In the aftermath of much well-heeled panic about a potential mass exodus of New York millionaires and billionaires following the election of Zohran Mamdani, the contrary is already happening, and Manhattan luxury apartment buyers are voting with their wallets.
Signed contracts for Manhattan homes costing $4 million or more rose to 176 in November, a 25% increase from October’s 141 deals, according to fresh data from brokerage Douglas Elliman and appraiser Miller Samuel. New signed contracts of more than $4 million increased at more than twice the rate of the overall market, the report noted.
For most people, but especially for the rich, a liveable environment is far more important than a bit more money. Nobody who has saving money as their first priority is going to be living in New York anyway. But a liveable city that’s safe, fun to be in, and that you can move around in without fearing for your life, those are far more important to most people.
So I’m not surprised that Mamdani’s victory is drawing more people to NY.
Literally if I was loaded I’d love to live in NYC despite it being expensive. Because (and I can’t stress this enough) YOLO. Spend your life enjoying it, not saving up every single penny. And in this case, the taxes can contribute to enjoyment through increased safety and other livability factors.
This is obvious when you think about it even a little bit. You can’t buy safe streets.
What’s the point of being ultra-rich when you have to step outside into Phnom Penh and watch how toddlers collect scrap?