Coldwell Banker Hunt Kennedy promoted in October two of its residential brokers to key management posts in Manhattan. Ann Guttman, at Coldwell for 13 years, was tapped to manage the firm’s Downtown office. She succeeds Kevin Kovesci, who was named manager of Coldwell’s Upper East Side office.
Downtown now offers its most sales opportunities through its myriad of new developments, Guttman told The Real Deal. Neighborhoods there, she said, tend to appreciate fast something prospective buyers seem to intuitively understand. She will oversee 36 brokers out of an office on Sixth Avenue near Eighth Street, and said the upcoming round of Wall Street firm bonuses could lead to a buying spree Downtown.
“It’s the place people want,” Guttman said of Downtown. “They think that [housing] appreciates a lot if you get in on the bottom.”
For Kovesci, who comes to Coldwell’s office at 81st Street and Lexington Avenue from its Downtown office, the Upper East Side seems a veritable Valhalla for Manhattan home buyers, especially as the sales market cools. He said he sees availability in a range of home sizes. Kovesci manages 65 brokers at his new post.
“Coming from Downtown, I’d say it looks like a bargain to me,” he said. “The Upper East Side seems to be so much more affordable to me than Downtown.”