Telephone: 212 961 1313 Facsimile: 212 961 0906
 |
|
 |
 |
HOME GIRL After twenty years abroad as a foreign correspondent in tumultuous locales including Rwanda, Chechnya and Sudan, Judith Matloff is finally ready to put down roots and start a family. She leaves Moscow and returns to her native New York City to house hunt for the perfect spot while her Dutch husband, John, stays behind in Russia with their dog to pack up their belongings. Intoxicated by West Harlem’s cultural diversity, and, more importantly, its affordability, Judith impulsively buy a fixer upper brownstone in the area. Published by Random House. Check out HOME GIRL at Judith Matloff's website.
|
|
July 2008 By Lisa Abramowicz |
|
Belynda M'Baye So far in the current economic downturn, which began late last summer when the credit markets froze up due to the subprime mortgage debacle, prices at Harlem developments have stayed roughly flat. |
||
|
June 2008 Harlem renaissance meets slowdown New development widespread, but some projects struggle financially, local experts say By Melissa Dehncke-McGill |
|
Klara
Madlin What group of buyers is the most active right now in the Harlem market? What group of sellers is most active? |
||
Harlem Homes Realty, Inc. & West Harlem Group Assistance
Homeowner’s Information Symposium
The Dempsey Center
127W. 127th Street
Saturday, June 7, 2008
10am – 4pm
Dear Home Owner:
It is my pleasure to invite you to attend our free Homeowner’s Symposium. We have invited various
representatives from local, city and state agencies to provide you with information that will assist you in
saving money while preserving the quality of your home. Our speakers are all from non-profit organizations
that require nothing of you but your attention for their valuable information. These speakers will provide various regulatory and cost effective updates and then follow with a question and answer discussion on the following topics:
Foreclosure: Learn to work with your bank to reduce your (ARM) Adjustable Rate Mortgage.
Weatherization: How you can qualify for up to 80% subsidized costs to insulate you, your family and/or tenants through the cold season.
Energy & Water Conservation: Learn ways to save money on your water and electric bills.
Code Enforcement: Find out how to avoid and resolve property violations.
Sanitation: Get the latest news on recycle laws and understand fines.
Fire Safety: Teaches you about the common causes of household fires, how to protect against fires and what steps
to take in the event of a fire.
Drug Prevention: Narcotics division familiarizes you with what to beware of and how to best handle incidents of
drug dealing in your building or on your block with solutions that work.
Building Security: Informs you on ways to best keep your property and tenancy secure, as well as
some simple personal and residential property safety precautions.
Low Cost Home Improvement Loans: Provides information on HPD low cost interest loans for rehabilitation of
one to multi-family residences.
Fair Housing Law: Get insightful facts on property laws as well as landlord and tenant issues.
Owner Services: Learn how to increase your home’s value and save it from tax liens and
Program foreclosure.
Community Development: Updates on development projects coming to your neighborhood.
Community Board: How and why community board participation is important.
Please feel free to choose any topic(s) of interest by calling us at (212) 961-1313 x57 to reserve your space for one or all of the sessions. Please check our website www.harlemhomes.com for updates. Thank you for your interest and participation.
 |
Housing Slump -- in New York ? |
 |
Robin Prescods sale at |
 |
A native New Yorker, Frank Prescod is a graduate of De Witt Clinton High School and he attended City College of New York. After serving in the military, Frank returned to Harlem to assist his father in running the family-owned furniture reupholstery and interior design business, which he and his partner later inherited and moved to the Upper West Side, where they successfully conducted business for the next thirty years.
|
|
Friday, Aug. 17/2007 Cruisin" Harlem By: Kaili McDonnough & Leonard Greene |
|
The Church of Scientology has become a major land-holder in Harlem. |
||
By C. J. HUGHES
Published: August 5, 2007 |
|
Living In | Central Harlem |
 |
 |
Only the Strongest Survive |
|
By TERI KARUSH ROGERS Published: November 26, 2006 |
 |
|
10/25/06 Robin Prescod was mentioned in Donald Trump's latest book "The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received" as one of 100 top real estate experts. She is quoted in chapter 72 "Don't Let the Market Control You" |
Public Notice
ATTENTION LANDORDS
Receive $1,000 bonus for leases signed in September 2006 from (HSP) Housing
Stability Plus, NYC's largest
rental assistance program, offers competitive
rents to landlords who rent to families or individuals ready to
leave
shelter for permanent housing.
