Slow week

tough times on anderson road

It looks like just two single family houses went to contract this week. What little activity there was was limited to rentals and condos, which is fine for the parties involved, but I’d have certainly expected more single family action in this, the last week of January. Lack of inventory?

(Updated) Maybe it’s not just a lack of inventory here that’s slowed things down: except for the uber rich, people have to sell their current residence before buying another one.

Manhattan Apartment Sales Fall by 50%

According to new Douglas Elliman and Miller Samuel data, the Manhattan condo and co-op markets were sluggish in January, both down by roughly half from what they were that same month a year prior. Specifically, the report notes that 186 condo contracts were signed in January 2023, a 51.2% decrease from the 381 tallied in January 2022. Meanwhile, buyers inked contracts for 252 co-op units last month, down nearly 49% year-over-year from 492 the previous January.

Why the sudden slowdown? The report’s author, appraiser Jonathan Miller, points to a supply shortage and the bummer economic climate surrounding increased interest rates to combat lingering inflation. Unfortunately for buyers, the numbers do not point to more bargains in the near future. 

“Typically when a market pivots and sales drop, listing inventory surges. But that isn’t happening, and that’s why this time is a bit different,” Miller explained to Crain’s. “We don’t expect prices to adjust sharply.”

The situation is similar across the river, in Brooklyn, where co-op contracts were found to be down 55.8% last month compared to January 2022. Those numbers show 46 co-ops saw signed contracts this January compared to 104 last January. Condo contracts were down a higher 63.6%, with 86 this January compared to 236 in January 2022.