2015 Year in Review - Yona Edelkopf

What was your most notable project, deal, transaction or professional achievement in 2015? In 2015, our most notable deal was the $109 million sale a five-lot assemblage located at 1802-1810 2nd Avenue and 303-305 E. 93rd Street in New York’s prestigious Upper East Side neighborhood. Ido Tzaidi with EPIC represented both the buyer and the seller in this transaction. EPIC leveraged its 70 years of experience, strong relationships and multi-tiered approach to effectively market and manage every aspect of the transaction, which produced an amazing result. What real estate project, transaction, market trend or product had a significant impact on your industry in 2015? In 2015, we saw the rent stabilized multi-family market slow down, while there was a surge in demand for market-rate multi-family properties. With the new laws and regulations that have been put in place by the current administration, the demand for rent-regulated apartment buildings has slowed down tremendously. How will you be supercharging your productivity in 2016? We are currently launching a hiring campaign to grow our sales team and expand our presence in emerging neighborhoods. We currently employ over 30 agents and are looking to grow our team by hiring candidates that are driven and strive toward excellence in everything that they do. This will help us reach our goal of expanding our management of commercial real estate investments throughout the Greater New York Metropolitan Area. What emerging trends will drive investment and development in 2016? We have noticed a growing demand for retail property investment in Brooklyn.  At EPIC, one of our specializations is marketing mixed-use buildings in the Greater New York Metropolitan Area, including Brooklyn, and offering a hybrid model that includes both exclusives and off market deals. We are seeing an influx of clients coming to us to capitalize on our mixed-use property expertise and to find the most competitive investment opportunities today.