National real estate investor and developer Lightstone partnered with New York City Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez (D – Manhattan) to offer a six-week real estate investment course throughout this past spring for residents of Inwood, Washington Heights, and Marble Hill.
Over the six weeks, professionals from Lightstone taught the class of more than 50 aspiring real estate professionals lessons ranging from real estate investment analyses to a step-by-step approach to buying a home.
The course was designed for residents of upper Manhattan communities with limited real estate and financial experience, but with a high desire to learn.
“Education is what drives change, with the potential to lift up communities into the middle class and beyond,” said Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez.
“I’m so pleased by the partnership of David Lichtenstein and Lightstone with our uptown community, providing insight and experience to foster a new generation of aspiring real estate investors and professionals. For many, home ownership is part of the American Dream and courses such as this provide the tools needed to get there. I look forward to building upon this great partnership so more residents gain the tools to follow their dreams.”
“Real estate is an industry where hard work, entrepreneurship, and the right fundamentals can lead to fantastic success, and I’m pleased to have worked with Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez to bring the expertise of Lightstone to residents in Washington Heights and Inwood,” said David Lichtenstein, Chairman and CEO of Lightstone.
“I hope the skills and knowledge we passed on in our course will help more hardworking New Yorkers reach the same level of success I’ve been fortunate enough to achieve at Lightstone.”
The course took place between late February and early April and was offered to attendees free of charge (all participants paid a $100 deposit that was reimbursed upon completion of the course).
Classes were held at Community Health Academy of the Heights (504 West 158th Street) in Washington Heights. Curriculum included topics ranging from valuations to determinates of returns to interactions between the real estate market and the capital market.
