Boroughs & Burbs, the National Real Estate Conversation

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Townhouses are considered by many Manhattanites to be “beachfront property.” Townhouses are rare and offer a unique experience. They offer privacy and control of one’s environment, but are there downsides? At the beginning of the last decade, the market for houses was booming, but by 2015 they had peaked, and deflation of their value began...why? Are they back? Houses in Manhattan only make up a small portion of the housing stock; conversely, in Brooklyn they are plentiful. What makes these markets different? How are the houses themselves different? No two seem alike. What’s the difference between a townhouse, a brownstone, and a mansion? The taxes from one house to another seems arbitrary, Why? We will discuss these topics and many more. 

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🙎🏻‍♂️ Terry Naini is a seasoned professional marketer, consultant, and sales broker in Brooklyn & Manhattan. She is often sought after for her breadth of knowledge of the marketplace as well as her strategic approach. Terry's prior training in business management as well as molecular biology have sharpened her ability to think critically and enabled her to effectively advise her clients. "The quiet storm. "Terry's the broker you thought couldn't exist - warm, open, knowledgeable and straight forward." - Adam Freed & Ken Ohashi "Much like a family physician, Terry is our family broker." - Laurie Simmons "The closer." - Glen & Tanya Luchford Terry lives in Downtown Brooklyn with her husband, their two girls, and lovely dog.

🙎🏻‍♂️ David Kornmeier. With over 18 years of experience at Brown Harris Stevens, David Kornmeier is a consistent top producer, ranked multiple times among the top 10 brokers in Manhattan and top 50 nationwide by The Wall Street Journal/ Real Trends. David has established himself as a creative and meticulous broker, closing many complex transactions all over Manhattan. A majority of David’s business comes from repeat clients and referrals. His strong referral network is one of the reasons that David was the youngest top producer in the history of the firm. Sellers and buyers appreciate David’s value-added approach. 

David’s recent notable sales include: 
 - A $47,000,000 Upper West Side Condominium 
 - A $32,000,000 Greenwich Village Townhouse represented the all-time highest price for a townhome in downtown Manhattan. 
 - A $28,600,000 Boutique Hotel in Midtown 
 - A $25,000,000 West Village Townhouse that set an all-time price per foot record of $4,821 per foot for a townhouse in downtown Manhattan. This property is also the 2nd highest price per foot ever achieved for a townhouse in all of New York City. 
 - A $19,500,000 Fifth Avenue Condominium 
 - A $14,500,000 Upper West Side Townhouse is the record sale for the highest-priced Upper West Side townhouse that was not on a Central Park block.

🧑🏻‍💼 Season 2 of Boroughs and Burbs: 3 episodes beginning Oct 7, 2021

🎬 e1: "How's the Market Right Now?" (Lisa Lippman and Rob Johnson) 
🎬 e2: "Am I A Brand?" (Matt Leone and Chris Halstead) 

🧑🏻‍💼 Season 1 of Boroughs and Burbs: 28 episodes total ending May 20, 2021

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We are excited to share with you our weekly wide-ranging zoom conversation with real estate experts from around our area. We were joined by Scott Hobbs of Hobbs Inc this week, and the conversation is always hosted by John Engel in Connecticut and Roberto Cabrera in New York.

📑📑 We talk about:
- what the top agents in New York and Connecticut are seeing and hearing 
- which neighborhoods and towns are poised to take off, which ones could crash 
- where top agents are finding new business as the landscape shifts and we see the new imbalance in the market 

📑📑 You should listen if:
- You are a real estate agent looking to pick up new business and good ideas from top experts 
- You are thinking about moving to New York City in order to take advantage of recent price drops
- You are thinking about moving out of New York City and want the straight skinny on Connecticut, New Jersey, Long Island, and Westchester suburbs
- Your career depends on the real estate market and connecting with top realtors

🙎🏻‍♂️ Roberto Cabrera - With 20 years of experience, I have been recognized throughout the industry for achieving outstanding results: Ranked nationally by REAL Trends as one of "America's Best Real Estate Agents” for avg. the sales price of $4.350M. Sold a single-family Townhouse faster than any other on the Upper West Side over $10M. I live with my wife and daughter on the Upper West Side, the neighborhood I have called home for the past 23 years. After graduating with a degree in Mathematical Economics from Hampden-Sydney College, the 10th oldest school in the country, I spent 5 years in Washington, DC working as a financial consultant. I also studied at The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts and I’m a former actor who once moonlighted as a stand-up comedian. Many years ago, I authored APPLE PIE - The Real Ingredients for Buying and Selling Your Slice. 

