For investors
Staten Island Investment Property
Someone buying a Staten Island building for the income is trying to see three things at once: what comes in, what goes out, and what the property could sell for later. Jimmy Samaha walks through those pieces with investors. He is a Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker with Robert DeFalco Realty.
He also owns investment property. That is firsthand perspective, not a slogan. It does not mean your building will perform like his, and it is not a forecast.
Jimmy Samaha | Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker | Robert DeFalco Realty
How Jimmy helps an investor look at a property
The review is specific to the building in front of you. A borough-wide average is not a substitute for the leases and the bills. Share the property type, price range, and what you want the building to do. The notes on the form are the place for that.
Income, leases, and occupancy
Rental income means the rent that is actually in place, not a rent the owner hopes to get later. Leases tell you whether that rent is written down, how long it lasts, and what else the tenant agreed to. Occupancy tells you which units are filled, which are empty, and whether the owner lives in one of them. A vacant unit is not income.
Operating expenses, taxes, insurance, utilities, and condition
Operating expenses are the costs of keeping the building: taxes, insurance, utilities, maintenance, and anything else that is documented. A missing bill is a missing fact. It is not a zero. Condition is the cost people leave off the sheet. Work the building needs now changes the cash you will spend and it can change whether a lender is comfortable.
Comparable sales
Comparable sales show what similar investment property has sold for. They are context for price. They are not a promise that this building will sell for the same number, on the way in or on the way out.
Cash flow and cap rate
Cash flow is what is left after the expenses that actually get paid. It changes when a unit goes vacant, a tax bill moves, or a repair shows up. Cap rate is one way to set net operating income next to price. It is a snapshot of the numbers you have. It is not a profit Jimmy can promise, and it is not a prediction of next year.
Financing and resale
Financing considerations include down payment, rate, reserves, and whether the lender will lend on that unit count and that condition. Those terms come from the lender. Jimmy is not the lender. Resale is the later question: who might buy, and which facts, including condition, rents, and legal use, make that easier or harder. It is a consideration. It is not a sure sale later.
The owner’s chair
Because Jimmy owns investment property, he is used to reading a lease, an insurance bill, and a repair list the way an owner does. Use that as a reason to have a detailed conversation. Do not use it as a reason to skip the documents on the building you are buying or selling.
This is not legal, tax, or lending advice, and it does not promise a return. Jimmy is not the lender.
A valuation is an estimate from available information, not an appraisal, and not a guaranteed sale price or promised timeline.
Two-family and larger buildings are covered in more detail on the multifamily page.
Call (646) 378-8407.