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A record number of New Yorkers are dishing out cash to nab a home in Manhattan, where the average digs run for $2 million.

Cash sales in the Big Apple made up a staggering 67.9% of transactions in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to the latest quarterly survey of Manhattan sales from appraisers Miller Samuel and brokerage giant Douglas Elliman.

The figure, which usually hovers around 50%, “exceeds two-thirds of all sales to reach a record-high market share,” according to the report.

It also represents a stark increase from the 55% of wealthy homebuyers who paid for their pad in cash in December 2022.

Tim Malone, a luxury real estate advisor on the Steven Cohen Team and Douglas Elliman, told The Post that he’s seen this cash trend “all year long.”

“The sky-high mortgage rates have had a direct impact on buying trends, especially in the luxury market,” added Malone, whose current listings go for between $650,000 and $20 million.

“More than half of my buy side deals were all cash last year,” he said.

As of Thursday, the average 30-year fixed home loan is 6.62%, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac — double what it was in January 2022, when rates started surging as the Federal Reserve began its aggressive tightening regime, which has lifted the benchmark federal funds rate to a 22-year high.

By paying cash, deep-pocketed homebuyers with ample liquid assets are skirting interest rates altogether.

The housing market has threatened to price out middle- and lower-class buyers over the past year as monthly mortgage rates have risen to cost more than monthly rent payments — so much so that the commercial real estate firm CBRE found that in October, the average monthly mortgage payment was a whopping 52% higher than the average monthly rent on a house or apartment.

Traditionally, monthly mortgage rates cost the same or less than monthly rent payments on an apartment which had been the case from 1996 to mid-2003 since owners tend to put more cash into their homes than tenants because of expenses like repairs and renovations.

In the lead up to the 08 market crash, the mortgage premiums peaked at 33% in the second quarter of 2006.

However, the script was flipped due to the increased cost of debt, high rates on a benchmark 30-year home loan — which peaked at 8% late last year — coupled with low housing supply.

These same factors give homeowners an incentive to stay put, as even downsizing to take advantage of lower sticker prices doesnt make sense given higher mortgage rates.

The higher rates also discourage homeowners who locked in low rates two years ago from selling.

In a bid to combat low housing stock, Wall Street firms are working to create so-called “build-to-rent communities.”

The new homes come equipped with modern flooring and furnishings that are designed to withstand years of wear and tear, thus saving the companies a hefty sum on maintenance costs while also being attractive to tenants.

There are some 900 neighborhoods nationwide with this build-to-rent model in mind, according to the National Association of Home Builders, each boasting an average of between 135 and 150 homes designed for institutional investors to own them and rent them out to single families.

Like most businesses, Wall Street real estate investors are looking at the economies of scale, Ted Jenkin, the founder and CEO of Atlanta-based oXYGen Financial, told The Post  earlier this week.

If you can buy one plot of land, build a similar style house with similar materials it becomes much cheaper and cost efficient for your outcomes.

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Politics

Labour will eliminate unauthorised sewage spillages in a decade, environment secretary says

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July 20, 2025

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Labour will eliminate unauthorised sewage spillages in a decade, environment secretary says

Labour will eliminate unauthorised sewage spillages in 10 years, the environment secretary has told Sky News.

Steve Reed also pledged to halve sewage pollution from water companies by 2030 as he announced £104 billion of private investment to help the government do that.

But he told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips this “isn’t the end of our ambition”.

“Over a decade of national renewal, we’ll be able to eliminate unauthorised sewage spillages,” he said.

“But you have to have staging posts along the way, cutting it in half in five years is a dramatic improvement to the problem getting worse and worse and worse every single year.”

He said the water sector is “absolutely broken” and promised to rebuild it and reform it from “top to bottom”.

His earlier pledge to halve sewage pollution from water companies by 2030 is linked to 2024 levels.

The government said it is the first time ministers have set a clear target to reduce sewage pollution and is part of its efforts to respond to record sewage spills and rising water bills.

Ministers are also aiming to cut phosphorus – which causes harmful algae blooms – in half by 2028.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed. File pic: PA
Image:
Environment Secretary Steve Reed. File pic: PA

Mr Reed said families had watched rivers, coastlines and lakes “suffer from record levels of pollution”.

“My pledge to you: the government will halve sewage pollution from water companies by the end of the decade,” he added.