HSP also offers:
Three months rent and one month security deposit at lease-signing
15% broker's fee (15% non-broker'e finders fee to qualified not-for profits)
Quick apartment registration and inspection
Reliable rent payments
For more information and program details, visit www.nyc.gov/dhs (click
on "HSP")
To register an apartment, call 212-361-6611.
Help reduce homelessness in NYC while earning steady rental income.
| "GREATER HARLEM HOUSING, SMALL BUSINESS, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, SEMINAR, FAIR & EXPO" |
Saturday, August 12, 2006, Fair & Expo, from 9:00am to 6:00pm Harlem State Office Building 163 West 125th Street at Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. New York, NY 10027 Workshop Topics: - First Morning Session: 10:15am to 11:15am - Second Morning Session: 11:30am to 12:20pm - First Afternoon Session: 2:30pm to 3:30pm - Second Afternoon Session: 3:45pm to 4:45pm - Fair & Expo in the Plaza from 9:00am to 5:00pm To register today: http://www.ghreb.biz/ The Harlem Homes Agents are looking forward to meeting you at our booth too! |
|
August 2006 Harlem adjusts to post-boom housing market Harlem deals no longer as plentiful; townhouse bargains disappearing By Melissa Dehncke-McGill |
|
Klara
Madlin Q. Which part of Harlem is faring best as the overall market slows in the city? A. Central Harlem from Morningside to Mount Morris, from 110th to 125th streets. Q. Which part of Harlem is faring worst? A. Some sections that border Washington Heights north of 155th Street and east of Broadway. The infrastructure hasn't gotten there yet. Q. What is the most underrated neighborhood in Harlem as far as there being an upside in prices? A. East Harlem, north of 125th Street and east of Fifth Avenue, what used to be called Spanish Harlem. Q. What is the most overrated neighborhood in Harlem? A. Around 125th Street, the central Harlem corridor; it came up the first and fastest. Q. Which is the strongest property type in Harlem right now -- condos, co-ops or townhouses? A. It's hard to say. A lot of the townhouses that used to fly out, the sellers have overpriced them and there is not a lot of inventory. The buyers are leery because they need work. There's no longer a deal. Co-ops sell if priced right -- a lot have come on to the market recently and at really high prices. [Condo] developers have not lowered their prices. Q. Is there too much new condo inventory coming to market in Harlem? A. There's too much condo inventory throughout New York. I saw this happen before in the late '80s to '90s. Some became rental buildings. At the moment, it seems that the demand is still there. It's still cheaper to get a condo in Harlem. Q. What is the most exciting new condo project (that you are not involved with)? A. The Dwyer condos: they are warehouse lofts at 123rd and St. Nicholas that are more like a Downtown loft building. Most others are brownstones that are floor-throughs or brand-new buildings that look alike. Q. What group of buyers is the most active right now in the overall Harlem market? A. Young couples in their 30s and 40s and professionals that think Harlem is an exciting place to live because it is still on the island and they are priced out of Downtown. Mainly, it's Manhattan, although we are getting people from Europe who live in Manhattan, too. They think it's kind of cool and aren't as afraid of Harlem. They don't have the same impression as other Manhattanites. Q. What group of sellers is the most active right now in the overall Harlem market? A. The condo developers for both small and big projects. Townhouse owners were cashing out over the last two years -- this year there are a few, but most cashed out already. Some are attempting now, but they are trying to get prices that are way over the top, so I don't know how serious they are. Q. How have the big brokerages done in relation to the mom-and-pop brokerages in Harlem? A. [The big brokerages] have a lot of the new condo developments. But the smaller agencies have the customers that we share and the sellers of the townhouses -- people who have been in the neighborhood for a long time, so they have a little bit of distrust for the big companies. Q. A stereotypical notion is someone moving to Harlem from farther south in Manhattan, buying and renovating a townhouse. How active is this segment right now? A. Not as active as it has been because the prices are too high now. If you are paying over $1.4 million for a shell, you are not getting those people anymore. I think those people are going to go to the Bronx. It's hard to find a shell for $800,000, and you will have to put in at least $500,000 by the time you are done and it would take a few years. But the average apartment in Manhattan is over $1 million, so maybe it's worth it. Q. Is there a need for some sellers to lower their prices now that the boom is over? A. They are pricing 15 percent over what will sell. People don't even want to look to make a lowball offer. Though, still today, if you underprice, you'll get a bidding war. The customer makes the market. The customer has seen a lot; they know what things are worth. |
