-
Ben Kirschenbaum shares how FirstService helps boards comply with the Corporate Transparency Act
Dec 02, 2024Condominium and cooperative boards must comply with the Corporate Transparency Act by filing beneficial ownership information with the Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network by January 1, 2025, or face penalties. Ben Kirschenbaum, Vice President and General Counsel for FirstService Residential New York, discussed how our legal and compliance teams are helping boards satisfy their requirements.Read more
"This is something that FirstService is doing nationally, because this is not just a New York issue. It affects homeowners associations, co-ops, and some condos across the country."
— Ben Kirschenbaum, Vice President and General Counsel -
Holiday Decor Tips for Multifamily Property Managers and Landlords
Nov 14, 2024Holiday decorations can be dazzling and dividing, especially in New York City where resident populations are extremely diverse. FirstService Residential helps boards and building owners thoughtfully decorate their common spaces and enforce building policies that keep residents safe during the holidays.Read more
In Connect CRE, Ashlee Friedmann, a managing director of our Multifamily Rental Division, shared how her team helps keep the peace during the holiday season and works to minimize fire hazards and building violations.
"It’s important to find a balance between the owner’s vision for the property and the sense of community among the residents. Some residents have different views on how the building should be decorated. It’s management’s responsibility to ensure everyone is pleased with the look of their homes while keeping safety at the top of their minds."
— Ashlee Friedmann | Managing Director, Multifamily Rental Division -
Successful Social Programming: The Value of Building Relationships
Nov 08, 2024We partner with boards to create exciting event calendars for residents that help foster a sense of community and enhance curb appeal. Maria Hurst, a vice president in our New Development Group, spoke with CooperatorNews to share her insights on maximizing available resources for tailored programming in the buildings we manage.Read more
"Success is largely measured through direct feedback from residents. That’s one reason we believe in fostering a personal connection between the board, building staff, and residents. These conversations help us fine-tune our work to elevate the lifestyle of each resident."
— Maria Hurst, Vice President | New Development Group -
FirstService Residential ranked New York’s top property management company by The Real Deal
Nov 04, 2024For the third consecutive year, FirstService Residential has been ranked New York’s top property management company by The Real Deal. To rank the city’s top property managers, The Real Deal analyzed the number of units under management using building data from the Department of Housing Preservation and Development from all five boroughs.Read more -
Why Insurance Rates for New York Property Owners are Soaring
Oct 16, 2024In recent years, boards and building owners have seen steep increases in their annual insurance premium costs. Sean Kent, senior vice president of insurance at FirstService Financial, spoke with THE CITY to explain why premiums are rising and how this affects our clients.Read more
"Outside influences are coming together and forcing insurance carriers to be much more selective on who they’re going to insure. We manage a handful of buildings that have really struggled to make ends meet because of the premiums that they’re being forced to pay just to insure their buildings."
— Sean Kent, Senior Vice President, Insurance | FirstService Financial
-
Jaime Sanmiguel Speaks at Bisnow's 2024 Multifamily Conference
Oct 14, 2024Jaime Sanmiguel, vice president of FirstService Residential's Multifamily Rental Division, recently spoke at Bisnow’s 2024 Multifamily Development, Asset Management, & Operations conference. For his panel, “Technologies & Amenities Defining Class-A Residential Buildings,” Jaime was joined by industry thought leaders to discuss how emergent prop-tech and amenities are redefining the meaning of luxury for multifamily rental developments.Read more
"There’s often a ‘push and pull’ between tenants who love the convenience of new technology — think virtual doormen and amenity reservations — versus tenants who prefer more traditional services — the in-person doorman, the package attendant, or the concierge staff. It’s important to consider everyone’s needs and strike a balance for who you’re catering to."
— Jaime Sanmiguel, Vice President | Multifamily Rental Division
-
Seminole Owners Corp. Saves $42,000 in Energy Costs
Jun 27, 2024FirstService Residential helped Seminole Owners Corp., a 349-unit co-op complex in Queens, save an anticipated $42,000 in annual energy costs by integrating Runwise technology throughout the property. This low-cost solution has improved the efficiency of the gas-fired boiler by automatically adjusting its output based on real-time indoor temperature data.Read more
Get the full story in Habitat Magazine.
"I just saw the dollars being thrown out of the window and I knew we had to do something about it."
— Amanda Mercado, Senior Property Manager | FirstService Residential
"The system makes predictions about what the optimal indoor temperature should be every 15 minutes, and then runs the heating system precisely to deliver that temperature. When the weather is mild you can see 60–70% reductions in energy use."
— Lee Hoffman, President | Runwise
-
FirstService Residential Selected to Participate in NYSERDA's Empire Building Challenge
May 23, 2024FirstService Residential, New York’s leading residential property management company, has joined the Empire Building Challenge, a $50 million initiative administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to decarbonize existing multifamily residential and commercial high-rise buildings.Read more
"Investing in new, clean, resilient technologies is just one way that New York is advancing progress toward our ambitious Climate Act goals, and the Empire Building Challenge is one of the most successful programs in decarbonizing high-rise buildings. This program continues to demonstrate how collaborative partnerships can develop solutions that lower harmful emissions from buildings, creating healthier spaces for all New Yorkers to live and work, and I look forward to what this new round will bring."
— Kathy Hochul, Governor | New York State
As an Empire Building Challenge Partner, FirstService Residential is committed to advancing New York’s goal to achieve carbon-neutrality through sophisticated energy retrofit projects and facility upgrades that reduce carbon emissions across the company’s portfolio of managed properties.
"New York’s groundbreaking Empire Building Challenge demonstrates the value of public-private partnerships and how large buildings are an important part of the solution to tackle climate change through planned capital investments. The Retrofit Playbook for Large Buildings in conjunction with this new round of partners will serve as inspiration to other building owners as they modernize their buildings."
— Doreen M. Harris, CEO and President | NYSERDA
-
Keys to Effective Pre-Leasing and Lease-Up in New York City
May 22, 2024What are the keys to attracting residents in one of the most competitive markets in the world? Ashlee Friedmann, a managing director in our Multifamily Rental Division, shares her insights with Multifamily Executive.Read more
"There needs to be an understanding of the area, what is needed, what people expect, and what the competition offers. Lacking an understanding of why people are drawn to a property can also undermine a marketing campaign, as you may be advertising to the wrong renters."
— Ashlee Friedmann | Managing Director, Multifamily Rental Division
-
Lincoln Square Condominium Secures Nearly $16,000 in Energy Credits from Con Edison
Apr 01, 2024FirstService Residential helped Lincoln Square Condominium, a 281-unit condo in Lincoln Square, Manhattan, secure nearly $16,000 in energy credits for lowering whole-building consumption during peak demand events last year. This was enabled through our partnership with Logical Buildings, a climate technology firm that provides energy data tracking through a program called SmartKit AI.Read more
Get the full story in Habitat Magazine.
"We are helping the environment and putting money back in the building’s pocket"
— Mickey McCreesh | Resident Manager, Lincoln Square Condominium