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Long Island City has been one of those segments of the New York City real estate market that has quietly experienced fairly broad consumer acceptance in a short period of time. This is evidenced by the large level of purchase activity over the past several years in response to new development efforts. As a result, residential support services are entering the market at an impressive pace.

Located in Queens, Long Island City has signifiant linkage to Manhattan. The new residential condominium developments in Long Island City are generally selling for roughly half the price per square foot of similar product in Manhattan and yet is only a few minutes away from Manhattan via subway. (That’s how I plan to get there tonight.)

At 6:30 this evening, Dottie Herman, CEO of Prudential Douglas Elliman and I will first speak at The Powerhouse Condominium and then at 7:30 we will speak at L Haus Condominium to the brokers attending the event. Her firm’s New Homes Development Group is handling the marketing of both developments plus a nearby property that is already being marketed called The Foundry and they are included in the event as well.

Should be fun.

Tags: Dottie Herman

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Dustin Luther scores a coup, getting the Lawrence Yun, controversial NAR Chief Economist, to be the guest on his 4Realz podcast conference call along with moi, Rhonda Porter and Jillayne Schlicke .

What’s just as interesting as the guest speakers is the chat room dialog during the discussions. It prompts Dustin’s questions and allows “murmuring” during each answer.

I got the feeling that everyone wanted to pounce on Larry but never did. Do I call him Larry? Dr. Yun? Mr. Yun? Larry was unfettered.

4realz Roundtable: Effect of FDIC/Treasury Actions on Home Buyers and Real Estate Industry

Of course I was a few minutes late to the call as is my tradition (sorry Dustin!).

Check out the discussion

Tags: Lawrence Yun, FDIC, 4Realz, Podcast, Dustin Luther, Television

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The upcoming Inman Real Estate Connect San Francisco conference is a must see event for real estate professionals, plus it is in San Francisco, one of my favorite places. Check out the deal for bloggers.

Inman News has been touting the wide swath of speakers as:

• The Best and the brightest;
• Real estate industry’s champions; and
• Industry heavyweights

Ok, ok. I get the hint. I need to lose a few pounds….

Inman Real Estate Connect is great because it attracts decision makers and innovators. I always learn something a lot and meet many great people.

Brad, Joel, Jessica and company know how to run an event.

On Friday in the main conference venue, I’ll be participating in the last panel discussion of the conference:

When Will the Housing Market Turn?

• Alex Perriello, CEO, Realogy
• Joel Singer, EVP, CAR
• Jonathan Miller, Co-Founder, Miller Samuel
• Patrick F. Stone, Chairman, The Stone Group

Should be a great time.

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I was invited to participate in the Reuters Housing Summit this week (which happened to be during my vacation and how cool is it to talk about housing when you are taking time off from work?) It was quite an interesting experience – I thoroughly enjoyed it. Each participant gets grilled for an hour by Reuters senior editors and reporters. I felt I needed another twenty four hours to address all the housing issues of the day, but alas, it was my vacation. The interviews were recorded and snippets were released as audio files.

Check out:the summit blog for more interviews and the housing section of the Reuters site.

• Salvatore Graziano, an attorney with Bernstein, Litowitz, Berger and Grossmann
• Jonathan Miller [me!] and again
• Douglas Palmer, Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey
• Pam Liebman, president and CEO of The Corcoran Group
• Nouriel Roubini, professor of economics at New York University
• Faith Schwartz, executive director of Hope Now
• Marc Dann, Attorney General of Ohio
• Jesse Jackson is president and founder Rainbow PUSH Coalition Inc.
• Bob Toll, Toll Brothers CEO
• Robert Steel, Treasury Undersecretary
• Robert Shiller, professor of economics at Yale University
• Richard Syron, chief executive of Freddie Mac
• Doug Kass of Seabreeze Partners
• Stephen Ross, CEO of Related Cos.

And to continue with the shakey market theme (supposedly) our satellite was intentionally shot down and an earthquake struck northwestern Nevada.

In other words, a good week for a vacation.

Tags: Robert Shiller, Sub-Prime, Corcoran

2 Comments

Last week I gave a recap an overview of the New York region at a recent Crain’s Economic Breakfast Forum at the New York Hyatt.

Click here for a 5 minute clip of the one hour session.

Tags: Crains New York Business

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Editor Greg David invited me to participate in Crain’s New York Economic Forecast Breakfast on January 31, 2008. Crain’s New York Magazine is a great resource on the regional economy.

I participated in this function last January and thoroughly enjoyed it. I look forward to hearing what Greg and the other guests have to say (as well as enjoy a good breakfast).

To purchase tickets for the event.

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This will be the fourth year in a row that Paul Purcell and Kathy Braddock of Braddock and Purcell have organized a panel discussion (that includes me) on the state of the Manhattan residential market at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan.

The event has sold out for the past three years, so get your tickets early!

Jacky Teplitzky, one of the top real estate brokers at Prudential Douglas Elliman, and whom I have known for a number of years will be participating. Paul and Kathy have also invited Adam Modlin who owns a boutique real estate brokerage firm in New York. I look forward to hearing what he has to say.

The 92Y Blog is very well done and worth checking out. Its been on my blogroll for quite a while.

The event will be held on Thursday, Oct 18, 2007 at 8:00pm at the East 92nd St/Lexington Avenue location.

Click here for tickets.

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Well, it was pretty flattering to be in the company of bloggers that I admire so much as panelists at Inman Real Estate Connect. Inman TV posted a clip of the panel discussion. Brad moderated the The Blogging Superstars panel. Superstars as a name is a bit over the top. There are so many great bloggers out there.

