New York real estate outlook with Yann Rousseau

Meet Yann Rousseau, director of BARNES New York, who reviews the New York real estate market.

In this traditionally very active autumn from the point of view of the New York real estate market, and while it seemed to have regained its historical seasonality, we are seeing a clear slowdown in activity.

And this is happening on both sides of the table, with sellers withdrawing their properties to wait for better days, and buyers who are no longer in a hurry because of the impact of the downturn in the market and the rise in interest rates. At the same time, the strong dollar, to the detriment of the euro in particular, is also slowing down foreign investment. The New York real estate market is therefore sluggish, typically a buyers’ market, although this is not translating into lower prices at this stage. Nevertheless, we can expect better negotiation margins.

In the old, but especially in the new. Again, while individual sellers in New York can afford to wait until activity picks up (probably next spring), developers (or “sponsors” in New York parlance) do not have this freedom, with financing and regulatory deadlines pressing them to clear their inventory as soon as possible. Thus, it is rather towards this type of product that one should concentrate today and thus take advantage of a brief window of opportunity where one can go and negotiate some “sales”, all things considered. With the right project and negotiation approach, double-digit discounts can be expected.

 This market opportunity, mainly in new construction, will not last. Buyers, especially those with existing dollars (or dollar assets), would be well advised to position themselves in the next six months. For, barring any new exogenous events, a recovery is expected by the spring of 2023.