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New York City developers and investors are seeing an uptick in bulk condo deals, thanks to an already soft market and coronavirus-related distress. (iStock)
Danny Fishman cannot keep up with the demand.
Danny Fishman, Gaia Real Estate
The investor, who leads Gaia Real Estate, is contending with a deluge of pitches from developers hoping to sell him condo units in bulk. He said the missives began picking up last year but recently have been coming in at such velocity that he hardly has time to look at them.
“I would easily say at least 50 percent of new [condo] construction in the city is talking about bulk [sales],” Fishman said.
Ziel Feldman (right), Nir Meir and the XI (Illustration by Zach Meyer)
“What’s the latest?” read the text that popped up on Nir Meir’s phone one Thursday afternoon in July. “Running out of time.”
The message to the HFZ Capital Group managing principal was from Adam Gibbons, an executive at CIM Group. The lender was awaiting an overdue payment on $90 million of mezzanine debt it holds on four prewar Manhattan apartment buildings HFZ is converting to condominiums.
“On it,” Meir wrote back. “2 min.”
Four hours later, a reference number popped up on Gibbons’ phone. It seemed the $2.3 million HFZ owed had been wired.