Meet David Mitchell: The down-on-his-luck real estate guy Jeffrey Epstein kept close

February 18, 2026 / no comments

Jeffrey Epstein surrounded himself with sultans, former heads of state, British royalty and tech visionaries to cultivate the image of a high-flying financier.  But in real estate, Epstein often leaned on a down-on-his-luck New York City developer with a trail of lawsuits and an array of business ventures that ranged from a deli to a houseware retailer to boutique luxury condos: David Mitchell. Epstein’s previously undisclosed real estate investments with Mitchell show deeper insight into Epstein’s business strategy. He invested in real estate not just for paper returns but to enhance his connections and stature, specifically turning to Mitchell to […]

This article originally appeared on The Real Deal. Click here to read the full story.

Next up, rent freeze? Mamdani names five new members to rent board

February 18, 2026 / no comments

Mayor Zohran Mamdani named five new members to the city’s Rent Guidelines Board, meaning the mayor’s appointees make up a majority of the body as he calls for freezing rents for stabilized apartments.    Mamdani announced Wednesday that he tapped Chatnella Mitchell, program director at the New York Community Trust, as the new chair, replacing Doug Apple. Maksim Wynn, director of development and supportive housing at Bronx-based Procida Development Group, is joining as an owner representative. Wynn previously worked for the city’s Department of Homeless Services and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, where he focused on homelessness.  The mayor […]

This article originally appeared on The Real Deal. Click here to read the full story.

‘Somebody Has to Execute The Deal’: JLL CEO Dismisses AI Fears, Promises Stock Buybacks

February 18, 2026 / no comments

JLL CEO Christian Ulbrich isn’t particularly worried about artificial intelligence derailing the brokerage’s growth.
“At the end of the day, somebody has to execute the deal,” Ulbrich told analysts on the firm’s fourth-quarter earnings call Wednesday morning.
“There will always be human interaction for pretty much everything you see within our space. Whether at some point you can completely cut out human interaction — I think we are very far away from that,” he added.

NYC’s top deals: Sapir offloads Nomo Soho Hotel for $121M

February 18, 2026 / no comments

There were 197 transactions totaling $462 million filed in New York City records in the 24 hours before 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. 🏆 Residential: The top home sale to hit records was the sale of two units covering the 78th floor at 432 Park Avenue, for $52.5 million. The units are at the center of an ownership dispute between Harry Macklowe and CIM Group, which is tied to the selling entity. Macklowe had lost the condos last year when he defaulted on the mortgages he took out from CIM to buy the units. The developer paid about […]

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Waterfront condos in Williamsburg, Dumbo top Brooklyn’s luxury market

February 18, 2026 / no comments

A pair of waterfront condos scored the two priciest contracts in Brooklyn last week.  The deals were two of 22 — 14 condos, seven houses and one co-op — signed from Feb. 9 to Feb. 15 for a total contract volume of $66 million, according to Compass’ weekly report. The previous week saw 27 contracts signed for a total contract volume of $94 million. Luxury homes put into contract last week had a median asking price of $2.6 million, an average price per square foot of $1,445 and an average days on market of 103.  The top deal was for […]

This article originally appeared on The Real Deal. Click here to read the full story.