Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | OCTOBER 6, 2025 7 Deal Watch Manchester real estate investor Oz Pariser stands in front of a vacant, 36-unit Hartford apartment building at 249 Sisson Ave., which he recently acquired. HBJ Photo | Michael Puffer City Crackdown Investor's West End apartment buildings spotlight Hartford's fight against blight By Michael Puffer mpuffer@hartfordbusiness.com N obody builds apartment buildings anymore like the four-story, brick struc- ture at 467 Farmington Ave., in Hartford. With its intricate brickwork and cornices, the century-old, nine-unit apartment building reflects the aesthetic of its era. Mark Twain's former mansion is located just a couple blocks down the street. On a recent Tuesday morning, owner Oz Pariser had to evict squatters from eight of the building's nine apartments just hours before showing it to a potential buyer. Pariser, who is based in Manchester, recently acquired a 69-unit portfolio in Hartford's West End that includes 467 Farmington Ave., along with three nearby vacant and boarded-up build- ings of similar vintage. He gained control of the properties by purchasing and then foreclosing on delinquent loans held by the previous owner. Pariser owns 92 apartment units in Hartford and New Britain, along with 100 mobile home park lots in West Virginia and Ohio. He initially planned to renovate the historic buildings at 467 Farmington Ave., 249 and 258 Sisson Ave., and 28 Girard Ave., all clustered in Hartford's West End. But after extensive damage from squatters and vandals — including stripped copper pipes and destroyed electrical meters — he chose instead to put the portfolio up for sale. The four-building package is listed with Horvath & Tremblay for $3.45 million. "Whoever buys them will be renovating them and keeping them for the long term," Pariser said. "These properties have been sitting vacant and condemned and blighted for several years now, and we'll see them revitalized and back as real valuable housing stock for the City of Hartford." Pariser has taken steps to secure the properties, boarding up windows and access points, clearing trash, doing light landscaping, and sealing garages that had been used by the homeless. His efforts come amid a broader push by the city to tackle blight. Under Mayor Arunan Arulampalam, Hartford has leaned on blight citations and other enforcement measures to pressure absentee land- lords, while offering incentives to those willing to reinvest. The strategy is beginning to shift neglected buildings into new hands with the goal of stabilizing them and adding back much-needed housing. For Pariser, city support has been critical: on Sept. 26, officials erased more than $500,000 in blight citations left by the prior owner and reduced a $54,000 lien on the 15-unit building at 18 Girard Ave. to $5,400, which he has since paid. "It wouldn't have been a feasible deal for me if they hadn't agreed to do that," Pariser said. "The properties would have sat for God knows how much longer. This made it feasible for me to pass it off to the next person who will completely revitalize them." Problem landlord After buying mortgage notes on the properties last December, Pariser filed two foreclosure suits against their owner, Paxe Hartford Portfolio LP, and its principal, New Jersey investor Aron Puretz. In court filings, Pariser's attorney said Paxe's debts and interest had grown to more than $5.4 million. City records show Paxe had acquired the buildings for $4 million in February 2022. That same month, Arulampalam launched a crack- ON THE MARKET This 69-unit apartment portfolio in Hartford's West End has been listed for $3.45M: 249 Sisson Ave. UNITS 36 | SIZE 25,956 SF | YEAR BUILT 1926 467 Farmington Ave. UNITS 9 | SIZE 15,548 SF | YEAR BUILT 1910 28 Girard Ave. UNITS 15 | SIZE 14,961 SF | YEAR BUILT 1920 258 Sisson Ave. UNITS 9 | SIZE 13,209 SF | YEAR BUILT 1920 Continued on next page

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