Closed! NYC's Real Estate Podcast

On this episode of Closed!, Brad sits down with Tom DeRose, co-founder and CEO of PandaGuarantee, for a conversation on lease guarantees, renter qualification, landlord risk, and the changing realities of the New York rental market.Tom explains how PandaGuarantee helps renters qualify for apartments when they may not meet a landlord’s traditional financial criteria, while also giving landlords additional protection against missed rent, tenant default, and the costs that can come with eviction. He breaks down how guarantor insurance works, who typically pays for it, how coverage is structured, and why an institutional guarantee can often be more reliable than chasing a personal guarantor across state lines.The conversation also explores how PandaGuarantee underwrites applicants, handles claims, and works with both tenants and landlords throughout the process. Tom and Brad also discuss the rise of rental application fraud, including fake pay stubs, fabricated bank statements, false identities, and how AI is making fraudulent documents harder to spot. The episode offers a look at how lease guarantee products are evolving as housing costs rise, underwriting becomes more complex, and both renters and landlords look for better ways to manage risk.To learn more about Tom DeRose and PandaGuarantee, visit pandaguarantee.com.To learn more about Brad and Bergstein Flynn Knowlton & Pollina PLLC, visit the firm online at www.bflawoffice.com.

On this episode of Closed!, Mike sits down with Scott Mendelsohn, Chief Operating Officer at Langdon Title, for a practical conversation on the title issues that can shape, delay, or even derail real estate transactions.Scott brings a unique perspective to the title insurance world, having started his career as a New York City prosecutor before becoming a founding member of the Real Estate Enforcement Unit at the New York State Attorney General’s Office, later handling complex litigation and title claims before moving into title agency leadership. In this conversation, he explains why every property file is its own investigation, and why common sense, risk analysis, and service matter just as much as the paperwork.Scott and Mike break down what attorneys, brokers, lenders, buyers, and sellers should be looking for before closing, including authority issues, entity documents, mechanics liens, surveys, covenants and restrictions, access problems, trusts and estates, probate complications, bankruptcy orders, escrows, affidavits, and the title report itself. The episode also explores why title insurance is often misunderstood, why surveys can be critical, and why the earlier title issues are flagged, the better chance a deal has of getting across the finish line.To learn more about Scott Mendelsohn and Langdon Title, visit langdontitle.com.To learn more about Mike and Bergstein Flynn Knowlton & Pollina PLLC, visit the firm at www.bflawoffice.com.

On this episode of Closed!, Lee sits down with Joanne Wilson, founder and CEO of Gotham, and Greg Tannor, Executive Managing Director and Principal at Lee & Associates NYC, for a candid conversation on New York’s legal cannabis retail market.Together, Joanne and Greg break down the realities of building, leasing, and operating in one of the most complicated emerging industries in the state. Joanne discusses how Gotham has positioned itself as a cannabis concept store where culture, community, retail, and cannabis come together, while Greg explains the real estate side of the industry, from site selection and lease structure to landlord concerns, buffer zones, rent pressure, and the importance of right-sizing a dispensary space.The conversation also explores the tension between legal operators and the illicit market, the challenges created by regulation, taxes, insurance, credit card restrictions, labor requirements, and lack of access to capital. Joanne and Greg also discuss why enforcement matters, what makes a legal cannabis store actually work, how experiential retail is shaping the future of the industry, and what could change if cannabis is eventually rescheduled or legalized federally.To learn more about Joanne Wilson and Gotham, visit gotham.nyc.To learn more about Greg Tannor and Lee & Associates NYC, visit lee-associates.com/new-york.To learn more about Lee and Bergstein Flynn Knowlton & Pollina PLLC, visit the firm online at bflawoffice.com

On this episode of Closed!, Lee sits down with Frances Katzen, founder of The Katzen Team at Douglas Elliman, to discuss New York’s pied-à-terre tax and what it could mean for the city’s luxury real estate market.Frances breaks down how the tax applies to certain secondary and investment residences, why the rollout has created confusion for owners and buyers, and how uncertainty around valuation, enforcement, litigation, and future market conditions is already shaping conversations in the high-end market.The conversation also explores how the tax may affect condos, co-ops, legacy owners, foreign buyers, and ultra-high-net-worth purchasers weighing New York against other markets. Frances and Lee discuss whether the luxury market can absorb another layer of annual cost, how scarcity continues to support pricing, and why New York’s long-term appeal remains complicated, resilient, and deeply tied to confidence in the city’s future.To learn more about Frances Katzen and The Katzen Team at Douglas Elliman, visit her website and follow her on Instagram at @franceskatzen.To learn more about Lee and Bergstein Flynn Knowlton & Pollina PLLC, visit the firm at www.bflawoffice.com.