🙎🏻‍♂️ #John_Engel is a consistently top-producing agent in Fairfield County, Connecticut. John recently won the 2019 Realtor of the Year Award in New Canaan where he is currently the Chairman of the Town Council. John also brings an insight into internet-based marketing that is unsurpassed. Before going into real estate he was the founder of two successful internet businesses, Paper.com and e-Media for which he won the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year Award. After graduating, he served as an officer in the U.S. Army and spent some time leading a military intelligence platoon on the front lines of the first Gulf War. He currently lives in New Canaan with his wife Melissa and four children. 

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⏩⏩ Join us. every THURSDAY 4pm to 5pm EST. Use the Meeting ID: 921 3593 1351 
⏩⏩ https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYsdOyhrTopH9UTQYYoMajmM0ZKBhNrtn8a

🎬 Watch the whole first season on Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLn0GRA-Kf96kZyqcZligAocCKCaNoZP8q

 Watch Our Second Season:
🎬 Boroughs & Burbs (S2:E1) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40b-T5Y_wN0&t=84s
🎬 Boroughs & Burbs (S2:E2) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZS3qJeWHbE&t=97s
🎬 Boroughs & Burbs (S2:E3) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sA7D6gZLBI&t=18s


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#current_real_estate_market #John_Engel #CT #top_real_estate_agent

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David Genovese and David Waldman, Laura Budd and Tucker Murphy on the "Future of Downtown" in Darien, Westport and New Canaan, Connecticut

We have all read about the bleak future of suburban downtown and particularly retail. "It's too hard to park"  and "The landlords ruined it by raising rents" and "There are no mom and pop shops" and "Amazon killed it" and "It's lost its charm"  More recently the work-from-home phenomenon has led people to wonder about the future of office space. And yet despite these problems our restaurants are having record-setting business, retail vacancy rates are below 5% and workers are returning to the office. Or are they?

Our first two guests are two of the biggest change-agents in Fairfield County. While others may manage more square feet, their projects seek to define the future of two of our most beloved towns, Darien and Westport. These two men are transforming the downtowns while recognizing the challenges of creating transit-oriented development, pedestrian-friendly, with a collection of attractive buildings set around beautifully-designed and well-maintained public spaces in the heart of their respective downtowns – all with just the right mix of curated retail, restaurants and other businesses, and the addition of residential housing and office use. 

Laura Budd and Tucker Murphy are Directors of the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce and for the last decade their jobs have been "to connect the community with commerce". When I want to know what merchants are thinking or where rents are moving, I ask them. So, of course we asked them to help us get the most out of this hour, to get to the bottom of the Future of Downtown.

David A. Waldman is responsible for re-developing and managing over 800,000 square feet of office and retail space, primarily in downtown Westport. David founded David Adam Realty in 1991. His focus has been on maintaining and expanding his portfolio as well as retail leasing in Downtown Westport. He is currently Vice President of the Westport Downtown Merchants Association (WDMA) and heads the Capital Improvement Committee, a group he has been affiliated with since 1998. Previously he has served as President from 2004-2006. David is currently spearheading an initiative to beautify and revitalize the Main Street area. David also sits on the Board of the Plan Implementation Committee (PIC) whose mission has been to revitalize Downtown Westport since 2008. David and his wife currently sit on the board of The Advisory Council to the Campaign to Establish an International Center for Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome. David graduated from Syracuse University, Bachelor of Arts in Child Psychology in 1991. He is also a member of ICSC.

R. David Genovese is adding 116 luxury apartments, 12 units of housing purpose-built for adults with developmental disabilities, 85,000 square feet of Class A office space, and nearly 100,000 square feet of retail, restaurant & fitness space in Darien. David founded Baywater Properties in 2001, following a 12-year career in real estate investment banking in New York and London. Prior to founding Baywater, David served as Co-Head of Real Estate Investment Banking for Credit Suisse First Boston. Previously, David served as a Managing Director in Bankers Trust Company's Real Estate Investment Banking Group. David is an honors graduate of Colby College and The London School of Economics and Political Science. David also received an MBA from The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania. David is currently a member of the Board of Directors of The Human Services Council of Norwalk, the Darien Athletic Foundation and The Real Estate Finance Association of Connecticut. David has served as a member of the Board of Overseers of Colby College, and as a board member of the Darien Technology and Community

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Season 2: Episode 2:  Matt Leone, Chief Marketing Officer gets honest about branding. We ask the person responsible for building a "hip" Halstead brand, and now for reinventing the 150-year old Brown Harris Stevens brand, how does he build a 21st Century brand in an era where...

