Panic selling hits New York as ‘woke’ mayor sparks Sunbelt exodus

UK Daily Mail ^ | 10/29/2025 | Marianne Garvey

[DFG]

With the New York City mayoral election just around the corner, wealthy apartment owners are resigned to the fact that Zohran Mamdani will win — and are fleeing the city altogether.

Experts say apartment listings have increased since Mamdani won the Democratic primary in June and things have only gotten worse.

Residents are leaving the city in favor of both North and South Carolina in order to avoid future tax increases and rent freezes Mamdani is proposing.

'There's a lot of inventory right now,' said New York realtor Jay Batra.

'These people are not thrilled about the possibility of Mamdani winning.

Batra said with the election so close, there's now a new wave of people who are considering selling their apartments.

'Residents continue to relocate to places like the Carolinas, the market is shifting.'

The Carolinas also offer lower resident income tax and lower property tax, a significant draw for city buyers.

'There is no question that there are people who are hedging that in the event Mamdani is elected they will step out of New York,' Douglas Elliman luxury realtor Frances Katzen told Daily Mail.

For luxury buyers, they are also are also pulling the plug on purchasing apartments due to Mamdani's proposed policies.

'Two weeks ago, I had a couple of buyers In the $3, $4 and $5million price point range - one I was selling a building to - who are no longer interested in buying,' Batra said.

'They don't want to hear about Mamdani and the rent freeze he is proposing.'

Mamdani's emphasis is on socialism and the redistribution of wealth. He is up against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is now also running as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa in November.

[Skwor]

Lots of room for squatters and EBT kings/queens now.

Apparently “Escape from New York” was not a sci fi story as much as a prophecy

[bk1000]

They will move to Florida and immediately vote democrat.

[BlueStateRightist]

I’ll believe it when I see apartment prices crater in NYC. Until then, anecdotal reports are unconvincing.

[Pontiac]

Mamdani's emphasis is on socialism and the redistribution of wealth. He is up against former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is now also running as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa in November.

Cuomo could be the spoiler for Mamdani.

Sliwa could win.

[NonValueAdded]

Residents are leaving the city in favor of both North and South Carolina ... yes, Florida is closed.

[Brian Griffin]

“rent freeze”

Rents would collapse if Uncle Sam stopped paying them.

[FrankRizzo890]

Noo! This could/would NEVER happen! NYC is such a magical special place that NO ONE would EVER want to leave!
/s (obviously)

How long before the retroactive exit-tax is implemented?

[blackdog]

Housing prices are kept at levels to keep certain people out. In 1987, a three bedroom house in Pleasantville NY was around 600K on a town lot. The property taxes were twice the mortgage payments. I was being relocated to there. I asked "why the taxes were so high?", the realtor explained it was to keep people like us out of the area.

That's how communities promote their self interests when it comes to who they associate themselves with.

[dfwgator]

[Brian Griffin]

“Florida”

I believe my former neighbor Jason sold up due to the high cost of insurance.

Larry & Anna intend to sell off their house.

[dfwgator]

It also guarantees that places that are affordable will most likely be so crime-ridden, even if you could afford to live there, you wouldn’t want to.

[lgjhn23]

His win will be a HUGE victory for the Islamic warlords much like the odongo win.
IF they can get their guy in the mayor’s office of a city that came under the 9/11 Islamic attack, it will reinforce their belief that America can, and will be, an Islamic state.
IMHO, anyone who votes for this POS is a traitor to the USA and all we stand for.
NYC is insane to elect him. What London is today will be the future of NYC with this POS as mayor.

[dfwgator]

All the sane people already left NYC. This is also true for most of the other cities, which is why the commies are now running most of the big cities.

[Brian Griffin]

In 1982, those apartments might have fetched $40K.

The maintenance fees were as high as rents in suburban DC.

[wafflehouse]

Metastasis

[Opinionated Blowhard]

Residents are leaving the city in favor of both North and South Carolina in order to avoid future tax increases

And will promptly vote for candidates in North and South Carolia who increase taxes to turn them into the Hellhole that NYC has become. There is an easier way than uprooting yourself and going hundreds of miles to a new state - stay in NYC and vote for someone who commits to lower taxes or at least keep them the same.

[srmanuel]

We are 100% full here in the sunshine state we can’t handle any more

[Mouton]

Advice to them, after hearing Rush lambast NY taxing authorities long after he left NY for their constant badgering him about where his income came from, make certain you leave not a cent behind even if you have to burn your home to the ground and salt the earth under it.

[Brian Griffin]

“why the taxes were so high”

The high property taxes came about due to high federal taxes.

If your income tax was at a very high rate (90%), paying more for deductible property tax for better teachers, police and firefighters made sense even if two other kids other than your own got the education.

The towns basically became private schools with housing.

Long-time residents where I went to high school in the upstate area’s most affluent town were irked by move-in for K, move-out after high school families.