News: Brokerage

A message from the Founder: The Ark Storm

Ever heard of the Ark Storm? Ever heard of Noah? You'd be surprised at how many people under 40 have never heard of Noah. I guess that politically correct schools could be sued if they mentioned Noah since he appears in the book of Genesis, chapter 6-9. What is unknown to most is that he also appears in the Qur'an, the Islamic Bible as a respected prophet - also Hebrew literature, Mythology, Gnostic, Baha'I, and Greek mythology. What made me even think of Noah and what does he have to do with real estate? Katrina was six years ago. The Japanese tsunami was last year. Last month some of us felt a twinge of an earthquake that happened in Virginia. This past summer, Springfield, Mass. experienced a first-time tornado, and Vermont was designated a disaster area last month, losing many of its covered bridges that had stood for over 100 years. Does all that unplanned destruction affect real estate? If a foreign nation gets angry at our country and decides to attack, we have weapons of protection. But, if Mother Nature gets angry at us, we obviously have none (at least we used none against any hurricane, tornado, earth quake or tsunami.) Wouldn't you think that if we are smart enough to travel to the moon, we could invent something that could blow up those natural disasters before they attack? And I forgot to mention a volcano eruption that hasn't happened in our back yard yet. So when the floods came to the Northeast, floods we had never experienced before, I thought of Noah who probably never really existed and is only a symbol. Modern science talks about an Ark Storm, Google it. In 1963, the Supreme Court ruled 8 to 1 against daily prayer in public schools. In 1963, the U.S. President was assassinated. Did one have anything to do with the other? Of course not. I just thought I would mention it. Just like I am sure that an angry Creator written about in Genesis over 4,000 years ago would not show His anger again in a world that appears to be dominated by runaway greed and white collar crime. A country that is slowly but surely erasing His name from wherever it appears in public. Maybe Mother Nature feels sorry for the governed (that's us - 300 million of us) who really have no say in what happens in government. All decisions are made by 100 senators, 435 congressmen, 9 supreme court justices and one president. That's a total of 545 who make decisions for 300 million. Do the math. It really doesn't add up, especially since the senators and congressman are allowed to serve for life. Shouldn't they be limited to two terms like the president? Of course they should. And we would find an entirely different breed of person deciding to devote two terms representing the governed. By the way, I think Noah would have made an excellent political representative. When the flood receded, he tilled the earth and built a vineyard that led to making wine, and then (of course) drinking it. The next time you are sipping wine in the rain, toast Noah. Roland Hopkins is the founder of the New York Real Estate Journal, Norwell, Mass.
MORE FROM Brokerage

NYSCAR June 2026 president’s message - by Mercedes Brien

As I write this letter, we are preparing to be at the Annual Conference being held at the Rivers Casino, Schenectady, New York. I look forward to reporting on the conference in my next letter. We have some great courses coming up via Zoom. Please be sure to keep watch on upcoming courses by visiting nyscar.org/resources and tools/professional development.
READ ON THE GO
DIGITAL EDITIONS
Subscribe
Columns and Thought Leadership
The anticipated effect of Basel III and ISO 20022 implementation on commercial real estate - by Michael Zysman

The anticipated effect of Basel III and ISO 20022 implementation on commercial real estate - by Michael Zysman

July 1, 2025 is the deadline for US banks to begin to adopt Basel III banking standards and July 14, 2025 is the deadline for U.S. banks to adopt ISO 20022 messaging standards. Both will have a significant effect on the banking and commercial real estate (CRE) finance sectors.
A fresh start - by Shallini Mehra and Amit Doshi

A fresh start - by Shallini Mehra and Amit Doshi

For the past several years, the New York City multifamily housing market has been defined by disruption. The combined impact of the HSTPA rent laws and a sharply higher interest rate environment has fundamentally reduced
The death of the generic offering memorandum: What buyers expect in 2025 - by Kimberly Zar Bloorian

The death of the generic offering memorandum: What buyers expect in 2025 - by Kimberly Zar Bloorian

There was a time when an offering memorandum (OM) was pretty bare bones, some photos, a few bullet points on income, and a rent roll thrown in at the back. That used to get the job done. Not anymore. In 2025, buyers are sharper, faster, and more selective. They’re looking
Tri-state capital  migrates nationally amid  regulation pressure - by Reese Weaver

Tri-state capital migrates nationally amid regulation pressure - by Reese Weaver

New York tri-state multifamily investors are increasingly reallocating capital to less-regulated markets across the U.S. as rent control and legislative risk erode returns at home. With over 60% of New York City’s rental housing stock classified as rent-stabilized, the traditional value-add model — buying under-performing buildings,