This low inventory, high buyer demand pandemic climate has attracted millennials who hunkered down in short-term and long-term rentals out east are now, after a year, re-thinking whether they want to return to their Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens apartments. Many seem drawn to both Greenwich, Conn., and Westchester County, where licensed associate broker Kori Sassower is the principal of The Kori Sassower Team at Compass.
“Most of my millennial clients from the city are ones I have worked with before but moved up their timeframe to buy in the suburbs while in the Hamptons,” says Sassower, who is licensed in New York State and Connecticut. “They are finding out they like being in the suburbs and having more space. Buyer demand is very good for homes in Westchester and Greenwich right now. They are open to a few towns.”
They are savvy buyers who sampled suburban living in their temporary housing and perhaps ready sooner than before to take the leap into suburban places and buy their forever homes.
Sellers, meanwhile, are often empty nesters finishing up raising families and ready to exit the region for places with low taxes such as Florida, though some seem interested in either returning to New York City or living there for the first time as renters, Sassower says.
She understands this unusual flurry and has been riding the wave for almost a year. For buyers and sellers, Sassower can broker and educate clients on both sides. Her business acumen comes from a career in ad sales but also making real estate a fulltime job she enjoys.
Sassower says she understands what her clients want, is flexible and tech-savvy. Another attribute that suits her in this industry is her adaptability. “It’s the fastest real estate market I have ever seen in eight years,” she says. “I get along with agents which is very important and I’m very relatable and I know my area well. I also have a lot of experience in new construction.”
She handles residential and commercial and works with developers in Westchester and Connecticut, so she has expertise in new construction.
“My clients are very well educated,” Sassower adds. “This market is the most competitive market right now. They come to me already having done research on properties and towns they are interested in. They come ready to make offers.”
The Kori Sassower Team has five agents, who, like their founder, are experts in their respective local communities where they are working and raising their own families. Sassower lives in Rye Brook. She grew up in Manhattan so she’s able to relate to many of her urban clients and help them make the suburban leap with ease. Her millennial clients also seem to be more flexible in how far they’re willing to go outside New York City.
“Before, when I was showing properties, they wanted one hour door to door with the train for a commute to the city office,” she says. “But now, many of them, especially in tech and marketing, see they can work remotely and only have to go in a couple of times a week, so they can go further like Katonah, for example.”
Sassower enjoys working with her clients who’ve done their homework.
“They’ve done the research and have (vetted out) areas where they want to live,” she sys. “They know what they’re looking for and understand they need to be ready to make decisions when something interests them, so ready to make offers and move hurriedly.”
The market is struggling with the inventory so low, but Sassower knows how to marry buyers and sellers. She understands the different needs and looks at transactions for all angles.
“[COVID-19] has changed people’s minds on where they want to be,” she says. “People are re-evaluating these decisions.”
Licensed Associate Broker and principal of the Kori Sassower Team can be reached at 914- 727-0169 or kori.sassower@compass.com.
