Just back from the Big Apple, after spending three days navigating the hubbub of the city. Inman News Service put on their New York Connect, a three-day event whose sole purpose is to bring together the worlds of real estate and technology.

The New York real estate folks were savvy and glittery, as they talked about selling to celebrities (who shall remain nameless — okay, well, one of them was hosting a baby shower for Melania Trump) and doing showings with politicians and the generally rich and somewhat famous. The tech guys were, for the most part, a bit quiet.

The real estate power broker divas panel included Dottie Herman, President and CEO, Prudential Douglas Elliman, JoAnne Kennedy, COO, Coldwell Banker Hunt Kennedy, Pamela Liebman, President & CEO, The Corcoran Group, Diane Ramirez, President, Halstead Property, and Michael Saunders, President & Founder, Michael Saunders and Company.

Brad Inman, founder and Publisher of Inman News Features, asked if the woman thought they were “cut throat.” No, they said. We’re competitive. Fiercely competitive.

One surprising statistic: There are 27,000 upper end housing units coming online this year in New York. The starting price: $1 million plus. In a city where people pay upwards of $30 million in cash for an apartment in a “good” building, $1 million sounds like the money you’d spend on the nanny’s apartment.

Published: Jan 13, 2006