A Good Attorney

After searching for almost 2 years for a Brooklyn brownstone, I gave up (the good ones are swallowed by the super-rich) and started looking for a co-op near Central Park. Yesterday was my closing. (I’ll miss vibe of Brooklyn and the idea of a home with a backyard and low carrying-costs, but I’m excited to have Central Park, the museums, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and a short commute.) For this purhase, I used the same attorney that I used in an aborted Carrol Gardens purchase: Zerline Goodman. I want to give her a shout-out, as she was excellent in every way. Patient, sharp, knowledgeable, highly accessible, straight-forward…. I highly recommend her!

brownlime

in Lawyers and legal service 12 years and 11 months ago

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brownlime | 12 years and 11 months ago

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That’s interesting… that you moved to Brooklyn 25 years ago. I first moved here 23 years ago… as a renter sharing with 3 friends a brownstone in sleepy little Cobble Hill. My roomates and I felt like outsiders because we weren’t Italian. My share of the rent was $300\. I was warned to avoid Smith Street after dark because it was dangerous. The good old days!

Brooklynista | 12 years and 11 months ago

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Oh, I hear you.  We made our Brooklyn move 25 years ago when it was still a banana republic, the city on the prairie, or that boring, remote village on the wrong side of the bridge!  But, we were living in Manhattan at the time and wanted a brownstone that we could afford.  Hence the move to Brooklyn.     In comparison, and pricewise — those were the days for buying here!  Today? Like you say, you got to be a celebrity, a trust fund baby, a Wall Street Elite, already own property you can trade up on, be a foreign investor, an wealthy suburbanite on the return, yada yada yada.  Not much left for the average middle class family looking to buy  4 decent walls and a roof.  I know for sure that, if we were just starting out,  we would not be able to purchase a house of our choice in BK today — and certainly not in Manhattan! So, like I said, it sounds to me that you lucked out!  All the best to you!

brownlime | 12 years and 11 months ago

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Thanks Brooklynista. Yes, it’s only Manhattan, but I’ll take it!  And BHO would have been very pleased with the price i paid. Unlike Brooklyn, the rest of the country is still on sale. The Scarsdalers and Larchmonters (or, at least, people who previously would have moved to those suburbs) have colonized prime Brooklyn, injecting it with capital, children, and a new energy, while pricing out the rest of us. God Bless Brooklyn!

Brooklynista | 12 years and 11 months ago

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Well congratulations to you, Pigeon! Sounds like you made a great choice . . . even if in the lowly borough of Manhattan. :-).