Romy Goldman is the founder and president of Gold Development, the development and project management firm responsible for residential condominiums 48 Bond downtown (which is completed), Hamilton Parc (where one unit is left for rent) and Hamilton Lofts in Harlem (where sales are ongoing). A specialist in both commercial and residential buildings, Goldman’s two-person firm also works to manage other developers’ construction sites throughout the United States, including affordable-housing developments at 201 West 148th Street in Harlem and 1011 Washington Avenue in the Bronx. Goldman will be honored as developer of the year at the Associated Builders and Owners of Greater NY annual ceremony Oct. 28, the same month that Gold Development celebrates its 10-year anniversary. She will be part of an all-female panel of award winners, in fields such as real estate appraising and entrepreneurship. According to ABO, this is the first time all the honorees have been women. In a written statement, Nick LaPorte, executive director of ABO, said that the organization felt it was important to pay particular attention to women in the industry, among the glut of men in the field. Goldman talked to The Real Deal about her road to real estate and how she excels in an old boys’ club. [more]

Northside Piers offering more buyer incentives
After cutting prices earlier this year, the Northside Piers
development on the Williamsburg waterfront is offering a summer special
where buyers will be covered for 12 months of mortgage payments,
common charges, and real estate taxes — essentially living free for a
year. The incentive is for buyers who purchase units before August 31. Northside
Piers also offers a 25-year tax abatement
which puts real estate taxes as low as $6 dollars a month. Qualified
buyers will be offered a “Borrower’s Protection Plan”, which is also
free for one year. Prices at the buildings start at around $350,000. [more]

Scenes from the Hamilton Lofts open house in Harlem last night

Following price cuts, contracts were signed for two units at Hamilton Lofts, a 12-unit, two-building condominium development at 117 and 121 Edgecombe Avenue in Harlem, with a third one in negotiation, Felicia De Chabris, a senior vice president in Halstead Property Development Marketing, said at an open house event last night. Sales at Hamilton Lofts started seven weeks ago. Contracts have been signed for a 745-square-foot one-bedroom unit listed for $425,000, and for a 1,135-square-foot, two-bedroom unit, with a listing price at $629,000, De Chabris said. Other units at developer Romy Goldman’s project, between 140th and 141st streets, have seen price cuts. A two-bedroom, two-bath unit was slashed by $126,000 to a $629,000 asking price. The price of a three-bedroom, two-bath penthouse with an outdoor terrace was also cut by $111,000 to an asking price of $659,000. [more]

House approves mortgage reform act: The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Mortgage Reform and
Anti-Predatory Lending Act to protect consumers by curbing abusive
lending practices. The bill will make it illegal for lenders to make
loans for borrowers who do not have a “reasonable ability to repay” the
loan. Included in the legislation are two initiatives from Rep. Nydia
Velazquez to protect residents living in apartment buildings in New
York City and to provide prospective homebuyers with increased access
and information on the benefits of home inspections. TRD
[more]