Addressing suggestions wealthier families would be charged more for their water, Mr Reed said there are already “social tariffs” and he does not think more needs to be done, as he pointed out there is help for those struggling to pay water bills.

Read more:
Why aquatic life is facing a double whammy as sewage overflows spill into rivers
Thames Water hit with largest-ever fine issued by regulator Ofwat

The announcement comes ahead of the publication of the Independent Water Commission’s landmark review into the sector on Monday morning.

The commission was established by the UK and Welsh governments as part of their joint response to failures in the industry, but ministers have already said they’ll stop short of nationalising water companies.

Mr Reed said he is eagerly awaiting the report’s publication and said he would wait to see what author Sir John Cunliffe says about Ofwat, the water regulator, following suggestions the government is considering scrapping it.

On Friday, the Environment Agency published data which showed serious pollution incidents caused by water firms increased by 60% in England last year, compared with 2023.

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Why sewage outflows are discharging into rivers

Meanwhile, the watchdog has received a record £189m to support hundreds of enforcement officers for inspections and prosecutions.

“One of the largest infrastructure projects in England’s history will clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good,” Mr Reed said.

But the Conservatives have accused the Labour government of having so far “simply copied previous Conservative government policy”.

“Labour’s water plans must also include credible proposals to improve the water system’s resilience to droughts, without placing an additional burden on bill payers and taxpayers,” shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins added.

The Rivers Trust says sewage and wastewater discharges have taken place over the weekend, amid thunderstorms in parts of the UK.

Discharges take place to prevent the system from becoming overwhelmed, with storm overflows used to release extra wastewater and rainwater into rivers and seas.

Water company Southern Water said storm releases are part of the way sewage and drainage systems across the world protect homes, schools and hospitals from flooding.

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Science

Indian Scientists Unravel the Mystery Behind Rare Aurora Over Ladakh

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3 hours ago

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July 20, 2025

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Indian Scientists Unravel the Mystery Behind Rare Aurora Over Ladakh

In a village in Ladakh, there was experienced an eruption in the sky which turned the sky into red and green auroras on May 10, 2024. This has not been seen in the past 10 years. It got triggered by the fiery solar storm, called Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) which are magnetised and thrown from the Sun at a million km per hour distance. Such arruptions in masses, triggered by the filament eruptions and solar flames sped to millions of kilometer towards our planet. This kind of rare aura has been ignited from the fiery solar storm.

Indian Scientists Investigate

According to organiser, The indian scientists’ team, led by Dr. Wageesh Mishra, used the data from NASA, ESA and other ground facilities to find this auroral phenomenon at the Indian Astronomical Observatory, by applying the Flux Rope Internal State (FRIS) model in order to broaden the coronograph images. The evolving temperature, magnetic fields and structure of the Coronal Mass Ejections were mapped at the time of interplanetary journey. This is the first global study to chronicle CME thermal dynamics from the Sun to Earth, which is published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Unexpected Reheating of CMEs

In contrast to the expectations, the CMEs didn’t cool with their expansion. In fact, they heat up at their midway, absorbing heat and maintaining a constant temperature over time they impact Earth. This thermal restructuring is due to the collision of two CMEs, where the electrons release high temperatures and ions release mixed lower and higher temperatures predominantly.

Magnetic Collision Triggers Lights

Data from NASA’s Wind Spacecraft, when a solar storm reached Earth, shows that the plasma covered Earth in double flux ropes. These are twisted magnetic structures which can trigger potential geomagnetic disturbances. Such an entangled magnetic field brought auroras as far south. i.e. Ladakh, and produces a spectacular light show that was seen by the citizens of that place.

Global Impact and Research Breakthrough

This finding held significant implications for global space weather forecasting and India. Through the understanding of the interaction of CMEs’ thermal and magnetic changes, the scientists could better develop the early-warning systems for power grid issues, navigation outages and satellite disruptions.

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Politics

GENIUS Act blocks Big Tech, banks from dominating stablecoins: Circle exec

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4 hours ago

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July 20, 2025

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GENIUS Act blocks Big Tech, banks from dominating stablecoins: Circle exec

GENIUS Act blocks Big Tech, banks from dominating stablecoins: Circle exec

Circle’s Dante Disparte says the GENIUS Act ensures tech giants and banks can’t dominate the stablecoin market without facing strict structural and regulatory hurdles.

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