By Al Barbarino 7:15am

Year in Real Estate

kingsPlaza

A King-Sized Deal In Brooklyn Marked the Biggest Investment Sale of the Year

Brooklyn malls don’t usually come to mind as the city’s highest-grossing commercial real estate. But this year was different, with 5100 Kings Plaza, a k a the Kings Plaza Mall, taking the top spot among citywide sales when it sold for $751 million earlier this month.

It wasn’t just the biggest sale of the year—it was the biggest outright, single-trade sale in Brooklyn ever, according to data provided by Massey Knakal Realty Services. Read More

By Al Barbarino 7:00am

Cover Story

US-WEATHER-STORM-SANDY

We Are OK: New Technology and Existing Resources Are Allowing Sandy’s Victims to Avoid Subleasing

On Thursday, Nov. 1, Virgo Business Centers made 27,321 square feet of temporary, furnished office space available at 14 Penn Plaza. Companies displaced by Hurricane Sandy filed in one by one, and by the following Thursday, the space was full.

“Typically, that process takes about a year,” said Pasha Erkin, director of sales at the company. “It’s all about readiness. You could literally bring me 40 people today, and I could have the space ready tomorrow. All you have to do is walk in, flip on a switch, plug in and start working.”

In that building alone, the company took on 177 employees from displaced companies like Coronet, amfAR, Linda Decorato, Ambrose and others located on the eastern tip of Downtown and other areas hit hard by the hurricane. Read More

By Al Barbarino 11/16/12 12:03pm

Lease Beat

1361

Avantus Renal Therapy Leases 23,000 Square Feet in Harlem

Avantus Renal Therapy has signed a 15-year, 23,000-square-foot at 1361 Amsterdam Avenue, a 130,000-square-foot, 5-story office building in the Manhattanville section of Harlem.

The kidney dialysis company — part of largest kidney dialysis corporation in the country — is building out the entire 2nd floor and a portion of the ground floor, where a separate entrance and reception area will be located, said Arthur Draznin, an executive managing director with Newmark Grubb Knight Frank who represented owner Janus Properties. Read More