The measure, known as Proposition ULA, boosts the one-time transfer tax to 4 percent for property deals between $5 million and $10 million, and 5.5 percent for transactions of $10 million and above. The current rate on all sales is 0.45 percent.
The firm is exploring acquisitions of Manhattan office buildings that are facing growing vacancies or debt burdens. The effort could potentially expand to other areas of the US, such as Washington, D.C., Boston and the West Coast.
Developers are still building plenty of units in New York City, but the rental market remains tight with thousands of rent stabilized units held off the market.