[1] In 1983, while living on the Lower East Side and in the midst of writing his doctoral dissertation in clinical psychology at Harvard University, his cousin Rabbi Joseph Singer referred a local builder, David Disenhouse, to invite him as a partner to renovate a vacant apartment building on the Lower East Side.
[1] Although the buildings were often crime-ridden, Singer claims that he would make sure that the new tenants were told upfront about the problems they were moving into before signing a lease.
[1] He has been variously credited with or blamed for the gentrification of poorer neighborhoods by hipsters[1] as well as being branded a "slumlord.
[1] Singer defends himself by stating that the buildings he buys typically have severe problems that take time to correct and that some tenants do not readily allow the landlord access to apartments.
[1] In 2013, Singer sold a portfolio of 84 properties to Brooklyn-based Rainbow Estates Group, headed by Irving Langer and Leibel Lederman for $340 million.