MEET THE TEAM
David Ratner |
Nate Pfaff |
Founder
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Co-Founder
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PODCAST SEGMENTS
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THE BROOKLYN MADE REAL ESTATE SHOW - INTERVIEWS
From the Ratner Team, this is the Brooklyn Made Real Estate Podcast, a show about Brooklyn real estate and the professionals behind one of the hottest real estate markets in the world. Brooklyn Made Real Estate is a one-stop shop for anyone interested in New York real estate, getting connected with local experts and learning how to make smarter decisions and leveraging your assets. Each week our show will feature local professionals and real estate experts that we are eager for you to meet. |
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Episode #0 - Intro
Hi everyone, this is Nate Pfaff and for the past few months, my team and I have been working on a new project called the Brooklyn Made Real Estate Show, a podcast about New York City Real Estate and the professionals behind the scenes that make the New York market the most dynamic in the world. Our podcast provides a library of real estate information that can help you make better decisions, and avoid making the big blunders. It also provides a platform to connect people interested real estate to the professionals that make the market possible.
On the show, I talk to attorneys, bankers, developers, architects, artists, interior designers - anyone connected to the real estate market with value to share.
You'll get interesting stories...
Daniel Gershburg
Tony Castoro
You'll get valuable insights...
Kenneth Volandes
Daniel Gershburg
Andrew Ayers
And why New York City Real Estate is worth getting to know...
Jennifer Levy
Kenneth Volandes
Subscribe to the Brooklyn Made Real Estate Podcast and receive an episode each week, about events and real estate in New York, restaurants and places to check out, and interviews with the top professionals in the field.
The first episode comes out on June 6th and you can subscribe right now.
On the show, I talk to attorneys, bankers, developers, architects, artists, interior designers - anyone connected to the real estate market with value to share.
You'll get interesting stories...
Daniel Gershburg
Tony Castoro
You'll get valuable insights...
Kenneth Volandes
Daniel Gershburg
Andrew Ayers
And why New York City Real Estate is worth getting to know...
Jennifer Levy
Kenneth Volandes
Subscribe to the Brooklyn Made Real Estate Podcast and receive an episode each week, about events and real estate in New York, restaurants and places to check out, and interviews with the top professionals in the field.
The first episode comes out on June 6th and you can subscribe right now.
Episode #1 - Interview With Kenneth Volandes
Kenneth Volandes is of Greek descent and states that he got into real estate law because Greeks get involved in one of two things: “diners and real estate”. He suggests that the best way to get into real estate is to buy a multi-family that you can live in and produce income through. He also suggests getting into real estate early in life.
He likes spending time in Sunset Park and Redhook and sees Redhook as potentially the “next” neighborhood, especially with the introduction of city bike and if the 1 train extends there one day. He sees Sunset Park as a good area for investment, especially around 36th street, as well as around the Midwood/Flatbush area off the Q stop, where it’s 30 minutes to Union Square. He also sees the Bensonhurst area off the D train as a good investment because it’s also about 30 minutes to Union Square.
Mr. Volandes sees good times ahead for New York real estate. Most of the brokers he works with also feel confident about the New York market for the coming years. He states that as long as you don’t over-leverage you can still buy at a peak and sell at the next peak and make a strong return. He says Greeks don’t see selling property as a crime, but rather as a sin. He thinks it’s best to buy and hold as opposed to looking for a quick turn around. He says in the Brooklyn market today the real estate agent is making his or her commission because pricing the property right is essential.
Mr. Volandes recommends checking out Rich Dad Poor Dad to help change the way you think about earning income. He also recommends Confessions of a Commercial Real Estate Entrepreneur, as well as going online to get familiar with New York City landlord-tenant laws.
[1:31-1:54] Intro: Kenneth Volandes of The Law Offices of Kenneth Volandes. He was born, raised, and schooled in Brooklyn. He’s closed quite a number of commercial and residential deal in all the 5 boroughs.
[1:55-2:23] How did you get into law? Coming from a Greek descent, it’s obvious how I got into real estate. I started specializing in real estate and that was my introduction to law.
[2:24-3:26] What advice would you give to someone starting out in the field? In real estate, start early. Buy a multifamily estate and live in it to know your personal taste and priorities.
[3:27-6:23] What’s your favorite area in Brooklyn? I have a bias for Bay Ridge and Green Point because I grew up and lived in these two areas. But the best areas for investment right now are Sunset Park, Flatbush Midwood, and of the D Train north of Brighton Beach.
[6:23-7:16] Do you have a favorite restaurant in Brooklyn? I have two small daughters so I don't do restaurants anymore. But I would advise parents to go to Fort Greene Park and Bush Terminal Park with their children.
[7:17:10:20] Coming out of the recession, Brooklyn experienced a real estate boom. What is your experience with how long booms last and where is the market heading in 2-3 years?
If you want to know what’s going to happen in the future, take a look at the past. New York has had an up and down real estate market. I think it's going to change now but there are good times ahead.
[10:21-11:09] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[11:10-14:30] How concerned are you and your clients of the L Train shut down in Williamsburg, Greenpoint and how will that affect business? With technologies like Uber and also transport options like bikes, it might be easy on New Yorkers but the rent might need to go down a little. If not, people will go to downtown Brooklyn or other areas that are serviced by the 2,3,4,5 trains.
[14:31-16:39] What advice would you give to someone looking to buy or sell a property in Brooklyn right now? Brokers are earning their commissions now more than ever. If you’re selling your property, price it well or even a little bit low on the market value. If you're buying, make an effort to see a lot of product, know the price per sq2, and be mindful of the taxes and how much the renovation cost will be.
[16:40:17:27] If you could go back to the beginning of your career and change something what would it be? Buy real estate and buy sooner rather than later, don't overleverage, and buy things where you're focusing on cash flow and not necessarily appreciation.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Kenneth an email at kvolandes@goldsteinhall.com
Give him a ring at 917-699-4558
www.goldsteinhall.com
Resources:
Rich Dad Poor Dad
Confessions of a Commercial Real Estate Entrepreneur
Dropbox
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
He likes spending time in Sunset Park and Redhook and sees Redhook as potentially the “next” neighborhood, especially with the introduction of city bike and if the 1 train extends there one day. He sees Sunset Park as a good area for investment, especially around 36th street, as well as around the Midwood/Flatbush area off the Q stop, where it’s 30 minutes to Union Square. He also sees the Bensonhurst area off the D train as a good investment because it’s also about 30 minutes to Union Square.
Mr. Volandes sees good times ahead for New York real estate. Most of the brokers he works with also feel confident about the New York market for the coming years. He states that as long as you don’t over-leverage you can still buy at a peak and sell at the next peak and make a strong return. He says Greeks don’t see selling property as a crime, but rather as a sin. He thinks it’s best to buy and hold as opposed to looking for a quick turn around. He says in the Brooklyn market today the real estate agent is making his or her commission because pricing the property right is essential.
Mr. Volandes recommends checking out Rich Dad Poor Dad to help change the way you think about earning income. He also recommends Confessions of a Commercial Real Estate Entrepreneur, as well as going online to get familiar with New York City landlord-tenant laws.
[1:31-1:54] Intro: Kenneth Volandes of The Law Offices of Kenneth Volandes. He was born, raised, and schooled in Brooklyn. He’s closed quite a number of commercial and residential deal in all the 5 boroughs.
[1:55-2:23] How did you get into law? Coming from a Greek descent, it’s obvious how I got into real estate. I started specializing in real estate and that was my introduction to law.
[2:24-3:26] What advice would you give to someone starting out in the field? In real estate, start early. Buy a multifamily estate and live in it to know your personal taste and priorities.
[3:27-6:23] What’s your favorite area in Brooklyn? I have a bias for Bay Ridge and Green Point because I grew up and lived in these two areas. But the best areas for investment right now are Sunset Park, Flatbush Midwood, and of the D Train north of Brighton Beach.
[6:23-7:16] Do you have a favorite restaurant in Brooklyn? I have two small daughters so I don't do restaurants anymore. But I would advise parents to go to Fort Greene Park and Bush Terminal Park with their children.
[7:17:10:20] Coming out of the recession, Brooklyn experienced a real estate boom. What is your experience with how long booms last and where is the market heading in 2-3 years?
If you want to know what’s going to happen in the future, take a look at the past. New York has had an up and down real estate market. I think it's going to change now but there are good times ahead.
[10:21-11:09] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[11:10-14:30] How concerned are you and your clients of the L Train shut down in Williamsburg, Greenpoint and how will that affect business? With technologies like Uber and also transport options like bikes, it might be easy on New Yorkers but the rent might need to go down a little. If not, people will go to downtown Brooklyn or other areas that are serviced by the 2,3,4,5 trains.
[14:31-16:39] What advice would you give to someone looking to buy or sell a property in Brooklyn right now? Brokers are earning their commissions now more than ever. If you’re selling your property, price it well or even a little bit low on the market value. If you're buying, make an effort to see a lot of product, know the price per sq2, and be mindful of the taxes and how much the renovation cost will be.
[16:40:17:27] If you could go back to the beginning of your career and change something what would it be? Buy real estate and buy sooner rather than later, don't overleverage, and buy things where you're focusing on cash flow and not necessarily appreciation.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Kenneth an email at kvolandes@goldsteinhall.com
Give him a ring at 917-699-4558
www.goldsteinhall.com
Resources:
Rich Dad Poor Dad
Confessions of a Commercial Real Estate Entrepreneur
Dropbox
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Episode #2 - Interview With Jennifer Levy
Jennifer Levy got into interior design through renovating her own home in Brooklyn and loving the process. She made the transition from professional photography to interior design after realizing her talents could best be utilized through a career in interior design. It’s her job to oversee renovations and decorating, track all of the parts that go into both the decorating and renovating, and also interface and be the buffer between the tradespeople and the client so the client doesn’t have to deal with every detail of the project. She says many of her clients feel that hiring an interior designer actually saved them money in the end because it removed the inefficiencies and challenges that they would have dealt with on their own.
She sees fearlessness and creativity as the most important qualities of a successful interior designer, as well as strong communication skills and a good, developed eye for design. She has her clients fill out a questionnaire to get a sense of their expectations and pain-points, their aesthetic and functional needs for their space. She loves the process of outlining her vision for space and turning it into a reality.
Jennifer lives in Carroll Gardens and it remains her favorite area of Brooklyn. Frankies Spuntino on Court Street is one of her favorite restaurants, as well as Buttermilk Channel, for their great atmosphere and fried chicken, which is “transformative”. She’s getting a lot of business in Windsor Terrace and Midwood and is also seeing a lot of activity in Downtown Brooklyn and the Navy Yard. She sees the Midwood area as a good place to invest because there are really nice apartments there and it’s an undervalued area of Brooklyn.
Jennifer says that your relationship with your interior designer is pretty intense and you need to feel very comfortable with them, have good communication and trust their taste and intentions. Her website, cavdesign.com, allows you to book a free phone call with Jennifer to discuss your project and see if she might be a good fit. She highly recommends The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss and The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann.
[1:32-2:01] Intro: Jennifer Levy is the founder and lead designer of Curved Design, a residential interior design firm. Born and raised in New York City and currently lives in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. She successfully transitioned from being a full-time professional photographer to starting an interior design firm.
[2:01-2:31] Tell us a little about yourself and what you specialize in. I am an interior designer specializing in residential interior design. I live and work in Brooklyn with some work projects going as far as Spain.
[2:32-2:53] How did you first get into interior design? I purchased an apartment and did some renovations on it and after a little while realized I was in love with interior designing and wanted to pursue it full time.
[2:54-4:39] Can you break down what interior designers do and also explain how you can help people through renovating and saving them time? I deal with decorating and overseeing renovations which means my clients don't have to deal with every single detail and interactions.
[4:40-5:45] What do you think are the 2 most important qualities of a successful interior designer? One, fearlessness. There are a lot of logistics involved and you can lose track of your vision. Because of this, it's important to keep in touch with your vision and creativity. Two, have really good communications skills both with your clients and the trade’s people and contractors to avoid minor conflicts.
[5:45-7:02] How do you know where to start implementing your vision when you first walk into space? First, before I meet with clients, I have them fill out a questionnaire. This helps me have a sense of what their pinpoint is. Secondly, I try to listen to what the client is really bothered by in their homes, or what they really want to change. How they want to feel, what aesthetic they're driving toward, and what functionality they need for space helps me come to a definite conclusion to what can work for them.
[7:03-9:05] Can you elaborate more on why fearlessness is an important quality for a successful interior designer? In order to be really successful as a designer, you have to show that you're going to add something that they haven’t seen before in their project. I try to do one new thing with every project which helps me be satisfied both personally and professionally.
[9:05-11:14] How did you effectively make a career change from a professional photographer to an interior designer? I started out as an architectural interior photographer. This allowed me to work with wonderful interior stylists and architects and I got to see a lot of great places which helped define and develop my opinion.
Photography required me to travel a lot which was becoming hectic because of my baby. I badly needed a career change and I started taking classes at FIT. I tackled a large renovation at my home which was like my first project.
[11:15-12:15] Did you enjoy renovating your home? Because that can be painful for most people.
I bit off a lot more than I could chew at the time. I realized I loved the feeling of putting or drawing something down on paper and eventually seeing it come to life. The renovation was a big learning experience.
[12:15-12:45] What’s your favorite area of Brooklyn and why? I'm personally to my neighborhood, Carroll Gardens. I like that it still has the Old Italian shops for food, great restaurants and bars, and transportation. Although there's new architecture coming up.
[12:45-13:21] Do you have a favorite restaurant in Carroll Gardens? For food, I love Frankies Spuntino. They have a lovely garden outside. Also, Buttermilk Channel which has totally amazing fried chicken. For wonderful tequila cocktails, I love Bar San Miguel.
[13:21-14:04] Where is the hottest place in Brooklyn right now in terms of where you're getting most of your business? It used to be Park Slope but now I'm getting more calls from Windsor Terrace and Midwood. I think there are great undervalued apartments in Midwood. Navy Yard and downtown Brooklyn are also coming up.
[14:51-16:41] What have you learned about financial cycles in your business? I came to this business with no preconceived notions about how I wanted to be a designer. Having a scalable business where I was growing and being able to take on smaller projects has really helped. Secondly, I have been a freelancer my whole life so I do understand the cyclical nature of the business. You have to put aside some money for such times but I think a lot of it is psychological. Separate your self-worth and feelings about things from the business.
[16:41-17:51] What are some of the biggest ways your city has changed over the past decade? I grew up in New York and in the last decade, the biggest change is the level of construction which is happening in a volume I've never seen before. This raises the property values, and safety, and pleasantness of some neighborhood. As a consequence, finding parking is harder and the streets are more crowded.
[17:51-18:42] Where did you grow up? I grew up on the Upper West side, moved to Brooklyn and then moved back to Manhattan and lived in Chelsea. I then purchased an apartment in Brooklyn which was a very wise investment decision at the time.
[19:01-19:53] Where would you focus your search in Brooklyn if you were to buy a property right now? The Midwood area. There are really great apartments there which are well-valued. With the L Train, I think the Williamsburg, Greenpoint area will have good value. There's definitely a lot of opportunities if you're willing to hunt.
[19:54-20:43] What advice would you give to someone looking for an interior designer? Alongside the fact that you have to really love their design aesthetic, it’s an intense relationship. Make sure you're comfortable with and have a mutual respect for that person. Challenging issue might come up during the process, so make sure you can communicate well.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Jennifer an email at info@cavdesign.com
Give her a ring at 917-383-3432
www.cavdesign.com
Resources:
The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss
The Go-Giver
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
She sees fearlessness and creativity as the most important qualities of a successful interior designer, as well as strong communication skills and a good, developed eye for design. She has her clients fill out a questionnaire to get a sense of their expectations and pain-points, their aesthetic and functional needs for their space. She loves the process of outlining her vision for space and turning it into a reality.
Jennifer lives in Carroll Gardens and it remains her favorite area of Brooklyn. Frankies Spuntino on Court Street is one of her favorite restaurants, as well as Buttermilk Channel, for their great atmosphere and fried chicken, which is “transformative”. She’s getting a lot of business in Windsor Terrace and Midwood and is also seeing a lot of activity in Downtown Brooklyn and the Navy Yard. She sees the Midwood area as a good place to invest because there are really nice apartments there and it’s an undervalued area of Brooklyn.
Jennifer says that your relationship with your interior designer is pretty intense and you need to feel very comfortable with them, have good communication and trust their taste and intentions. Her website, cavdesign.com, allows you to book a free phone call with Jennifer to discuss your project and see if she might be a good fit. She highly recommends The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss and The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann.
[1:32-2:01] Intro: Jennifer Levy is the founder and lead designer of Curved Design, a residential interior design firm. Born and raised in New York City and currently lives in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. She successfully transitioned from being a full-time professional photographer to starting an interior design firm.
[2:01-2:31] Tell us a little about yourself and what you specialize in. I am an interior designer specializing in residential interior design. I live and work in Brooklyn with some work projects going as far as Spain.