On this episode of Closed!, Brad sits down with Geoffrey Newman of Savills to unpack the story behind one of New York City’s most complicated development assemblages: a 13-year effort to piece together six parcels around Gramercy Park and create one of the city’s most valuable new residential development sites.Geoffrey discusses his unique practice at the intersection of nonprofit real estate, land assemblages, air rights, and development strategy, explaining why many nonprofits, religious institutions, and co-ops are now reevaluating how their real estate can support or reshape their long-term mission.The conversation then turns to the Gramercy Park assemblage itself: a deal involving Third Avenue parcels, a co-op, air rights, a cantilever, rent-regulated tenants, environmental contamination, litigation, DOB approvals, and a Sliver Law issue that could have stopped the project entirely. Geoffrey breaks down how each challenge had to be managed in service of the larger goal, why assemblages require both a battle plan and flexibility, and how persistence, sequencing, and compromise turned a nearly impossible transaction into an award-winning deal.To learn more about Geoffrey Newman and Savills, visit savills.us.To learn more about Brad and Bergstein Flynn Knowlton & Pollina PLLC, visit bfkplaw.com.

On this episode of Closed!, Lee sits down with New York State Senator Nathalia Fernandez, who represents the 34th Senate District covering parts of the Bronx and Westchester, to discuss the Fair and Transparent Real Estate Listings Act and the debate over pocket listings in New York real estate.Senator Fernandez breaks down what pocket listings are, why private or limited-access listings can leave sellers without full information and buyers without a fair chance to compete, and how her bill seeks to bring more transparency into the home sale process. Rather than banning private listings outright, the legislation would require sellers to be informed about where their property is being marketed and to provide written consent before a listing is kept off broadly accessible platforms.The conversation also explores the fair housing implications of hidden listings, how restricted access can shape who sees available homes, what brokers and agents should be preparing for if the bill becomes law, and why transparency is becoming a larger theme in real estate policy. Senator Fernandez also discusses the rise of AI-altered listing photos, “house fishing,” and the broader need to make sure buyers and sellers know what is real, what is available, and what choices they actually have.To learn more about Senator Nathalia Fernandez and her work, visit nysenate.gov or follow her on Instagram at @senfernandez34 and @fernandez4ny To learn more about Lee and Bergstein Flynn Knowlton & Pollina PLLC, visit bfkplaw.com

On this episode of Closed!, Mike sits down with Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America, a nationwide anti-hunger advocacy and direct service organization headquartered in New York City.The conversation centers on New York’s proposed city-owned, privately operated grocery stores, which are intended to offer essential foods at roughly 30 percent below retail prices. Joel breaks down what the proposal could accomplish, where it may fall short, and why five grocery stores alone cannot solve a hunger crisis affecting more than one million New Yorkers.Joel also discusses the deeper causes of food insecurity, including low wages, rising rent, high childcare and healthcare costs, cuts to SNAP, and the limits of relying on food pantries and soup kitchens to fill gaps in the social safety net. The episode also explores how food access fits into New York’s broader affordability crisis, why food is often left out of urban planning, and what it would take to build a city where nutritious food is accessible to everyone.To learn more about Joel Berg and Hunger Free America, visit hungerfreeamerica.org.To learn more about Mike and Bergstein Flynn Knowlton & Pollina PLLC, visit bfkplaw.com

On this episode of Closed!, Lee sits down with David Helbraun, founding partner and chairman of Helbraun Levey, a New York hospitality law firm representing restaurants, bars, hotels, and nightlife operators across the city.Before becoming a lawyer, David spent years in the restaurant industry himself, first behind the bar and later as the owner of Pyramid Coffee Company, a multi-unit Manhattan café chain. In this conversation, he brings both perspectives to the table, breaking down what restaurant operators actually look for when evaluating a New York City space.David walks through the practical and legal considerations that can make or break a restaurant deal, from liquor license restrictions, outdoor dining, landmark issues, ventilation, electricity, basements, and second-generation spaces to the informal broker networks that often determine who gets access to the best locations before they ever hit the market.The conversation also explores the pressures facing restaurants today, including labor shortages, rising costs, landlord leverage, delivery platforms, restaurant group consolidation, and why the future of New York dining may look very different from the fine-dining era that came before it.To learn more about David Helbraun and Helbraun Levey, visit helbraunlevey.com. To learn more about Lee and Bergstein Flynn Knowlton & Pollina PLLC, visit bfkplaw.com.