Media Coverage

  • REBNY Selects Athenes Bauza, Business Development Director, to Join Leadership Fellows Program

    Jan 24, 2023
    We are pleased to share that Athenes Bauza, Business Development Director for the Multifamily Rental division, has been selected to participate in the Real Estate Board of New York's (REBNY) 2023 Fellowship Program. The elite program taps 20 rising leaders for a high-impact, project-based curriculum aimed at developing the skills needed to solve complex challenges in New York’s real estate and development sector.

    Get the full story from Commercial Observer.


     
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  • Multifamily Amenity Trends: Multifamily Dive Interviews Marc Kotler, New Development Group President

    Jan 20, 2023
    As Gen Z renters enter the market, multifamily owners and developers are adapting to their preferences – particularly the provision of amenities and social spaces. Marc Kotler, president of FirstService Residential’s New Development Group, discussed these emerging trends in a recent article by Multifamily Dive.
     
     
     
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  • Michael Wolfe, President of Property Management, Discusses New York City’s Updated Trash Policy

    Jan 19, 2023
    New York City’s “Rat Reduction Act” aims to curb the presence of vermin by amending when multifamily buildings are permitted to place garbage bags on city streets, required containers, and pick-up schedules. This has forced some building to consider overtime compensation for building staff. 
     

    "Let’s talk about a 100-unit building in Manhattan or the boroughs. They have a super, or maybe a door person and a porter or two. In that case, the porter and super work normal business hours. Who is putting the trash out at 6 or 8 PM? One option will be to pay overtime to a porter to extend his or her day. Another option is to have the doorman (if you have one) lock up the front door while they put out the trash. They won’t be happy about it."

    — Michael Wolfe | President, Property Management, FirstService Residential New York


     
     
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  • FirstService Residential Announces Two Division Presidents - Marc Koter and Christina Forbes

    Dec 01, 2022
    FirstService Residential, New York’s leading residential property management company, has promoted two executives in its Manhattan office: Marc Kotler to President of the New Development Group and Christina Forbes to President of the Manhattan Condo/Co-Op Division. The leadership promotions reflect the company’s significant expansion of business including the addition of more than 3,300 units to its management portfolio since January 2022.

    Kotler joined FirstService Residential in 2004 as a senior property manager and was promoted to vice president after one year, forming the New Development Group in 2005. He has successfully built the group into the industry’s leading consultant and manager for multifamily developers and institutional investors, with a portfolio of services that includes ground-up pre-development consulting, commercial-to-residential conversions, feasibility studies, initial building opening, and sponsor-to-residential board control in condominium properties. As division president, Kotler will continue to lead his team of consultants and managers as the business diversifies.



    As president of the Manhattan Condo/Co-Op Division, Christina Forbes will oversee a division comprising more than 300 condominiums, cooperatives, and condops, and a team of more than 100 property management professionals. With more than 25 years of experience managing multifamily buildings, Forbes is recognized as an industry expert, especially for boards looking to reduce operating costs, improve resident lifestyle, and replace antiquated systems with automated, web-based processes.




     
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  • Jaime Sanmiguel is Featured in Multifamily Executive's Holiday 2022 Newsletter

    Nov 30, 2022
    Jaime Sanmiguel, managing director of FirstService Residential's Multifamily Rental Division, is featured in this week's edition of Multifamily Executive, where he discusses how his managers help residents balance safety and holiday cheer when decorating for the winter season. 

    “Residents will often want to decorate their doors or entryways leading to their apartments. Many boards and building owners are happy to accommodate this, if the decorations do not interfere with closing and opening the door, maintain hallway egress, and do not contain anything offensive or inflammatory.”

    — Jaime Sanmiguel | Managing Director, Multifamily Rental Division 

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  • The Property Management Paradigm Shift: From Facility Caretaker to Strategic Building Partner

    Nov 07, 2022
    “The Property Management Paradigm Shift,” this month’s Mann Report Magazine cover story, profiles FirstService Residential’s New York leadership team and tracks more than a decade of brand evolution, as market conditions and complex local laws have forced management companies to expand their services and retain in-house expert consultants. 


    "In the last year, we closed more than 50 loans totaling $250 million for clients. Based on the size of FirstService Residential’s portfolio, we’ve been able to negotiate interest rates about 0.5% below the industry average, which has saved our clients more than $1.5 million in annual interest payments.”

    Drew Ahrensdorf,  Vice President  | FirstService Financial



    "Before any shovels hit the ground, owners and developers begin with a feasibility study to determine if a conversion is physically possible. Modern office buildings, for example, often feature large, column-free floor spans surrounding the building’s core where elevators and bathrooms are typically locat- ed. This layout may not lend itself to a residential floor plan, because areas closest to the center of the building will receive much less natural light.”

    Marc Kotler,  President | New Development Group


     
    "Since the Climate Mobilization Act was introduced, FirstService Energy has led edu- cation programs for our property managers, board members and building owners to help unpack the legislation. The more informed our clients are about their building’s environmental impact, the more empowered they are to improve it and avoid costly fines that will impact their building’s annual budget.”

    Kelly Dougherty,  President | FirstService Energy
     
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  • Connect CRE Features Marc Kotler in a Live Roundtable Event

    Oct 13, 2022
    Marc Kotler, president of our New Development Group, participated as featured panelist for Connect CRE's Outer Boroughs Multifamily Update, a virtual roundtable featuring leaders from Madison Realty Capital, Douglaston Development, Southwell Realty Capital, and Arch Companies.
     

    Topics include: 

    • Investment and development trends post-421a environment
    • The impact of hybrid work culture on real estate in Manhattan and the outer boroughs
    • Recession-time pressures on financing new buildings.
    • Condo/co-ops vs rentals; which way is the pendulum swinging now?
     

    Click below to watch a recording of the live event.

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  • FirstService Residential Promotes David Von Hollweg to Vice President

    Oct 11, 2022
    FirstService Residential announced the promotion of David Von Hollweg to Vice President in FirstService Residential’s NYC Condo/Co-op Division. In this role, Von Hollweg has executive oversight of a management portfolio comprising roughly 4,000 condos, co-ops, and condop units, and a team of dedicated property managers and assistants who specialize in the management of high-end residential buildings in New York City.

    Read the full story from NYREJ.
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  • Dan Wurtzel Weighs-in on Charging Tenants for Spare Keys in The New York Times

    Sep 17, 2022
    Can New York City landlords legally charge residents for spare keys? Dan Wurtzel, president of FirstService Residential, weighs in on balancing tenant convenience with mitigating building security risks in The New York Times’ Ask Real Estate column.
     
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  • Reducing Carbon, Saving Money - A Discussion with FirstService Energy President Kelly Dougherty

    Sep 15, 2022
    New York City building energy codes are becoming more stringent, and will continue to do so as city agencies work to reduce carbon emissions in new and existing buildings. In an article published by The Cooperator Kelly Dougherty, president of FirstService Energy, discusses why carbon studies are the best first step for buildings looking to curb emissions and gain a better understanding of how a building uses fossil fuels and identify areas of inefficiency.
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