AndrovetteStaten Island with a current population of 485,144 is typically a bucolic bedroom community with the majority of residences comprised of privately owned one- and two-family homes. Current average home value is $556,601.    Of some 167,672 households, 47.3% are over the age of 55 with an anticipated growth rate in senior ownership of .63% by 2023.   

There are few if any options for Staten Island’s aging population who are looking to downsize, or who no longer can or want to manage the day-to-day maintenance of a private home and who wish to stay near their families in the community they have established a life in.  With such a large customer base, it is hard to imagine that there not more available product. 

There is currently only one luxury 55+…

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Computer ProgrammersSince Casandra Properties was founded back in 1989 by mom, the Real Estate industry has undergone so many changes. We’ve talked about this quite a bit in some of our other posts and while it’s changed dramatically we believe that the most exciting times, and our ability to really use technology to drive sales, still lies ahead. 

When I started in the business we were over the moon excited about the dial up modem and the fact that we could once a day, get the hot sheets that provided new listings. However, this process was not a quick one. This required the patience to strap the phone into the device that communicated to the server and printed on our dot matrix a daily report!  As time marched on the innovations came fast and furious.  The…

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RPOBack in 2005, long before most of the competition, we saw very stormy times ahead in the Real Estate and overall economies. In response to this, we developed a program that we called RPO, Real Estate Portfolio Optimization. 

The idea was as the market was shifting there would be a double hit for institutions and Not-for-Profit’s in particular. When you couple a slowing economy with overall budget cuts and the government’s tightening of the belt you end up with a cash crunch for these Not-for-Profit’s. The RPO program was designed to take a look at NFP’s real estate portfolio’s, which shockingly were viewed as liabilities, and convert them into positive cash flowing assets. The strategy was to identify, assess, optimize and where appropriate liquidate -…

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Opportunity AheadDon’t let numbers fool you, there’s some real opportunities in those zones...

Historically sales numbers and pricing in the census tracts, now known as the opportunity zones, have been tough.  By tough I mean over the last 20 years or so, there has been zero growth.  In fact, there has been a steady decline in not only sales quantity but also pricing.   I was recently reading an article on the Reonomy site and saw the chart in the article. They say a picture’s worth a thousand words... so ouch...very ouch baby....


If that’s not bad enough, since the announcement of the Opportunity Zones being included into the tax laws...yep you guessed it the numbers are still declining!

So what does this mean in our little slice of heaven for Staten Island Real Estate…

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North Shore Staten IslandAs a life-long resident of Staten Island, there’s never been a better time to live, work, and play in the often-forgotten borough. And with all of the new state-of-the-art real estate developments on the island fromdelicious quality restaurants, retail spaces, and luxury housing developments, your friends in Manhattan will be taking the ferry to the St. George side much more often. The Nixon McGowan Team at Casandra Properties has been at the forefront of helping to change the Staten Island landscape for the better. Having worked on the commercial leasing for Urby, Minthorne, Empire Outlets, Downtown Plaza, the Pointe, and much more the Nixon McGowan team has been on a mission to make Staten Island great again. Through the following insider’s guide to my…

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Outside the boxI was reading with great interest an article this am in WWD entitled Next-Gen Proof Your Business by Kaley Roshitsh.  I was particularly interested in the parallels between the fashion/retail industry and the Real Estate Industry.

In essence, the article talked about how the Gen Z peeps (typically defined as having birthdates between the mid-1990s and the mid-2000s) have little if any brand loyalty.  Interestingly enough - this isn’t a rebellious movement. In my opinion, this is born out of opportunity and an entrepreneurial spirit.  

The last few decades have brought so much change to the world.  Technology has blown the doors off conventional thinking and allowed us to really think outside the box.  

The fashion and retail industries are ripe for change. …

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This is a topic we have touched on in the past.  As we head into what we believe will be some uncertain waters over the next 24 months, we felt perhaps there was no better time to talk about what you should be looking for.  It never ceases to amaze us how many people trust the sale of their home, THEIR HOME, to agents that are not experienced.  

All too often decisions are made based on relationships.   While relationships are important, when choosing the best real estate agent on Staten Island, so many more factors should be considered.  

At Casandra Properties, we pride ourselves on excellence.  So much of the work we do is behind the scenes.  The never-ending analysis, reports, watching market indicators and factors. So, we decided to pull the curtain…

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Movers Moving Casandra PropertiesMaking tough decisions is what life is about. Sometimes you are going to face difficulties, but this doesn't mean that they will last long. Moving out of your favorite home and into a new one is a huge thing. You not only have to say goodbye to the house but to the memories, you had in that home as well. Whatever the reasons are for leaving, you will surely miss that building that’s been keeping you safe you and your entire family. Click on the link for more https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/08/smarter-living/hire-interstate-movers-without-getting-scammed.html.

Moreover, not all of us have the time to pack everything up, load it on trucks, and take it to the desired destination. This is incredibly tricky if you're relocating out of state. If you don't…

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Rent regulationsWell, if you’re in the Real Estate business, by now you have probably read your fill of articles on the new rent regulations and how they will impact your respective portfolio.   The changes are coming fast and furious.  If you take the time to do some digging, you will find these sweeping changes are not limited to Rent Controlled and Rent Stabilized units.  Market Rate units are also significantly impacted.   Layer on top of this, New York State has amended its Human Rights Law to include Source of Income as a protected class and you have a perfect storm - and it’s headed right for the residential multi-family market in New York City.  While the sheer quantities of the housing stock in NYC and the other boroughs is significantly higher than Staten…

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I was going to write this morning about all of the recent regulatory shifts in the rental market, our predictions (which have been consistent and spot on!), and how we see opportunity in this market as everyone runs for the hills.  

Instead, I woke up and nestled into my favorite blogging spot, opened my blinds and was greeted with this majestic view.   


I thought about how every day, every sunrise, we are greeted with a new set of opportunities and a bit of a clean slate.  I decided to save the heavier material for later in the week, today let’s talk about the amazing opportunities in real estate right here on Staten Island, shall we?

Staten Island, the forgotten borough, Staten Island never misses the opportunity to miss an opportunity.... remember…

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