||
7/6/2006 City Living Hamilton Heights Harlem-area neighborhood sees economic renaissance By Patrick Verel |
|
 |
|
Klara
Madlin, president of Harlem Homes, said the single-family homes
in the historic district, which stretches from 140th Street to
155th Street between Amsterdam and St. Nicholas avenues, have been
a big draw for people looking for more room than downtown abodes
can provide. For
complete article click here... |
|
|
 |
COMMUNITY RESOURCE & VISITORS CENTER FOR HAMILTON HEIGHTS WEST HARLEM After more than a year of planning and fundraising, the West Harlem Community Preservation Organization (the CPO) will celebrate the opening of a community resource centre at 502 West 142nd Street, between Amsterdam and Hamilton Place, the end of May of this year. The facility will be opened to grassroots community groups, for example, tenant and block associations in Hamilton Heights (145 – 155th, Edgecombe to Riverside), who are in need of a place to receive mail and conduct organizational business. Additionally, plans are currently being developed to establish a Hamilton Heights West Harlem Visitors Centre in the main area of the facility in the next few months. The Visitors Centre will be an orientation point for visitors to West Harlem and Upper Manhattan and will have available information on tourism-related services, and arts and cultural venues and events. As part of an overall Amsterdam Avenue commercial revitalization effort, the CPO also raised funding for the physical streetscape around the Resource Centre and along Amsterdam and Hamilton Place, between W 140th and 145th. This area will be improved with decorative tree guards, lampposts and new trees added funded by Councilmember Jackson and former Borough President C. Virginia Fields. The installation of tree guards and planting of new trees which began last October will be completed in the fall of this year. The completion of this project was due to collaborative support and funding from Assemblyman Farrell, Councilmember Jackson, and physical space provided by West Harlem Group Assistance. Nicholas Bunning, architect, provided pro bono design services. For more information, please call 212-281-4442 or e-mail info@westharlemcpo.org |
 |
|
6/9/2005 | |
| FEATURES — Harlem on the Rise Uptown is brimming with newcomers and skyrocketing real estate. Will longtime residents benefit from the economic “renaissance”? By Tatsha Robertson |
|||
"I have been living here a long time. It is a special gem, but the world knew it from afar. [Then] when it was said to be ok to live here, people are flocking here who would not have normally come here 10 years ago and defiantely not 20," says Belynda M'Baye, also real estate agent at Harlem HOmes Realty. "My quest is to help those who have been here through the hardened, the good and the bad times to be part of the game, too, and noy to give up." click here for the Crisis Magazine |
|||
 |
|||
 |
|
5/16/2005 Dancing Into
Real Estate
M'Baye
urges Harlem residents to become more proactive in order to hold
on to their properties and even acquire more properties. People
need to learn about the different types of mortgages available,
and how to improve their credit scores. “I want people to know that
even though they may not be walking around with cash to offer $1.5
million for a brownstone, there are still ways of being a part of
the game," M'Baye
|
|
HARLEM condos $izzle
By Braden Keil
Real-estate prices all over Manhattan are through the roof – but
nowhere is the condo and co-op market hotter than in Harlem. The rate
at which prices are rising uptown, an area that also includes Morningside
Heights, Washington Heights and Inwood, was almost double that of neighborhoods
to the south – not only for the last 10 years, but for 2004 as
well, according to a report by the Douglas Elliman real-estate firm.