[2:32-2:53] How did you first get into interior design? I purchased an apartment and did some renovations on it and after a little while realized I was in love with interior designing and wanted to pursue it full time.
[2:54-4:39] Can you break down what interior designers do and also explain how you can help people through renovating and saving them time? I deal with decorating and overseeing renovations which means my clients don't have to deal with every single detail and interactions.
[4:40-5:45] What do you think are the 2 most important qualities of a successful interior designer? One, fearlessness. There are a lot of logistics involved and you can lose track of your vision. Because of this, it's important to keep in touch with your vision and creativity. Two, have really good communications skills both with your clients and the trade’s people and contractors to avoid minor conflicts.
[5:45-7:02] How do you know where to start implementing your vision when you first walk into space? First, before I meet with clients, I have them fill out a questionnaire. This helps me have a sense of what their pinpoint is. Secondly, I try to listen to what the client is really bothered by in their homes, or what they really want to change. How they want to feel, what aesthetic they're driving toward, and what functionality they need for space helps me come to a definite conclusion to what can work for them.
[7:03-9:05] Can you elaborate more on why fearlessness is an important quality for a successful interior designer? In order to be really successful as a designer, you have to show that you're going to add something that they haven’t seen before in their project. I try to do one new thing with every project which helps me be satisfied both personally and professionally.
[9:05-11:14] How did you effectively make a career change from a professional photographer to an interior designer? I started out as an architectural interior photographer. This allowed me to work with wonderful interior stylists and architects and I got to see a lot of great places which helped define and develop my opinion.
Photography required me to travel a lot which was becoming hectic because of my baby. I badly needed a career change and I started taking classes at FIT. I tackled a large renovation at my home which was like my first project.
[11:15-12:15] Did you enjoy renovating your home? Because that can be painful for most people.
I bit off a lot more than I could chew at the time. I realized I loved the feeling of putting or drawing something down on paper and eventually seeing it come to life. The renovation was a big learning experience.
[12:15-12:45] What’s your favorite area of Brooklyn and why? I'm personally to my neighborhood, Carroll Gardens. I like that it still has the Old Italian shops for food, great restaurants and bars, and transportation. Although there's new architecture coming up.
[12:45-13:21] Do you have a favorite restaurant in Carroll Gardens? For food, I love Frankies Spuntino. They have a lovely garden outside. Also, Buttermilk Channel which has totally amazing fried chicken. For wonderful tequila cocktails, I love Bar San Miguel.
[13:21-14:04] Where is the hottest place in Brooklyn right now in terms of where you're getting most of your business? It used to be Park Slope but now I'm getting more calls from Windsor Terrace and Midwood. I think there are great undervalued apartments in Midwood. Navy Yard and downtown Brooklyn are also coming up.
[14:51-16:41] What have you learned about financial cycles in your business? I came to this business with no preconceived notions about how I wanted to be a designer. Having a scalable business where I was growing and being able to take on smaller projects has really helped. Secondly, I have been a freelancer my whole life so I do understand the cyclical nature of the business. You have to put aside some money for such times but I think a lot of it is psychological. Separate your self-worth and feelings about things from the business.
[16:41-17:51] What are some of the biggest ways your city has changed over the past decade? I grew up in New York and in the last decade, the biggest change is the level of construction which is happening in a volume I've never seen before. This raises the property values, and safety, and pleasantness of some neighborhood. As a consequence, finding parking is harder and the streets are more crowded.
[17:51-18:42] Where did you grow up? I grew up on the Upper West side, moved to Brooklyn and then moved back to Manhattan and lived in Chelsea. I then purchased an apartment in Brooklyn which was a very wise investment decision at the time.
[19:01-19:53] Where would you focus your search in Brooklyn if you were to buy a property right now? The Midwood area. There are really great apartments there which are well-valued. With the L Train, I think the Williamsburg, Greenpoint area will have good value. There's definitely a lot of opportunities if you're willing to hunt.
[19:54-20:43] What advice would you give to someone looking for an interior designer? Alongside the fact that you have to really love their design aesthetic, it’s an intense relationship. Make sure you're comfortable with and have a mutual respect for that person. Challenging issue might come up during the process, so make sure you can communicate well.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Jennifer an email at info@cavdesign.com
Give her a ring at 917-383-3432
www.cavdesign.com
Resources:
The Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss
The Go-Giver
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Episode #3 - Interview With Daniel Gershburg
Daniel Gershburg started his own law firm right out of New York Law. After growing up in south Brooklyn, Daniel started his company in Sheepshead Bay and later moved his office to Downtown Manhattan. He’s covered every angle of real estate transactions, which account for 95% of his business. He came to focus primarily on real estate because he saw an opportunity to represent people that are really excited to buy or sell their home and build strong relationships with clients.
He observed an opening in the real estate attorney field because he saw most attorneys looking for volume and speed as opposed to fully committing to their clients and taking them through each step of the buying or selling process. He says that many clients don’t look past the price, but there are major differences between different attorneys and it’s important for a client to inquire about availability and be clear about whether or not the attorney will be fully accessible.
In terms of investing in New York real estate, he sees anywhere in Brooklyn as a smart location to park your money. He knows developers who are pushing into south Brooklyn and he still sees the established areas like Brooklyn Heights and Williamsburg as good options. He thinks the best investment is one where you buy and intend on living there for a long time. He doesn’t see buying on an interest only mortgage as wise option.
If he could go back to the beginning of his career, he would love to be a real estate broker because he sees the entrepreneurial, service industry as doing really well over the coming decades. He’s noticed that successful agents have no ego and are quite humble. The really good agents are completely honest with their clients and tell them why a deal may or may not be good for them.
Regardless of what field you get into, Daniel sees hustling as essential for success. He also sees real world reviews as much more valuable than online reviews. Building honest, meaningful relationships are at the heart of his business model.
Some of his favorite restaurants in Brooklyn are Randazzo's for seafood, Roll-n-Roasters for sandwiches, and L & B Spumoni Gardens pizza, which he says is “the best pizza in the world”. He highly recommends the books of Nassim Taleb, as well as Letters From a Merchant To His Son, published originally in 1901. He also recommends reading the annual letters of Warren Buffett.
[1:32-1:53] Intro: Local expert, Daniel Gershburg, is the owner and president of Gershburg Law. He was born and raised in New York and started his law firm right off New York law. He has covered every angle of a real estate deal from the 100s of transactions he’s done.
[1:54-2:52] Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you specialize in? I'm a native New Yorker. Went to New Jersey for college and returned back home after that. I went to law school in New York Law and right after, opened a practice in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. 5 years ago, I moved my practice to Manhattan. 95% of what we do are real estate transactions.
[2:52-3:54] Any favorite restaurants or night spots in South Brooklyn? Randazzo’s is an awesome seafood restaurant that’s been around forever. Roll N Roaster on Emmons is great for roast beef sandwiches, and L & B Spumoni Gardens restaurant serves the best pizza. I got to these places all the time.
[3:54-4:48] How did you get into law? In college, I had to choose between working at Blinds To Go and going to law school. I chose law school. I enjoyed law school and had an entrepreneurial spirit and right after law school I combined those two. I started the law firm because I wanted to work for myself.
[4:48-5:56] How did you come to focus primarily on real estate? I always had a desire to get into real estate. When you were a one-man show, at the time, real estate had very little red. You were able to take care of clients and do closings. I started off with nothing but will and no money. In law, a lot of it is contentious unlike real estate where you're representing sellers and buyers who are always excited to make the deal. This is the reason I got excited to try it out.
[5:56-7:39] How have you done things differently from the rest of the field? I never wanted to do volume. I saw that clients, when buying, really needed a trusted resource to give them honest details on a practical level. For us, we handle the experience. Everything from making sure the building is okay to when they should apply for a loan, to whether the mortgage commitment is okay, what fees they're going to pay, or what they should look for in a walk through. All these weren’t being addressed when I began. I wanted clients to find value in what I did.
[7:39-9:34] Where are the hottest places right now in terms of overall activity and growth for real estate? Anything Brooklyn and Bronx is realistically a great area. There might be some sort of a slow down with the high number of units in the market, but there are a lot of people coming to Brooklyn and loving it. Brooklyn Heights or Williamsburg and Greenpoint are great options but you have to be going South Brooklyn.
[9:35-12:09] What have you learned about cycles in real estate business? I've practiced consumer bankruptcy so I've seen things from both sides. I have no idea when the next burst or boom will be. I've learned that the people that have done the best are the ones that buy a place and buy to live there for a long time. Chances that you're going to do just fine despite the cycle are quite high.
[12:09-13:01] What would you do differently if you went back to the beginning of your career? I’d become a real estate broker. I love the idea of finding and servicing people’s needs. In future, the economy will be sales and value-driven versus the industrial jobs. I’d either work in technology or in a sales area.
[13:01-14:33] What should someone look for in a real estate agent? The real estate agents I work with are really humble and lack ego. They know an area really well and you can tell that. Really good agents are ones who will tell you if a property is not right for you. They should give you candid opinion as to whether or why a particular place works for you. Interview various brokers based on referrals, reviews, or online search and have a face to face meeting with focus unto why you think you’ll be right for each other.
[14:33-16:24] What advice would you give someone looking for an attorney to represent them in a real estate transaction? I would have a conversation about availability and who will be handling the file. Clients don’t work past the price sometimes and they anchor their decisions based on how much they pay.
I would talk to the real estate attorney not just about how many files they’ve done but who’s going to handle the entire transaction from beginning to end and make sure I'm comfortable with that. Also, I think personal references should come way before online reviews while looking for an attorney.
[16:24-17:17] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[17:17-19:48] What advice would you give to somebody starting out as a real estate attorney? I would say if you're at your desk most of the day when you're just starting out, you're doing something wrong. If you're coming home before 5 PM, you're doing something wrong. I would go out to meet brokers and introduce myself pointing out what I can bring to the table. I would try and understand a particular neighborhood and what their needs are. Basically, try and educate yourself in the best way that you possibly can to know your product, client, and service.
[19:48-21:27] What is the biggest difference between doing a condo and a co-op deal? You're doing due diligence on both of them but you're dealing with a board when dealing with a co-op. The biggest difference is timing but attorneys in both really look and do due diligence with you on what’s going on with that building. Recently, some condos have become significantly strict in terms of who they allow in while co-ops are being less restrictive because they're being replaced by condos. However, on the purchase side, there's a lot of differences.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Daniel an email at daniel@danielgershburg.com
Give him a ring at 212-390-8866
www.danielgershburg.com
Resources:
Letters From a Merchant To His So
The annual letters of Warren Buffett
Dropbox
ScheduleOnce
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
He observed an opening in the real estate attorney field because he saw most attorneys looking for volume and speed as opposed to fully committing to their clients and taking them through each step of the buying or selling process. He says that many clients don’t look past the price, but there are major differences between different attorneys and it’s important for a client to inquire about availability and be clear about whether or not the attorney will be fully accessible.
In terms of investing in New York real estate, he sees anywhere in Brooklyn as a smart location to park your money. He knows developers who are pushing into south Brooklyn and he still sees the established areas like Brooklyn Heights and Williamsburg as good options. He thinks the best investment is one where you buy and intend on living there for a long time. He doesn’t see buying on an interest only mortgage as wise option.
If he could go back to the beginning of his career, he would love to be a real estate broker because he sees the entrepreneurial, service industry as doing really well over the coming decades. He’s noticed that successful agents have no ego and are quite humble. The really good agents are completely honest with their clients and tell them why a deal may or may not be good for them.
Regardless of what field you get into, Daniel sees hustling as essential for success. He also sees real world reviews as much more valuable than online reviews. Building honest, meaningful relationships are at the heart of his business model.
Some of his favorite restaurants in Brooklyn are Randazzo's for seafood, Roll-n-Roasters for sandwiches, and L & B Spumoni Gardens pizza, which he says is “the best pizza in the world”. He highly recommends the books of Nassim Taleb, as well as Letters From a Merchant To His Son, published originally in 1901. He also recommends reading the annual letters of Warren Buffett.
[1:32-1:53] Intro: Local expert, Daniel Gershburg, is the owner and president of Gershburg Law. He was born and raised in New York and started his law firm right off New York law. He has covered every angle of a real estate deal from the 100s of transactions he’s done.
[1:54-2:52] Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you specialize in? I'm a native New Yorker. Went to New Jersey for college and returned back home after that. I went to law school in New York Law and right after, opened a practice in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. 5 years ago, I moved my practice to Manhattan. 95% of what we do are real estate transactions.
[2:52-3:54] Any favorite restaurants or night spots in South Brooklyn? Randazzo’s is an awesome seafood restaurant that’s been around forever. Roll N Roaster on Emmons is great for roast beef sandwiches, and L & B Spumoni Gardens restaurant serves the best pizza. I got to these places all the time.
[3:54-4:48] How did you get into law? In college, I had to choose between working at Blinds To Go and going to law school. I chose law school. I enjoyed law school and had an entrepreneurial spirit and right after law school I combined those two. I started the law firm because I wanted to work for myself.
[4:48-5:56] How did you come to focus primarily on real estate? I always had a desire to get into real estate. When you were a one-man show, at the time, real estate had very little red. You were able to take care of clients and do closings. I started off with nothing but will and no money. In law, a lot of it is contentious unlike real estate where you're representing sellers and buyers who are always excited to make the deal. This is the reason I got excited to try it out.
[5:56-7:39] How have you done things differently from the rest of the field? I never wanted to do volume. I saw that clients, when buying, really needed a trusted resource to give them honest details on a practical level. For us, we handle the experience. Everything from making sure the building is okay to when they should apply for a loan, to whether the mortgage commitment is okay, what fees they're going to pay, or what they should look for in a walk through. All these weren’t being addressed when I began. I wanted clients to find value in what I did.
[7:39-9:34] Where are the hottest places right now in terms of overall activity and growth for real estate? Anything Brooklyn and Bronx is realistically a great area. There might be some sort of a slow down with the high number of units in the market, but there are a lot of people coming to Brooklyn and loving it. Brooklyn Heights or Williamsburg and Greenpoint are great options but you have to be going South Brooklyn.
[9:35-12:09] What have you learned about cycles in real estate business? I've practiced consumer bankruptcy so I've seen things from both sides. I have no idea when the next burst or boom will be. I've learned that the people that have done the best are the ones that buy a place and buy to live there for a long time. Chances that you're going to do just fine despite the cycle are quite high.
[12:09-13:01] What would you do differently if you went back to the beginning of your career? I’d become a real estate broker. I love the idea of finding and servicing people’s needs. In future, the economy will be sales and value-driven versus the industrial jobs. I’d either work in technology or in a sales area.
[13:01-14:33] What should someone look for in a real estate agent? The real estate agents I work with are really humble and lack ego. They know an area really well and you can tell that. Really good agents are ones who will tell you if a property is not right for you. They should give you candid opinion as to whether or why a particular place works for you. Interview various brokers based on referrals, reviews, or online search and have a face to face meeting with focus unto why you think you’ll be right for each other.
[14:33-16:24] What advice would you give someone looking for an attorney to represent them in a real estate transaction? I would have a conversation about availability and who will be handling the file. Clients don’t work past the price sometimes and they anchor their decisions based on how much they pay.
I would talk to the real estate attorney not just about how many files they’ve done but who’s going to handle the entire transaction from beginning to end and make sure I'm comfortable with that. Also, I think personal references should come way before online reviews while looking for an attorney.
[16:24-17:17] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[17:17-19:48] What advice would you give to somebody starting out as a real estate attorney? I would say if you're at your desk most of the day when you're just starting out, you're doing something wrong. If you're coming home before 5 PM, you're doing something wrong. I would go out to meet brokers and introduce myself pointing out what I can bring to the table. I would try and understand a particular neighborhood and what their needs are. Basically, try and educate yourself in the best way that you possibly can to know your product, client, and service.
[19:48-21:27] What is the biggest difference between doing a condo and a co-op deal? You're doing due diligence on both of them but you're dealing with a board when dealing with a co-op. The biggest difference is timing but attorneys in both really look and do due diligence with you on what’s going on with that building. Recently, some condos have become significantly strict in terms of who they allow in while co-ops are being less restrictive because they're being replaced by condos. However, on the purchase side, there's a lot of differences.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Daniel an email at daniel@danielgershburg.com
Give him a ring at 212-390-8866
www.danielgershburg.com
Resources:
Letters From a Merchant To His So
The annual letters of Warren Buffett
Dropbox
ScheduleOnce
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Episode #4 - Inetrview With Charles Diehl
Charles Diehl got into architecture by way of physics and his interest in space exploration. He realized through that process that he was interested mostly in design and made the transition to architecture. He’s lived in Brooklyn for almost 20 years and recently bought a house in Bed Sty, which is where he currently lives with his family. His firm, Charles Diehl Architect, was established in 1999. Over the last few years, about 90% of his work is focused on renovation as opposed to new construction.
The Brooklyn market has been primarily consumed by buying houses and renovating them, and that is where Charles’ expertise come in.
