Tidbid for the Day: First Thing To Consider When Looking at Investment Property

Many first time real estate investors look to small apartment buildings - no more than 20 units - as their first foray into property acquisition. 

The first thing - the number one thing - an investory must look at is called the NOI. NOI stands for Net Operating income.  You must look at the income and expenses for the building (which includes all things that pertain to it directly, from maintenance to taxes) and then subtract those expenses from the whole number.  That is your net operating income, or basically money you have to use from the building.  From there, we can get into percentages and other finer points, but this is where you start on anything over four units in size. 

The Upper East Side (Manhattan)

The Upper East Side is a quintessential New York neighborhood, stretching north from 57th   to 110th Street and east from tony Fifth Avenue to the river.  Primarily a place that people call home, it is filled with small family businesses and restaurants that cater to a local clientele.  This is the area where budding urban professionals often move right out of university (which keeps it ripe for rental development) and where you also have the high end, established residences on Fifth, Madison and Park Avenues.  It also provides a quiet corner where people can retreat from the busy clatter of midtown,  and easy access to Central Park and the promenade along the East River provide a touch of nature within city life.

We feel that the purchase of small buildings, condominiums and new development all have an up side in this neighborhood.  The most interesting segment of the market is townhouses east of Lexington Avenue and uptown to East Harlem.  There are approximately 60 buildings on the market up there right now.

For a good look at the difference between what a million dollars and 10 million will buy you, go to http://www.deborahgimelson.brownharrisstevens.com/ and look up the following addresses:

29 East 127th Street.  This is an Italianate home, built in the mid-1800s, where poet Langston Hughes lived from 1947-1957.  It is priced at $1,000,000.

250 East 68th Street.  This is a completely modern home built within the last few years. It is 5500 square feet in size and was featured on OPEN HOUSE NYC.  The price is $8,995,000. 

We look forward to hearing from you.

Gina O'Keefe/Deborah Gimelson

Brown Harris Stevens