Since 1995, uptown prices have skyrocketed a whopping 349.3 percent, with median
sales numbers jumping from $68,000 to $305,490.
In just the last year, median prices for condos and co-ops in northern Manhattan
went up 32.8 percent $230,000.
By comparison, Manhattan areas to the south increased 277 percent since 1995,
from $203,000 to $655,000. The price rise last year was 15.9 percent. But “it’s
important to note that the prices in, say, Harlem were a lot lower relative
to the rest of Manhattan,” said Elliman CEO Dottie Herman. She also noted
the uptown market accounted for only 5.5 percent of all sales in the borough.
“In the last couple of years, we’ve seen an increase in momentum
in the uptown area,” said Jonathan Miller, CEO of Miller Samuel, the real-estate
appraisal company that complied the report for Elliman.
Overall Manhattan prices are being driven by shrinking inventories of apartments
have fallen 34.4 percent since the end of 2002.
The report shows that, for the first time, the median sales price per square
foot rose above $600,000.
The average price per square foot rose well above $700, up 14.1 percent from
last year’s then-record $672.
NEW YORK LIVING MAGAZINE ~ Feb. 2005 From the article "Where To Live
in Harlem" Rosetree Development is renovating
six brownstones, the first of which is at 2119 Fifth Ave. and 130th
St., to create at least 24 condo apartments. Marketed by Klara
Madlin, the loft-style units boast marble and stone tile bathrooms,
open Silestone kitchens, Jacuzzis, washer/dryers, and central a/c.
Priced from $525,000 to $660,000 for a 1400 sq. ft. garden apartment
with backyard, the floor through units offer original exposed brick
walls, oversize windows, Brazilian cherry satin hardwood floors,
and wood burning fireplaces. |
|
 |
April 2004
TIME OUT MAGAZINE
MANHATTAN FOR RENT
Found In Translation by: Joe Lamport
Even if you don't speak the language, there are ways to snare a
low rent pad in an ethnic neighborhood.
Use an ethnic broker. If you don't speak the lingo, employing a broker
who does is a valuable solution for opening closed doors. "When I find
someone from a different ethnic background than myself, who is what
I call pioneering in the area, " says Robin Prescod, managing partner
at Harlem Homes Realty, " I put them in touch with the block association
and homeowners' groups, so they can find their comfort level."
March 27/2004
In an article in the New York Post Titled
SWEET AS SUGAR
A Harlem neighborhood offers history, attractive home prices.
In the article about the Sugar Hill area of Manhattan, Harlem Homes
Belinda Hardin is quoted talking about Sugar Hill real estate.
UPTOWN IS LOOKING UP!
In Septembers KIP Business Report, there's an article by Delia Cleveland on the "Uptown Summit on Economic Development in Heritage Heights Village." It speaks of entrepreneurship and thriving uptown business.
For more information call 212-866-2600
George Sanchez, Dwana Hughes (harlem homes realty), Frank Encarnacion
HARLEM'S
HOT NEW HOMES
Building boom brings
modern life to brownstone streets,
Oct. 25/2003
This week, some 200 politicians and community activists gathered on 135th Street to celebrate the groundbreaking of Strivers Gardens, a 170-unit luxury condominium building. It was a large celebration for something that has become routine in Harlem - new construction.
In an article by Lisa Keys in this
past weekends "New York Post", regarding the real estate boom
in Harlem,
Harlem Homes Belinda Hardin was quoted as saying:
"Instead of buying brownstones and renting them, people
are converting them to condos," said Belinda Hardin of Harlem Homes.
"You'll get your money back faster than renting, and you're not
a long-term landlord."
The article goes on to talk about
the development of Harlem Real Estate.
For the complete article click on:
NY
Post, Harlem's
Hot New Homes