He loves the Fort Greene/Clinton Hill area, which is where his office is located. Brooklyn Roast on Flushing Avenue is his favorite coffee spot and Chez Oskar on Malcolm X Boulevard is one of his favorite restaurants in all of New York City. He’s been getting the most calls from the Bed Stuy/Bushwick area over the past few years, which have seen incredible change. He describes East New York as heating up and ripe for development because of the up zoning that could reshape its infrastructure.
He recommends people looking for an architect to ask lots of questions and talk to multiple architects. He recommends not hiring the cheapest person out there because they may end up costing you more money in the end by not anticipating complications or billing you for things that were not made clear to you in the beginning. The best way to reach Charles is through email at info@cdiehlarch.com or by phone at 347-280-3026.
[1:32-1:55] Intro: We have Charles Diehl of Charles Diehl Architecture. He has his architecture firm located outside the Navy Yard in Brooklyn. He lived in Brooklyn for almost 20 years and currently lives in Bed-Stuy, but he’s originally from South Carolina.
[1:55-2:25] Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you specialize in? I’ve lived in Brooklyn since 1999 in Clinton Hill, Fort Greene area. I’ve also lived and worked there. I've worked for a couple of architects in residential development, commercial, and public types of work.
[2:25-3:03] What is your favorite area of architecture and how did you get into architecture? I got into architecture when I was in college doing physics and I was interested in aeronautical designs and space exploration. The design was more interesting to me than anything else and I ended up switching architecture from physics.
[3:03-5:07] What are the two most important qualities of a successful architect? You have to be extremely diligent and creative. Being creative doesn't necessarily mean in terms of design but you have to be creative in solving problems. There are a lot of problems that come up in the process that require creative solutions.
[5:07-7:00] Do you have specific examples of issues that might come up? When renovating, a lot of buildings have floor issues. Some of these houses are really old and we never know how much work will be needed to correct unseen issues when the walls are intact. Because of this, we have to be really cautious of our decisions. Do we have to replace the floor entirely or just do minor repairs? This is where creativity comes in.
[7:00-7:47] Approximately, what percentage of your work is renovation as opposed to new developments? Over the last couple of years, 90% of my work has been renovation work. The Brooklyn market has been about people buying real houses and wanting to renovate them.
[7:47-12:19] What are some of the most important questions you ask a client when you're hired to renovate? These seem pretty obvious but, what is your budget? This can’t be underestimated because there's a huge implication for the cost, timing, and design of the work. Simple requests like legalizing a basement apartment introduces a ton of regulatory issues. So it's important to understand why they're doing that.
[12:19-13:06] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[13:06-13:29] What’s your favorite area of Brooklyn? I still like Forte Greene/Clinton area because I lived there for 15 years. I also enjoy the local businesses there.
[13:29-14:20] Do you have a favorite restaurant or cafe in that area? The only restaurant they had in that area actually moved. Chez Oskar used to be my favorite but they now relocated to Malcolm-X Boulevard. Brooklyn Roast on Flushing Avenue happens to be my go-to place for coffee and pastries since it's located right down the street from my office.
[14:20-15:11] Which is the hottest place in Brooklyn that is getting the most attention and activity for your business right now? We’ve seen the most work in Bed-Stuy and Bushwick over the last 3, 4 years till now.
[15:11-17:51] Do you see any other neighborhoods taking over? East New York seems to be the next big thing because of the upzoning law. However, developers are somehow scared to invest in this area at the moment.
[17:51-19:58] What exactly does upzoning mean? The zoning specifies the floor area ratio, apartment density, and parking based on what the city planning has decided, from an urban planning standpoint, is best for that neighborhood.
[19:58-22:01] What advice would you give to someone looking to hire an architect? Ask lots of questions and try to make sure the answers you're given make sense. It’s also advisable to talk to several architects. Different architects have different ways of doing business. Some are more design-oriented and some are more technically oriented, some know building and zoning codes and some rely on outside consultants to provide those answers. Don't hire the cheapest architect out there. This might cost you more in the end.
[22:01-23:18] If you could go back to the beginning of your career, what would you do differently? I said earlier my original interest was in space exploration. I could never have predicted that space was going to be privatized the way that it has. If I had seen that coming, I’d have worked a lot harder to keep myself in that area of work in designing and trying to be a part of the development of human space exploration. This is going to be a very big industry.
[23:18-24:01] Do you see us colonizing Mars? I don’t know. I think the challenges to that are pretty high at this point. Getting a man to go there now is extremely difficult. I think it's possible but it's a matter of whether it's will or just a profit motive to drive private industry there.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Charles an email at cdiehlarch@gmail.com
Give him a ring at 917-909-0214
http://www.cdiehlarch.com
Resources:
Quickbooks Self Employed
Revit
Dropbox
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
The Brooklyn market has been primarily consumed by buying houses and renovating them, and that is where Charles’ expertise come in.
He loves the Fort Greene/Clinton Hill area, which is where his office is located. Brooklyn Roast on Flushing Avenue is his favorite coffee spot and Chez Oskar on Malcolm X Boulevard is one of his favorite restaurants in all of New York City. He’s been getting the most calls from the Bed Stuy/Bushwick area over the past few years, which have seen incredible change. He describes East New York as heating up and ripe for development because of the up zoning that could reshape its infrastructure.
He recommends people looking for an architect to ask lots of questions and talk to multiple architects. He recommends not hiring the cheapest person out there because they may end up costing you more money in the end by not anticipating complications or billing you for things that were not made clear to you in the beginning. The best way to reach Charles is through email at info@cdiehlarch.com or by phone at 347-280-3026.
[1:32-1:55] Intro: We have Charles Diehl of Charles Diehl Architecture. He has his architecture firm located outside the Navy Yard in Brooklyn. He lived in Brooklyn for almost 20 years and currently lives in Bed-Stuy, but he’s originally from South Carolina.
[1:55-2:25] Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you specialize in? I’ve lived in Brooklyn since 1999 in Clinton Hill, Fort Greene area. I’ve also lived and worked there. I've worked for a couple of architects in residential development, commercial, and public types of work.
[2:25-3:03] What is your favorite area of architecture and how did you get into architecture? I got into architecture when I was in college doing physics and I was interested in aeronautical designs and space exploration. The design was more interesting to me than anything else and I ended up switching architecture from physics.
[3:03-5:07] What are the two most important qualities of a successful architect? You have to be extremely diligent and creative. Being creative doesn't necessarily mean in terms of design but you have to be creative in solving problems. There are a lot of problems that come up in the process that require creative solutions.
[5:07-7:00] Do you have specific examples of issues that might come up? When renovating, a lot of buildings have floor issues. Some of these houses are really old and we never know how much work will be needed to correct unseen issues when the walls are intact. Because of this, we have to be really cautious of our decisions. Do we have to replace the floor entirely or just do minor repairs? This is where creativity comes in.
[7:00-7:47] Approximately, what percentage of your work is renovation as opposed to new developments? Over the last couple of years, 90% of my work has been renovation work. The Brooklyn market has been about people buying real houses and wanting to renovate them.
[7:47-12:19] What are some of the most important questions you ask a client when you're hired to renovate? These seem pretty obvious but, what is your budget? This can’t be underestimated because there's a huge implication for the cost, timing, and design of the work. Simple requests like legalizing a basement apartment introduces a ton of regulatory issues. So it's important to understand why they're doing that.
[12:19-13:06] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[13:06-13:29] What’s your favorite area of Brooklyn? I still like Forte Greene/Clinton area because I lived there for 15 years. I also enjoy the local businesses there.
[13:29-14:20] Do you have a favorite restaurant or cafe in that area? The only restaurant they had in that area actually moved. Chez Oskar used to be my favorite but they now relocated to Malcolm-X Boulevard. Brooklyn Roast on Flushing Avenue happens to be my go-to place for coffee and pastries since it's located right down the street from my office.
[14:20-15:11] Which is the hottest place in Brooklyn that is getting the most attention and activity for your business right now? We’ve seen the most work in Bed-Stuy and Bushwick over the last 3, 4 years till now.
[15:11-17:51] Do you see any other neighborhoods taking over? East New York seems to be the next big thing because of the upzoning law. However, developers are somehow scared to invest in this area at the moment.
[17:51-19:58] What exactly does upzoning mean? The zoning specifies the floor area ratio, apartment density, and parking based on what the city planning has decided, from an urban planning standpoint, is best for that neighborhood.
[19:58-22:01] What advice would you give to someone looking to hire an architect? Ask lots of questions and try to make sure the answers you're given make sense. It’s also advisable to talk to several architects. Different architects have different ways of doing business. Some are more design-oriented and some are more technically oriented, some know building and zoning codes and some rely on outside consultants to provide those answers. Don't hire the cheapest architect out there. This might cost you more in the end.
[22:01-23:18] If you could go back to the beginning of your career, what would you do differently? I said earlier my original interest was in space exploration. I could never have predicted that space was going to be privatized the way that it has. If I had seen that coming, I’d have worked a lot harder to keep myself in that area of work in designing and trying to be a part of the development of human space exploration. This is going to be a very big industry.
[23:18-24:01] Do you see us colonizing Mars? I don’t know. I think the challenges to that are pretty high at this point. Getting a man to go there now is extremely difficult. I think it's possible but it's a matter of whether it's will or just a profit motive to drive private industry there.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Charles an email at cdiehlarch@gmail.com
Give him a ring at 917-909-0214
http://www.cdiehlarch.com
Resources:
Quickbooks Self Employed
Revit
Dropbox
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Episode #5 - Interview With Jeff Streich
Jeff Streich has owned Prime Renovations for 15 years and he specializes in high end renovations across the city. His father was an engineer and they would build their own decks with no power tools. When he first got into the business, he learned the value of setting clear expectations and communicating clearly with clients about exactly what they want. Construction is a challenging and often messy job, so Jeff sees one of his most important responsibilities to be very detail oriented and make sure everything is approved with his clients.
Jeff’s favorite restaurant in the city is Babbo on Waverly Place, as well as Bond Street downtown and Landmarc in the AOL building. He found E Myth by Michael Gerber to be extremely useful in giving insight into how to not be an employee of your own company but to be the owner. It teaches you how to delegate, which is extremely important in the construction business.
[1:32-2:11] Intro: Jeff Streich is the owner of Prime Renovations. He founded the company in 2004 and it specializes in high-end renovations across the city. Prime Renovations was founded after a chance encounter between Jeff and a stranger. Jeff was working as an exterior contractor at the time and he found a phone. On returning it, the owner was a man who happened to own 200 buildings across the city. Because of Jeff’s contracting experience, the man asked him if he wanted to do some exterior work, and soon after Prime Renovations was born.
[2:11-2:32] Can you tell us a little about yourself and what you specialize in? I’ve owned Prime Renovations for about 15 years now. We specialize in high-end residential renovations. Anything from bathrooms to kitchens to doors.
[2:32-3:13] How did you get into the renovation business? A long time ago, I had a friend that worked in waterproofing. I started working with him and I happened to find someone’s cell phone who happened to be an owner of a management company. He had a good exterior guy already, so he asked if I could do interiors. We started out doing some small stuff at the Bronx and from word of mouth it just grew so much every year.
[3:13-3:41] Did you grow up around renovations and home developments? Very little. My father was an engineer and he would build his own deck in the house but he wouldn’t let us use power tools. From this, I got a little experience but other than that, I don't have a renovations background.
[3:54-4:37] What are the biggest obstacles to overcome when doing renovations in the city? They're too many but one thing that’s really different in the city is you're restricted in time. For example, most buildings will allow us to work from 9 to 4. This is a big challenge. Getting the deliveries in coordination is quite hard because you can’t do deliveries with so much moving out. So coordination, and working with the buildings.
[4:37-5:09] What’s your favorite kind of renovation to do? The thing that we do most that I like is when we do a full gut renovation. It's like starting from scratch and having a blank canvas.
[5:09-7:13] Why do contractors have a bad reputation? Some just chase the money. They ask for the deposit and when work gets hard and they run out of money, they start another job and neglect the original work. I used to work with someone whose MO was to start a job, then get into a fight with the owner. He would either leave or get fired so he won't have to finish the job.
[7:15-8:30] What are some steps a homeowner might do to ensure they have a successful renovation? It's first important to find the right contractor. The best way to find one is by getting recommendations from other clients. Secondly, be very decisive in what you're buying. If you can’t make up your mind quickly, the renovations could go on forever.
[8:30-9:18] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[9:18-10:37] Why do prices vary so much from one contractor to the next for the same work? I’ve been doing this for 15 years and even my prices change considerably. Expenses vary from contractor to contractor because of project managers, insurances, office rent etc. when businesses grow it means the experience is better as well as the job quality, and this will cost incredibly more.
Supply and demand is another factor. If a contractor is busy, he tends to bid higher on incoming projects.
[10:37-11:42] What do you tell clients on a budget how to save money? That depends on what kind of job they're doing. There’s always a way to save but a lot of it has to do with what the client is buying. Marble tiles don't cost the same as porcelain tiles.
[11:42-12:37] If you're renovating a kitchen, which items do you feel are most important to spend money on? Personally, I think the appliances, backsplash, and the countertop. I am more than satisfied with Ikea cabinets because we customize them.
[12:37-15:21] What are the biggest mistakes that you’ve made over the years that you’ve really learned from? They’ve been numerous but recently I've realized it's so important to get submittals. When a client wants to buy something it's important to make sure it's the exact thing that they want.
[15:21-15:41] What are some of the biggest ways your city has changed over the past 2 decades? I think it's a little cleaner now but there's just so much traffic.
[15:41-16:05] What’s your favorite restaurant? I have a couple. My favorite is Babbo because the food is unbelievable. I also love Bond Street Downtown and Landmark at the AOL building.
[16:05-16:42] What advice would you give to someone looking for a renovation specialist? The smartest thing would be to make sure you have a good team. Ask your friends for referrals. This is the biggest thing.
Contact Our Guest:
Give him a ring at 646-436-3942
www.primerenovationsnyc.com
Resources:
E Myth by Michael Gerber
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Jeff’s favorite restaurant in the city is Babbo on Waverly Place, as well as Bond Street downtown and Landmarc in the AOL building. He found E Myth by Michael Gerber to be extremely useful in giving insight into how to not be an employee of your own company but to be the owner. It teaches you how to delegate, which is extremely important in the construction business.
[1:32-2:11] Intro: Jeff Streich is the owner of Prime Renovations. He founded the company in 2004 and it specializes in high-end renovations across the city. Prime Renovations was founded after a chance encounter between Jeff and a stranger. Jeff was working as an exterior contractor at the time and he found a phone. On returning it, the owner was a man who happened to own 200 buildings across the city. Because of Jeff’s contracting experience, the man asked him if he wanted to do some exterior work, and soon after Prime Renovations was born.
[2:11-2:32] Can you tell us a little about yourself and what you specialize in? I’ve owned Prime Renovations for about 15 years now. We specialize in high-end residential renovations. Anything from bathrooms to kitchens to doors.
[2:32-3:13] How did you get into the renovation business? A long time ago, I had a friend that worked in waterproofing. I started working with him and I happened to find someone’s cell phone who happened to be an owner of a management company. He had a good exterior guy already, so he asked if I could do interiors. We started out doing some small stuff at the Bronx and from word of mouth it just grew so much every year.
[3:13-3:41] Did you grow up around renovations and home developments? Very little. My father was an engineer and he would build his own deck in the house but he wouldn’t let us use power tools. From this, I got a little experience but other than that, I don't have a renovations background.
[3:54-4:37] What are the biggest obstacles to overcome when doing renovations in the city? They're too many but one thing that’s really different in the city is you're restricted in time. For example, most buildings will allow us to work from 9 to 4. This is a big challenge. Getting the deliveries in coordination is quite hard because you can’t do deliveries with so much moving out. So coordination, and working with the buildings.
[4:37-5:09] What’s your favorite kind of renovation to do? The thing that we do most that I like is when we do a full gut renovation. It's like starting from scratch and having a blank canvas.
[5:09-7:13] Why do contractors have a bad reputation? Some just chase the money. They ask for the deposit and when work gets hard and they run out of money, they start another job and neglect the original work. I used to work with someone whose MO was to start a job, then get into a fight with the owner. He would either leave or get fired so he won't have to finish the job.
[7:15-8:30] What are some steps a homeowner might do to ensure they have a successful renovation? It's first important to find the right contractor. The best way to find one is by getting recommendations from other clients. Secondly, be very decisive in what you're buying. If you can’t make up your mind quickly, the renovations could go on forever.
[8:30-9:18] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[9:18-10:37] Why do prices vary so much from one contractor to the next for the same work? I’ve been doing this for 15 years and even my prices change considerably. Expenses vary from contractor to contractor because of project managers, insurances, office rent etc. when businesses grow it means the experience is better as well as the job quality, and this will cost incredibly more.
Supply and demand is another factor. If a contractor is busy, he tends to bid higher on incoming projects.
[10:37-11:42] What do you tell clients on a budget how to save money? That depends on what kind of job they're doing. There’s always a way to save but a lot of it has to do with what the client is buying. Marble tiles don't cost the same as porcelain tiles.
