BY ROBERT KNAKAL

Last week, I recapped the activity in the city’s investment sales market through the first three quarters of the year. The numbers looked impressive, as the dollar volume was $21.75 billion, which, on an annualized basis, comes to about $29 billion this year. If this occurs, we’ll see a 6 percent increase over the $27.4 billion observed in 2011.

We’re anticipating a very busy fourth quarter, which should lead to an annual total between $30 and $32 billion. This total will be about 5 times the $6.1 billion seen in 2009 but will still be only about half of the $62 billion at the peak of the market in 2007.

With regard to the number of properties sold, which is a better indication of market activity, given how impactful a few very large sales can have on dollar volume, there were 2,336 properties transferred in the first three quarters of 2012, already more than the 2,222 that traded all last year. We’re on pace for 3,115 sales this year, which would be a whopping 40 percent increase over 2011 levels.

Notably, in the third quarter, there were 948 properties sold, the highest quarterly total since the first quarter of 2008. We expect more than 1,000 properties to sell in the fourth quarter, which would get us back to peak levels seen in the period between 2005 and 2007, during which 11 of 12 quarters saw more than 1,000 properties sold.

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BY CARL GAINES

HFF has arranged $96 million to refinance two multifamily properties in the New York City metro area. The properties—located in Greenwich, Conn.—include a total of 396 apartment units. The financing was arranged on behalf of LCOR, which was acquired by the California State Teachers’ Retirement System earlier this year.

  Senior managing director Jon Mikula and managing director Jim Cadranell led the HFF team on the deal, which resulted in two fixed rate loans.

  Greenwich Place, at 311 Putnam Green, will receive a $41 million loan and Greenwich Oaks, at 219 Weaver Street, a $55 million loan. The financing was through lender Allianz Real Estate of America. Neither property had debt when the deals were arranged.

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BY ALESSIA PIROLO

The U.S. branch of Aeffe, an Italian fashion company that owns luxury brands Alberta Ferretti, Moschino,  and Pollini, among others, sold its New York properties for $14 million.

Ferrim USA, which is controlled by the designers Massimo and Alberta Ferretti, has financed the acquisition with a $10 million loan provided by Citibank.

An Aeffe spokeswoman confirmed the deal and the mortgage to finance the transaction. Sources with ties to the company added that, as a part of the agreement, Aeffe will not move its office and showroom.

The properties are 30 West 56th Street, between Avenue of the Americas and Fifth Avenue, where Aeffe has its showroom and U.S. offices, and 452 West Broadway, in Soho, which serves as a store for Philosophy Di Alberta Ferretti.

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