Deconstruct

Oren and Tal Alexander were once among the highest echelon of luxury real estate brokers, rubbing elbows with celebrities and billionaires. For the last month we've seen them in the courthouse as they, along with Oren's twin brother Alon, stood trial on federal sex trafficking charges. TRD senior editor Ellen Cranley, who was on the team that broke the earliest allegations against the brothers in...

In this episode of Deconstruct, hosts Hannah Kramer and Lilah Burke discuss the ongoing trial of the Alexander brothers, who face serious allegations of sexual assault and sex trafficking. They also cover the fraud case against Nir Meir, the implications of high-end rental prices in New York City, and a deep dive into a complex mortgage fraud scheme affecting the market. The episode concludes with...

Deconstruct is the only podcast that brings you all the news you need to know about real estate. Now back for a fifth season, hosts Lilah Burke and Hannah Kramer will ake you inside The Real Deal's newsroom to cover the biggest issues in New York City and real estate today. In the first episode, the hosts talk with reporter Jake Indursky, who sifted through the Epstein files to find out just how b...

President-elect Donald Trump's campaign promises look to be a mixed bag for commercial real estate. Extended tax cuts would be a boon for dealmaking; tariffs could spark inflation and push the Federal Reserve to throw the cutting cycle in reverse. Deconstruct sits down with NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate Associate Dean Marc Norman and partners at Holland & Knight Joe Guay and Joel Roberso...

Matthew Mannion is auctioneer to the stars of New York City real estate. He handled the Flatiron Building's two-parter, the Times Square Margaritaville's flameout and most recently the UCC auction of Cohen Realty Enterprises' interest in a potpourri of assets. As foreclosure filings keep ticking up, Mannion shares stories from the courthouse steps and the inside scoop on how auctions get done.

Arnaud Karsenti, the head of Miami-based 13th Floor Investments, has a whopping dozen multifamily projects underway in a city set to break another record for deliveries in 2024. Does Miami have the tenants to meet that supply? Karsenti talks in-migration, demand for housing near public transit and the pros and cons of public-private partnerships at The Real Deal's South Florida Real Estate Forum.

Ranches have long been at the beating heart of Texas — first, as working plots; then, as legacy land. During the pandemic, the properties acquired a new sheen, attracting city-weary Texans and would-be cowboys willing to spend tens of millions of dollars for some peace and quiet and peace of mind. Four years later, demand has come roaring back. TRD's Joe Lovinger talks with one of the state's prol...

Election 2024 has been a wild ride for real estate. Housing stole the spotlight as an unlikely bipartisan issue, and the industry’s top donors are allotting dollars based on more than the business. As the nation readies for Tuesday’s vote, TRD Senior Reporter Kathryn Brenzel explains why an “unsexy” voter issue will drive votes, and who big names are backing.

In the latest episode of Deconstruct, TRD's Suzannah Cavanaugh finds out how loan specialists fix bad debt – or at least try to – by talking with loan workout specialists Rob Verrone and Job Warshaw of Iron Hound. Verrone works with sponsors to hash out modifications for distressed CMBS debt, and Warshaw brings perspective from the other side of the table — he spent three decades heading up negoti...

This month, two major hurricanes pummeled the southeastern U.S. As locals face the damage, the industry may be having its own reckoning with the existential threat severe weather poses to real estate. Or not. As developers respond to continued demand for high-risk real estate, and insurance premiums crush disaster-prone areas, Suzannah and Joe talk with South Florida reporters Katherine Kallergis...

In less than one cycle, New Jersey-based investor Shaya Prager went from total unknown to the owner of millions of square feet in suburban office properties across the country. Now, as the market turns, he's mixed up with allegations of fraud and at risk of losing much of his fast-grown portfolio. On the latest episode of Deconstruct, TRD's Suzannah Cavanaugh and Joe Lovinger talk with fellow repo...

In the latest episode of Deconstruct... The Federal Reserve slashed interest rates 50 basis points last month to the euphoria of commercial real estate borrowers. One cut does little to move the needle. But the Fed is projecting more cuts to come. Deconstruct breaks down how three different scenarios could affect refinancings.

