Manhattan Homebuyers Are Back, But They’re Here for the Deals

  • Purchases rise 2.1%, a long-awaited uptick in pricey borough
  • Discounts abound, especially in office-heavy neighborhoods
Lower Manhattan in New York.Photographer: Angus Mordant/Bloomberg
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Manhattan homebuyers are coming back to the market they left a year ago. Just don’t expect them to overpay.

Apartment purchases climbed 2.1% in the first quarter from the same three months in 2020, according to a report Friday by appraiser Miller Samuel Inc. and brokerage Douglas Elliman Real Estate. It was the first time in four quarters that sales topped the year-earlier period, marking a long-awaited spark for a market that’s lagged behind every other part of the New York region.