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Dear <<First Name>>

With March around the corner and the winter feelings quickly dissipating, I hope you've been enjoying this warm & somewhat awkward winter. To speak on this market, Trump's core appeal - his promises to reverse economic hardship in the working class heartland - seems to have been lost over debates on immigration and bans for media presence in the White House. The question for us remains, can Trump deliver on economic growth and boost real estate, which is seeing a slow down on both the residential & commercial fronts? The irony would be if our first billionaire president and 'developer in chief' turns out to be bad for New York Real Estate.

As always, the first three individuals to guess the EXACT cross street and location of where I am standing (ABOVE PHOTO) will receive a complimentary Starbucks gift card. Your hints for this month are located here and here. Click here to ZOOM into the panoramic shot above!

For my February newsletter, I am excited to interview Marcell Hillard, the Founder & CEO of Collyde, in our NY'er of the Month column. If you, or any of your friends would like to be featured, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

My goal & passion is to keep you informed of all things pertaining to Manhattan's residents, lifestyle, culture, and some real estate on the side :) Please do not hesitate to reply back to me with any questions or feedback you may have.

Yours Truly,

Takk Yamaguchi
Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

Cell: 646-397-0749
E-Fax: 646-485-7576
URL: www.compass.com
Bio & Listings: www.takkyamaguchi.com
Follow me on Twitter

"I am never too busy for your referrals."

Marcell Hillard is the Founder & CEO of Collyde, a billing platform for the sharing economy, which helps users split up their monthly subscriptions for services such as Spotify, Netflix, and Apple Music. Marcell is a graduate of the University of Michigan, and also obtained his Project Management Certificate from NYU. He has been in NYC for 10 years and is currently a resident in Chelsea.

You’ve had a pretty diverse career to date. Started out at Citi working in Finance, to working for a real estate website at Trulia, and now starting a new company called Collyde. What has your journey been like? What is your background & specialty?

I’ve always been fascinated with the intersection of media & technology. I’m also passionate about finding ways to grow businesses and solve operational challenges. After finance, I’ve had the ability to do that in Operations and Strategy at Aol, Trulia, and Thomson Reuters.

Please describe what you do in one sentence:

We are a billing platform for the sharing economy, we make it easier to split costs using family plans, starting with Netflix and Spotify.

Tell us about Collyde, what was the inspiration for the start? How did you come up with the start up?

I dug into the economics of sharing a family plans on cell phones, Spotify, Netflix, etc. Splitting the bill can bring the cost down substantially as opposed to paying on your own. Netflix offers plans for more than one person. Why pay the full cost of the service when you can split it with legal group plans?

How does revenue work?

People pay a small amount, on top of the split cost of the service. It still turns out to be much less than paying for the service individually. People sign up because we give them a few months free for connecting their account to a group plan.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned about building a business since launching your company?

You have to validate your customer base as soon as possible. My assumptions were initially incorrect, but the closer we got to customers the better the concept evolved. The customers, not the business, must drive the creation of the product.

What motivates you more, Power or Money?

I am motivated by having a product that a ton of people enjoy using. If I’m able to do that and help people save more, that would be a huge win.

Where do you live now? If you could live on any block or building in NYC, where would it be?

I've been living in Chelsea for the past three years. Before that I was in Harlem on the East Side, for two years. Believe it or not, I pay less in Chelsea than the part of Harlem I wanted to live in. I have a bunch of buildings I dream about though! 15 Union Square West, the old Tiffany Building. The Ghery building in 8 Spruce downtown. One Madison Square on 23rd.

What makes you want 15 USW?

My first living experience in New York was as an intern staying in an NYU building in Union Square. I think of the area as the epicenter of New York. The building has these sharp edges and an all glass exterior that makes it seem to float. Floating above a park that exudes New York’s culture of openness and energy. I took a photo the building, and it have it hanging in my living room today. Partly because I love the design, but also for inspiration. If we make it on Collyde, I will buy a place there.

Do you or someone you know want to be featured in our newsletter? Please email us at TTT@Compass.com for details!

Real Time Manhattan Active Apartment Supply

Apartment Supply Sales inventory increased 12.27% from 4,349 active apartments to 4,883 active apartments Year-over-Year in February 2016 to February 2017.
Sales inventory increased 6.94% from 4,566 to 4,883 active apartments from February 1st to February 25, 2017.
Since January 2017, number of active apartments went up 24.98%, from 3,907 active apartments to 4,883 active apartments in February 2017.

275 West 10th Street #7A

With four bedrooms, each with and en-suite bath and a wonderful open kitchen and small private study, Apartment 7A has plenty of room for both privacy and socializing. Garden views to the east from the living room and classic tree lined street views to the west from the master help make this apartment incredibly charming.

The apartments at The Shephard have wonderful architectural details that make them feel like homes, including extremely large windows, barrel vaulted ceilings, entrance foyers and gallery spaces and special nooks to accommodate built in bookshelves or art. The quality of the renovation, design and finishes at The Shephard is unlike any other building currently on the market and has much more in common with a private renovation.

All systems in the building are brand new, including a VRF heating and cooling system. The windows are Landmark approved, double paned, triple glazed windows from Skyline. The floors are solid hardwood oak in a herringbone pattern. The master baths are incredible with hand-crafted mahogany vanities with Lefroy Brooks fixtures, white mosaic fan tile floors walls, Dolomiti white stone slab and palest grey painted millwork. Kitchens are custom designed by Smallbone of Devizes and designed by Gachot Studios and are outfitted with custom painted and mahogany cabinetry with brushed stainless steel and brass hardware from Valli and Valli, counters of black absolute granite and backsplashes and islands of white statuary marble. All appliances are from Miele. 7A at The Shephard has pretty exposures and wonderful living spaces in a building with beautiful, useful and fun amenities in the most perfect location in Manhattan.