What you liked in 2013, and what’s ahead

Stuart Elliott
Stuart Elliott

Will the good times roll, all the way into 2014? That’s the question on the minds of those in New York real estate, after a year in which price records were shattered in many areas of the residential and commercial markets.

There are a lot of wild cards this coming year, from how the inauguration of a new mayor, Bill de Blasio, will impact real estate, to how far interest rates will rise, to whether the astronomical prices being asked for new condos will pencil out for developers.

Check out reporter Kathy Clarke’s story for a look at the key issues and projects set to make waves in the coming year.

We also bring you a lot more to feast on during this holiday season.

In this issue, we take a look at the biggest family disputes in New York City real estate, the priciest listings in the city’s suburban markets and a look at new commercial brokerages and how they are faring.

Also, check out our profile of developer Young Woo, who is looking to transform the West Side with his new massive retail project, SuperPier, and a piece on Blackstone’s head of real estate, Jon Gray, who is the latest billionaire from that prolific company and possible successor to CEO Steve Schwarzman.

And, as we near the end of 2013, it’s a good time to take a look back at the most read issue stories of the past year, in case you missed them. You can check all of them out at therealdeal.com/archives.

Topping the list was a roundup of condo development in bustling Brooklyn. (That was fitting, since topping our list of most read stories last year was “NYC’s new condo wave,” a look at new residential development on the drawing board in Manhattan and Brooklyn.)

Rankings also did well, with “Manhattan’s top listing agents,” our survey of the most active residential brokers, finishing second on the most-popular list. There were also packages on the top real estate dynasties, top entrepreneurs, top upstart investors, and the top commercial brokerage firms to work for.

A look at WeWork’s Adam Neumann was our top profile of the year. The founder of the trendy shared office space company has been snapping up space left and right — from the top of the Woolworth Building to a new plan for a 500,000 square foot location at the Brooklyn Navy Yard (that’s the size of a small office tower). The company is on track to become New York City’s fifth largest office tenant only three years after launching.

The next most popular profile after Neumann’s was a look at Solil Management, the company that manages the assets of late real estate mogul Sol Goldman. The company has been sitting for decades on a huge but largely static portfolio of New York City properties worth more than $6 billion (including 240 buildings in Manhattan), but is finally starting to make moves. And finally, the third most popular profile was an exhaustive examination of Donald Trump’s net worth (surprisingly low in the rankings considering the typical popularity of all things Donald, perhaps).

Here are the most viewed magazine stories of 2013:

1. Brooklyn’s building bonanza (March)

2. Manhattan’s top listing agents (June)

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3. Where should real estate investors put their cash? (April)

4. Ranking NYC’s real estate dynasties (October)

5. Real estate’s hot new entrepreneurs (October)

6. WeWork’s Adam Neumann on top (January)

7. New York’s upstart investors find big profit (June)

8. Sol Goldman’s $6B portfolio in play (April)

9. What does Donald Trump really own? (July)

10. New York City’s best commercial firms to work for (August)

11. Meet the Gen Xers taking over NYC real estate (September)

12. Real estate red flags: Amid market euphoria, are dark clouds looming? (August)

13. Aaron Jungreis, NYC’s busiest multi-family broker, courts clients and controversy (July)

14. Gary Barnett’s big buildout (February)

15. Not-so-outer borough: Brooklyn’s climbing prices make it nearly as costly as Manhattan (June)

Enjoy the issue and the holiday season.