New York, NY – January 27, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — New York City office cleaners ratified a four-year agreement with the Realty Advisory Board (RAB) on Tuesday that provides a 5.6% wage increase over the life of the contract and bonuses totaling $1,100.00. The agreement also maintains fully employer-paid family health care coverage. more »

BROOKLYN, NY – January 25, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — Jade 8 (www.jade8condos.com), an exclusive collection of just eight “Green” condominiums in Brooklyn’s fashionable Gowanus neighborhood, has opened its doors to the public with one contract already signed. more »

NEW YORK CITY, NY – January 26, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — Three members of The Real Estate Network and Transactions (R.E.N.T.) have joined the group’s Board of Directors.

And, for the first time, the organization has also designated two of its members as co-chairs.
The two co-chairs are Scott Rutter of Citrin Cooperman & Company, LLP, the co-chair for finance, and Ed Sirlin, Group Director and Senior Vice President at Signature Bank, the co-chair for membership and guests. Mr. Rutter is a continuing member of the Board, whereas Mr. Sirlin becomes a new member of the Board for the first time. more »

Baldwinsville, NY – January 26, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — Syracuse NY realtors have lately been busy inviting other locals to join in the fun and get cold for a cause for The Big Chill, an event hosted by the Greater Baldwinsville Chamber of Commerce for the purpose of funding the Ronald McDonald House Charities of CNY as well as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. more »

New York, NY – January 26, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — Keller Williams NYC (www.kwnyc.com), the Manhattan franchise of leading real estate firm Keller Williams Realty Inc., has announced the appointment of Jamie Knuckles to the Walt Frazier Team at Keller Williams NYC. more »

Deals Mark Broker’s Fourth and Fifth on Long Island for Harbor Freight Tools

NEW YORK CITY, NY – January 26, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — In deals arranged by Douglas Weinstein of Sholom & Zuckerbrot Realty (S&Z), Harbor Freight Tools, the nation’s largest tool and equipment retailer, will open an approximately 19,000-square-foot store in Huntington, N.Y. and an approximately 16,000-square-foot store in Centereach, N.Y., in Suffolk County on Long Island. more »

NEW YORK CITY, NY – January 25, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — The weather outside was cold, but inside, the atmosphere was heating up festively at CoreNet Global NYC’s annual holiday party. Over 235 commercial real estate executives and service providers gathered at The Top of the Rock on January 5th to celebrate the New Year, network with colleagues and meet new friends. The beautiful venue, with its breathtaking views of the Big Apple in every direction, served as the perfect place for CoreNet’s members to socialize and have fun – a top spot for those at the top of the real estate business. more »

New York, NY – January 24, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — I am very encouraged that the Governor has again proposed a budget that closes the deficit by reducing spending and without increasing taxes or fees, and includes plans for job creation, property tax relief and other reforms to make sure tax dollars are spent wisely. These are long held priorities of the Senate Republican conference. more »

Council to Hold Public Hearings Across the State to Hear Public Input on Proposals to Reduce Costs to Local Governments and Protect Taxpayer Dollars

Albany, NY – January 24, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the Mandate Relief Council will meet on Wednesday, January 25 in the State Capitol in Albany. The Council was created by the Governor and Legislature to address the skyrocketing costs facing local governments that have contributed to New York State’s high property tax rates. Wednesday’s meeting will be the first public meeting of the Council, which will also be conducting public hearings across the state. more »

NEW YORK, NY – January 24, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — WSP Flack + Kurtz, the international engineering firm, has promoted Frank Muscarella, LEED AP, PE, to senior vice president, announces David Cooper, PE, LEED AP BD+C, the firm’s president and chief executive officer. more »

Norwalk, CT – January 23, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — For the second year in a row, MerrittView, Malkin Properties’ trophy office building in Norwalk, Conn., has earned the nationally recognized Energy Star designation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy, announces Jeffrey H. Newman, executive vice president of Malkin Properties, the marketing and managing agent for the building. more »

Hoboken, NJ – January 20, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — Halstead Property is pleased to announce that three new agents have joined the Boerum Hill office, one of three Halstead offices in Brooklyn. The agents are comprised of well-known veteran Park Slope brokers – Jackie Lew, Marc Wisotsky, and Robert Krieger, who all join the top firm as Senior Vice Presidents. more »

New York, NY – January 20, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — Real estate finance veteran Matthew Cohen has joined Mesa West Capital as a Principal in the firm’s New York office, announced co-founder Mark Zytko.

Cohen comes to Mesa West after seven years at Natixis North America, a US subsidiary of a French Investment Bank. As a Managing Director of Natixis’ Real Estate Group, Cohen was responsible for debt distribution including whole loan sales, securitizations, syndications and subordinate debt. Previously he was a vice president with insurance company Genworth Financial in the firm’s Stamford, CT office where he sourced, underwrote, structured, and closed commercial real estate loans for the company’s portfolio. Cohen began his career at Assurant (formerly Fortis Advisors) in its New York office focusing on loan origination for the life company’s balance sheet. more »

NEW YORK CITY, NY – January 19, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — Carolina Herrera, the fashion design company, is increasing its occupancy by more than 60 percent at W&H Properties’ 501 Seventh Avenue, bringing its total to nearly 30,000 square feet, announces Anthony Malkin, president of Malkin Holdings, which supervises W&H Properties. more »

Reinsurance firm signs sublease, direct lease to consolidate New York operations at 857,354-SF, Class A office building

NEW YORK, NY – January 18, 2012 – (RealEstateRama) — Jones Lang LaSalle has completed a combined sublease and new direct lease transaction totaling 57,364 square feet of office space for Endurance Reinsurance Corporation of America with SL Green Realty Corp. at 750 Third Avenue, also known as Grand Central Square. The reinsurance firm signed a 10-year sublease for 40,500 square feet and a 10-year direct lease for 16,864 square feet at the Class A, 857,354-square-foot office building. more »