Boroughs & Burbs #60 || New York’s Commercial Market with Amir Korangy and Aaron Feldman
By John Engel
New York’s Commercial Market
with two of New York’s most notable thought leaders
Amir Korangy, Founder of The Real Deal
Aaron Feldman, Co-Founder Benchmark Real Estate Group
This is definitely going to be a different kind of show. These are two incredibly well-connected men in the world of New York real estate whose business it is to know the major trends, who’s getting in, who’s getting out, and why.
While most of us focus on a few listings at a time we have with us on the show Aaron Feldman, co-founder of Benchmark Real Estate Group a man who has developed, managed and sold dozens of buildings and who currently manages over a thousand apartments worth over $1 billion. The Real Deal was paying attention to Benchmark, noting that they were $400 million sellers between 2015 – 2017. Two years later the Real Deal reported that Benchmark Real Estate Group was back in the market and raising $250 million through the acquisition of a SPAC and an IPO. Has he found any interesting multifamily buildings to buy or develop? Which New York markets are poised to go higher? And, what is the value-add he brings in 2023?
Amir Korangy founded The Real Deal nearly 20 years ago when he realized there was a need in the market to cover the real estate industry here. The online and print publication, which serves as a source for other periodicals, was self-proclaimed “the must-read news source for real estate news,” in a profile in the Los Angeles Times in 2009, and “the hot sheet for NYC real estate professionals,” by the New York Post. Korangy was named one of the 100 most powerful figures in New York City real estate by the New York Observer in 2009. In 2008 he expanded to the Miami market, and in 2016 he added Los Angeles. In mid-2017, TheRealDeal.com was named the website with the wealthiest audience by Quantcast, and made the top 25- list of websites with the most educated audience. Just under 80 percent of TheRealDeal.com’s readers have at least an undergraduate degree.
John Engel – John Engel can be found at http://www.JohnEngel.com. He is a consistently top-producing agent in Fairfield County, Connecticut. John recently won the Realtor of the Year Award in New Canaan where he is has been Chairman of the Town Council and is currently a member of the Planning & Zoning Commission. John also brings an insight into internet-based marketing that is unsurpassed. Before going into real estate he was the founder of two successful internet businesses, Paper.com and e-Media for which he won the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year Award. John spent his earliest years in Stuyvesant Town in lower Manhattan and went to New Canaan High School before attending Davidson College in North Carolina. After graduating, he served as an officer in the U.S. Army and spent some time leading a military intelligence platoon on the front lines of the first Gulf War. He currently lives in New Canaan with his wife Melissa and four children. In addition to hosting this podcast on the market each week, John Engel produces an easy-to-understand and in-depth monthly market analysis called the Market Report for the 16 towns of lower Fairfield County.
Roberto Cabrera – Roberto can be found at http://www.RobertoCabrera.com. With 20 years of experience, I have been recognized throughout the industry for achieving outstanding results: Ranked nationally by REAL Trends as one of “America’s Best Real Estate Agents” for avg. sales price of $4.350M. Sold a single family Townhouse faster than any other on the Upper West Side over $10M. I live with my wife and daughter on the Upper West Side, the neighborhood I have called home for the past 23 years. I was originally born in Richmond, Virginia and grew up in Maryland, just one mile south of the Mason Dixon line. After graduating with a degree in Mathematical Economics from Hampden-Sydney College, the 10th oldest school in the country, I spent 5 years in Washington, DC working as a financial consultant. I also studied at The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts and I’m a former actor who once moonlighted as a stand-up comedian. Many years ago, I authored APPLE PIE – The Real Ingredients for Buying and Selling Your Slice.
