Page 10 - CooperatorNews July 2021

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10 COOPERATORNEWS —
JULY 2021
COOPERATORNEWS.COM
ATTORNEYS
Abrams Garfi nkel Margolis Bergson, LLP
1430 Broadway, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10018
212-201-1170 • www.agmblaw.com
Barry G. Margolis, Esq. • Robert J. Bergson, Esq.
ACCOUNTANTS
ARCHITECTS
SERVICE DIRECTORY
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Over 30 years of coop & condo experience
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Hands on Personal Attention Timely Service
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Contact: Gary Adler, CPA Sarah Haar CPA
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516-485-9600
adler@basslemer.com
Contact: Lauren Ziemba, CPA Sarah Haar, CPA
lziemba@basslemer.com
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Cesarano & Khan, PC
Certified Public Accountants
PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TO
THE COOPERATIVE AND CONDOMINIUM COMMUNITY
Reporting on Financial Statements • Tax Services
Budgeting & Consulting • Election Tabulation Services
For additional information, contact
Carl M. Cesarano, CPA
199 JERICHO TURNPIKE, SUITE 400 • FLORAL PARK, NY 11001
(516) 437-8200
and
718-478-7400 • info@ck-cpas.com
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that are expanding or relocating to Miami
as a driver of luxury home purchases in the
area. In Broward, sales of condo units for
$1 million and up jumped 473%. (Yes, you
read that correctly.) And in Miami-Dade?
Five hundred forty-one percent.
Th e
Miami Herald
reports a surge in
buyers from Latin America as well. Th e
outlet indicates that affl uent South and
Central Americans see South Florida real
estate as a safe place to park their money at
a time when many countries in the region
face political and social upheaval, as well as
a spotty rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“A few months ago we had zero Latin
American buyers,” says Danny Hertzberg,
a sales associate for Th e Jills Zeder Group,
a Miami real estate brokerage fi rm. “To-
day, we have several contracts with Central
American and South American buyers.”
In other urban areas that were report-
edly bleeding wealthy homeowners at the
coronavirus’s onset, a reinfusion of sorts
appears to be taking place at this stage of
the pandemic. New York real estate expert
Donna Olshan, president of Olshan Realty
Inc. and Olshan Group LLC, says that the
luxury sector is seeing the biggest surge
since her agency began tracking such data
in 2006, partially because of the size of the
units being purchased.
“We’re seeing a streak we’ve never seen
before,” says Olshan. “We have gone 14
weeks with contracts signed at $4 million
and above in Manhattan. People are buy-
ing condos—but what makes this period
of time diff erent is that people are buying
larger condos. Th e average price for these
condos is higher than it has been in the
past, but because the size is 8% [larger], of
course the price is going to rise.”
Vicki V. Negron, a licensed associate
broker with Corcoran in Brooklyn, adds
that outdoor space, whether common or
private, is another determinant of interest
for deep-pocketed buyers. “Outdoor space,
the size of the condos, and the fact that we
may need to be working from home indefi -
nitely, or at some point again, are all impor-
tant factors to consider,” she says. “Apart-
ment size and outdoor space [are] almost
as important as location [near] to transpor-
tation used to be.”
110 E. 42nd Street, 17th Floor
New York, New York 10017
Robert J. Braverman, Scott S. Greenspun
(212) 682- 2900
www.braverlaw.net
rbraverman@braverlaw.net
sgreenspun@braverlaw.net
Braverman Greenspun, P.C.
ATTORNEYS
Abrams Garfi nkel Margolis Bergson, LLP
1430 Broadway, 17th Floor, New York, NY 10018
212-201-1170 • www.agmblaw.com
Barry G. Margolis, Esq. • Robert J. Bergson, Esq.
Him
Coo
One
Conta
Law@
Belkin Burden Wenig & Goldman, LLP
Specializing in all aspects of Cooperative and Condominium
Law including Landlord/tenant proceedings.
Copy of Monthly Newsletter available upon request.
(212) 867-4466 contact: Aaron Shmulewitz/Daniel Altman
ashmulewitz@bbwg.com/daltman@bbwg.com
www.bbwg.com
w
462
•
• Lan
Real
• Zon
Rig
Contact:
Three
48
New Y
A full service real estate law firm serving
the cooperative and condominium community
Eric M. Goidel, Esq.
egoidel@borahgoldstein.com
(212)431-1300, Ext.438
Manhattan: 377 Broadway l New York, NY 10036│(212) 431-1300
Queens: 108-18 Queens Blvd│Forest Hills, NY 11375│(718) 263-6611
www.borahgoldstein.com
ARCHITECTS
architecture
interior design
engineering
project management
forensic investigations
307 7th Avenue, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10001
Tel. 212.645.3775 Fax. 212.645.4099
Form Space Image ARCHITECTURE PC
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Over 30 years of coop & condo experience
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Hands on Personal Attention Timely Service
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Contact: Gary Adler, CPA Sarah Haar CPA
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516-485-9600
adler@basslemer.com
Re
Pro
2
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Ans
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18 THE COOPERATOR —
JUNE 2020
cal since most of us who live in New York
are either exposed or will get the disease.”