[11:42-12:37] If you're renovating a kitchen, which items do you feel are most important to spend money on? Personally, I think the appliances, backsplash, and the countertop. I am more than satisfied with Ikea cabinets because we customize them.
[12:37-15:21] What are the biggest mistakes that you’ve made over the years that you’ve really learned from? They’ve been numerous but recently I've realized it's so important to get submittals. When a client wants to buy something it's important to make sure it's the exact thing that they want.
[15:21-15:41] What are some of the biggest ways your city has changed over the past 2 decades? I think it's a little cleaner now but there's just so much traffic.
[15:41-16:05] What’s your favorite restaurant? I have a couple. My favorite is Babbo because the food is unbelievable. I also love Bond Street Downtown and Landmark at the AOL building.
[16:05-16:42] What advice would you give to someone looking for a renovation specialist? The smartest thing would be to make sure you have a good team. Ask your friends for referrals. This is the biggest thing.
Contact Our Guest:
Give him a ring at 646-436-3942
www.primerenovationsnyc.com
Resources:
E Myth by Michael Gerber
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Episode #6 - Interview With Larry Haber
Larry identifies as a born yet recovered real estate developer. He used to manage more than 4 million square feet of real estate. He got into law because he likes negotiating and saw a venue that would fully allow him to channel his skill set. To do well in real estate, he says you have to start from the bottom and have a thirst to learn and succeed.
He loves North Brooklyn - Williamsburg, Bushwick, Greenpoint. They still have an edge, they’re up and coming and you can feel the energy. He still sees “chicken on the bone” there, if you buy right, which he says is a big if. He recommends checking out Lilia’s restaurant and cafe on Union Ave and North 10th. He’s amazed at how areas like Williamsburg and Dumbo and even Soho have changed so dramatically over the past few decades. People usually wouldn’t even want to touch those neighbors back in the 80s and even into the 90s. He sees a lot of change and development in these kinds of neighborhoods as starting with developers who see potential and are willing to invest, combined with various market conditions.
Larry sees Bay Ridge as having big potential, being by the water and its proximity to nice areas of the city. He also sees Sunset Park as having an opportunity, but it depends on where you want to take a chance. He encourages investors to avoid always trying to hit a home-run and focus on singles and doubles. You can build a hall of fame career on singles and doubles. Larry offers free consultations and has created the website www.LeasingReality.com as a means to fully educated one’s self on the real estate business.
[1:32-2:00] Intro: Brooklyn born Larry Haber is the managing partner of the commercial real estate department at Abrams Garfinkel Margolis Bergson simply known as AGMB. He’s worked every angle of a commercial real estate deal given his business experience of over 30 years.
[2:00-2:50] Can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about what you specialize in? For starters, I have a varied background. I am a reformed yet recovered developer in my prior real estate life with a number of strengths, some of them from childhood. We used to own and manage 4 million square feet of real estate in SoHo, Downtown New York, Harlem, and a little town in Jersey. I was also general counsel, attorney, and CPA for our company.
[2:50-3:30] How did you get into law? I like to negotiate, to verbal, and to mentor. I saw this as a way of being able to make a difference with my skillset. When I initially got into law, I did accounting and law simultaneously and with my personality, I wanted to be on the business side of things. My goal was to use my analytical skillset of legal and accounting and apply it in the real world.
[3:30-4:26] What advice would you give to someone starting out in your field? To any real estate professional, I would advise them to be nice and work hard. Try and maximize the 24 hours in the day especially when you're young and I also like to quote Snoop Dogg, ‘‘Master your craft.’’
[4:26-5:52] What’s your favorite rapper of all time? I like an album by The Clash which had a song called Magnificent 7. This was one of the first rap songs in the late 70s. I also happen to like Drake. I think he’s a real estate coach with his songs.
[5:52-6:56] What’s your favorite area of Brooklyn? Williamsburg because it's such a fun place to be. But if I was buying right now in my old age, I would be looking at Bushwick and Greenpoint. Greenpoint isn’t easy to get to from certain parts of the city but it's a great place.
[6:56-7:27] Do you have a favorite restaurant, café, or bar in Brooklyn? I went to Lilia’s restaurant on Union Avenue and North 10 two weeks ago. It has a nice vibe and really great food.
[7:27-10:35] What are some of the biggest ways New York has changed over the past few decades? When I was growing up, most of the places we’d go to, like SoHo and Williamsburg, you were always looking over your shoulder. But right now they’re safe.
Investors were looking at us crazy in the early 2000s when we’d ask them to invest in such areas. But over the years, that has changed particularly because some big names were willing to bet on such cities and definitely people followed suit. Nobody wants to be the first, but the ones who are willing to take the risk are the ones who succeed.
[10:35-12:22] Does a neighborhood transformation start with the developer? It does. For example, I went to New York, New Jersey in ’97 and there were nice people, there was infrastructure, but not enough people were going there and spending money. Developers couldn’t overcome the perception of what New York was back from the ‘60s. What’s needed is someone to strongly believe in the neighborhood and improve its market condition by investing in it.
[12:22-13:10] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[13:10-14:32] What advice would you give someone looking to buy or sell property in Brooklyn right now? This is an obvious advice, but don't buy at the top of the market. An important question to ask yourself is what are you looking for? Do you have a long-term vision or are you a flipper? If you're a flipper, going into an area that is saturated is never a good idea. If you have a long-term vision and you go to a ‘virgin’ market and have patient money, you’ll rake in some good money in some years to come.
[14:32-15:22] what neighborhoods in Brooklyn would you look to flip right now? Bay Ridge. I don't know the area so well as to give an educated opinion but I love the proximity it has to the water. Sunset Park is also a nice place. However, it's a matter of where you’d want to take a chance.
[15:22-17:00] What advice would you give to someone looking for an attorney to represent them? Find an attorney who is passionate, wants to make a difference, one who is reasonably priced, and one who is willing to give important knowledge. It all comes down to a person who has a long-term vision and is going to work with you. You can find this by going online and searching an attorney and seeing what they do and how they try to make a difference to the client they represent.
[17:00-19:25] If you could go back to the beginning of your career and do something different, what would it be? If it's something different than real estate, I would be GM of the MEST. I tried to be an agent earlier on in my career but life got in the way.
From an investment side, I wouldn’t be looking to hit run home runs all the time. You can hit it bigtime with singles and doubles.
[19:25-21:38] Based on your experience on market cycles, where do you see the market over the next 5 years? Put on your seatbelt and enjoy the ride. Life in real estate is like a rollercoaster. I see it going up and down. More and more people are coming to New York and as a consequence, residential will be okay. But the bottom line is, who are you catering to?
Contact Our Guest:
Send Larry an email at lhaber@agmblaw.com
Give him a ring at 212-993-8681
www.agmblaw.com
Resources:
Leasing Realty
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
He loves North Brooklyn - Williamsburg, Bushwick, Greenpoint. They still have an edge, they’re up and coming and you can feel the energy. He still sees “chicken on the bone” there, if you buy right, which he says is a big if. He recommends checking out Lilia’s restaurant and cafe on Union Ave and North 10th. He’s amazed at how areas like Williamsburg and Dumbo and even Soho have changed so dramatically over the past few decades. People usually wouldn’t even want to touch those neighbors back in the 80s and even into the 90s. He sees a lot of change and development in these kinds of neighborhoods as starting with developers who see potential and are willing to invest, combined with various market conditions.
Larry sees Bay Ridge as having big potential, being by the water and its proximity to nice areas of the city. He also sees Sunset Park as having an opportunity, but it depends on where you want to take a chance. He encourages investors to avoid always trying to hit a home-run and focus on singles and doubles. You can build a hall of fame career on singles and doubles. Larry offers free consultations and has created the website www.LeasingReality.com as a means to fully educated one’s self on the real estate business.
[1:32-2:00] Intro: Brooklyn born Larry Haber is the managing partner of the commercial real estate department at Abrams Garfinkel Margolis Bergson simply known as AGMB. He’s worked every angle of a commercial real estate deal given his business experience of over 30 years.
[2:00-2:50] Can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about what you specialize in? For starters, I have a varied background. I am a reformed yet recovered developer in my prior real estate life with a number of strengths, some of them from childhood. We used to own and manage 4 million square feet of real estate in SoHo, Downtown New York, Harlem, and a little town in Jersey. I was also general counsel, attorney, and CPA for our company.
[2:50-3:30] How did you get into law? I like to negotiate, to verbal, and to mentor. I saw this as a way of being able to make a difference with my skillset. When I initially got into law, I did accounting and law simultaneously and with my personality, I wanted to be on the business side of things. My goal was to use my analytical skillset of legal and accounting and apply it in the real world.
[3:30-4:26] What advice would you give to someone starting out in your field? To any real estate professional, I would advise them to be nice and work hard. Try and maximize the 24 hours in the day especially when you're young and I also like to quote Snoop Dogg, ‘‘Master your craft.’’
[4:26-5:52] What’s your favorite rapper of all time? I like an album by The Clash which had a song called Magnificent 7. This was one of the first rap songs in the late 70s. I also happen to like Drake. I think he’s a real estate coach with his songs.
[5:52-6:56] What’s your favorite area of Brooklyn? Williamsburg because it's such a fun place to be. But if I was buying right now in my old age, I would be looking at Bushwick and Greenpoint. Greenpoint isn’t easy to get to from certain parts of the city but it's a great place.
[6:56-7:27] Do you have a favorite restaurant, café, or bar in Brooklyn? I went to Lilia’s restaurant on Union Avenue and North 10 two weeks ago. It has a nice vibe and really great food.
[7:27-10:35] What are some of the biggest ways New York has changed over the past few decades? When I was growing up, most of the places we’d go to, like SoHo and Williamsburg, you were always looking over your shoulder. But right now they’re safe.
Investors were looking at us crazy in the early 2000s when we’d ask them to invest in such areas. But over the years, that has changed particularly because some big names were willing to bet on such cities and definitely people followed suit. Nobody wants to be the first, but the ones who are willing to take the risk are the ones who succeed.
[10:35-12:22] Does a neighborhood transformation start with the developer? It does. For example, I went to New York, New Jersey in ’97 and there were nice people, there was infrastructure, but not enough people were going there and spending money. Developers couldn’t overcome the perception of what New York was back from the ‘60s. What’s needed is someone to strongly believe in the neighborhood and improve its market condition by investing in it.
[12:22-13:10] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[13:10-14:32] What advice would you give someone looking to buy or sell property in Brooklyn right now? This is an obvious advice, but don't buy at the top of the market. An important question to ask yourself is what are you looking for? Do you have a long-term vision or are you a flipper? If you're a flipper, going into an area that is saturated is never a good idea. If you have a long-term vision and you go to a ‘virgin’ market and have patient money, you’ll rake in some good money in some years to come.
[14:32-15:22] what neighborhoods in Brooklyn would you look to flip right now? Bay Ridge. I don't know the area so well as to give an educated opinion but I love the proximity it has to the water. Sunset Park is also a nice place. However, it's a matter of where you’d want to take a chance.
[15:22-17:00] What advice would you give to someone looking for an attorney to represent them? Find an attorney who is passionate, wants to make a difference, one who is reasonably priced, and one who is willing to give important knowledge. It all comes down to a person who has a long-term vision and is going to work with you. You can find this by going online and searching an attorney and seeing what they do and how they try to make a difference to the client they represent.
[17:00-19:25] If you could go back to the beginning of your career and do something different, what would it be? If it's something different than real estate, I would be GM of the MEST. I tried to be an agent earlier on in my career but life got in the way.
From an investment side, I wouldn’t be looking to hit run home runs all the time. You can hit it bigtime with singles and doubles.
[19:25-21:38] Based on your experience on market cycles, where do you see the market over the next 5 years? Put on your seatbelt and enjoy the ride. Life in real estate is like a rollercoaster. I see it going up and down. More and more people are coming to New York and as a consequence, residential will be okay. But the bottom line is, who are you catering to?
Contact Our Guest:
Send Larry an email at lhaber@agmblaw.com
Give him a ring at 212-993-8681
www.agmblaw.com
Resources:
Leasing Realty
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Episode #7 - Interview With Rolan Shnayder
Rolan Shnayder is a mortgage banker with CItizen’s Bank and has been in the business for over 15 years. He specializes in new development and is the prefered lender that developers choose to represent them in the sale of their units. Since 2008 he’s been the prefered lender on over 200 projects. He is currently the prefered lender on over 72 projects.
Rolan has seen a lot of people saying they want to buy real estate now before interest rates go up. This past January, which is usually a slow month in real estate, was Rolan’s best month. His business is split evenly between Brooklyn and Manhattan. He gets a ton of calls from Downtown Brooklyn, Park Slope, Fort Greene, Williamsburg, and he attributes much of the changes in some of these neighborhoods to some of rezoning laws, which has allowed for bigger and taller buildings.
The recession of 2008-09 brought about some of Rolan’s best years in the business because he managed to secure a lender that would do business with developers when the other big banks wouldn’t touch new developments that were under 50% occupied. This showed him the importance of finding a niche and a clear competitive edge. He’s bullish on real estate and the economy for the next 3-5 years and sees new policies that should be enacted over the coming years as giving new life to the economy. He highly recommends E Myth by Michael Gerber.
[1:32-1:53] Intro: Mortgage banker of Citizen’s Bank, Rolan Shnayder, was the number one loan officer in 2016, and is one of the leading experts on the mortgage financing business. He’s based in Manhattan with his family and does most of his businesses in Brooklyn.
[1:53-2:45] Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you specialize in? I'm a mortgage banker at Citizen’s Bank. I live in Chelsea in New York with my wife and 2 kids. My specialty is in residential mortgage banking with over 15 years’ experience in the business. I focus on new development where I'm the preferred lender that developers choose to represent them for the loan buyers.
[2:45-4:12] How did you get into banking? I was a stockbroker at a college for about 6 years and I left after the technology burst in 2001. I became a day trader for myself but quickly realized that it was a very lonely business because I enjoyed sales and being around people. Later, a neighbor who was in mortgages taught me about mortgages. It was very fulfilling to me and that’s how I started banking.
[4:12-4:38] What kind of advice would you give to someone starting out in the mortgage business? This is a universal advice but if you want to be successful at what you do, you’ve got to love it and you’ve got to put a lot of time into it.
[4:38-5:46] How many projects have you been on since you started your career as a preferred lender? The first project I got on was right when the market collapsed in 2008. Since then, I've been on more than 200 projects as a preferred lender.
[5:46-6:37] When you say less than 50% sold, what exactly do you mean? When you build a building and you start selling out units in it, banks at the time wouldn’t lend to a building that was under 50% in contract. The developers had a very tough time because there weren’t many buyers at the time and those that were willing to buy had a difficulty finding a mortgage. This meant they could only sell to all-cash buyers. I was able to find a lender that would lend to buildings that were under 50% in contract, and this is how I got my start in the new development space.
[6:37-7:06] How many new development projects are you currently a preferred lender on? They range in size. I'm currently on 72 buildings as a preferred lender.
[7:06-8:48] How do you see interest rate changes affecting the market in 2017? I don't know if you’ve noticed but since the elections, everything that was said about the economics has been wrong so far. Interest rates went up a little after the elections but they're coming back down now. This hasn’t affected the mortgage rate as much as it had been predicted. If everything continues like this, it's going to be tremendous for the marketplace. We’ve seen a huge uptake of mortgages since December because people are predicting the rates will go up.
[8:48-10:13] What advice would you give to someone looking for a mortgage broker? People are always asking what the rates are but they don't realize the difference between a 1/8th of a point, up or down, is actual dollars. People don't pay interest rates, people pay dollars. Some of these percentage differences will hardly affect the way you live through life but what it will affect is if you go to an unsophisticated loan officer who agrees with you on everything and then 2 weeks before closing they come back saying they couldn’t close the mortgage for you.
I recommend you go to a professional and go with a recommendation. You don't have to go with the best rate but with the most qualified person that can get you to the closing table.
[10:13-10:41] What percentage of your business is in Brooklyn? My business is evenly between Brooklyn and Manhattan though I still do a few things outside of these two cities. I have customers buying homes in other states. But I’d say it's 50/50 between Manhattan and Brooklyn.
[10:41-12:03] Where in Brooklyn do you see the most activity? Downtown, Park Slope, Fort Greene, and Williamsburg are the usual suspects because of the rezoning that went on along the waterways.
[12:03-13:24] If you were to buy anywhere in Brooklyn where would you focus your search? To me the most beautiful neighborhood in Brooklyn is Brownstone. There are a few high rises that are getting converted now but it's still a gorgeous neighborhood.
For investment, it depends on what you're looking for. Whether it's cash flow or appreciation. But right now the hottest neighborhoods I’ve been investing in have been along Brooklyn, Queens’s border. If you want to know the next hot area, get on a train when everyone goes home at night and see where everyone is getting off the train, then buy the next stop.
[13:14-14:13] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[14:13-15:08] What are some of the biggest ways New York City has changed over the past decade? I think there have been some great developments. Our waterfront has seen the biggest changes whether it's Brooklyn, Manhattan, the West Side etc.
