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Even in Long Island City, Queens, one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods in New York City, 2018 was not exactly shaping up as a banner year for real estate.

Heading into the traditionally slow winter season, condominium sales had slumped. But then in early November, news broke that Amazon would build a vast campus in the neighborhood and hire more than 25,000 employees.

The deal has stirred political controversy and drawn mixed reaction from New Yorkers. But it has been greeted with euphoria among real estate brokers who have seen a sudden gold rush of interest in the local condo market.

Some inquiries have come from Amazon employees, but since only a few hundred will arrive in 2019, most buyers have been investors and New Yorkers looking to relocate to a neighborhood on the rise.