Category Archives: Commercial / Residential Real Estate

By Susan Elise Campbell

Foothills Builders will begin construction of a 24-unit apartment complex with retail space near Northway Exit 18 in Queensbury this fall .

“We are finishing up our construction drawings now and hope to frame up the building before winter,” said Joe Leuci, who has operated the company with his father, Joe Leuci Sr., for the past 10 years. “This project at 80 Main St. is a new challenge for us.”

The Leucis purchased the land in December 2021 with the intention of developing it for mixed use, he said. 

Foothills Builders is primarily a residential construction company and has built 100 homes in the area and has developed and managed some smaller commercial projects. 

“The corridor is being developed for that type of construction because it connects the highway with downtown Queensbury,” said Leuci.

He said properties must be developed for mixed use if they are within a certain distance from Main Street.

“The commercial space follows Main Street zoning regulations,” said Leuci. “We will be able to subdivide to do more local shops to suit the tenants. Based on preliminary discussions with potential businesses, the space will fill up quickly,” he added. 

By R.J. DeLuke

The Glens Falls Planning Board approved the architectural site plan for the $30 million overhaul of South Street.

The board’s action took place Oct. 4.

The plan being carried out by SpringCity Development Group, a subsidiary of Bonacio Construction in Saratoga Springs, calls for  renovating three vacant buildings while adding a five-story apartment complex.

It is all part of a major, long-envisioned rehabilitation of that part of downtown. The city received a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant from the state in 2016 to push the project along.

Larry Novik, business development director for Bonacio Construction and SpringCity, said the first phase will take about 12 months. The company is working with Glens Falls Farmers’ Market Association to make sure market vendors are not disturbed in either the summer of 2023 or 2024 by the construction.

Approximately 90 apartments will be built, something economic development officials fee is vital to the area. Also, nearly 14,000 square feet of commercial space at the corner of South and Elm streets will be built.

By Steven Luttman

Former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neil made famous the phrase “All politics is local”. The meaning being that while problems exist on a national level, at the end of the day voters care most about issues close to home. 

I would make the argument that real estate, much like politics, is predominantly a local matter. Do country-wide trends matter? Certainly yes. Monitoring data like the monthly Case-Shiller Home Price Index will provide good insight into the overall health of housing. 

Does it accurately reflect what’s currently happening in your neighborhood? Oftentimes not at all. Predicting the future of local housing markets can be more art than science. If you don’t believe me, ask Zillow. 

The real estate platform lost hundreds of millions of dollars last year due to its iBuyer algorithm overpricing offers made to sellers. As of the writing of this article, publicly traded shares of Zillow Group (ZG) were down 52 percent year to date, vastly underperforming the S&P 500 (SPY) as a whole by roughly half over the same period. Computers are great, but boots on the ground still count for something.

What we do know is that taking a long-term viewpoint, the Capital Region housing market is on sound footing. Our two largest employers (healthcare and local / state government) represent sectors unlikely to see a contraction in staffing, regardless of external economic events. While negative net migration in the state is concerning, this is overwhelmingly a downstate problem. 

By Christine Graf

The residential real estate boom that is occurring throughout the country has Capital Region real estate agents scrambling to find homes for their clients. Much of the demand is being fueled by millennials who are in their prime home-buying years and make up the county’s largest demographic.

The decline in interest rates that took place during the past year has made purchasing a home especially attractive. Mortgage rates dropped in 2020 and reached a record low of 2.65 percent in January. Those in the industry say demand far exceeded supply of homes, and low supply has been the primary driver for the rapid increase in home prices.

“It’s nuts,” said Howard Denison of DeMarsh Real Estate in Glens Falls. “People are offering up to 10 percent more than asking. There was a two-family ranch that sold within four hours. Potential buyers are getting upset and disgusted.”

According to Susan Kassal of Hunt Real Estate, during her 19 years in real estate she has never witnessed such high demand for residential properties. Many of her customers make offers on three to four houses before securing a winning bid, and a surprising number are making all cash offers. Although the majority of the cash buyers are relocating from cities, she said some are local.

