Forum Archive: Agent

I’m seriously considering it (this is the development at 8th Ave and 10th street). Aside from the prices, which are insane, what else have you noticed about the place that’s negative in your drive-bys or walk throughs?

Any construction flaws or materials concerns? What sort of ex-cons is Reverend Liz ministering to next door these days, if any? How loud is 8th Avenue at 830am when the Gowanus or the Prospect Expressway is jammed? Any scuttlebut on what kind of $$ pressure the developers are under right now?

Oh, ok — let’s talk about the price. What’s the right price per square foot for the below grade space in the triplexes, where they’ve considerately dug down far enough to the point that there are 8.5 foot ceilings down there?

Any and all observations are welcome, and thanks…

I am about to start aggressively selling my house in Windsor Terrace. I posted an Open House notice on craigslist and got a decent response. I sold a house before on my own, and am pretty confident about my selling skills. However, after I posted the ad, I got contacted by a couple of real-estate agents from the top agencies claiming they have perfect buyers for me and would like an opportunity to show it to them. Given the urgency of my situation, I am considering But I don’t want to do that on an exclusive basis as I might be able to sell it on my own.

I am thinking of offering the agents 3% commission. Do you think they will take it? Does my plan sound doable and reasonable?

Any pointers will be appreciated.

Thank you

WE ARE LOOKING FOR SAMPLES OF COOP MANAGEMENT CONTRACTS

This is slightly long:

Hey there,
I’m in a bit of a pickle with a realtor, and was hoping that perhaps you all on here might have some advice on how to rectify this situation.

As a back story, for several days at the end of last month, my partner and I thought we would have to leave our apartment, so we blindly started searching and blindly signed an application for one apartment, leaving with them about $1500- the first month’s rent/deposit, which they told us was non-refundable unless we were denied the apartment. A day later, while browsing their site, we noticed an apartment that we were not shown, and requested to see it. Again, we blindly switched the application over to this new apartment (a studio) but did not initial, etc. the changes on the paper- the realtor took care of this at our request.

They did not run a background/credit check on me, so I am also owed that fee and there is no way that my partner alone could pass the application for said apartment.

Long story short, we no longer have to leave our home and want our money back.

We are pretty sure that we would be denied the studio based on my partner’s income (in retail) and my poor credit store and low income (I am a full-time student and a part-time barista), but have a feeling they would approve us out of spite. The best they can offer us is to put the money towards another place- but by June. Again, we now have no intention of leaving our space. The last correspondance from the realtor was today and in addition to basically being told to fuck off we were also told that the manager doesn’t make it a habit to contact clients.

In summation, we feel like we are being taken advantage of and also strongly believe that we are deserving of our money back, because to us, $1500 is nothing to sneeze at.

We are preparing to file a complaint with the Dept. of State in the hopes of getting some legal help.

Anyone out there have any other ideas, advice, etc?

THANK YOU!

I have two books if anyone wants them. I used them to pass the Real Estate Broker Exam. They are brand new latest editions.

- New York Real Estate For Brokers, 3rd Ed. by Marcia Darvin Spada.
You need this for the classroom lectures but don’t use it to study.

New York Real Estate Exam Review, 4th Ed by Eileen Taus. This is a great book. Because of scheduling issues I had to take the state exam before doing any of the classes. I only studied this book and passed the exam! Then I slept through the classes!

Please call me if you want them.

Gennaro Brooks-Church
347 244 3016
www.EcoBrooklyn.com

“Smart people buy as prices come down.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 19, 2008 10:22 AM”

If you brought anything with this piece of information you would have been hosed.

g
DJIA* 7997.28 -427.47 -5.07
Nasdaq* 1386.42 -96.85 -6.53
S&P 500* 806.58 -52.54 -6.12
DJ Wilshire 5000* 8014.25 -550.79 -6.43
Russell 2000* 412.38 -35.13 -7.85
Global Dow 1309.46 -32.96 -2.46
Japan: Nikkei Average* 7703.04 -570.18 -6.89
DJ Stoxx 50 1978.23 -54.06 -2.66

Also..

Pros Say: Market DID Bottom in October

http://tinyurl.com/5aw48g

“Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James said he’s convinced that Oct. 10 was the market’s capitulation low, and there’ve been sufficient tests of that low to meet criteria for “a fairly decent rally.” ”

If you went out and brought stock at that point, you are down 25%-35%.

Something to think about

Credit crisis, sub prime mess, real estate bubble – whatever name you want to call it – what role did real estate agents as a group play in all of this?
It seems as if they are getting a pass. Get the largest commission possible – sell a home at the highest price you can get. Buyers can’t really afford it? Not to worry – I have a mortgage broker here who can help you (the kickback commission doesn’t hurt either). Don’t worry about anything – we have appraisers who can set any number necessary. You’ll have granite counter tops, Sub Zero appliances, and a 0% down, interest only mortgage. Most importantly, I get my place at the trough.

A recent post made me realize I have been meaning for months to post this recommendation…

I recently used Erin and Ari of HouseByWe (www.housebywe.com) as a buyer’s broker, and they were totally, totally invaluable! Doing a home search on your own–going to a million brokerage houses, talking to a million agents, scouring the real estate listings of every firm every day can be exhausting, to say the least. Someone here recommended I check out Housebywe instead, and I did. Particularly since I was living out of town at the time, it was just what I needed. They did all the scouring and vetting for me, and we talked regularly so they could get a good sense of what I wanted (and they even helped me figure out what that was, as it evolved over the search). When they finally found the perfect place, they were absolutely right. They had tons of invaluable advice and perspective, having gone through the process themselves and knowing the ins and outs of real estate in Brooklyn, Brooklyn neighborhoods, brownstones and old buildings generally, renovation, etc. They helped us through the whole buying process, made great recommendations for inspectors, contractors, etc. And, they are incredibly pleasant, smart, great people to work with.

Obviously, I can’t recommend them highly enough. Ah–and in case it’s not obvious, it didn’t cost me a penny. As a buyer’s broker, they co-broke with the seller. (Though they do offer selling services, as well.)

Also, their business included renovation project services. They can take the headache out of a big renovation by managing the whole thing for you.

Their website:
www.housebywe.com

I check the MLS and call agents, and then they start showing me listings that don’t belong to them (but that are on the multiple listing service). Is this a good idea in Brooklyn? I used to live in Queens and this would never fly there. If you show up with an agent, forcing the listing agent to split the fee, you will not be able to buy the apartment. Am I shooting myself in the foot going along with these agents or is this completely normal in Brooklyn?