112. What’s Driving Manhattan’s $7B CRE Market? featuring Michael A. Tortorici, Christoffer Brodhead, & Howard Raber

Shimon Shkury, President and Founder of Ariel Property Advisors, Mike Tortorici, Founding Partner, Chris Brodhead, Senior Director, and Howard Raber, Director, unpack the findings of Ariel's Manhattan 2025 Mid- Year Commercial Real Estate Trends report. They discussed Manhattan's strong real estate performance in the first half of the year, with nearly $7 billion in dollar volume driven by the sale of exceptional Class A office, free market buildings, development sites and retail.

Key Manhattan report highlights include:

• Investors are paying top dollar for Class A office assets because high quality tenants are seeking buildings with amenities in great locations.
• The recently approved Midtown South rezoning could revitalize Class B and C office stock in the area due to the potential for office-to-residential conversions.
• The development market saw a significant upswing with the $/BSF reaching $488 in the first half of the year, a 15% improvement over the 2024 and the highest level since 2021.
• Strong rental fundamentals and the below-peak basis are attracting investors to free market buildings, which saw the average $/SF at just under $800, up 4% year-over-year but 27% lower than peak values.