Back From A Mid-Winter Slumber...Well, Just A Blog Slumber

Hey folks! You may notice that from time to time I take a bit of a sabbatical from blogging. It usually happens once a year, and lasts from a couple weeks to a couple of months. Usually, it is just the result of burnout, or some form of writer's block. This past sabbatical, dating back to just post-Sandy was a little different. This time I was rather busy.

First, I am proud to say, I have discovered Brooklyn! For years I was in some odd form of denial that the borough actually existed. I'm not sure if I can blame this on some pro-Manhattan snobbish bias, or just flashbacks to the numerous times I went to visit grandparents in the old Williamsburg. I'm talking 80's here folks, and there wasn't a hipster in sight! To me it was gritty, too gritty, and it for a long time tainted my perception of the borough. So much so, that I didn't step foot out there. A referral client 6 months ago changed all of that. I felt obligated to take the client, but, flying blind, I endeavoured to split the deal with a good colleague who knew the area inside and out. Slowly I have learned the neighborhoods from Brooklyn Heights to Fort Greene to The Slope, Boerum Hill, and Carroll Gardens to name a few. Sure, they are all primarily in the northwest part of the borough, but I suppose you have to start somewhere. I remember my first trip to Smith Street in Carroll Gardens and how I marveled that the structures, all being 3 or 4 stories, have somehow stood the test of time, and if shot in black and white without cars could easily be a scene from the old New York, generations before my increasingly old ass was born. It has been invigorating! It has made the business feel new again, despite my many years plying the trade in Manhattan. It is visually and intellectually stimulating. So, I have been killing a bit of time out there just exploring, and have just signed my second deal in the borough.

Second, have I mentioned how absolutely sizzling hot the Village market is here back in Manhattan? Wow! The cabinet is bare of inventory, and buyers seem to be ravenous for any morsel which might be had. I was fortunate to list a Classic 7 at 31 West 12th Street, just before Christmas that needs everything, and I mean everything! The bones however are an absolute delight to anyone with a true appreciation of pre, prewar living! While most brokers were taking a vacation, shopping, or generally lounging, I was inundated with hundreds of emails the second the listing hit the market. Within a week, and a non-stop showing schedule, we ended up with multiple bids, and several attractive bids above the ask. We have a contract out, and knock wood, it should be signed shortly.

Aside from that, I enjoyed my break, enjoyed some quality time with my loving family that I so cherish, read the auto-biographies of Malcolm X and Ben Franklin (what a pair, right), and dodged the flu and lost. So that's it. That is why I haven't been blogging. Call it an excuse, that's fine, but I was so repeatedly reminded today at the Inman Connect (real estate tech junkie) convention, that I must write and here so I do. I hope everyone enjoys the flurry of posts you are likely to see in the very near future.