[15:08-15:42] Mortgage brokers were hit the hardest by the recession. How did you manage to weather that storm? I found something that no one else had and I was the only game in town. If you were trying to sell units and you were under 50% sold, I was the only savior for about 2 years straight. When you have a monopoly on something like that you tend to do well.
[15:42-17:37] How do you see the market doing over the next 2 to 4 years? In a mortgage, if the purchase market takes a hit, it can spell trouble for mortgage banks and loan officers. In real estate market, refinancer is never part of a relators business. I think we’re strong because I tend to believe the economy is growing by the day.
[17:37-18:28] What are the two most important qualities of successful real estate agents? Folks that I work with that are on top of their game are always working, treating people right, and they're always making smart decisions. In business, you can either be shady or straight, but the most successful people are straight.
[18:28-19:11] if you could go to the beginning of your career and do something different, what would that be? I think a lot of life is the mentality. If you want something you will get it. So I would make my dreams bigger than they were because it would’ve been easily attainable to get to where I am much quicker if I’d set my sight that high.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Daniel an email at rolan.shnayder@citizensbank.com
Give him a ring at 212-857-6686
www.rshnayder-citizens.mortgagewebcenter.com
Resources:
E Myth by Michael Gerber
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Rolan has seen a lot of people saying they want to buy real estate now before interest rates go up. This past January, which is usually a slow month in real estate, was Rolan’s best month. His business is split evenly between Brooklyn and Manhattan. He gets a ton of calls from Downtown Brooklyn, Park Slope, Fort Greene, Williamsburg, and he attributes much of the changes in some of these neighborhoods to some of rezoning laws, which has allowed for bigger and taller buildings.
The recession of 2008-09 brought about some of Rolan’s best years in the business because he managed to secure a lender that would do business with developers when the other big banks wouldn’t touch new developments that were under 50% occupied. This showed him the importance of finding a niche and a clear competitive edge. He’s bullish on real estate and the economy for the next 3-5 years and sees new policies that should be enacted over the coming years as giving new life to the economy. He highly recommends E Myth by Michael Gerber.
[1:32-1:53] Intro: Mortgage banker of Citizen’s Bank, Rolan Shnayder, was the number one loan officer in 2016, and is one of the leading experts on the mortgage financing business. He’s based in Manhattan with his family and does most of his businesses in Brooklyn.
[1:53-2:45] Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you specialize in? I'm a mortgage banker at Citizen’s Bank. I live in Chelsea in New York with my wife and 2 kids. My specialty is in residential mortgage banking with over 15 years’ experience in the business. I focus on new development where I'm the preferred lender that developers choose to represent them for the loan buyers.
[2:45-4:12] How did you get into banking? I was a stockbroker at a college for about 6 years and I left after the technology burst in 2001. I became a day trader for myself but quickly realized that it was a very lonely business because I enjoyed sales and being around people. Later, a neighbor who was in mortgages taught me about mortgages. It was very fulfilling to me and that’s how I started banking.
[4:12-4:38] What kind of advice would you give to someone starting out in the mortgage business? This is a universal advice but if you want to be successful at what you do, you’ve got to love it and you’ve got to put a lot of time into it.
[4:38-5:46] How many projects have you been on since you started your career as a preferred lender? The first project I got on was right when the market collapsed in 2008. Since then, I've been on more than 200 projects as a preferred lender.
[5:46-6:37] When you say less than 50% sold, what exactly do you mean? When you build a building and you start selling out units in it, banks at the time wouldn’t lend to a building that was under 50% in contract. The developers had a very tough time because there weren’t many buyers at the time and those that were willing to buy had a difficulty finding a mortgage. This meant they could only sell to all-cash buyers. I was able to find a lender that would lend to buildings that were under 50% in contract, and this is how I got my start in the new development space.
[6:37-7:06] How many new development projects are you currently a preferred lender on? They range in size. I'm currently on 72 buildings as a preferred lender.
[7:06-8:48] How do you see interest rate changes affecting the market in 2017? I don't know if you’ve noticed but since the elections, everything that was said about the economics has been wrong so far. Interest rates went up a little after the elections but they're coming back down now. This hasn’t affected the mortgage rate as much as it had been predicted. If everything continues like this, it's going to be tremendous for the marketplace. We’ve seen a huge uptake of mortgages since December because people are predicting the rates will go up.
[8:48-10:13] What advice would you give to someone looking for a mortgage broker? People are always asking what the rates are but they don't realize the difference between a 1/8th of a point, up or down, is actual dollars. People don't pay interest rates, people pay dollars. Some of these percentage differences will hardly affect the way you live through life but what it will affect is if you go to an unsophisticated loan officer who agrees with you on everything and then 2 weeks before closing they come back saying they couldn’t close the mortgage for you.
I recommend you go to a professional and go with a recommendation. You don't have to go with the best rate but with the most qualified person that can get you to the closing table.
[10:13-10:41] What percentage of your business is in Brooklyn? My business is evenly between Brooklyn and Manhattan though I still do a few things outside of these two cities. I have customers buying homes in other states. But I’d say it's 50/50 between Manhattan and Brooklyn.
[10:41-12:03] Where in Brooklyn do you see the most activity? Downtown, Park Slope, Fort Greene, and Williamsburg are the usual suspects because of the rezoning that went on along the waterways.
[12:03-13:24] If you were to buy anywhere in Brooklyn where would you focus your search? To me the most beautiful neighborhood in Brooklyn is Brownstone. There are a few high rises that are getting converted now but it's still a gorgeous neighborhood.
For investment, it depends on what you're looking for. Whether it's cash flow or appreciation. But right now the hottest neighborhoods I’ve been investing in have been along Brooklyn, Queens’s border. If you want to know the next hot area, get on a train when everyone goes home at night and see where everyone is getting off the train, then buy the next stop.
[13:14-14:13] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[14:13-15:08] What are some of the biggest ways New York City has changed over the past decade? I think there have been some great developments. Our waterfront has seen the biggest changes whether it's Brooklyn, Manhattan, the West Side etc.
[15:08-15:42] Mortgage brokers were hit the hardest by the recession. How did you manage to weather that storm? I found something that no one else had and I was the only game in town. If you were trying to sell units and you were under 50% sold, I was the only savior for about 2 years straight. When you have a monopoly on something like that you tend to do well.
[15:42-17:37] How do you see the market doing over the next 2 to 4 years? In a mortgage, if the purchase market takes a hit, it can spell trouble for mortgage banks and loan officers. In real estate market, refinancer is never part of a relators business. I think we’re strong because I tend to believe the economy is growing by the day.
[17:37-18:28] What are the two most important qualities of successful real estate agents? Folks that I work with that are on top of their game are always working, treating people right, and they're always making smart decisions. In business, you can either be shady or straight, but the most successful people are straight.
[18:28-19:11] if you could go to the beginning of your career and do something different, what would that be? I think a lot of life is the mentality. If you want something you will get it. So I would make my dreams bigger than they were because it would’ve been easily attainable to get to where I am much quicker if I’d set my sight that high.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Daniel an email at rolan.shnayder@citizensbank.com
Give him a ring at 212-857-6686
www.rshnayder-citizens.mortgagewebcenter.com
Resources:
E Myth by Michael Gerber
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Episode #8 - Interview With Adrienne D'agata
Adrienne D'agata an interior designer and native New Yorker. She attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and specialized in interior design. She opened up the design firm Dimension New York with several partners, which specializes in residential and hospitalilty design. Adrienne heads the residential department. She got into interior design through her innate creativity and how she found the design of a surrounding space could powerfully affect her mood. She wanted to create spaces for people where they really enjoy being and elevates their lifestyle.
She likes to get to know her clients and what they like and dislike and create their own personal style and help refine it. Her main objective is to understand their vision and not only elevate it but make it functional and translate to an easier life. She’s partial to the color white because she feels it create a space that is timeless and sophisticated and creates brightness and openness.
Her favorite area of Brooklyn is Williamsburg because it places a strong emphasis on creativity and individual expression. Her favorite restaurant is Maison Premiere on Bedford Avenue, for its great atmosphere and interior design and it has a wonderful cocktail bar and great oysters.
The interior design in a restaurant is just as important to Adrienne as the food they serve. She also sees Sunset Park, Crown Heights and Bushwick as hot spots because they retain the old Brooklyn neighborhood vibe that’s attracting the younger crowd and artists. Adrienne recommends The Women I Wanted to Be by Diane von Furstenberg and Ladies Who Launch by Victoria Colligan and Beth Schoenfeldt as inspirational business books.
Adrienne D'agata an interior designer and native New Yorker. She attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and opened up the design firm Dimension New York with several partners, which specializes in residential and hospitality design. Adrienne heads the residential department there. Her focus is to design spaces that are timeless and sohisticated as well as elegant and functional.
[1:32-1:57] Intro: Adrienne Dagata is an interior designer from New York. She opened up a design firm, Dimension New York, together with several partners which is a firm that specializes in residential and hospitality design. She heads the Residential department.
[2:00-2:59] Tell us about yourself and what you specialize in.
I’m a native New Yorker. I went to the Fashion Institute of Technology and specialized in interior design. After school, I worked under a great interior designer who has been featured in many publications. I later worked my way up from a design assistant to a director over the course of about 10years.Then 2 years ago, my partners and I came together and started the company and now I head the Residential department.
[3:00-3:30] What is the name of the person you stayed under and what influence did he have on you? Mark Cunningham Inc. He made sure that the quality of everything that you put into someone’s home is there and that they are pieces that can last a lifetime and can be passed from generation to generation.
[3:36-4:33] How did you first get into interior design? Interior design has kind of been a background for my life. My father would bring architectural digest and out décor for me and I would tear pages from there and keep for myself for inspiration when I get older and that lead me into doing interior design.
[4:34-5:32] How do you know where to start implementing your vision when you first walk into space? There are two main elements, the first being the client. I like to know their likes and dislikes and create their own personal style and then refine it. The second is the style of the built space.
[5:33-6:11] What are the most important questions you ask clients or potential clients when you’re first taking on a job? I first discuss what their wants are and needs for the project by pulling up pictures off magazines and seeing what they like from the images. Then I try and implement that into their home. I find out what their personal style is and elevate it.
[6:11-6:23] Is there a favorite color that you like to work with? I like the color white because it’s pure and it makes everything bright and airy.
[6:24-7:38] What are the two most important qualities of a successful interior designer? The first is listening. It is important to listen to your clients’ wants and needs and make sure what we design delivers what they want. The second is communication. Both verbal and virtual communication is important since we work with so many people and this is what can make or break a project.
[7:39-8:37] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[8:38-8:59] What is your favorite area of Brooklyn? I still really like Williamsburg reason being it has set the bar for other boroughs in New York to aspire to be like. Over the years, it has evolved from being a kind of a grumpy area to a place that has some of the most creative restaurants and music venues. It is such a dynamic area.
[9:00-9:24] Do you have a favorite restaurant in Williamsburg? It is the May Zone premier located on the south side of Williamsburg. It is beautifully designed and has a great atmosphere. It also serves great oysters which is my favorite.
[9:25-9:50] Are restaurants and spaces with a good interior design just as important to you as the food they serve? Yes. As soon as I walk into a restaurant I start looking around taking some of the spaces inspiration and seeing what I would do differently.
[9:51-10:36] Where are you taking most activities in New York? People are now buying property further away from Manhattan like Sunset Park and Prospect Heights. They are liking more of the old Brooklyn vibe of east and upcoming areas. They have more of a sense of community area that makes them feel like a neighborhood.
[10:37-11:16] What kind of jobs are you working on right now? For residential, we are working on two apartments that were combined into one. Another project that we are working on is a townhouse renovation.
[11:17-12:16] What kind of innovations or renovations, specific jobs excite you? I love all different types of projects whether an apartment or a townhouse. They all have their different interests. What I like the most about it is the challenges and that no project is the same. Whatever project I do I have to ensure that it is time worth and that the clients feel like they can live there forever.
[12:17-12:58] What are the ways that you can make a space feel timeless? Keeping your colors on the neutral instead of using bright colors since they tend to become boring over time. Instead, use decorations with color.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Kate an email at kate@dimensionny.com
Give her a ring at 646-751-8497
www.dimensionny.com
Resources:
The Women I Wanted to Be
Ladies Who Launch by Victoria Colligan and Beth Schoenfeldt
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
She likes to get to know her clients and what they like and dislike and create their own personal style and help refine it. Her main objective is to understand their vision and not only elevate it but make it functional and translate to an easier life. She’s partial to the color white because she feels it create a space that is timeless and sophisticated and creates brightness and openness.
Her favorite area of Brooklyn is Williamsburg because it places a strong emphasis on creativity and individual expression. Her favorite restaurant is Maison Premiere on Bedford Avenue, for its great atmosphere and interior design and it has a wonderful cocktail bar and great oysters.
The interior design in a restaurant is just as important to Adrienne as the food they serve. She also sees Sunset Park, Crown Heights and Bushwick as hot spots because they retain the old Brooklyn neighborhood vibe that’s attracting the younger crowd and artists. Adrienne recommends The Women I Wanted to Be by Diane von Furstenberg and Ladies Who Launch by Victoria Colligan and Beth Schoenfeldt as inspirational business books.
Adrienne D'agata an interior designer and native New Yorker. She attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and opened up the design firm Dimension New York with several partners, which specializes in residential and hospitality design. Adrienne heads the residential department there. Her focus is to design spaces that are timeless and sohisticated as well as elegant and functional.
[1:32-1:57] Intro: Adrienne Dagata is an interior designer from New York. She opened up a design firm, Dimension New York, together with several partners which is a firm that specializes in residential and hospitality design. She heads the Residential department.
[2:00-2:59] Tell us about yourself and what you specialize in.
I’m a native New Yorker. I went to the Fashion Institute of Technology and specialized in interior design. After school, I worked under a great interior designer who has been featured in many publications. I later worked my way up from a design assistant to a director over the course of about 10years.Then 2 years ago, my partners and I came together and started the company and now I head the Residential department.
[3:00-3:30] What is the name of the person you stayed under and what influence did he have on you? Mark Cunningham Inc. He made sure that the quality of everything that you put into someone’s home is there and that they are pieces that can last a lifetime and can be passed from generation to generation.
[3:36-4:33] How did you first get into interior design? Interior design has kind of been a background for my life. My father would bring architectural digest and out décor for me and I would tear pages from there and keep for myself for inspiration when I get older and that lead me into doing interior design.
[4:34-5:32] How do you know where to start implementing your vision when you first walk into space? There are two main elements, the first being the client. I like to know their likes and dislikes and create their own personal style and then refine it. The second is the style of the built space.
[5:33-6:11] What are the most important questions you ask clients or potential clients when you’re first taking on a job? I first discuss what their wants are and needs for the project by pulling up pictures off magazines and seeing what they like from the images. Then I try and implement that into their home. I find out what their personal style is and elevate it.
[6:11-6:23] Is there a favorite color that you like to work with? I like the color white because it’s pure and it makes everything bright and airy.
[6:24-7:38] What are the two most important qualities of a successful interior designer? The first is listening. It is important to listen to your clients’ wants and needs and make sure what we design delivers what they want. The second is communication. Both verbal and virtual communication is important since we work with so many people and this is what can make or break a project.
[7:39-8:37] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[8:38-8:59] What is your favorite area of Brooklyn? I still really like Williamsburg reason being it has set the bar for other boroughs in New York to aspire to be like. Over the years, it has evolved from being a kind of a grumpy area to a place that has some of the most creative restaurants and music venues. It is such a dynamic area.
[9:00-9:24] Do you have a favorite restaurant in Williamsburg? It is the May Zone premier located on the south side of Williamsburg. It is beautifully designed and has a great atmosphere. It also serves great oysters which is my favorite.
[9:25-9:50] Are restaurants and spaces with a good interior design just as important to you as the food they serve? Yes. As soon as I walk into a restaurant I start looking around taking some of the spaces inspiration and seeing what I would do differently.
[9:51-10:36] Where are you taking most activities in New York? People are now buying property further away from Manhattan like Sunset Park and Prospect Heights. They are liking more of the old Brooklyn vibe of east and upcoming areas. They have more of a sense of community area that makes them feel like a neighborhood.
[10:37-11:16] What kind of jobs are you working on right now? For residential, we are working on two apartments that were combined into one. Another project that we are working on is a townhouse renovation.
[11:17-12:16] What kind of innovations or renovations, specific jobs excite you? I love all different types of projects whether an apartment or a townhouse. They all have their different interests. What I like the most about it is the challenges and that no project is the same. Whatever project I do I have to ensure that it is time worth and that the clients feel like they can live there forever.
[12:17-12:58] What are the ways that you can make a space feel timeless? Keeping your colors on the neutral instead of using bright colors since they tend to become boring over time. Instead, use decorations with color.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Kate an email at kate@dimensionny.com
Give her a ring at 646-751-8497
www.dimensionny.com
Resources:
The Women I Wanted to Be
Ladies Who Launch by Victoria Colligan and Beth Schoenfeldt
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Episode #9 - Interview With Tony Castoro
Tony Castoro is the owner of Gotham CIty Home Inspection. He’s been in the business for over 8 years and is well known throughout Brooklyn for providing a highly competent and honest service. He’s a native New Yorker, growing up in Bensonhurst, and has seen the city undergo massive transformation.