All the panelists spent some time together in the green room (it wasn’t green) before going on stage. Even though the audience was 1,000+, cameras, stage, etc. I thought the mood was pretty relaxed. Brad is very engaging as an interviewer. Teresa is a dynamo, Kevin pulls no punches, Ardell is truly innovative and Noah is rentless relentless.

Although technology was being pushed and blogging was seen as a marketing vehicle to all real estate agents, I didn’t really agree (but I was the only non-agent on the panel). I think all agents should consider blogging for marketing their brand, but for the majority, it just won’t work. Given the time constraints, variation in writing ability and the ability to connect with the audience, its hit or miss. In addition, everyone on the stage approached blogging differently, so there is no simple template.

However, passion for our topic was what all of us clearly had in common approach. I’d almost say that there needs to be an underlying desire to put your thoughts out to the public, to the point where your friends and family ask the question: “So tell me again why you are doing this?” I think your blog’s association with your business almost needs to be an afterthought.

Here’s a photo, and yet another, and another, and another.

Guy Kawasaki, formerly of Apple Computer once defined the Internet as:

“[30] million people interacting with people they don’t know; about topics they don’t understand; for reasons they can’t explain.”

Thats how blogging started for me.

4 Comments

One of the things I admire about Brad Inman and his Inman News is that the Real Estate Connect conferences put people together that are empowered to make decisions. Its always a refreshing experience and I have found the conferences to be amazingly productive. I have been going to the New York version, but this year I am making the trip to San Francisco (and an excuse to fly jetBlue).

Look for me as a panelist on Blogging Superstars Thursday, August 2, 8:30 a.m. – 9:15 a.m with very accomplished panelists, none of whom I have ever met, but, oh yeah, I actually read and am a fan of their online efforts and link them to my site.

• Teresa Boardman, Realtor/Broker, Keller Williams
  
• Kevin Boer, Founder, 3 Oceans Real Estate Blog
  
• Ardell DellaLoggia, Associate Broker, Sound Realty
  
• Noah Rosenblatt, Founder, UrbanDigs.com/Licensed RE Salesperson, Citi-Habitats
  

I am scheduled for the Meet the Leaders/ Meet the Companies program, where I get to stand at a table and hope people come up to me and ask me questions. I did that in New York last year and got to meet a lot of people one on one. A lot of fun. Thursday, August 2, 12:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

And lastly, I am moderating a panel of very smart people in the Innovation Tracks program on Thursday that runs on August 2, 2:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. My panel runs from 2:45 p.m. – 3:30 p.m and is called Data Mining: Information as Business Edge

Panelists: Travis Chow, Founder/CEO, Neighboroo
Ryan Slack, CEO, PropertyShark.com
Joanne Tiffany, Vice President, Strategic Relations, DataQuick
David Keillor, Chairman & CTO, Technology Concepts

See you there!

Tags: NAR, National Association of Realtors

4 Comments

Well, Real Deal magazine sold out their “Science of Real Estate” New Development Forum at Lincoln Center last week. It was an event! Over 3,000 tickets were sold.

Some thoughts…

• It was the first real estate event in the history of Lincoln Center.
  
• It was the first sellout event in 2007 for Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center.
  
• Amir and Stuart proved once again, that they are truly unable to think small.
  
• Additional confirmation that the backstage green room, is never green.
  
• Amazed that Fritz was able to crash the green room.
  
• Glad that Cathy H picked Real Deal red.
  
• The constant and very loud church bells that ring behind the black curtain.
  
• The spotlights were so bright, I now know how a deer feels.
  
• Steve Cuozzo was our fearless conductor.
• Admiring developers Kent Swig and Steven Ross’ incredible knowlege and the lion’s share of questions.
  
• New understanding for the looming 421a tax abatement expiration.
  
• Memories of bursting with answers and comments, but couldn’t figure out how to get a word in.
  
• Appreciated Amanda Burden’s stance in not apologizing for critics accusations of micromanagement.
• Wished Professor Shiller would not be so apologetic for his contrarian views on housing. He’s a smart man and has a lifetime of work to show for it.
  
• Kudos to Pam Liebman of Corcoran and Bob Knakal of Massey Knakal for asking the first questions of the panel, achieving a strong pr play without being on stage.
  
• Relieved that so many other people aside from myself have real estate centric existences.
  
• Glad to get that free chocolate bar in the Real Deal goodie bag.
  
• Sure that The Real Deal has been around longer than 4 years.
  

Tags: Massey Knakal, Corcoran

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The Real Deal Magazine is hosting its third annual New Development Forum. Last year it was held at Cooper-Union with over 1,000 attendees, a line out the door and many turned away because of limited seating capacity. This year the venue has been moved to Lincoln Center with a seating capacity of 3,000.

I was invited to participate in the panel discussion, and as a big fan of The Real Deal Magazine, I accepted.

Robert Shiller (who is one of my economist heroes – is there such a thing?) will be there as well as Amanda Burden Chair of the NYC Planning Commission and other notable icons in the development industry. The panel will be moderated by Steve Cuozzo, Managing Editor of the New York Post, who did a great job last year in what was a standing room only ruckus of an event.

Click here to purchase tickets.

Tags: Robert Shiller

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Greg David, the Editor of Crain’s, New York Business invited me to participate in their Crain’s Economic Forecast Breakfast as a panelist. Of course, as a long time subscriber and a devoted reader of the publication (as well as an opportunity for free food), I accepted.

Greg David: Editor, Crain’s New York Business
Brad Hintz: Wall Street Analyst, Sanford Bernstein
Jonathan Miller: President, Miller Samuel
Kevin Ryan: Internet Executive and former CEO, DoubleClick

Click here to purchase tickets.

Hope to see you there!

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