The Power Broker

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The Underdog

If Leon Manoff were to sketch his nine-month search for office space on behalf of ASME, the 131-year-old association of mechanical engineers, it would look like a swirl of concentric circles, with each spiral extending farther from the organization’s space at 3 Park Avenue.

Over the course of his search, in fact, the Colliers International tenant agent toured floorplates 20 blocks north and more than three miles south, all across Lower Manhattan. In total, Mr. Manoff and his clients considered more than 30 buildings over the span of roughly 10 tours.

But as is so often the case, the building that ASME executives liked most of all was hiding in their own backyard, at 2 Park Avenue, directly out the window. Read More

Sour Suit Over GVA Williams Sale

Candace Carmel Barasch, heir to one of New York real estate’s family fortunes, is suing a prominent brokerage, and three men who run it, for allegedly cheating her out of $4 million.

Ms. Carmel has sued Williams Real Estate, a First Service Company, its executive chairman, Robert Freedman, and Michael J. Cohen and Andrew Read More

Brokers as Shrinks

Do you feel burdened with an empty storefront? Are you convinced you’re the only landlord saddled with too much debt? Do you feel terrified that the bottom of this infernal market will never come? Are you anxious? Depressed? Lonely?

Call your broker.

The plunging market has turned commercial real estate brokers—those hard-nosed, pinstriped Read More