He got into the home inspection business when his son was buying a house and hired a home inspector who was unable to clearly communicate what he found in the inspection. He asked his father to inspect the house to cover the missing pieces and after Tony went through the house and issued an informal report, his son said he was much better than the professional inspector he hired and he should get into the inspection business. Many years later, he wishes his son had bought that house sooner. Tony highly recommends the E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber and Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
[1:32-1:54] Intro: Tony Castoro is the owner of Gotham City Home Inspection. He’s been in the business for over 8 years and is well known throughout Brooklyn for providing a highly competent home inspection service. He’s a native New Yorker, growing up in Bensonhurst.
[1:54-2:17] Can you tell us about yourself and what you specialize in? I am the owner of the Gotham city home inspection which is a small company with two inspectors and we specialize in home and termite inspection for anticipated purchases.
[2:17-3:13] How did you get into the home inspection business? My son was purchasing a house and had a home inspection done. He received a complicated report and since I had knowledge in buildings he asked me to review it for him. We went back to the realtor and I explained the report and at the end, the realtor said I should become a home inspector since I could explain to people and they could understand. A year later, I become a licensed home inspector.
[3:13-3:52] Is it a difficult process to become a licensed home inspector? You’re licensed by the state and you have to attend classes from classes with a licensed instructor then you go out into to the field and do an inspection.
[3:52-4:22] What are the two most important traits of a home inspector? First, is the knowledge of the systems of a home. Second is to be experienced but the most important of all is to be a good listener. It’s paramount to pay attention to the needs and questions of the buyer.
[4:22- 6:52] What are the most unique or challenging inspections that you’ve done in the past few years? The challenging inspection was one that we went to Brooklyn and we went down to the settlement and found that it was covered with sewerage. At first, I was about to give up on the inspection but then decided to go on with it since the buyers were really interested in the property. The unique one was also in Brooklyn and the home was kind of like a dungeon with the chains, whips video camera. It was really unusual.
[6:52-7:18] What is your favorite area in Brooklyn? My favorite area in Brooklyn has to be Bed Stuy. I love the architecture of the Brownstones.
[7:18-7:42] Do you have a favorite restaurant in the area? Not really. I dine with my family so we usually don’t eat out that much.
[7:42-8:30] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866
[8:30- 9:14] What are some of the biggest ways New York City has changed over the past decade? The face of the city has changed since there is more population. There is a revival going on as far as the real estate is concerned since a younger and more educated group is coming in and taking care of homes thus changing the face of communities.
[9:14- 10:00] Which neighborhood in Brooklyn did you grow up in and has it changed in a specific way that stands out to you? I grew up in Bensonhurst and it has changed in that growing up it was a Jewish and Italian area but now there are influxes of Russians and eastern Europeans and Asians. It has become more populated due to the construction of extra condos.
[10:00-10:44] Where is the hottest part for you in terms of most activities? Apart from the staples of Park Slope and Bushwick to name a few, I have started to see construction going away from Manhattan like areas of Cypress Hill and East New York which are potential upcoming areas.
[10:44-11:10] What professional advice would you give to you 10 years ago? My son should have bought that house earlier.
[11:10-11:51] What have you learned from the cycles in your business? The economy plays a lot with the way our business is profitable or not, but marketing helps to constantly put your name out there. It takes extra effort and more work, though.
[11:51-12:22] What is your favorite mode of advertising? We do everything from online advertising, sending emails to realtors and also direct marketing to buyers through our offices.
[12:22-12:41] How would you advise a person looking for a home inspector? Find someone who is knowledgeable and has good reviews. Also ask around from your friends and realtors.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Joseph an email at tonyc@abrooklynhomeinspection.com
Give him a ring at 718-360-1868
www.abrooklynhomeinspection.com
Resources:
E-Myth Revisited
Think and Grow Rich
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
He got into the home inspection business when his son was buying a house and hired a home inspector who was unable to clearly communicate what he found in the inspection. He asked his father to inspect the house to cover the missing pieces and after Tony went through the house and issued an informal report, his son said he was much better than the professional inspector he hired and he should get into the inspection business. Many years later, he wishes his son had bought that house sooner. Tony highly recommends the E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber and Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
[1:32-1:54] Intro: Tony Castoro is the owner of Gotham City Home Inspection. He’s been in the business for over 8 years and is well known throughout Brooklyn for providing a highly competent home inspection service. He’s a native New Yorker, growing up in Bensonhurst.
[1:54-2:17] Can you tell us about yourself and what you specialize in? I am the owner of the Gotham city home inspection which is a small company with two inspectors and we specialize in home and termite inspection for anticipated purchases.
[2:17-3:13] How did you get into the home inspection business? My son was purchasing a house and had a home inspection done. He received a complicated report and since I had knowledge in buildings he asked me to review it for him. We went back to the realtor and I explained the report and at the end, the realtor said I should become a home inspector since I could explain to people and they could understand. A year later, I become a licensed home inspector.
[3:13-3:52] Is it a difficult process to become a licensed home inspector? You’re licensed by the state and you have to attend classes from classes with a licensed instructor then you go out into to the field and do an inspection.
[3:52-4:22] What are the two most important traits of a home inspector? First, is the knowledge of the systems of a home. Second is to be experienced but the most important of all is to be a good listener. It’s paramount to pay attention to the needs and questions of the buyer.
[4:22- 6:52] What are the most unique or challenging inspections that you’ve done in the past few years? The challenging inspection was one that we went to Brooklyn and we went down to the settlement and found that it was covered with sewerage. At first, I was about to give up on the inspection but then decided to go on with it since the buyers were really interested in the property. The unique one was also in Brooklyn and the home was kind of like a dungeon with the chains, whips video camera. It was really unusual.
[6:52-7:18] What is your favorite area in Brooklyn? My favorite area in Brooklyn has to be Bed Stuy. I love the architecture of the Brownstones.
[7:18-7:42] Do you have a favorite restaurant in the area? Not really. I dine with my family so we usually don’t eat out that much.
[7:42-8:30] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866
[8:30- 9:14] What are some of the biggest ways New York City has changed over the past decade? The face of the city has changed since there is more population. There is a revival going on as far as the real estate is concerned since a younger and more educated group is coming in and taking care of homes thus changing the face of communities.
[9:14- 10:00] Which neighborhood in Brooklyn did you grow up in and has it changed in a specific way that stands out to you? I grew up in Bensonhurst and it has changed in that growing up it was a Jewish and Italian area but now there are influxes of Russians and eastern Europeans and Asians. It has become more populated due to the construction of extra condos.
[10:00-10:44] Where is the hottest part for you in terms of most activities? Apart from the staples of Park Slope and Bushwick to name a few, I have started to see construction going away from Manhattan like areas of Cypress Hill and East New York which are potential upcoming areas.
[10:44-11:10] What professional advice would you give to you 10 years ago? My son should have bought that house earlier.
[11:10-11:51] What have you learned from the cycles in your business? The economy plays a lot with the way our business is profitable or not, but marketing helps to constantly put your name out there. It takes extra effort and more work, though.
[11:51-12:22] What is your favorite mode of advertising? We do everything from online advertising, sending emails to realtors and also direct marketing to buyers through our offices.
[12:22-12:41] How would you advise a person looking for a home inspector? Find someone who is knowledgeable and has good reviews. Also ask around from your friends and realtors.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Joseph an email at tonyc@abrooklynhomeinspection.com
Give him a ring at 718-360-1868
www.abrooklynhomeinspection.com
Resources:
E-Myth Revisited
Think and Grow Rich
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Episode #10 - Interview With Andrew Ayers
Andrew Ayers is an attorney who has offices in Brooklyn and Minnesota. His practice is focused on small businesses and helping them get up and running, as well as estate planning associated with real estate ownership. Estate planning involves planning for the unexpected with respect to the ownership of real estate and who will own what in case there is a death in the family. Through his experience, Andrew sees adaptability and understanding your clients as the most important qualities of a successful attorney.
He loves the Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill area. He loves Baba’s Pierogies on 3rd avenue for lunch, and often takes his wife out to La Avara on Clinton street and highly recommends the fried artichokes. He’s getting a lot of calls from the Gowanus and Red Hook area and sees those two neighborhoods as having huge upside moving forward. Andrew is big on technology as a means to streamline his work and he thinks one’s position on technology is an important consideration when finding a good match for an attorney. It’s essential that you feel comfortable with your attorney and trust that they have your best interest in mind.
Andrew is a huge reader. A judge told him that the most important thing you can do is read everyday. His current goal is the read a book every week. He recommends Alex Ferguson’s Leading on leading in a business environment. For history, he recommends the Teddy Roosevelt trilogy by Edmund Morris and for fiction, he recommends A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.
[1:32-1:57] Intro: Andrew Ayers is an attorney in Brooklyn with offices in Brooklyn and Minnesota. His specialty is in estate planning and helping small businesses get up and running. He has a degree in political science a law degree from New York Law. Andrew is an avid reader and will share with us numerous book recommendations.
[1:57-3:14] Can you tell us a little about yourself and what you specialize in? I'm a lawyer with 3 small children. I grew up in the East Coast and moved to Minnesota when I was in high school, then moved back to the East Coast for law school, and now I've got offices in both Brooklyn and Minnesota because I'm always bouncing back and forth between the two places.
My practice is located around small businesses. Helping set them up and getting them up and running with negotiations of commercial leases and doing collection work for lenders in the customers they work with. I also do estate planning for younger couples when they come to me to buy a house and we realize it’s part of a real estate purchase. Sometimes there may be a divorce or child custody issues so I also do family law as well.
[3:14-3:43] What made you want to practice law? I really longed to be in the entertainment industry. In college, I worked at a radio station where I was a manager and music director. I then went to law school and realized entertainment wasn't really my thing and I concentrated on consumer focusing area of law with the stuff I'm doing these days.
[3:43-4:35] What specifically is involved in estate planning? Estate planning is conceptualizing what’s going to happen in the unfortunate event where a client is no longer with us. Estate planning puts together, especially with young couples with children, a definitive plan to protect the children and their assets. And as the children get older and they come back, we may set up a trust. We do tax planning and more advanced things.
[4:35-5:21] When would you recommend someone who owns a property to reach out to an Estate Planning Attorney? I recommend that everybody should have an estate plan. Strive to reach out to a lawyer if you’ve bought a property and make sure an estate plan is in place especially if you're married or have children. It takes away the uncertainty of what would happen when you’re gone. I don't recommend for anyone to do it themselves online, though. Find someone to help you with a basic estate plan to get going.
[5:21-5:59] How long does the process take and what are the costs? The process doesn't take long. Depending on your plans complexity, it can be turned around in a couple of weeks. The online forms are $99 or thereabouts but if you go with a lawyer, it ranges between $500 to $1500 on the low end, and $5000 - $10,000 when it gets complex.
[5:59-7:25] What are the two most important qualities of a successful attorney? The most important quality is to be able to understand your client and what their needs and motivations are. Another quality is adaptability. Situations, cases, and deals vary greatly and it's important to be able to change the situation.
[7:25-9:29] Whats the most unique or challenging deal you’ve done in the past few years? First, that came to mind has to deal with a litigation that I was in. it rose from a divorce action where the parties owned a brownstone in Brooklyn Heights and the wife wanted to sell the building, take the money, and go somewhere else. However, the building was set up as a 1031 exchange. We brought in professionals trying to explain why selling the building would lead to losing all the tax advantage of the 1031 exchange but the woman and her divorce attorney would not listen and it took forever for them to understand the tax basics.
[9:29-10:32] For the 1031 story, how much specifically is the tax difference for a 1031 exchange for something like a townhouse in Brooklyn Heights? I don't remember what the underlying cash basis was going to be and what they’d purchased it for but they’d purchased it years ago in the early 80s. It was a significant difference. I would say it would come up to at least $1million difference.
[10:32-10:45] What’s your favorite area of Brooklyn? I'm partial to Cobble Hill and Carroll Garden because I lived there for about 15 years.
[10:45-11:15] Do you have a favorite restaurant in that area? I do. If I'm going to lunch I always go to Baba’s Pierogies in Park Slope. If I'm doing happy hour I love Bar Bruno on Henry Street and my wife and I love to go to La Avara for dinner. La Avara has amazing fried artichokes.
[11:15-13:22] What are some of the biggest ways New York city has changed over the past 2 decades? The ride services like Uber. Years ago trying to get home from a night out would always be hectic with taxis refusing to go out to Brooklyn. This has changed the way we get around the city. Also, all the apps that can deliver anything to your door. Back in the day, we never had those options. But as a result of this, many retail stores are really struggling.
[13:22-14:11] Where’s the hottest place in Brooklyn right now in terms of activity and growth? For me, I’d still stay local and look at Gowanus and Red Hook. These are building out and they’ll be the next area to fully turn over. I heard Antonio Bolzano died and now it's only a matter of time before all old places are taken over and turned into developments.
[14:11-14:44] Does the lack of public transportation in Red Hook concern you at all? It doesn’t simply because it's actually a nice walk. I'm sure there will be more infrastructure put in future to help people get down there.
[14:44-15:15] If you were to buy in Brooklyn, where would you focus your search? It depends. Right now, I would stay in the family neighborhoods like Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights. If I was single, I’d branch out a bit and find an older building in Dumbo or Bed Stuy and renovate it to make it my family home for the next few decades.
[15:15-16:04] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[16:04-17:40] If you could speak to the you of 10 years ago, what professional advice would you give? I would say leave and never look back. I was working for somebody and after I went out on my own, I had more freedom. The transition was scary because I wasn't certain when the next paycheck was going to come. Gladly, former clients started contacting me asking to work with me. It was a swift ride from there.
[17:40-19:08] What have you learned about cycles in your business and how do you weather the storm of recession? You have to take a long-term view. I have my goals for 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, and 20 years out but you need to realize there are going to be bad years among this. I've learned that cycles are never what you expect them to be especially in New York. A new infrastructure can completely change the market, so it's always advised to be on the lookout.
[19:08-20:47] What advice would you give to someone looking for an attorney? I have a passion for technology and I use it on my clients. One thing that’s important for me and my clients is that our technology matches us. It's important that a client and an attorney can work together because there are so many collaboration tools to use these days.
Another advice is to ask friends if they have a recommendation of an attorney. I'm often referred by people so it's essential for me to have a good rapport.
Contact Our Guest:
Give him a ring at 718-568-0221
www.andrewmayers.com
Resources:
Leading on leading in a business environment
Teddy Roosevelt trilogy
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
He loves the Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill area. He loves Baba’s Pierogies on 3rd avenue for lunch, and often takes his wife out to La Avara on Clinton street and highly recommends the fried artichokes. He’s getting a lot of calls from the Gowanus and Red Hook area and sees those two neighborhoods as having huge upside moving forward. Andrew is big on technology as a means to streamline his work and he thinks one’s position on technology is an important consideration when finding a good match for an attorney. It’s essential that you feel comfortable with your attorney and trust that they have your best interest in mind.
Andrew is a huge reader. A judge told him that the most important thing you can do is read everyday. His current goal is the read a book every week. He recommends Alex Ferguson’s Leading on leading in a business environment. For history, he recommends the Teddy Roosevelt trilogy by Edmund Morris and for fiction, he recommends A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.
[1:32-1:57] Intro: Andrew Ayers is an attorney in Brooklyn with offices in Brooklyn and Minnesota. His specialty is in estate planning and helping small businesses get up and running. He has a degree in political science a law degree from New York Law. Andrew is an avid reader and will share with us numerous book recommendations.
[1:57-3:14] Can you tell us a little about yourself and what you specialize in? I'm a lawyer with 3 small children. I grew up in the East Coast and moved to Minnesota when I was in high school, then moved back to the East Coast for law school, and now I've got offices in both Brooklyn and Minnesota because I'm always bouncing back and forth between the two places.
My practice is located around small businesses. Helping set them up and getting them up and running with negotiations of commercial leases and doing collection work for lenders in the customers they work with. I also do estate planning for younger couples when they come to me to buy a house and we realize it’s part of a real estate purchase. Sometimes there may be a divorce or child custody issues so I also do family law as well.
[3:14-3:43] What made you want to practice law? I really longed to be in the entertainment industry. In college, I worked at a radio station where I was a manager and music director. I then went to law school and realized entertainment wasn't really my thing and I concentrated on consumer focusing area of law with the stuff I'm doing these days.
[3:43-4:35] What specifically is involved in estate planning? Estate planning is conceptualizing what’s going to happen in the unfortunate event where a client is no longer with us. Estate planning puts together, especially with young couples with children, a definitive plan to protect the children and their assets. And as the children get older and they come back, we may set up a trust. We do tax planning and more advanced things.
[4:35-5:21] When would you recommend someone who owns a property to reach out to an Estate Planning Attorney? I recommend that everybody should have an estate plan. Strive to reach out to a lawyer if you’ve bought a property and make sure an estate plan is in place especially if you're married or have children. It takes away the uncertainty of what would happen when you’re gone. I don't recommend for anyone to do it themselves online, though. Find someone to help you with a basic estate plan to get going.
