Keys to Real Estate Success

This past fall, amidst this downturn in our economy, I happened to find myself in the middle of a full frontal restoration of one of my townhouse properties in Brooklyn. This was not the easiest of times to be involved with an expensive undertaking , especially as the very business in which I earn my living was basically, ”Looking from the end of the diving board at a pool with no water.”

The job entailed numerous trades. There was stripping the 1906 brick building back to the original brick, full re-pointing, ripping off the large front stoop and having it rebuilt all the way to finish brownstone veneer coat, painting all the ornate cast iron details (lintels and sills) of the doors and windows, reworking below the stoop entry and door, and rebuilding the parapet wall and steps to the small gated area below that costly front stoop (also brownstone). Also needed, was painting to match that beautiful cast detailing, the main door entry and its enclosure, the intricately detailed wood cornice at the top of the façade, and the entire fire escape.  Lastly, after coordinating with the parks department for the recommended size of the tree-enclosure for the sidewalk (the old one was completely blown apart by the tree roots over the years), an entire new sidewalk was poured on this steeply sloped street in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. (more…)