New York Residents Notice Mail Delays
During Pandemic
While “Neither snow nor rain nor
heat nor gloom of night stays these cou-
riers from the swift completion of their
appointed rounds,” as the United States
Postal Service’s motto goes, CBSNewYork
reports that the organization has experi-
enced delays in service as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic—and New Yorkers
are noticing.
CBSNewYork reports that according
to some Bronx residents, they haven’t re-
ceived their mail—including packages,
bills, and medications—in almost a week.
Maryann Monte, a retiree who lives in an
apartment building in Kingsbridge, indi-
cated that she received an email from her
building stating that their local post of-
fi ce has been “inactive, apparently due to
numerous employees’ COVID-19 related
exposure and/or diagnosis.”
At one Riverdale co-op, says CBS,
rumors have been circulating that coro-
navirus has ripped through the local
post offi ce, resulting in noticeable mail
delays. Co-op resident Kevin Ploth tells
CBS, “I’ve noticed, along with some of my
neighbors—we have a mailman who we
know by name, and the last we saw of him
was Th ursday of last week.”
When CBSNewYork reached out to
USPS regarding the delays, a spokesper-
son’s response was, in part, “[W]e con-
tinue fl exing our available resources to
match the workload created by the im-
pacts of the ongoing coronavirus pan-
demic.” In other words, completion of ap-
pointed rounds will not be “stayed” by the
pandemic—yet—but it may be less “swift ”
than the delivery times to which we’ve be-
come accustomed in the 21st century.
CBSNewYork notes that while the
Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
tion (CDC) and the World Health Orga-
nization (WHO) say there’s no evidence
of the virus spreading through contact
with mail or packages, at least one study
has shown that coronavirus can remain
on surfaces such as cardboard for up to 24
hours. Th erefore, it is recommended that
any packages be left outside the home for
at least that time period, and to clean any
surfaces with which the package comes
in contact. And—of course—wash your
hands aft er handling any mail or packag-
es, or anything else received from outside
of your home.
n
cember 14, 2020, 41.2% of Americans have
been fully vaccinated as of the time of this
writing, according to the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Perhaps inspired by this tenuous progress,
or perhaps limited from other mega-bucks
purchases for the better part of a year,
wealthy homeseekers are not hesitating to
invest in luxury co-ops and condos.
Th e Miami Realtors Association cites an
infl ux of out-of-state residents following the
growing number of fi nance and tech fi rms
The Future
While the U.S. seems to be turning a
corner on coronavirus infections and hos-
pitalizations, the global picture is much
diff erent. Certain countries are relaxing
restrictions, while others are facing more
devastating waves of illness and death. At-
titudes toward vaccination are competing
with access and availability in some parts of
the world—and indeed, much of this coun-
try as well—stymying the eff ort toward that
elusive “herd immunity.”
Still there is an abiding sense of hope
that fall will bring a complete reopening of
offi ces, schools, and international borders,
and with it the resumption of “normal” co-
op and condo activity in the U.S.
As travel restrictions ease, Hertzberg
predicts more Florida buyers from Latin
America as well as Europe, along with
more interest from the Northeast and Sili-
con Valley. New York realtors are hoping
that as the international buyer returns, the
Big Apple might off er the best bang for the
buck (or peso, or yen, or riyal), as sponsors
are “meeting the moment” with deals in-
tended to unload stagnant inventory.
Most of all, as the country tip-toes out of
the pandemic that brought the world to its
knees, people are making changes to their
lifestyles and to their priorities in profound
ways, and this will have implications for
residential real estate long into the future.
How many people will be able to continue
working remotely and will never actually
go back to their offi ces? Will views com-
mand as much value as space, especially
outdoor space? What about ‘location, loca-
tion, location’? Th e real estate pros advise
that to meet this moment, fl exibility in
marketing is key. Staying competitive will
require constant reassessment of promo-
tional practices and a willingness to adjust
accordingly.
■
Darcey Gerstein is Associate Editor and
Sta Writer for CooperatorNews.
HOW HAS COVID...
continued from page 9
cination records separate from the rest of
the employees’ personnel files and make
clear that no other medical information
should be disclosed along with proof of
vaccination.
d. The employer may disclose to the
Union for representational purposes
whether any individual is vaccinated but
shall not otherwise disclose whether an
individual is vaccinated, provided how-
ever that the employer may disclose such
information if it is de-identified and in
the aggregate (e.g., 95% of our employees
have been vaccinated), or if otherwise re-
quired by law.
■
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