Every Agent Thinks They Are Building a Personal Brand

If every agent is supposed to be shooting videos, publishing on Instagram, and creatively writing a real-estate blog, where does the agent's corporate brand fit into all of that? Building a brand that makes sense of 2000+ individual agents, each with their own personality, is hard work. What does it take to build a brand representing thousands of very different agents across very different markets in 4 states? How can you be all things to all people? How do we know when the brand is successful versus individual agent success? What did you learn from creating the Halstead brand that applies (and does not apply) when considering the Brown Harris Stevens brand? How does a mostly New York City brand evolve to include high-end suburbs of Manhattan like the Hamptons, Miami, Montclair and Westport? 

Our second guest is Chris Halstead, newly appointed in Connecticut as Executive Sales Director. We want to ask him many of these same questions from the perspective of someone charged with growing the suburban business. Following an initial career track in on the account management side for a leading global advertising agency, Chris transitioned to real estate in 2009, opting to carry the torch and continue to build upon the family legacy. Since that turning point, he has catapulted himself out of the gate and into the swift-paced NYC market. His star rose quickly and his professional acumen has already garnered him a seat at the table reserved for NYC’s “Top 5% Real Estate Producers.”  Now, responsible for the success of over 250 agents in Connecticut, he must  leverage what he's learned to make every one of those agents more successful. Chris, we want to know how does a successful New York agent make the transition to Connecticut? What is the biggest challenge your agents face? How are successful Connecticut agents adapting to a changing market in the post-covid era?

Just a few of the topics we'd like to explore:

- Let's explore corporate branding versus the personal branding of agents.

- How do you establish consistent brand messaging across five states and then reinforce brand standards across 55 offices and over 2,300 agents?

- Critical mass. How important is it to be a big firm with a global presence?

- How do we measure the effectiveness of our real-estate branding?

- Talk about the importance of brand partnerships, such as with the New York Yankees & Audi

- Brown Harris Stevens was established in 1873. Why is that important when some of our newest competitors were only invented yesterday?

Binge watch the whole season on Youtube. 
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This is our first show of Season 2 where we talk to Lisa Lippman and Rob Johnson, the top agents in New York and Connecticut to get at the truth behind what just happened in 2021 and where the market is heading in 2022.

The last time we talked to these agents the New York Times was writing about "The Great Collapse of 2020" saying that "rent in Manhattan had fallen to a level not seen since 2010" blah, blah, blah.

Well, a lot can happen in a year. The New York and Connecticut real estate markets have been vastly altered, some say permanently, as we emerge from the pandemic with new attitudes about housing and the economy.

What can we believe? Let's ask two experts in the market.

Lisa Lippman  has 37 listings right now, 5 of them over $10 million. Ranked #1 at Brown Harris Stevens most recently and for the last four years in a row — 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 and consistently in the top 50 Brokers in the USA, she has been a top producing broker for over 23 years.

Rob Johnson has 8 listings right now including the most expensive listing in New Canaan. He has been the top producing agent at Brown Harris Stevens in Greenwich for the last 3 years, as well as the top producing agent in all of Connecticut for Brown Harris Stevens in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

How Do We Make Sense of These Ten Headlines?

1. Here’s where NYC’s real estate market stands right now (NYPost) 
2. Manhattan is not only back, it’s surging to pre-COVID levels (NYPost) 
3. NYC is Still A Buyer's Market [but the pendulum is swinging] (Bloomberg) 
4. Understanding The Record Absorption Of Manhattan's New Development (Forbes) 
5. Listings that linger may present opportunity (NYT) 
6. Buyers, Act Fast And Be Bold: Today’s Real Estate Market Doesn’t Wait For Anyone (Forbes) 
7. After a Years-Long Slump, New York Townhouse Sales Picked up in the Pandemic (Mansion Global) 
8. Hot Manhattan Markets: Influx Of Demand Spurs Deal Activity In Morningside Heights, UES (Forbes) 
9. Rental price trends are stabilizing, causing tenants to lock in longer leases (Crain's)
10. Last Week in Research (Greg Heym - Chief Economist for BHS)

Boroughs and Burbs (Season 1) 

EPISODE 1: Boroughs & 'Burbs (Greg Heym, Steven Kliegerman, Jayme Stevenson, Arnold Karp and Scott Hobbs)

EPISODE 2: Boroughs & 'Burbs (Louise Phillips Forbes and Scott Hobbs) 

EPISODE 3: Boroughs & 'Burbs (Ari Harkov and Eileen Hanford) 

EPISODE 4: Boroughs & 'Burbs on the New York Recovery (Greg Heym, Chief Economist) 