In the first episode of Deconstruct's fourth season, host Suzannah Cavanaugh and new co-host Joe Lovinger dive into the swelling concerns and a potential turning point for multifamily owners and operators. Listen for their analysis and Suzannah's conversation with Sean Kia and Ryan Andrade, principals of the fast-growing and oft-criticized Tides Equities.

WeWork emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month after a herculean effort to cut costs. The task demanded the cooperation of hundreds of landlords and their lenders. Peter Greenspan, the coworking firm’s Global Head of Real Estate, brings Deconstruct to those negotiating tables for a look at how WeWork addressed 500 leases worldwide, and offers listeners a preview of the firm’s next chapter.

Don't expect interest rates to drop back to zero. But your floating-rate loan may be a bit less painful by year's end. The Real Deal's Deconstruct chatted with BGO's Chief Economist Ryan Severino about when rate cuts will come, the data that shows a cooling economy and what risks the Federal Reserve runs if it cuts too little, too late.

Last week, The Real Deal broke the news that top broker Oren Alexander and his twin brother, Alon, had been accused of rape and sexual assault by at least two women. The complaints detail events that allegedly took place more than a decade ago. But the lawsuits and the nearly 30 people who came forward alleging similar incidents after the story published, according to an attorney representing the...

Real estate attorney Isaac Kodsi nabbed Arbor Residences out of foreclosure in late 2023 with two goals: revive the dead condo project and return deposits to former buyers. Not a year later, Kodsi says he nailed the latter goal and is on track to wrap construction by the end of 2024. South Florida Bureau Chief Katherine Kallergis interviewed Kodsi on how he paid back buyers and where sales, led by...

Last month, Goldman Sachs announced it closed a new real estate credit fund, capable of handing out more than $7 billion. And with regional banks and other financial institutions reeling back their exposure to commercial real estate, Goldman Sachs sees this as the perfect time to get in on the action. Deconstruct chatted with Goldman Sachs' co-head of alternative capital formation, Jeff Fine, what...

Aleksey Chernobelskiy has many pieces of advice for retail investors writing checks for syndicated real estate deals. But, one of the most important: you could lose it all. As many syndicators — firms that pool equity to buy property — grapple with distress, thanks to rising interes rates, investors have been stuck in the crosshairs trying to determine whether to pump more money into a struggling...

Last month, Gov. Kathy Hochul passed a bombshell housing deal that extended the 421a tax abatement and introduced a new tax break for apartment projects: 485x. Developer Sam Charney of Charney Companies talks the profit potential of 485x compared to 421a, demand for sites eligible for the extension and when rental construction will ramp back up.

It's Deconstruct Live! at The Real Deal's New York Forum. Fortress' Steve Stuart, Benefit Street Partners' Mike Comparato and Urban Standard Capital's Seth Weissman talk bank failures, distressed note buying and lending demand in a live taping of Deconstruct.

Last week, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said it would move toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug — Schedule III instead of Schedule I. The move has big implications for the intersection of cannabis and real estate. Founder and CEO of cannabis REIT NewLake Capital Partners Anthony Coniglio talks tax relief and opportunity for state-licensed operators and capital p...

It's not just tax credits. It's not just zoning by right. To make office-to-residential conversion projects work, developers need all of the above, says Bobby Fijan of Philadelphia-based Form Developers. TRD's Deconstruct chatted with Fijan about some of the legislation, policies, subsidies and programs across the country that have helped push these conversions forward.

Note: This episode was recorded before the state finalized a housing deal. For a detailed break down of what passed check out Senior Reporter Kathryn Brenzel's story here : After years of negotiations, Albany has finally fleshed out the framework for a housing deal. Tenants call it a give away to developers. Landlords have their own gripes with an intended boon for rent-stabilized owners. Deconstr...

Lew Horne thought he was going to run a pet store business. Then, he thought he’d sell computerized systems to wholesale grocers. Neither panned out. Instead, Horne runs CBRE’s operations across Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire, leading advisory services, property and project management and capital markets teams. And in L.A., developers, brokers and brokerage heads have no shortage...