[5:21-5:59] How long does the process take and what are the costs? The process doesn't take long. Depending on your plans complexity, it can be turned around in a couple of weeks. The online forms are $99 or thereabouts but if you go with a lawyer, it ranges between $500 to $1500 on the low end, and $5000 - $10,000 when it gets complex.
[5:59-7:25] What are the two most important qualities of a successful attorney? The most important quality is to be able to understand your client and what their needs and motivations are. Another quality is adaptability. Situations, cases, and deals vary greatly and it's important to be able to change the situation.
[7:25-9:29] Whats the most unique or challenging deal you’ve done in the past few years? First, that came to mind has to deal with a litigation that I was in. it rose from a divorce action where the parties owned a brownstone in Brooklyn Heights and the wife wanted to sell the building, take the money, and go somewhere else. However, the building was set up as a 1031 exchange. We brought in professionals trying to explain why selling the building would lead to losing all the tax advantage of the 1031 exchange but the woman and her divorce attorney would not listen and it took forever for them to understand the tax basics.
[9:29-10:32] For the 1031 story, how much specifically is the tax difference for a 1031 exchange for something like a townhouse in Brooklyn Heights? I don't remember what the underlying cash basis was going to be and what they’d purchased it for but they’d purchased it years ago in the early 80s. It was a significant difference. I would say it would come up to at least $1million difference.
[10:32-10:45] What’s your favorite area of Brooklyn? I'm partial to Cobble Hill and Carroll Garden because I lived there for about 15 years.
[10:45-11:15] Do you have a favorite restaurant in that area? I do. If I'm going to lunch I always go to Baba’s Pierogies in Park Slope. If I'm doing happy hour I love Bar Bruno on Henry Street and my wife and I love to go to La Avara for dinner. La Avara has amazing fried artichokes.
[11:15-13:22] What are some of the biggest ways New York city has changed over the past 2 decades? The ride services like Uber. Years ago trying to get home from a night out would always be hectic with taxis refusing to go out to Brooklyn. This has changed the way we get around the city. Also, all the apps that can deliver anything to your door. Back in the day, we never had those options. But as a result of this, many retail stores are really struggling.
[13:22-14:11] Where’s the hottest place in Brooklyn right now in terms of activity and growth? For me, I’d still stay local and look at Gowanus and Red Hook. These are building out and they’ll be the next area to fully turn over. I heard Antonio Bolzano died and now it's only a matter of time before all old places are taken over and turned into developments.
[14:11-14:44] Does the lack of public transportation in Red Hook concern you at all? It doesn’t simply because it's actually a nice walk. I'm sure there will be more infrastructure put in future to help people get down there.
[14:44-15:15] If you were to buy in Brooklyn, where would you focus your search? It depends. Right now, I would stay in the family neighborhoods like Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights. If I was single, I’d branch out a bit and find an older building in Dumbo or Bed Stuy and renovate it to make it my family home for the next few decades.
[15:15-16:04] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[16:04-17:40] If you could speak to the you of 10 years ago, what professional advice would you give? I would say leave and never look back. I was working for somebody and after I went out on my own, I had more freedom. The transition was scary because I wasn't certain when the next paycheck was going to come. Gladly, former clients started contacting me asking to work with me. It was a swift ride from there.
[17:40-19:08] What have you learned about cycles in your business and how do you weather the storm of recession? You have to take a long-term view. I have my goals for 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, and 20 years out but you need to realize there are going to be bad years among this. I've learned that cycles are never what you expect them to be especially in New York. A new infrastructure can completely change the market, so it's always advised to be on the lookout.
[19:08-20:47] What advice would you give to someone looking for an attorney? I have a passion for technology and I use it on my clients. One thing that’s important for me and my clients is that our technology matches us. It's important that a client and an attorney can work together because there are so many collaboration tools to use these days.
Another advice is to ask friends if they have a recommendation of an attorney. I'm often referred by people so it's essential for me to have a good rapport.
Contact Our Guest:
Give him a ring at 718-568-0221
www.andrewmayers.com
Resources:
Leading on leading in a business environment
Teddy Roosevelt trilogy
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Episode #11 - Interview With Claire Brown
Claire Brown was born and raised in Minneapolis, went to Northwestern for college but always saw herself eventually coming to NYC. She lives in Williamsburg and works for Sugarlift, an online gallery and art consulting company. They connect young, talented artists with art buyers.
She’s observed that abstract, colorful, impressionistic, big statement pieces as most in demand right now. Artists have to have an original vision combined with technical skill in order to succeed in the art world. Her job is to match skilled artists with people who are looking to fill their homes with art in line with their own taste and vision. One her company’s goals is to help sustain the artist community and allow them to work full-time as artists.
Greenpoint and Williamsburg are Claire’s favorite parts of Brooklyn. She’s sees Greenpoint as having a similar character to Williamsburg but has less of the crowds and chaos. She recommends The Founder’s Dilemma by Noam Wasserman and The Art in Painting by Alfred Barnes.
Claire Brown was born and raised in Minneapolis and moved to NYC right after college. She works for Sugarlift, an online gallery and art consulting company. Her job is to connect connect young, talented artists with art buyers. One her company’s goals is to help sustain the artist community and allow them to work full-time as artists. She lives in Williamsburg and we’re very pleased to have Claire Brown on the show.
[1:32-2:01] Intro: Claire Brown was born and raised in Minneapolis and moved to New York City immediately after college. Claire currently lives in Williamsburg. She works for Sugarlift which is an online gallery and art consulting company. Her main job is to connect young, talented artists with art buyers. Her company’s goal is to help sustain the artist community and allow them to work fulltime as artists.
[2:01-2:18] Where did you grow up? I grew up in South Minneapolis in Minnesota. I then lived in Chicago for a few years during college and then moved to NYC.
[2:18-2:40] Why did you move to New York? It was a natural move for me after college because I never thought of moving to any other city. I knew I wanted to work in art and in art, if you're going to stay in the US, New York is the place to be.
[2:40-3:19] Did you move straight to Brooklyn? I didn’t. I was a journalism major in college and I double majored in Art History. I went to Northwestern University where they had a program where you had to work at a publication for 3 months during undergrad. So I lived in New York doing that and worked at Conde Nast Traveler. When I moved in New York fulltime, I lived in Williamsburg.
[3:19-3:58] Why did you choose Williamsburg? I always loved it. I had lived there for 6 months before moving in permanently and I just loved Brooklyn. Also, working in the art world, the salary tends to be a little lower and Williamsburg was a little cheaper than most places I’d seen in Manhattan.
[3:58-4:48] Your Company’s name is Sugarlift. What exactly do you guys do? We are an online gallery and art consultant company. We find young, talented artists who are 75%-80% New York based, but we also find artists outside New York. We represent them and sell their art as a way to support their careers. Through this, we help New Yorkers and other clients around the country find awesome, unique art for their homes and offices. Basically, we connect young, talented artists with buyers.
[4:48-6:50] What does an average day in the office look like for you? One of the things I like about Sugarlift is that there really isn’t a basic day. There are a lot of different things, which I like because it fits my personality well.
The routine is we get at the office in the morning and we do a team group at 9:00 or 9:30 and catch up on what we’re working on, the goals for the week, and put a little plan for the day just to make sure we’re on the same page. After that, it varies. For me, I spend a lot of time emailing with our artists where they send me photos of what they're working on, ideas on pricing, and then I do short phone calls with clients.
For clients, we have digital mark ups of art pieces. This is where if a client has moved into a new apartment and they have a blank wall which they don't know what to do with, I have an intro call with them and ask about their space, style, what type of art they like, what they don't like, their budget, and eventually I'll ask them to send me a picture of their home or sometimes I'll go do a walkthrough. With all this information, I’ll curate ideas for them. This is how I spend my day.
[6:50-7:41] So a lot of your work involves people who bought a home or those looking to fill a space with art? Definitely. When people move into a new home, they often times have more space than they had in their old place. So even if they had art in their previous apartment, they now have more walls to fill.
[7:41-8:22] What kind of art is in most demand right now? We’re seeing a lot of people that are looking for abstract, colorful paints - this is where you see the artist brush strokes – and also big, statement pieces.
[8:22-9:31] What are the two most important qualities of a successful artist? For me when potentially looking to bring artists in, I look for artists that are technically talented. Whatever it is they’ve chosen to do with their art, whether it’s oil painting or sculpture, I make sure they’ve mastered the medium. This means they can manipulate the medium in any way they want to to achieve the outcome.
Secondly, a person that has a meek and interesting point of view. There are plenty of talented artists now but if they're not doing something interesting that tells a unique story, I find it hard to look at.
[9:31-10:19] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[10:19-12:00] What’s the most unique or challenging job you’ve taken over the last few years? One that is challenging but also very rewarding is that we work with clients on doing commissioned pieces of work. Most clients that come around have really large walls which need large, unique pieces. So we ask them if they can have commissioned piece of work. This is awesome because they get to work with the artist who they develop a relationship with and finally they have a piece they helped contribute to which is just for their space. However, this is challenging because it's often hard for them to articulate what they want. This ends up being a back and forth process.
[12:00-12:39] Where in the city are you getting most business right now? I haven’t noticed a big trend in terms of neighborhoods. Our clients are mostly in Manhattan and also in Connecticut, Westchester, and Brooklyn. There isn’t a huge trend of a specific city or area.
[12:39-13:36] Do most of the artists you work with fit under the starving artist cliché or can they make good money? A big goal of Sugarlift mission is to have our artists be able to support themselves and sustain their careers as artists. Most of the artists we work with have other jobs on the side. Our goal is to sell enough of their art so they can reserve more time to make more art, but we’re not quite there yet.
[13:36-13:52] What’s your favorite area of Brooklyn? I'm biased to Williamsburg. Greenpoint is my new favorite and if I’d have to move from Williamsburg this is where I’d live.
[13:52-14:30] What is it about Greenpoint? Williamsburg is so fun and has so much going on but it has drastically changed over the years. Greenpoint has the character of Williamsburg but is less chaotic.
[14:30-14:59] What’s your favorite restaurant in Williamsburg or Greenpoint? I have so many. There's one in Greenpoint, Selamat Pagi that has amazing Indonesian food. Fette Sau and The Commodore are also on top of my list.
[14:59-15:32] Any art galleries or hotspot you recommend checking out? There are so many galleries but I don't go to galleries in Williamsburg that much. I mostly go to artist studios. A lot of our artists have studios in Bushwick and that’s where I spend a lot of my time as well as in museums in Manhattan.
[15:32-16:29] What professional advice would you give yourself 10 years ago? I was in high school by then so I would tell myself to be quick to speak up. It can be easy to come in at 22 and think that you just need to do what people tell you to do, but you have to speak up and know that you're there for a reason and people want to hear a 22 year-old’s voice. At 22, I always did what I was told and I wish I’d thrown myself out there a little bit more.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Wright an email at wright@sugarlift.com
Give him a ring at 917-370-5030
www.sugarlift.com
Resources:
The Founder’s Dilemma
The Art in Painting
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
She’s observed that abstract, colorful, impressionistic, big statement pieces as most in demand right now. Artists have to have an original vision combined with technical skill in order to succeed in the art world. Her job is to match skilled artists with people who are looking to fill their homes with art in line with their own taste and vision. One her company’s goals is to help sustain the artist community and allow them to work full-time as artists.
Greenpoint and Williamsburg are Claire’s favorite parts of Brooklyn. She’s sees Greenpoint as having a similar character to Williamsburg but has less of the crowds and chaos. She recommends The Founder’s Dilemma by Noam Wasserman and The Art in Painting by Alfred Barnes.
Claire Brown was born and raised in Minneapolis and moved to NYC right after college. She works for Sugarlift, an online gallery and art consulting company. Her job is to connect connect young, talented artists with art buyers. One her company’s goals is to help sustain the artist community and allow them to work full-time as artists. She lives in Williamsburg and we’re very pleased to have Claire Brown on the show.
[1:32-2:01] Intro: Claire Brown was born and raised in Minneapolis and moved to New York City immediately after college. Claire currently lives in Williamsburg. She works for Sugarlift which is an online gallery and art consulting company. Her main job is to connect young, talented artists with art buyers. Her company’s goal is to help sustain the artist community and allow them to work fulltime as artists.
[2:01-2:18] Where did you grow up? I grew up in South Minneapolis in Minnesota. I then lived in Chicago for a few years during college and then moved to NYC.
[2:18-2:40] Why did you move to New York? It was a natural move for me after college because I never thought of moving to any other city. I knew I wanted to work in art and in art, if you're going to stay in the US, New York is the place to be.
[2:40-3:19] Did you move straight to Brooklyn? I didn’t. I was a journalism major in college and I double majored in Art History. I went to Northwestern University where they had a program where you had to work at a publication for 3 months during undergrad. So I lived in New York doing that and worked at Conde Nast Traveler. When I moved in New York fulltime, I lived in Williamsburg.
[3:19-3:58] Why did you choose Williamsburg? I always loved it. I had lived there for 6 months before moving in permanently and I just loved Brooklyn. Also, working in the art world, the salary tends to be a little lower and Williamsburg was a little cheaper than most places I’d seen in Manhattan.
[3:58-4:48] Your Company’s name is Sugarlift. What exactly do you guys do? We are an online gallery and art consultant company. We find young, talented artists who are 75%-80% New York based, but we also find artists outside New York. We represent them and sell their art as a way to support their careers. Through this, we help New Yorkers and other clients around the country find awesome, unique art for their homes and offices. Basically, we connect young, talented artists with buyers.
[4:48-6:50] What does an average day in the office look like for you? One of the things I like about Sugarlift is that there really isn’t a basic day. There are a lot of different things, which I like because it fits my personality well.
The routine is we get at the office in the morning and we do a team group at 9:00 or 9:30 and catch up on what we’re working on, the goals for the week, and put a little plan for the day just to make sure we’re on the same page. After that, it varies. For me, I spend a lot of time emailing with our artists where they send me photos of what they're working on, ideas on pricing, and then I do short phone calls with clients.
For clients, we have digital mark ups of art pieces. This is where if a client has moved into a new apartment and they have a blank wall which they don't know what to do with, I have an intro call with them and ask about their space, style, what type of art they like, what they don't like, their budget, and eventually I'll ask them to send me a picture of their home or sometimes I'll go do a walkthrough. With all this information, I’ll curate ideas for them. This is how I spend my day.
[6:50-7:41] So a lot of your work involves people who bought a home or those looking to fill a space with art? Definitely. When people move into a new home, they often times have more space than they had in their old place. So even if they had art in their previous apartment, they now have more walls to fill.
[7:41-8:22] What kind of art is in most demand right now? We’re seeing a lot of people that are looking for abstract, colorful paints - this is where you see the artist brush strokes – and also big, statement pieces.
[8:22-9:31] What are the two most important qualities of a successful artist? For me when potentially looking to bring artists in, I look for artists that are technically talented. Whatever it is they’ve chosen to do with their art, whether it’s oil painting or sculpture, I make sure they’ve mastered the medium. This means they can manipulate the medium in any way they want to to achieve the outcome.
Secondly, a person that has a meek and interesting point of view. There are plenty of talented artists now but if they're not doing something interesting that tells a unique story, I find it hard to look at.
[9:31-10:19] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[10:19-12:00] What’s the most unique or challenging job you’ve taken over the last few years? One that is challenging but also very rewarding is that we work with clients on doing commissioned pieces of work. Most clients that come around have really large walls which need large, unique pieces. So we ask them if they can have commissioned piece of work. This is awesome because they get to work with the artist who they develop a relationship with and finally they have a piece they helped contribute to which is just for their space. However, this is challenging because it's often hard for them to articulate what they want. This ends up being a back and forth process.
[12:00-12:39] Where in the city are you getting most business right now? I haven’t noticed a big trend in terms of neighborhoods. Our clients are mostly in Manhattan and also in Connecticut, Westchester, and Brooklyn. There isn’t a huge trend of a specific city or area.
[12:39-13:36] Do most of the artists you work with fit under the starving artist cliché or can they make good money? A big goal of Sugarlift mission is to have our artists be able to support themselves and sustain their careers as artists. Most of the artists we work with have other jobs on the side. Our goal is to sell enough of their art so they can reserve more time to make more art, but we’re not quite there yet.
[13:36-13:52] What’s your favorite area of Brooklyn? I'm biased to Williamsburg. Greenpoint is my new favorite and if I’d have to move from Williamsburg this is where I’d live.
[13:52-14:30] What is it about Greenpoint? Williamsburg is so fun and has so much going on but it has drastically changed over the years. Greenpoint has the character of Williamsburg but is less chaotic.
[14:30-14:59] What’s your favorite restaurant in Williamsburg or Greenpoint? I have so many. There's one in Greenpoint, Selamat Pagi that has amazing Indonesian food. Fette Sau and The Commodore are also on top of my list.
