BY Jason Sheftell
DAILY NEWS REAL ESTATE CORRESPONDENT

That real-estate swagger might just be back. For the first time in two years, top real-estate executives, marketers and salespeople are starting to see strong sales in certain neighborhoods as New Yorkers pull the trigger on home purchases again. In Queens, fourth-quarter housing sales were up 56% from the same time last year, with only a 5% price decrease. In the new-development market, sales are up 176% from the beginning of 2009, and condos in general up 89% from the end of 2008.

“People have a reason to be cocky again,” says Kelly Kennedy Mack, president of Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group, still the city leader in the sales and marketing of new condominiums, with average sales reaching as high as $2.7 million. “This is one of the first times ever that very good product in proven locations are in oversupply. Price has finally been pushed to what may be its lowest point, and certain neighborhoods are just safe investments.”

Agreeing with Mack, brokers citywide report traffic up more than 50% at open houses and appointments, the number of contracts signed increasing from a very strong fourth quarter 2009, and sales in the luxury sector up. While prices might be hovering around what they were in 2004, buyers and sellers are coming to terms with the new market and starting to make deals.

Here are four parts of the city and types of housing that are making real estate people smile again.

New condominiums on the upper East East Side

That’s not a typo. The upper “East East” Side is that pocket of New York City between 65th St. and 96th St. east of Third Ave. A few blocks farther from Central Park than ritzy Madison Ave., this area counts good schools, top services, child services and movie theatres as draws.

According to Mack, four condominiums represented by Corcoran Sunshine in the area have had strong activity. Manhattan House (200 E. 66th St.), 515 E. 72nd St./Miraval Living, Georgica (305 E. 85th St.) and the Laurel (400 E. 67th St.) have attracted buyers with finishes and amenities that may not be built again for some time.

“At current absorption rates, we have three years of new condominium inventory,” says Mack, whose company reports 100% more sales in the fourth quarter of 2009 versus the same period in 2008. “This is a proven location that has shown appreciation for the past 100 years. From the ’90s to 2008, prices have increased five times. Until these products sell out, you may not see design-driven new developments with in-house amenities like these built for at least three years, if at all.”

The Laurel, which recently lowered their prices, has one of the better amenity packages citywide. A triathlon-quality training center known as the Trophy Club has a lap pool, resistance pool and duplex fitness center with access to triathlon-training professionals. Gimmick or not, it’s the highest-quality in-building fitness center in the city. Studios list for more than $800,000 with two-bedrooms costing $1.775 million, having just been reduced again.

Deluxe townhouses and 1950s, ’60s and ’70s doorman buildings in Greenwich Village

Brown Harris Stevens superbroker Paula Del Nunzio has good karma on W. 12th St. between Fifth and Sixth Aves. Known as the city’s top townhouse broker, Del Nunzio sold three townhouses on the street in the past six months, totaling more than $43 million. Not convinced a market upswing caused the sale of these homes (one of which may or may not have been purchased by Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes), Del Nunzio points to the luxury sector as safe.

“Things of this high caliber will always sell for a higher price than anything else,” says Del Nunzio, who would not elaborate on who purchased these homes, two of which cost more than $15 million. “These homes all had something extremely unique. Sixteen W. 12th St. is 25 feet wide, with huge ceilings and exquisite renovation details.”

At lower price points nearby, one-bedroom and studio deals exist in the many 1960s and 1970s white-brick apartment houses scattered between 14th and Ninth Sts. A large studio with an alcove sleeping area can be had for around $500,000. In the same neighborhood, at 175 W. 13th St., a two-bedroom, one-bath ex-doctor’s office is available for $425,000.

“These buildings may not be architectural stunners, but they have doormen and big spaces,” says Corcoran broker Daren Herzberg, who runs his own team and has sold apartments to rock stars, investment bankers and actors. “They need a lot of work, but they are inexpensive and in top locations.”

Like other brokers, Herzberg reports being much busier than this time last year, and says the good late fall should pave the way for a strong spring.

“We’ve been working hard and waiting a long time for better prices to catch up with the demand,” he says. “Buyers have been on the sidelines, just watching. That was the smart move then. It’s not the smart move now. If people looking to buy don’t act now, they’ll end up paying more.”

Williamsburg - hot again?

About six months ago, a Brooklyn real estate expert predicted that hipsters would not define Williamsburg’s future. They would be priced out. Families and upscale young professionals, he said, would drive the neighborhood’s next life as a hot spot.

Even through difficult times, developers already in the ground with financed projects built larger apartment units, trying to take advantage of the neighborhood’s family potential, proximity to Manhattan, retail infrastructure and improving waterfront.

Similar to the upper East East Side, ready-for-move-in condominiums with distinctive design features near public transportation have seen buying activity grow. Last week, a kickoff party at Warehouse 11, where two-bedrooms go for $537,000, yielded more than 20 offers. The Rialto has sold out, while the Newton has a few units left; both are being sold by the Developers Group.

“People are realizing that this is a Manhattan neighborhood with Brooklyn prices,” says Highlyann Krasnow, a partner with the Developers Group. “The type of people moving here? Cool, hipster parents. Creative types who work in advertising, marketing and technology.”

Remarking that there is less facial hair and straight-leg plaid pants, Krasnow also thinks apartment inventory will disappear faster than people imagine.

“What people don’t realize is that beyond the two big projects at the Edge and Northside Piers, there isn’t a lot of inventory left on the new-development side,” she says. “Most of our smaller projects are sold out. I think we’ll see the new projects delayed by the economy get off the ground here sooner than other places.”

The silent sleeper: Murray Hill resales

Never considered cool like Williamsburg, Murray Hill has always had one thing going for it - convenience. You can get uptown or downtown on the East Side, and Grand Central Terminal drives the pied-a-terre market by providing small, fairly priced apartments for people who want city living but work in places such as White Plains or Stamford, Conn.

Now it has something else - low prices for relatively huge apartments. Herzberg, for example, has a mint-condition 20th-floor, three-bedroom, two-bath with Chrysler Building views for $1.425 million. Another Murray Hill listing shows a two-bedroom duplex with two entrances and a Juliet balcony in the Penny Lane building on 24th St. for $575,000.

“No one ever says they want to live in Murray Hill,” says Herzberg. “That means very good deals for the people who do.”

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/real_estate/2010/01/29/2010-01-29_realestate_leaders_see_good_buys_in_select_neighborhoods_.html