By Esther Muller The Real Deal December, 2004 Time for a quick quiz. Question: What’s the difference between $2.8 million and $1.6 million? Answer: A personal assistant. According to the 2003 National Association of Realtors’ member profile, Realtors who don’t have a personal assistant had a median sales volume of $1.6 million in 2002. That’s compared with $2.8 million for Realtors…

Profile of the Week: Esther Muller, Founder, Real Estate Academy By Daniel Geiger Real Estate Weekly December 8, 2004 It’s no surprise that Esther Muller started the Real Estate Academy, for her, teaching and real estate have always gone hand in hand. In fact, Muller’s flair for education is probably what got her into real estate in the first place. A substitute…

Both Sides Agree on the Problem, But the Situation is Even Worse than Agents Think It Is By Julie Satow The New York Sun December 16, 2004 While it may come as no surprise that some people are distrustful of their real estate brokers, a new study claims to confirm it. Seventy-eight percent of real estate agents and 69%…

By Raymund Flandez Yahoo! Finance Weekend The Wealth Manager January, 2005 Jay Lieberman, a dentist who lives outside Washington D.C., also owns a home perched on the slopes of Park City, Utah, which he uses as a ski getaway for his family. Late last year, Mr. Lieberman decided to snap up a third home as well. “I bought it purely…

By Esther Muller The Real Deal January, 2005 Last month’s column discussed planning for an assistant. Once you’ve decided you need one, it’s important to conduct a search with a plan behind it, or you may find yourself adding to your problems instead of alleviating them with capable help. Starting a search for someone who can provide top-drawer support…

By Alison Gregor The Real Deal January, 2005 After a spate of partial and full conversions to condominiums, Central Park South, home to some of Manhattan’s marquee hotels, has become the locale of choice for real estate investors who want a semi-permanent address and pricey park views. Though the venerable Pierre and the stately Carlyle hotels have long been…

By Raymund Flandez The Wall Street Journal The Wealth Manager January 5, 2005 Jay Lieberman, a dentist who lives outside Washington D.C., also owns a home perched on the slopes of Park City, Utah, which he uses as a ski getaway for his family. Late last year, Mr. Lieberman decided to snap up a third home as well. “I bought…

By Julie Satow The New York Sun January 18, 2005 One of the city’s largest residential real estate firms has scored a coup by hiring a broker who has been called the “queen of retail.” Faith Hope Consolo left Garrick-Aug Worldwide on Friday for Prudential Douglas Elliman, where she will head up an expanded retail division. Neither of the…

By Lois Weiss Cityfeet.com January 19, 2005 Faith Hope Consolo joined Prudential Douglas Elliman on Saturday as Chairman of a newly created Retail Sales and Leasing division. Her partner Joseph Aquino will be executive vice president. The team is known for work with luxury retailers and top building owners. The long-time broker and vice chairman of Garrick-Aug Store…

By Raymund Flandez The San Diego Union-Tribune January 30, 2005 Jay Lieberman, a dentist who lives outside Washington D.C., also owns a home perched on the slopes of Park City, Utah, which he uses as a ski getaway for his family. Late last year, Mr. Lieberman decided to snap up a third home as well. “I bought it purely…

By Stuart W. Elliot The Real Deal February, 2005 Ending months of speculation, top retail broker Faith Hope Consolo and leasing partner Joseph Aquino joined Douglas Elliman last month, where they will head up an expanded retail division. The pair defected from Garrick-Aug, where Consolo founded the company’s international division in 1987. Consolo and Aquino will now serve…

By Elaine Misonzhnik Real Estate Weekly February 2, 2005 Elad Properties, the new owners of the Plaza Hotel, have confirmed that they are planning a conversion to luxury condominiums. However, the residential component is only part of Elad’s spectacular plans for the landmark building. Mike Naftali, president of Elad, announced that the hotel will be closed in April for a…