Join Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, Partner Sean R. Kelly, Esq., and Director Stephen Vorvolakos, for an in-depth discussion of the state of Brooklyn's commercial real estate market. They analyze the market's robust performance, including $3.25 billion in total investment sales in 1H 2025, trends shaping investment strategies across the borough and other key findings from Ariel’s Brooklyn 2025 Mid-Year Commercial Real Estate Trends report.

Highlights include:

• In the first half of 2025, Brooklyn saw 282 multifamily transactions, totaling over $2 billion, representing a 10% and 14% increase respectively over the first half of 2024.
• Of the multifamily transactions, 51.45% were for buildings with fewer than six units, underscoring a consistent post-HSTPA (Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019) investment strategy of prioritizing smaller, tax class protected assets that primarily offer free-market, value-add opportunities, largely unburdened by rent stabilization regulations.
• Brooklyn’s development market was strong in the first half of 2025, with 68 transactions totaling $610 million and pricing that exceeded $300/BSF for the first time.
• City and state housing policies and rezonings, like in Gowanus and Atlantic Avenue, have created incentives for developers.
• Brooklyn saw a resurgence in the retail market, particularly in Williamsburg. Investments from entities like Acadia Realty and Empire State Realty Trust represent the most significant institutional investments in the Brooklyn retail market since before COVID.

In this episode of Coffee & Cap Rates, Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, discusses Ariel’s Bronx 2025 Mid-Year Commercial Real Estate Trends report with the Bronx market experts Senior Director Jason Gold and Director Daniel Mahfar.

Key findings include:

• The Bronx investment sales market experienced a significant recovery in the first half of 2025 with dollar volume rising to $1.07 billion and transactions to 126, year-over-year increases of 106% and 18%, respectively.
• Multifamily sales totaled $565 million across 60 transactions in 1H 2025, driven by investors seeking low-basis, high-cash-flow opportunities in rent-stabilized assets.
• The most significant rent stabilized transaction was the sale of Related Companies’ 36-
  building, 2,021-unit Bronx portfolio to PH Realty Capital LLC for $189 million, discounted from $253 million paid by Related in 2014.
• Dollar volume in the development market was up 50% year-over-year, as developers became more comfortable with the UAP City of Yes initiative and 485-x tax abatement to underwrite larger projects.

For a deeper dive, read the full report: Bronx 2025 Mid-Year Commercial Real Estate Trends report.

Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, Mike Tortorici, Founding Partner, Chris Brodhead, Senior Director, and Howard Raber, Director, unpack the findings of Ariel's Manhattan 2025 Mid- Year Commercial Real Estate Trends report. They discussed Manhattan's strong real estate performance in the first half of the year, with nearly $7 billion in dollar volume driven by the sale of exceptional Class A office, free market buildings, development sites and retail.

Key Manhattan report highlights include:

• Investors are paying top dollar for Class A office assets because high quality tenants are seeking buildings with amenities in great locations.
• The recently approved Midtown South rezoning could revitalize Class B and C office stock in the area due to the potential for office-to-residential conversions.
• The development market saw a significant upswing with the $/BSF reaching $488 in the first half of the year, a 15% improvement over the 2024 and the highest level since 2021.
• Strong rental fundamentals and the below-peak basis are attracting investors to free market buildings, which saw the average $/SF at just under $800, up 4% year-over-year but 27% lower than peak values.