Lee Lin

How Compass is Different from Zillow, Redfin, and Typical Brokerages

Compass completed their IPO valuing the company at $7 billion dollars (really $9 billion after accounting for full dilution of all convertibles, warrants, employee stock options, and other derivatives). For all the early investors, it's a huge win by...

Are Y Combinator Demo Day Valuations Too High? Or is the Market Efficient?

In 2015, Sam Altman issued his famous valuation challenge, asking startup naysayers and bubble callers to place a friendly six-figure wager. Sam picked three baskets - late stage, mid stage, and the entire graduating Winter 2015 YC batch. The...

Covid-19 Vaccine Availability: Supply Chain Bullwhip Effect

Will there be enough Covid-19 vaccine doses available in time for our 2021 travel plans? Now that the coronavirus vaccine is approved and ready for release, we know that FedEx and UPS are cooperating to facilitate a rapid distribution...

How to Negotiate Your Rent – For NEXT Year

Everyone knows there are amazing new york rental deals this year. Luxury buildings giving 4 months free on a one year lease. Never-before-seen perks, no broker fees, gift cards, the works. That's all fine and consumer-friendly...

Taipei Cracks Down On Airbnb Quarantines

We recently described the Covid-19 home quarantine process for various cities, including New York City and Taiwan. Today, Taipei Times reports that the city will no longer allow short-term quarantine rentals, citing dangers such as increased cross-contamination from large...

Covid-19 Home Quarantine: New York City versus Taipei

Currently, both New York City and Taipei have 14-day quarantine mandates in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Home Quarantine In New York Individuals arriving in NYC from a list of 30 high-risk states, or from abroad, must stay at...

Is Office Space A Big Waste Of Money?

Most NYC Startups are now one month into the entire team working from home. It's been an eye-opening experience from a cost perspective. First of all, dining out really is a big waste of money most times. Having lived...

COVID-19 Impact on the Greater Boston Rental Market

I'm working on an article for The Boston Globe about the impact of COVID-19 on the apartment market in Boston. The angle is to look at whether the virus will have an impact beyond the next couple of months...

Bryant Park Whole Foods Closes To Become Prime Fulfillment?

Most unfortunate and interesting. The closest Whole Foods to RentHop HQ will be closing to public shoppers. Instead, it will "focus more on prime orders" during the Covid-19 shutdowns.    I'm sure Amazon has smart people who have crunched the numbers,...

Should You Pay Rent During The Covid-19 Eviction Moratorium?

If you decided not to pay rent in April 2020, you are in good company. About 31% of renters did not pay on time, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council. Clearly this is a time of financial hardship...

About Me

Lee is a data geek from MIT who spent years at quantitative hedge funds cranking out models to explain and predict financial markets. Real estate has always been a big part of Lee's life. He grew up helping out at his parents' Jersey Shore motels, became a landlord his first year out of college, analyzed mortgages on a fixed-income trading desk, and acquired a New York real estate license. At RentHop, he combines his nerd talents and real estate knowledge to constantly tweak the secret HopScore. He currently lives near Bryant Park and his favorite restaurant was Cafe Zaiya (now known as Tomiz).

Latest News

Manhattan Listings Under $2,500 in December 2024

Renters know that Manhattan is expensive. The median price for an apartment in the borough decreased to $4,500 this...