Jared Epstein

Last year, you said that Aurora was looking for multifamily opportunities around the country. What did you find?

We found plenty but they are difficult to acquire without a fee- and promote-based business model. 

My most exciting “multifamily” activity has taken a different form: bringing families together through flag football. I produced my first tournament in the Hamptons this summer, and it was a huge success. Two more are in the works this fall within an hour of Manhattan, plus a very special international tournament in Aruba over the holidays. 

Through my new company All Heart All In, I’m channeling some of my entrepreneurial energy into sports, community, and experiences that kids and parents can share.

Is the window for opportunistic investment still open?

Yes, but a discount alone doesn’t make something an opportunity. I’m interested in properties where we can meaningfully change the outcome through leasing, repositioning, or a better understanding of the neighborhood. If the entire investment thesis depends on interest rates falling, you’re giving yourself very little control. 

The question I always come back to is: What do I see and help execute that other buyers don’t? That’s where the opportunity becomes interesting.

Manhattan’s Meatpacking District is Aurora’s bread and butter, so to speak. What’s the one thing that the neighborhood could really use?

Meatpacking could use more opportunities for families and kids to spend time together. 

Nearby Gansevoort Peninsula is a great place to start. Flag football practices, games and tournaments on that magnificent field would bring families into the neighborhood to shop, dine and make a day of it. Coaching my sons has shown me how much communities benefit from places where people connect regularly. That’s also what’s driving All Heart All In, the brand I’m building around sports, character and being a good teammate. One of the slogans says it all: “Heart over hype.” Football players have swagger, and their confidence and individuality fit right into Meatpacking. 

I’d love to bring more of that spirit, and those kids and their families, into a neighborhood I’ve helped shape.

What’s the white whale retail tenant that you’ve always wanted and not been able to bag as of yet?

Chanel and Louis Vuitton. I’d love to bring both to Meatpacking. Each has a distinct identity and a commitment to craftsmanship that would make an exciting addition to the neighborhood. 

The opportunity to pair that heritage with Meatpacking’s architecture, street life and individuality is something I’d be very excited to help realize.

We’ve now had Mayor Mamdani for the better part of a year. How would you grade him? 

Too early for a final grade. 

Like all of us, he can do better. I want to see New York succeed, and I’m rooting for results that make the city safer, more livable, and easier to do business in. I’d rather give him a fair assessment over time than rush to assign a letter grade. The real test is what improves for the people who live, work and invest here.

Most surprising item in your portfolio?

A small vacant townhome on West 13th Street that we have yet to redevelop. People who associate us with luxury retail, office and residential projects probably wouldn’t guess that one. 

In a portfolio, the unexpected answer isn’t always the most elaborate property. Sometimes it’s a townhome whose next chapter is still ahead of it.

Lightning Round:

Your AI platform of choice? ChatGPT. I have more questions than my brain has the capacity or time for.

Who would play you in a movie? Tom Hanks.

One prompt you’d never give AI. Decide what matters most to me.

Jalen Brunson or Aaron Judge? Brunson for athleticism and leadership, Judge for power. 

“Oppenheimer” or “Odyssey”? “Odyssey.”

Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield or Tobey Maguire? You’ve found a subject I have no opinion on: Spider-Man.

Have you ever eaten pizza with a knife and fork? Once, at Sally’s in New Haven. It was piping hot. I’m pleading extenuating circumstances.

The most money you’ve ever spent on a hamburger? About $30.

Bank or non-bank? Whoever closes on the terms they promised.

Last book you read? High Rise by Jerry Adler.

Borrowing costs — up or down in 2027? Hoping for down. Underwriting for either.

What was your nickname when you grew up/started out? “Pokey” when playing tackle football, because I was slow. My son Jagger is our starting quarterback, and I’m starting to understand where his speed comes from. Fortunately, he’s very accurate and completely locked in.

How long do we have before AI kills us all? Let me finish this questionnaire first.

Where’s your secret escape compound? A football field. Especially with my sons and their friends. However, those closest to me already know this, and it’s not something I’m trying to hide.