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bout a quarter of Manhattan home sales last year involved trusts, up from 17% three years prior, according to real-estate analytics firm Attom. This trend is part of the ongoing Great Wealth Transfer, where $124 trillion will change hands over two decades.

    The use of trusts in Manhattan sales has increased significantly, with 28% of homes purchased through this method last year, up from 17% three years ago. This shift is largely driven by parents helping their children buy properties, particularly in trendy neighborhoods like Soho and the West Village.

    Brokers and wealth-asset advisers told Bloomberg that parents are using trusts to cover the high costs of buying a home for their kids. Attom's data shows that one-third of condos purchased with a trust were in these upscale areas. Agents note that this trend has changed the demographics of neighborhoods like the West Village, where 20-year-olds whose parents bought them a place now outnumber older wealthy residents.

    The use of trusts is also evident in Brooklyn, where the average condo price is $1.3 million and brownstones fetch nearly twice as much. Tax-savvy families are using trusts to help their children buy properties in areas like Brooklyn Heights.