EPISODE 5: Boroughs & 'Burbs focus on The Hamptons and Greenwich (Rob Johnson, Tim O'Connor) 

EPISODE 6: Boroughs & 'Burbs focus on Great Designers (John Barman, Denise Davies, John Douglas Eason, Anjali Pollack) 

EPISODE 7: Boroughs & 'Burbs focus on Palm Beach (featuring Whitney McGurk) 

EPISODE 8: Boroughs & 'Burbs Manhattan and Darien (Mike Lubin, Amanda Spatola) 

EPISODE 9: Boroughs & 'Burbs "Disruption Dislocation and Details" (John Allen, Phil Horigan) 

EPISODE 10: Boroughs & 'Burbs "Evolving Tastes with Christopher Peacock" (Christopher Peacock) 


About Boroughs & Burbs:

This is our weekly wide-ranging zoom conversation with real estate experts from around our area. We are joined by various guests each Thursday at 4pm, hosted by John Engel in Connecticut and Roberto Cabrera in New York.

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Episode #26  Roberto Cabrera & John Engel: 

This week you are our guests. Roberto and John want to talk with all of you about current market conditions. Roberto just released his Market Report for New York City, found here, and we know all of you have opinions and questions for each other about a market in both NYC and in the suburbs that none of us has seen before. Please join the conversation.

John Engel's latest property video has 24,000 views in its first week on YouTube...click here.

Roberto Cabrera's latest market report is now available as a short video...click here.

Today at 4,
Use the Meeting ID: http://zoom.us/j/92135931351 
Or, binge watch on Youtube. 
Subscribe now: http://bit.ly/399yevL
register here Thursday, May 6 from 4:00-5:00pm

Roberto Cabrera - With 20 years of experience, I have been recognized throughout the industry for achieving outstanding results: Ranked nationally by REAL Trends as one of "America's Best Real Estate Agents” for avg. sales price of $4.350M. Sold a single family Townhouse faster than any other on the Upper West Side over $10M. I live with my wife and daughter on the Upper West Side, the neighborhood I have called home for the past 23 years. I was originally born in Richmond, Virginia and grew up in Maryland, just one mile south of the Mason Dixon line. After graduating with a degree in Mathematical Economics from Hampden-Sydney College, the 10th oldest school in the country, I spent 5 years in Washington, DC working as a financial consultant. I also studied at The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts and I’m a former actor who once moonlighted as a stand-up comedian. Many years ago, I authored APPLE PIE - The Real Ingredients for Buying and Selling Your Slice.

John Engel - John Engel is a consistently top-producing agent in Fairfield County, Connecticut. John recently won the 2019 Realtor of the Year Award in New Canaan where he is currently the Chairman of the Town Council. John also brings an insight into internet-based marketing that is unsurpassed. Before going into real estate he was the founder of two successful internet businesses, Paper.com and e-Media for which he won the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year Award. John spent his earliest years in Stuyvesant Town (before it was cool) and finished his growing up in New Canaan before attending Davidson College in North Carolina. After graduating, he served as an officer in the U.S. Army and spent some time leading a military intelligence platoon on the front lines of the first Gulf War. He currently lives in New Canaan with his wife Melissa and four children. In addition to hosting this podcast on the market each week, John Engel produces an easy-to-understand and in-depth monthly market analysis called the Market Report for the 16 towns of lower Fairfield County. You can find it here.

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This is the one show you need to watch if you want an understanding of the 12 towns of lower Fairfield County. As people move in to Connecticut in record numbers to compete for fewer houses than ever before it is more important than ever to understand the value propositions that each town provides. Some of these towns promise the best public schools in America. Others offer an easy commute. Still others offer green space, fabulous parks and beaches, a quaint New England village or a wealth of diverse restaurants and shopping. And some towns are just more affordable.

This week we ask two veterans of the Connecticut market, managers of the Westport, Wilton, Rowayton and Darien offices of Brown Harris Stevens. John and Robyn manage over 250 agents covering all of Fairfield County. We are very pleased to present John Dicenzo and Robyn Kammerer.

John Dicenzo
With nearly 25 years in real estate, John is Executive Director of Sales for Brown Harris Stevens' Westport and Wilton offices, leading a team of 44 agents, who serve the communities of middle and eastern Fairfield County. 
 
Robyn Kammerer
As the Executive Director of Sales of Darien and Rowayton, Robyn Kammerer works closely with Ned Saunders to direct and manage the two offices with more than ninety agents. 

