From the May issue: Prospective buyers playing hard-to-get? How about sweetening the deal with an iPad? Some developers and brokers are turning to quirky giveaways, hoping the extra incentives will help fill buildings during this tough economy. The freebies, often tacked on to traditional incentives such as fee eliminations or coverage of certain taxes, are the latest trend in attention-getting promotions.

In one online ad, a broker with Platinum Properties offered to throw in two custom suits worth $2,000 each with the keys to a penthouse apartment. The broker could not be reached to say if the penthouse had been rented.

Last month, Alchemy Properties gave away iPads and 42-inch high-definition televisions to anyone who signed a contract to buy units at the Griffin Court Condominium in Midtown. More than 150 people stopped by the property during the promotion’s first two weeks, said the president of Alchemy, Kenneth Horn. [more]

Manhattan-based Platinum Properties has opened a new Midtown East office. The new office, located at 295 Madison Avenue on the corner of 41st Street, will be the residential and commercial real estate services firm’s third — its current locations include 30 Wall Street and a Paris office at 101 Avenue des Champs Elysées. Don Dascoli, Platinum’s new director of sales and leasing, will lead the 10-agent office.

The firm hired an all-new staff for the branch and brought on Dascoli March 1 because of his background in the neighborhood, according to Khashy Eyn, president and CEO of Platinum. After a soft opening earlier in the month, today marks the office’s official debut.

“He has great contacts on the East Side,” Eyn said of Dascoli. “The building managers know him.”

Platinum will use the office primarily for rental and sales on the Upper East Side, and in the Midtown East and Gramercy neighborhoods. [more]

From the February issue: Nothing says progress like Madoff. Late last month, The Real Deal broke the story that the Ponzi schemer’s Upper East Side penthouse finally appears close to a sale.
Listing brokers Anne Corey and Serena Boardman of Sotheby’s
International Realty have told interested agents that there is an
accepted offer on the 133 East 64th Street duplex. At press time, the
U.S. Marshals Service, which seized the property from the disgraced
financier, said the listing had not yet entered contract.
The sale (if it does clear the many obstacles of today’s market) may not be unqualified good news.
The penthouse’s asking price is $8.9 million, following a November
price chop of $1 million. It’s also been sitting on the market since
September.  [more]

Daniel Hedaya, an executive vice president with Platinum Properties, and a map of the Financial District

While the Financial District residential market is suffering — much like the rest of the borough — Daniel Hedaya, executive vice president of the Wall Street-based firm Platinum Properties, said that more realistic pricing, less inventory coming online and continued landlord concessions could boost FiDi’s rental market in the coming year.

The firm’s year-end rental market report (see report after jump), based on 2,472 rental transactions in the Financial District in 2009 as compiled by Hedaya and based on landlord submissions, shows that rents have declined year-over-year for all apartment sizes. The greatest decline was a 10 percent drop in average rates for studios, to $2,210 in 2009 from $2,453 in 2008, and the 11 percent drop in average rent for studios with home offices, down to $2,648 per month from $2,980 in 2008. While not in itself a dramatic decline, the drop in rental prices took its toll. [more]

Jeffrey Davis, the general manager of Columbus Square, in front of the saltwater pool at 808 Columbus

From the January issue: When history books describe the real estate boom of the mid-2000s, they are likely to mention over-the-top amenities. In the mid-aughts, New Yorkers went mad for buildings with movie screening rooms, roof decks and pet spas. Buyers forked over six-figure down payments, and renters signed pricey yearlong leases, often assuming amenities were included. No more. Amid the hangover of the boom, the next generation of residential buildings will come with a bevy of extra fees and surcharges that New Yorkers aren’t accustomed to paying, often incurred to cover the cost of expensive features designed in more prosperous times. Fees for amenities at rental buildings did exist in some places before, but now are being expanded to include traditionally free features, like roof decks. New condos, meanwhile, are struggling to cover budget shortfalls by implementing transfer fees, special assessments and extra charges for previously included amenities like fitness and party rooms. [more]

From the August issue: In today’s down market, some real estate brokers are going above and
beyond their job descriptions in order to secure scarce deals. In the past, Kirsten Nelson, a broker with Platinum Properties, has
brought the customary bottle of wine to clients after they’ve moved
into a new place, and has even taken clients out for drinks and meals
to celebrate a new apartment and introduce them to the neighborhood.
This spring, however, he took things to the next level and helped
shape one couple’s wedding, which saved them money and allowed them to
move into a bigger place. The couple, a hairstylist for Rachael Ray and a photographer, were
in the market for a one-bedroom rental. As Nelson showed them around
two dozen buildings, they told him about their May wedding plans, which
consisted of a Central Park ceremony followed by a reception at a
swanky hotel. [more]

From the South Florida Web site: A triplex penthouse apartment in the South Tower at the Continuum in
Miami Beach recently sold for $9.9 million and took just 48 hours to
close after being on the market since 2007. The buyers were referred by
Wall Street-based brokerage firm Platinum Properties, who helped
expedite the successful negotiations. “Our buyer was looking for an
exclusive apartment at a luxurious destination along the water, and we
are proud to have helped him find his dream residence atop the
Continuum — a home he was so excited about, he actually closed and
relocated in just a matter of days,” said Khashy Eyn, Platinum’s CEO
and president. The oceanfront, 7,400-square-foot apartment has five
bedrooms, seven and a half baths, and boasts panoramic views of the
Atlantic Ocean, Fisher Island and Downtown Miami. The space also
features 26-foot floor-to-ceiling windows, more than 6,000 square feet
of outdoor terraces, and a private rooftop pool with an outdoor theater
system. TRD [more]

Apartment rental prices have dropped about 30 percent and incentives are there to be had, Daniel Hedaya, director of leasing at Platinum Properties, told CBS 2. At one building in the Financial District, a two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit that was going for $4,300 per month last year is now renting for $3,300 per month. Concessions include one to three months’ free rent and no broker fees or security deposits for qualified tenants. These opportunities may not come again for 15 or 20 years, added Jason Sheftell, a real estate reporter for the Daily News.