Last week, I was honored to be recognized among the top 1.5% of real estate professionals in the United States by RealTrends. But that recognition isn't what I think about most. What I think about is whether the people I've worked with made decisions they still feel good about years later. That's the only metric that has ever mattered.
Awards have a way of making you look backward. What interests me is what I've learned.
After more than 25 years helping buyers and sellers navigate Manhattan real estate, I've come to believe that successful decisions have surprisingly little to do with finding the perfect apartment or timing the market. They come down to a few principles that repeat themselves regardless of market conditions, interest rates, or what's happening in the broader economy.
Here's what those 25 years have taught me.
Preparation Separates Confident Buyers From Hesitant Ones
The most successful buyers don't begin their search on StreetEasy. They begin weeks or months earlier, with a clear understanding of their priorities, their financial structure, and critically what they're willing to trade off.
When you're purchasing in New York City, the variables multiply quickly. Financing structures, board approval, building financials, tax considerations, and long-term flexibility all require thought before you're standing in a prewar living room deciding whether you love it. Understanding what's possible at your price point and how it relates to your broader financial picture isn't a nice-to-have. It's the foundation.
The buyers who struggle are chasing a moving target because they don't yet understand the basics of this market. The buyers who succeed have already defined what success looks like before the search begins.
More Information Does Not Mean Better Decisions
We live in an era of unlimited data. Sales histories, market reports, neighborhood statistics, AI-generated valuations and all of it available instantly. The challenge was never access to information. It's knowing which information actually matters for your decision, in this building, at this moment in the market.
And here's the danger: having all that information at your fingertips can create the illusion that you can navigate it alone.
Data tells you what happened. Experience tells you why and whether it's likely to happen again. I can't emphasize this enough without it sounding self-serving, so I'll say it plainly: working with an experienced agent is not optional for the vast majority of buyers and sellers. If you're working with a newer agent who has strong mentorship, that can work. But going with a newer solo agent with little direction can cost you time, money, and opportunities you won't even know you missed.
Every Apartment Involves Compromise. The Question Is Whether the Tradeoffs Are Right for You.
The perfect apartment doesn't exist at any price point. I learned this early in my career.
I was working alongside an established downtown agent who brought on a buyer with a substantial budget. I assumed a bigger budget meant an easier search. It didn't. The tradeoffs were just different and in some ways harder to navigate. We did find them a home they loved, but it was a long, diligent process.
What changes across price points isn't whether tradeoffs exist. It's the nature of them. Location versus light. Prewar character versus new construction flexibility. A landmark building with a restrictive board versus a newer development with fewer complications.
The happiest buyers I've worked with aren't the ones who found perfection. They're the ones who made clear-eyed tradeoffs aligned with how they actually live.
Price and Value Are Not the Same Thing
This is where even sophisticated buyers sometimes surprise themselves.
The impulse to negotiate hard to win on price is understandable. But in Manhattan, the asking price is rarely the most important number on the page.
What matters more: the building's reserve fund. Its underlying mortgage. How the board is run. What renovations are permitted and how difficult they are to execute. What the resale history actually looks like and not the listing price, but the final closed number.
I've seen buyers save money at closing only to face unexpected assessments, difficult boards, or resale limitations that cost them far more over time. I've also seen buyers pay full ask for a building with exceptional management and walk away years later with both a better lived experience and a stronger return.
The same logic applies on the selling side just in reverse. Overpricing is one of the most expensive mistakes a seller can make, and it's counterintuitive enough that even experienced sellers fall into it fearing they are leaving money on the table. A property that sits on the market sends a signal. Buyers notice days on market. They assume something is wrong, negotiate harder, or walk away entirely. The sellers who come out ahead are rarely the ones who pushed for the highest possible ask. They're the ones who priced with precision and created competition.
Understanding what you're actually buying or selling requires looking well past the number on the term sheet.
The Best Advisors Help You Make Decisions, Not Just Guide Transactions
When I started in this business, I thought my job was to help people buy and sell apartments. After 25 years, I see it differently.
Navigating the transaction is only part of what I do. What matters is whether you understand the risks, the opportunities, and the full picture clearly enough to move forward with genuine confidence as a buyer or seller, not just a willingness to sign.
A great advisor isn't the one who knows the most facts. It's the one who can help you understand how those facts fit together for your specific situation. In a market as layered as Manhattan, that clarity is worth more than almost anything else.
Questions I Get Asked Most
Is now a good time to buy in Manhattan?
It's the question I hear most, and honestly it's the wrong one. The right question is whether you are ready financially, practically, and in terms of what you're seeking. I've seen people wait for the perfect market moment and miss properties they'd still be happy in today convinced they would somehow get a better deal in the future. The buyers who do best are the ones who buy when their personal circumstances align, not when a headline tells them to.
How do I know if a building is well run?
The financials tell most of the story. You want to see a healthy reserve fund, no underlying mortgage or a manageable one, and a history of assessments if there were any. Beyond the numbers, I look at how long the building staff has been there, how responsive the management company is, and whether the board has a reputation for being reasonable or difficult. These things are knowable before you buy. Simply touring a building and especially the basement will tell you how the building is maintained.
How much should I read into days on market?
More than most buyers realize. A well-priced property in good condition moves. When something has been sitting, there's usually a reason and it's not always obvious from the listing. Sometimes it's the price. Sometimes it's a building issue. Sometimes it's a floor plan that photographs better than it lives. However it could simply be a stubborn seller holding out for an unrealistic price. Days on market is one of the first things I look at, and it shapes how I advise clients going into a negotiation but it isn’t the full story.