Did you know:

Darien is New Canaan’s twin with a nearly identical population (21,742), median house value ($1.398 million), school population (4200) and median household income ($208,848). Darien’s schools are ranked #9 in the state and Darien is #13 best place to live. 

Easton is a suburb of 7,607 people on 28.6 square miles (half of which is owned by the Aquarion Water Company) Easton gets an overall grade of A- by Niche with highly rated schools.

Fairfield is the largest coastal town of 59,404 people on 31.3 square miles. There are 5 miles of coast on Long Island Sound.

Greenwich is the largest and wealthiest town on Connecticut’s Gold Coast, 67.2 square miles with a total population of 61,171 people. Money Magazine ranked Greenwich #12 place to live in America. 

New Canaan is a town of 20,357 people and is serviced by its own train line to Stamford and New York City. Niche rankes the schools #2 in Connecticut and #6 best place to live. 

Norwalk is a coastal city of 88,438 people, the 6th most populous in Connecticut, in an area of 36.3 square miles. Norwalk gets high marks for diversity (#4) and as the #7 best suburb for a young professional to live in Connecticut.

Redding is more woods and fewer people, the third fewest population density in the County. The population of 9,158 people live in 3,811 housing units across 32 square miles. 

Ridgefield is a quaint New England town and beautiful Victorian era houses and mature trees line the main street. Ridgefield is ranked by Niche as the #8 best place to raise a family in Connecticut. 

Rowayton is a seaside neighborhood within the city of Norwalk. Houses are close together on small lots. Commerce is limited to a handful of stores and restaurants including the Rowayton Market. 

Stamford is a coastal city in Fairfield County of 52 square miles with a population of 131,000 making it the third largest city in the state behind Bridgeport and New Haven. 

Weston is a quiet, rural suburb with a population of 10,369. Niche says Weston is the #12 best place to raise a family in Connecticut. 

Westport is a town of 27,777 people on the main train line between Norwalk to the West and Fairfield to the East. The schools are currently ranked #1 in Connecticut and it is the #2 best place to live. 

Wilton is a town of 18,062 people on 27 square miles and global corporations such as ASML, Deloitte & Touche, Sun Products, BreitlingSA, Cannondale Bicycle, and Melissa

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Episode #27: Classic Architecture and High-Tech

Before you designing and building your next house you might want to know what you're getting. You'll want to walk through the design and see every detail. That is now possible.  Join us today to see how Wadia & Associates are using technology to bring their ideas to life. We have Peter Michalsky from world-renowned Wadia & Associates on the show. Please join us in a conversation on the technologies that bring classic architecture to life.

A flythrough of this Magnificent Greenwich Lakeside Estate. Click to see the full video.

Since the establishment of Wadia Associates more than 45 years ago, Dinyar Wadia and his dedicated team of designers have earned a reputation for designing and building high-end homes, gardens, and interiors. Over the years, they have helped sculpt the local environment to become an important regional proponent of Classicism. Their skillful design sensibilities have provided a seamless fit of their traditionally-styled homes into the eclectic fabric of Fairfield County, Westchester County, Rhode Island, Southern California, Boulder, CO, and now, Florida. Although avowed New Classicists, Wadia Associates have a pluralistic approach to traditional design that is not rooted in a slavish imitation of the past. More appropriately, it is based upon reinterpreting the past and updating it for the present. And while all of their designs feature the classic proportions and exquisite details of houses from a bygone age, the firm is still able to incorporate all the amenities and needs of a modern American family. As Dinyar is fond of saying, “It is traditional architecture for the modern world.”

Our guest is Peter Michalsky, Head of Marketing and Business Development for Wadia Associates. With over 40 years in the architect and planning industry, Wadia Associates has earned a reputation for designing and building high-end homes, gardens and interiors. When reputation is not enough, to win new business you need a technology edge.

We asked Pete...

Beyond using technology to communicate your designs, how else are you using technology in your projects?

"Regarding tech, we’re also getting a lot of requests for interesting features. We just completed a recessed flat screen on a lift that rises out of the patio for a home on the water in Greenwich. We’re getting ton of requests for completely integrated home kits that incorporate security, HVAC, product automation, etc. We can expand on that with some interesting examples."

"As for VHNW and UHNW, they are changing a bit. They are gravitating to bigger lots up here, with more outbuildings, guest quarters, sports complexes, and compound-like objectives. In Palm Beach, they are asking for more West Indies and Bermuda styles, because every other house is Mizner inspired Spanish/Moorish/Gothic styles and they want to be different. As classicists, we like both but we’re seeing a trend. Everyone wants the indoors and outdoors to blend seamlessly, which has been going on for some time, but it is the first thing they talk about."

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