Minnesota’s mistake on rent control

December 20, 2025 / no comments

Economists don’t need any more evidence that rent control is bad and new housing is good. But they’ll take it. The latest example comes from Minnesota, where the Twin Cities gifted us with a natural experiment: A referendum in St. Paul imposed a draconian version of rent control — a 3 percent maximum increase, even on vacant units and new construction — while Minneapolis made it easier to build housing. The Wall Street Journal just ran a story on the results. From 2022 to 2024, rents in capitalist Minneapolis went up only 0.7 percent, versus 1.8 percent in rent-controlled St. […]

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

COPA limbo: Will the mayor veto controversial housing bills? 

December 20, 2025 / no comments

The mayor thinks the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act is “shortsighted.” That was the term a City Hall spokesperson used to describe the bill, along with various housing bills approved by the City Council on Thursday.  “Fortunately, Mayor Adams is in office until December 31 and we will be reviewing our next steps regarding the bills passed today,” the spokesperson, Fabien Levy, said in a statement.   For landlords and brokers, this offers a glimmer of hope that the mayor could veto COPA, a measure they say is an unfair intrusion into private deals that could deter investment, delay closings and […]

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

COPA gives industry fresh crisis heading into 2026

December 20, 2025 / no comments

The City Council closed out its final meeting by approving a sweeping housing package that reshapes the economics of city-backed development and hands the next administration a deeply altered policy landscape.  Lawmakers signed off on COPA, new affordability and unit-mix mandates and a construction wage floor, despite warnings from the Adams administration and housing groups that the measures could reduce production and spook investment. The most immediate impact is financial. HPD estimates a trio of bills would require roughly $600 million more per year to maintain current housing output, or force the city to finance 3,275 fewer units annually if […]

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

The Daily Dirt: AI’s 9-9-6 grind is rough on workers, rosy for real estate

December 20, 2025 / no comments

Could a brutal work schedule be the deus ex machina commercial real estate’s been waiting for? New York has long prided itself on being the city that never sleeps. But even by Big Apple standards, the latest mantra circulating among some AI companies sounds extreme: 9-9-6. Don’t get it confused with 6-7: this new number means 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week, a work schedule with roots in China’s tech sector that’s been creeping into Silicon Valley, and now, Manhattan. The grind could be a boon for commercial real estate, driving demand for offices built for long […]

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

NYC’s top deals: Billionaires’ Row pad trades for $21M

December 20, 2025 / no comments

There were 147 transactions totaling $236 million recorded in New York City in the 24 hours before 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 19. 🏆 Residential: The top home sale recorded in New York City was along Billionaires’ Row. JDS Development Group and Property Markets Group sold a sponsor unit at their luxury tower at 111 West 57th Street for $21.3 million. The buyer was SGNY Property LLC. The unit spans about 4,200 square feet and has three bedrooms and three and a half baths. The deal pencils out to about $5,100 per square foot. The condo’s most recent asking price […]

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