this podcast.

Among the topics: there were $2.33 billion in multifamily sales in Q3 2024, a 17% decline from Q2 2024; of the total sales, $1.27 billion of the trades were in Manhattan below 96th Street; multifamily assets are offering investors a buying opportunity today because values have fallen across all segments; mortgage maturities are forcing sales, while sales based on strategic decisions are focused on equity reallocation; interest rates remain elevated, which is leaving owners reluctant to transact due to the uncertainty of achieving desired values; affordable housing remains desirable when it’s available; and more buyers, sellers and lenders are expected to return to the market in 2025.

In this podcast, Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, interviews Ariel’s Manhattan experts Michael Tortorici, Founding Partner; Chris Brodhead, Senior Director, and Howard Raber, Director, about what they’re seeing in the Manhattan market. They discuss how mortgage maturities are driving transactions, the increase in rent stabilized multifamily sales, condo development trends, office to residential conversions and housing policies including the City of Yes.

According to Ariel Property Advisors’ Manhattan 2024 Mid-Year Commercial Real Estate Trends report, investment sales in Manhattan in 1H 2024 rose to $5.8 billion over 167 transactions, a 14% and 16% increase, respectively, compared to 2H 2023, Average pricing for multifamily properties dropped by 15% from $722/SF in 2023 to $611/SF in 1H 2024, while average cap rates increased from 5.24% to 6.19%. The report showed that development sales totaled $1.12 billion in 1H 2024, a 128% increase from 2H 2023, and transactions totaled 28, an 115% increase over this period. Office to residential conversions accounted for approximately 50% of the development dollar volume. 

This podcast is a recording of the panel Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, moderated at Ariel’s July 31st Coffee & Cap Rates event hosted by TD Bank.

Sharing their perspectives on the commercial real estate industry with an emphasis on the development market were panelists Ralph Bumbaca, NYC Market President - TD Bank; Christopher V. Albanese, President - Albanese Organization; and Jasper Wu, Vice President - ZD Jasper. Over 200 NYC real estate professionals attended this networking breakfast held at TD Bank’s conference center at One Vanderbilt.

More information about the event is available here.

In this podcast, Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, discusses Ariel’s Brooklyn 2024 Mid-Year Commercial Real Estate Trends report with Brooklyn experts Partner Sean R. Kelly, Esq., and Director Stephen Vorvolakos.
 
Overall, investment sales in Brooklyn rose to $3.36 billion in 1H 2024, a 43% increase compared to 2H 2023 and 18% increase compared to 1H 2023. In the multifamily market, Mr. Vorvolakos said owners are adjusting their pricing, which is creating opportunities for investors. The average cap rate rose to 6.48% in 1H 2024, the highest level since 2012, which can be attributed to elevated interest rates and uncertainty about new regulations. In the development market, Mr. Kelly said the new 485x tax incentive, the successor to 421a, is breathing new life back into the development market. Also, local developers are partnering with institutional capital and building farther into the borough.

More details about the Brooklyn market are available in the Brooklyn 2024 Mid-Year Commercial Real Estate Trends report.

This podcast is a recording of the overview of the New York City investment sales market and key findings from Ariel Property Advisor’s mid-year research reports that Shimon Shkury, Ariel’s President and Founder, presented at the firm’s July 31st Coffee & Cap Rates event hosted by TD Bank. Over 200 NYC real estate professionals attended the networking breakfast held at TD Bank’s conference center at One Vanderbilt. 

More information about the event is available here.

In this podcast, Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, discusses the findings in Ariel’s Mid-Year Bronx report with Jason Gold, Senior Director, and Daniel Mahfar, Director.

Overall, the dollar volume of investment sales in the Bronx rose 13% to $445 million in 1H 2024 compared to 2H 2023, according to Ariel’s Bronx 2024 Mid-Year Commercial Real Estate Trends report. Transactions fell 10% to 90 for this period. Compared to 2H 2023, multifamily dollar volume increased by 38% in 1H 2024 from 2H 2023 for a total of $208.5 million. Transaction volume declined by three transactions to 36 over the same period. A total of 33 development site transactions were recorded in the first six months of 2024 totaling $166.4 million, which marked a 50% and 86% increase, respectively, compared to H2 2023.

The podcast participants noted that development is expected to increase in the Bronx because of the 485x tax abatement, which was part of the new housing policy, and a major rezoning in the Bronx, which is expected to produce new housing along 46 blocks surrounding the new Metro North stations in the Parkchester, Van Nest, and Morris Park neighborhoods. More information is available in the Bronx 2024 Mid-Year Commercial Real Estate Trends report.

Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, discusses Ariel’s latest multifamily research report with Victor Sozio, Founding Partner, and Matt Swerdlow, Senior Director in Capital Markets. Mortgage maturities were one of the drivers in the multifamily market in the second quarter with dollar volume jumping 108% quarter-over-quarter to $2.83 billion and transactions rising 4% to 265. The future looks even better for the multifamily market as Treasuries have fallen below 4% and the market expects the Fed to cut rates at its next meeting in September. More information is available in Ariel’s research Q2 2024 Multifamily Quarter in Review: New York City.

On this podcast, Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, and Ben Schlegel, Director of Capital Services at Ariel, discuss financing options in today’s commercial real estate market. Schlegel notes that despite higher for longer interest rates, capital is available for deals that make sense financially including private money, CMBS loans and preferred equity and mezzanine debt.

On this podcast, Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, discusses the overall financial health of rent stabilized buildings in New York City with Jay Martin, Executive Director of the Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP), a landlord advocacy group, and Matt Engel, President of Langsam Property Services Corp., an owner/operator, and Chairman of CHIP.

The topics include rising interest rates, post-Covid collections, property taxes, the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act (HSTPA) of 2019 and the state’s new housing policy, which tweaked HSTPA by slightly increasing Individual Apartment Improvement caps for rent stabilized apartments. A summary of the state’s new housing policy is available here.