In the Press

A penthouse loft that juxtaposes monolithic marble with rustic woods in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood closed this week for $6.35 million. The loft occupies the top two floors of an 1898 cast-iron building on Prince Street, spanning approximately 1,200 square feet of open space under 30-foot ceilings, plus another 1,050 square feet of terraces.

One of Serhant New York’s top luxury real estate and new development teams is expanding into South Florida. The Bogard Team announced the hiring of Evan Sophir and Shane Aronson to help serve clients who are increasingly doing business across both markets, according to a news release. Sophir previously ranked among the top 1 percent of real estate agents in the country by sales volume, the release said. He is a South Florida native and has also served as a real estate agent for The Keyes Company and William Raveis Real Estate. Aronson has been a single agent with Serhant Florida since 2023, the release said. Over the past three years, he’s closed $30 million in transactions. He has a background in banking and hospitality, serving in various roles at First Republic Bank and holding a position as president of business affairs at Color Collab, according to LinkedIn. The Bogard Team is ranked as one of the 10 largest teams in New York City and among the top 25 percent of large teams in the country, the release said. As part of its South Florida expansion, the team signed over $50 million worth of listings, including a penthouse in Highland Beach asking $15.5 million, and a spec house in Fort Lauderdale coming to the market in September for $16 million.

The NYC market right now is highly segmented. It’s not one story, it’s three: opportunity, uncertainty, and urgency. What you feel the most depends entirely on location and price point. Buyers who are hesitant are very hesitant, and getting to contract is a delicate journey. That said, the buyers who are willing to push through the noise are the ones winning. There are real deals happening, and in certain segments, the pricing is softer than we’ve seen in some time. Pricing and design are making the most impact on outcomes. After a long, difficult winter and global turbulence, we’re starting to feel a shift. Buyers are re-engaging and there is a sense that people are ready to make decisions after a period of stop-and-go, and this momentum should continue through spring. At the same time, sellers are becoming more realistic and negotiable, which is helping move that may have stalled. Parts of the pipeline that felt clogged earlier this year are starting to break apart. Uncertainty isn’t going anywhere, but it’s not currently stopping the market; it’s just shaping how people move through it.

Williamsburg is a strange place, an anomaly. It doesn’t have the brownstone blocks of its neighbors to the south, the grand Art Deco towers, or the ornate turn-of-the-century lofts found elsewhere. Instead, it’s utilitarian, a patchwork of aluminum siding, anonymous factories, and in recent decades, residential buildings of every shape and style. Some are more successful than others, and admittedly, the adaptive reuse of old factories has brought character to certain corners. What makes Williamsburg's streetscape appealing, especially on its best blocks, are the narrow lots that create variety, surprise storefronts, and a sense of discovery that makes the neighborhood a pleasure to walk in.