Brooklyn Secret Agent: What's Love Got to Do With It?

Today we bring you the 14th of an anonymous weekly column about real estate by one of the most experienced agents in Brooklyn:
On Valentine’s Day my thoughts turn to the way in which relationships affect real estate transactions. It is no surprise that buying property is a lot like falling in love; a new home is like a new lover. You can’t help but imagine that you will be a different and better person with this place (person).

A starry-eyed young couple came to me looking for a place to buy together. Their likes and dislikes could not have been more different. I was relieved when they decided to rent instead. Unwinding a failed relationship is hard enough. Add owned real estate into the deal and you’ve got a full-fledged divorce on your hands.

Then there was the married couple. She would look at any and all house listings in Brooklyn Heights. She liked them all. Master of the Universe husband would then visit and reject every one. One day, in the garden of the 14th house, the wife burst into tears and told me they were seeing a counselor to determine why he wouldn’t agree to buy a house. TMI, for sure.

And there was the 22 year old from South America whose Daddy was paying. He didn’t care what it cost – only that it was a “safe” neighborhood and had a doorman. All she wanted was a loft in Bushwick. I gave that buyer to someone else because I could not navigate the complicated love relationship between father and daughter.

My favorite love story is the young man who made his considerable fortune as a computer geek on Wall Street. He met a woman and fell hard. Neither was young but for once the love seemed mutual. He bought them a great house, paying more than the market at that time. They moved in and she shortly had a baby. Then they held a fabulous wedding in the house. The good vibes continue to emanate from the house —  lots of love there.

Continuing the oldies theme, let’s all try a little tenderness on Valentine’s Day 2013.