“I’ve never seen so many all cash offers. Cash is winning, and if you have cash and come in on the first day or two you can grab it. Even in the $400,000 or $500,000 range, you are seeing cash. We’ve seen people come for vacation homes and pay cash, and they are beating out local people. It’s causing a lot of frustration, but in the last month or so I’ve seen the inventory picking up. And we are finding homes for all of our buyers. But you have to be the first one in.”

By David A. Kubikian, Esq.

When people own something of sentimental value, they are sometimes unsure of how to pass it down to their family for future generations to enjoy. This is especially the case with a vacation home or camp that has been in the family for years.

Example: You own a beach or lake-front vacation home for years in a now sought-after area. You have seen your children (and grandchildren) grow up there and recall memories of watching sunsets over the water, roasting marshmallows over a campfire, and teaching the kids how to swim. It may be difficult to think that this home will be sold out of the family when you die and would like to preserve it for enjoyment of generations to come.

How can you best insure this property will be there for future generations to enjoy (and at times cohabitate), as your family tree grows or in future after your passing?

Who will be responsible for paying the Insurance? Taxes? Repairs? Maintenance? Fees?

Who decides which family members or friends use it and when?

What impact would future divorces or bankruptcies have on the property?

How can you protect the property from a Medicaid spend down?

By Christine Graf

Unlike the residential real estate market which has boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the commercial real estate market has experienced a significant decline, according to those in the industry.

The demand for commercial space has been impacted by pandemic-related business closures and the changing demographic of the workforce. According to a Gallup poll, 72 percent of white-collar workers were still working remotely in May 2021.

Many companies are expected to  switch to a hybrid model or to allow employees to continue working exclusively from home after the pandemic ends. If this happens, the demand for commercial office space could drop significantly.

The pandemic also led to a dramatic increase in Ecommerce, which was already a threat to brick and mortar retailers who now fear that consumer behaviors that changed during the pandemic may become permanent. A record number of stores closed in the U.S. in 2020 leaving 159 million square feet of retail space vacant.

Despite these concerns, Howard Denison, associate broker at DeMarsh Real Estate in Glens Falls, said the local commercial real estate is rebounding after being “under the weather” for the past year.

He has been working in real estate for 31 years and attributes much of the recovery to the Route 9 sewer project in Moreau. The addition of a municipal sewer system in the town’s commercial corridor is expected to lead to development and economic growth in area where growth had stagnated.

By Jennifer farnsworth
At the heart of the new Phoenix Inn in North Creek is owner Diana Espalza, who not only bought the former Copperfield Inn, but transformed the space into a successful resort—all during a pandemic.
Espalza, originally from Colombia, South America, said she dreamed of owning her own hotel her entire life. When she came upon the Copperfield Inn property, she knew it was the space she wanted.
“I love construction and I fell in love with this building at first sight,” said Espalza.
It was last December when Espalza purchased the inn and COVID-19 happened in March. She took time to learn more about the business and come up with a vision for what she wanted. She said the name “Phoenix” came to her after she went through what described as a rough experience.
“Like the Phoenix is reborn from the ashes, that is what I hope to do in my personal life. I am trying to make this building as successful and prosperous as it once was,” said Espalza.
She renovated the heating and air conditioning system and made structural improvements to the roof and several rooms. She added patio space.

By Jill Nagy
Area real estate brokers expressed glee recently as they described the current local market, using expressions like “great,” “excellent,” “very, very strong,” “unusually hot,” and “booming,.”
Inventory, especially of houses at the lower end of the price range, is low and a new listing rarely stays on the market for more than a week, they said.
Susan Kassal of All American Properties in Glens Falls, said she showed a townhouse on a Sunday and received three offers for it by the following Monday.
“Literally within minutes of being listed, they are sold,” said Daniel Davies of Davies-Davies & Associates in Queensbury—but admitted that he was exaggerating a bit.
People are attracted by relatively low prices, favorable financing, a stock of historic buildings, and the beauty of the area. Peter Hoffman of Glen Street Associates in Glens Falls, for example, recalled when he was practically laughed out of a local banker’s office when he asked for a $1 million loan. Today, loans of $7 million or more are not unusual. Bankers are more willing to lend because they have seen successful projects, he said.
On the commercial side, many buyers are looking for investment property. With a volatile stock market and low interest rates on savings and bonds, investors see real estate as a stable investment, said Davies.