[14:59-15:32] Any art galleries or hotspot you recommend checking out? There are so many galleries but I don't go to galleries in Williamsburg that much. I mostly go to artist studios. A lot of our artists have studios in Bushwick and that’s where I spend a lot of my time as well as in museums in Manhattan.
[15:32-16:29] What professional advice would you give yourself 10 years ago? I was in high school by then so I would tell myself to be quick to speak up. It can be easy to come in at 22 and think that you just need to do what people tell you to do, but you have to speak up and know that you're there for a reason and people want to hear a 22 year-old’s voice. At 22, I always did what I was told and I wish I’d thrown myself out there a little bit more.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Wright an email at wright@sugarlift.com
Give him a ring at 917-370-5030
www.sugarlift.com
Resources:
The Founder’s Dilemma
The Art in Painting
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Episode #12 - Interview With Anthony Grevtsov
Anthony Grevtsov was raised in Brooklyn and co founded European Kitchen Center in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. His company handles all aspects of kitchen renovation, from design to installation. They help clients through the decision making process when buying a new kitchen or renovating an old one. Unlike many renovation companies, European Kitchen values sticking to a schedule and honoring time commitments as a top priority.
Anthony says that minimal and modern designs are most in demand right now, with black, white, and grey as the most popular colors currently used for kitchens. The kitchen is the center of the home and where the family often comes together to spend time, laugh and conversate, and eat food, so Anthony puts high value in the design and ambience of a kitchen.
[1:32-1:56] Intro: Anthony Grevtsov was raised in Brooklyn. He’s co-founder of European Kitchen Center in Greenpoint, Brookyln which was started a little over a decade ago. The company handles all aspects of kitchen renovation.
[1:56-2:20] Where did you grow up? Although I'm from Russia, I grew up in Brooklyn, NYC and I'm still living here up to date. I have always enjoyed what it has to offer including incredible parks, restaurants, and local shops.
[2:20-2:47] How did you get into the kitchen design business? From an early age, I enjoyed cooking with my family and spent quite a lot of time in the kitchen. I believe the kitchen is heart of the home for many people and it should be showcased. I began this business when my entrepreneurial spirit and love of cooking propelled me to kitchen designing.
[2:47-3:15] Did you start your business or did you team up with someone else to take charge of the business? I teamed up my partner 12 years ago and we’ve been doing great so far.
[3:15-3:40] Why did you choose Greenpoint? To me, the Greenpoint area represents a transforming area that embodies the Brooklyn spirit. Local shops, fine dining, and real estate development is emerging in Greenpoint. It's going through a modernization phase where you can find a lot of architects and designers working on the idea to improve the neighborhood with creative design buildings and projects.
[3:40-3:59] Which area of Brooklyn is most in demand for your products and services right now? Right now, Park Slope, Williamsburg, and Bed Stuy is where we get our business, and we hope to bring our product to Greenpoint.
[3:59-4:30] What styles are popular right now? This is dependent on the customer, but statistics show that people prefer a minimal, contemporary design even though transitional style is getting a substantial market share. We teach our customers to choose a functional and proper applicable kitchen that would work according to their needs.
[4:30-4:58] What are the specific traits of a modern design? A modern kitchen design often has an appealing, clean look and we use materials that would create a contrast in the space.
[4:58-5:32] Which colors are customers more drawn to? The mainstream colors are black, white, grey, and in some cases we combine colors to create a specific design look for our customers. These created looks create a contrasting, stylish look for the whole kitchen space in general.
[5:32-5:45] Which European style is currently most fashionable? It's hard to say. There are tons of companies working with European manufacturers. For us, we deal primarily with Italian companies.
[5:45-6:38] In what ways does your company help people save time and money in renovating their kitchen? We play a huge role in making a kitchen efficient and attractive. We design the entire area from start to finish and work on literally every detail to get a professional final look.
Our company provides all aspects of a renovation. We provide design, we give our expertise, we educate the customer, and lastly we do the installation for them. We’re also very accurate and precious with time and that helps us continue the project without any delays.
[6:38-6:50] So you handle the process from start to finish? Yes. We complete the whole project from A to Z.
[6:50-7:13] How many people work in your company? We have 3 designers that work in our office at Greenpoint, a construction team that’s always installing cabinetry, and we have a marketing team which I act as the director of sales.
[7:13-7:36] What’s the most popular brand of kitchen appliances right now? Again, this is a really personally matter, but the statistics show that our customers mainly use Themador. I don't want to criticize or appraise any other brands, though.
[7:36-8:00] What type of finishes are people really liking these days? The fashion shifts all the time but people tend to stay with wood vinyl’s of different colors from white to black. The color depends on the area in general. If you have a dark space, we’d use the light colors and vice versa.
[8:00-8:49] What role do you play in helping guide people to make the right decision? We are very specific on helping people make decision on what finishes and appliances to purchase. I’d advice anyone looking to design their kitchen to hire a professional who would save them money and time with their immense knowledge in the industry.
[8:49-9:21] Why do you recommend purchasing European Kitchen? European kitchen, in regard to price and quality, balances out to the point where you would get a perfect, clean European look for a competitive price.
[9:21-10:06] Do you have a favorite area of Brooklyn you hang out? I hang out in Greenpoint but one of my favorite points is in Williamsburg. I enjoy the restaurants, and all types of shows.
[10:06-10:33] What professional advice would you give to the you of 10 years ago? I think keeping in touch with your customers and having referrals is the best thing any business would want. It's important to have a great network of customers who are happy with your work and are willing to refer you to their family and friends.
[10:33-10:48] What advice would you give someone looking to renovate their kitchen? Hire a professional. This saves you money and they use their knowledge to the fullest.
[10:48-11:42] How does your company avoid or deal with delays? Like I said, we have a constructor’s team that works for us. We make sure everything goes on time and every delivery and planned work is done at a certain time. We value time therefore, we split up the process as much as we can.
[11:42-12:30] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[12:50-13:25] Obviously, styles of home and kitchen designs are constantly changing. How do you keep up to date in your field? We participate in different architectural and product shows in Italy and New York. We meet and consult with the manufacturers for any changes and we’re always on top of our game in our industry. It's important for us to update our knowledge and expertise.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Anthony an email at anthonynyckandb@gmail.com
Give him a ring at 347-502-9823
www.nyckandb.com
Resources:
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Anthony says that minimal and modern designs are most in demand right now, with black, white, and grey as the most popular colors currently used for kitchens. The kitchen is the center of the home and where the family often comes together to spend time, laugh and conversate, and eat food, so Anthony puts high value in the design and ambience of a kitchen.
[1:32-1:56] Intro: Anthony Grevtsov was raised in Brooklyn. He’s co-founder of European Kitchen Center in Greenpoint, Brookyln which was started a little over a decade ago. The company handles all aspects of kitchen renovation.
[1:56-2:20] Where did you grow up? Although I'm from Russia, I grew up in Brooklyn, NYC and I'm still living here up to date. I have always enjoyed what it has to offer including incredible parks, restaurants, and local shops.
[2:20-2:47] How did you get into the kitchen design business? From an early age, I enjoyed cooking with my family and spent quite a lot of time in the kitchen. I believe the kitchen is heart of the home for many people and it should be showcased. I began this business when my entrepreneurial spirit and love of cooking propelled me to kitchen designing.
[2:47-3:15] Did you start your business or did you team up with someone else to take charge of the business? I teamed up my partner 12 years ago and we’ve been doing great so far.
[3:15-3:40] Why did you choose Greenpoint? To me, the Greenpoint area represents a transforming area that embodies the Brooklyn spirit. Local shops, fine dining, and real estate development is emerging in Greenpoint. It's going through a modernization phase where you can find a lot of architects and designers working on the idea to improve the neighborhood with creative design buildings and projects.
[3:40-3:59] Which area of Brooklyn is most in demand for your products and services right now? Right now, Park Slope, Williamsburg, and Bed Stuy is where we get our business, and we hope to bring our product to Greenpoint.
[3:59-4:30] What styles are popular right now? This is dependent on the customer, but statistics show that people prefer a minimal, contemporary design even though transitional style is getting a substantial market share. We teach our customers to choose a functional and proper applicable kitchen that would work according to their needs.
[4:30-4:58] What are the specific traits of a modern design? A modern kitchen design often has an appealing, clean look and we use materials that would create a contrast in the space.
[4:58-5:32] Which colors are customers more drawn to? The mainstream colors are black, white, grey, and in some cases we combine colors to create a specific design look for our customers. These created looks create a contrasting, stylish look for the whole kitchen space in general.
[5:32-5:45] Which European style is currently most fashionable? It's hard to say. There are tons of companies working with European manufacturers. For us, we deal primarily with Italian companies.
[5:45-6:38] In what ways does your company help people save time and money in renovating their kitchen? We play a huge role in making a kitchen efficient and attractive. We design the entire area from start to finish and work on literally every detail to get a professional final look.
Our company provides all aspects of a renovation. We provide design, we give our expertise, we educate the customer, and lastly we do the installation for them. We’re also very accurate and precious with time and that helps us continue the project without any delays.
[6:38-6:50] So you handle the process from start to finish? Yes. We complete the whole project from A to Z.
[6:50-7:13] How many people work in your company? We have 3 designers that work in our office at Greenpoint, a construction team that’s always installing cabinetry, and we have a marketing team which I act as the director of sales.
[7:13-7:36] What’s the most popular brand of kitchen appliances right now? Again, this is a really personally matter, but the statistics show that our customers mainly use Themador. I don't want to criticize or appraise any other brands, though.
[7:36-8:00] What type of finishes are people really liking these days? The fashion shifts all the time but people tend to stay with wood vinyl’s of different colors from white to black. The color depends on the area in general. If you have a dark space, we’d use the light colors and vice versa.
[8:00-8:49] What role do you play in helping guide people to make the right decision? We are very specific on helping people make decision on what finishes and appliances to purchase. I’d advice anyone looking to design their kitchen to hire a professional who would save them money and time with their immense knowledge in the industry.
[8:49-9:21] Why do you recommend purchasing European Kitchen? European kitchen, in regard to price and quality, balances out to the point where you would get a perfect, clean European look for a competitive price.
[9:21-10:06] Do you have a favorite area of Brooklyn you hang out? I hang out in Greenpoint but one of my favorite points is in Williamsburg. I enjoy the restaurants, and all types of shows.
[10:06-10:33] What professional advice would you give to the you of 10 years ago? I think keeping in touch with your customers and having referrals is the best thing any business would want. It's important to have a great network of customers who are happy with your work and are willing to refer you to their family and friends.
[10:33-10:48] What advice would you give someone looking to renovate their kitchen? Hire a professional. This saves you money and they use their knowledge to the fullest.
[10:48-11:42] How does your company avoid or deal with delays? Like I said, we have a constructor’s team that works for us. We make sure everything goes on time and every delivery and planned work is done at a certain time. We value time therefore, we split up the process as much as we can.
[11:42-12:30] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[12:50-13:25] Obviously, styles of home and kitchen designs are constantly changing. How do you keep up to date in your field? We participate in different architectural and product shows in Italy and New York. We meet and consult with the manufacturers for any changes and we’re always on top of our game in our industry. It's important for us to update our knowledge and expertise.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Anthony an email at anthonynyckandb@gmail.com
Give him a ring at 347-502-9823
www.nyckandb.com
Resources:
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Episode #13 - Interview With Joe Ginsberg
Joe Ginsberg is a painter and sculptor and brings that temperament to interior design. He’s an interior designer based in Manhattan and brings an extremely customized and personalized approached to his work. He’s been most influenced by Picasso and Brancusi.
On his website, he states that “The challenge is never to design and build a space but how to create an experience that my client’s and guests deeply connect with, touching upon their sensibilities and emotions, giving them a sense of belonging.”
[1:32-2:13] Intro: Joe Ginsberg is an artist and interior designer. He has a background and formal training in design, art and sculpture, color signs, and photography. He brings a unique approach to designing a space from his art and sculpture background. He starts with a pencil and paint and collaborates with his clients to turn their vision into reality. Joe is a native New Yorker and has been living and working in New York for almost his whole life.
[2:13-3:54] Can you tell us a little about yourself and what you specialize in? My firm is Joe Ginsberg design. First and foremost, I'm a painter and sculptor and I bring this artistic sensibility to the spaces I design. I treat my spaces as a canvas every time. The way I bring those temperaments or those different challenges of when I create canvas or sculptor, is the same approach I use to create a space with the correct proportions and scale.
[3:54-4:51] How did you first get into your field? For painting and sculpture, I started getting involved in set productions in Hollywood, Los Angeles, and New York. I used to create sets for video and film and I got contracted to do one of the VP’s homes. This gave me entry into designing spaces for clients.
[4:51-5:36] Is there an artist that has been influential in your life? Yes, a number of them. However, I mostly relate to Picasso and Brancusi. These two had a really big impact on me from an early age. I'm always inspired with their work.
[5:36-6:42] How do you know where to start implementing your vision when you first walk into a space? It’s immediate. I'm always excited about recreating space whether it's a renovation or transforming an interesting space to say something original. Light, line, and scale of a space is very inspirational to me.
[6:42-8:10] What are the two most important qualities of a successful interior designer? One is being a master of your craft and understanding your limitations, but also what you can provide and bring to a client with their needs and requirements. It's also important to understand scheduling, price point, and bringing it to a level to something that is original.
The second quality is being able to listen. You need to examine and be sensitive to the client’s needs.
[8:10-10:28] What can an interior designer do to help people through the process of renovating and saving time? First, they need to evaluate the plan and understand what the requirements are. Every client has a priority and limitations. Taking the client through the process makes them feel at ease and assures them that you're moving in the right direction.
[10:28-11:17] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[11:17-11:32] Where is the hottest place in Brooklyn for you in terms of overall activity and growth? For me, it's mostly Williamsburg and Bushwick.
[11:32-13:00] What is it about Bushwick that is so attractive right now? It's on the verge of moving into a commercial nature and artists’ sensibility will always create the neighborhood first because it’s affordable.
[13:00-13:37] If you could speak to the you of 10 years ago, what professional advice would you give? Just stay on course, keep your heart intact, and keep your sensibility and confidence in front. Also, keep honing your craft to make yourself more original and vital.
[13:37-14:34] What advice would you give to someone looking for an interior designer? Check out an interior designer’s past work and look how they take a space and transform it. Look for references from past clients and ask for recommendations on how the designer works with clients.
[14:34-16:00] How would describe your aesthetic? I have no colors I'm attracted to. I'm a painter and sculptor so I have to be versatile with color and texture. I'm very sensitive to color and tonalities when I enter a space. I also tend to be very experimental so that I am inspired. I also tend to never repeat myself twice and I let space and light dictate me.
[16:00-16:53] Do you have a favorite kind of job or specific type of task when designing a space? I like hospitality. It has a very wide range of international clientele and you’ve got to bring universal sensibility to a space. This is challenging but very thrilling.
In addition to that, I love clients who are open to new ideas and who can explore with me through the process. This is something that adds to a productive collaboration between me and the client.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Joe an email at joe@joeginsberg.com
Give him a ring at 212-465-1077
www.joeginsberg.com
Resources:
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
On his website, he states that “The challenge is never to design and build a space but how to create an experience that my client’s and guests deeply connect with, touching upon their sensibilities and emotions, giving them a sense of belonging.”
[1:32-2:13] Intro: Joe Ginsberg is an artist and interior designer. He has a background and formal training in design, art and sculpture, color signs, and photography. He brings a unique approach to designing a space from his art and sculpture background. He starts with a pencil and paint and collaborates with his clients to turn their vision into reality. Joe is a native New Yorker and has been living and working in New York for almost his whole life.
[2:13-3:54] Can you tell us a little about yourself and what you specialize in? My firm is Joe Ginsberg design. First and foremost, I'm a painter and sculptor and I bring this artistic sensibility to the spaces I design. I treat my spaces as a canvas every time. The way I bring those temperaments or those different challenges of when I create canvas or sculptor, is the same approach I use to create a space with the correct proportions and scale.
[3:54-4:51] How did you first get into your field? For painting and sculpture, I started getting involved in set productions in Hollywood, Los Angeles, and New York. I used to create sets for video and film and I got contracted to do one of the VP’s homes. This gave me entry into designing spaces for clients.
[4:51-5:36] Is there an artist that has been influential in your life? Yes, a number of them. However, I mostly relate to Picasso and Brancusi. These two had a really big impact on me from an early age. I'm always inspired with their work.
[5:36-6:42] How do you know where to start implementing your vision when you first walk into a space? It’s immediate. I'm always excited about recreating space whether it's a renovation or transforming an interesting space to say something original. Light, line, and scale of a space is very inspirational to me.
[6:42-8:10] What are the two most important qualities of a successful interior designer? One is being a master of your craft and understanding your limitations, but also what you can provide and bring to a client with their needs and requirements. It's also important to understand scheduling, price point, and bringing it to a level to something that is original.
The second quality is being able to listen. You need to examine and be sensitive to the client’s needs.
[8:10-10:28] What can an interior designer do to help people through the process of renovating and saving time? First, they need to evaluate the plan and understand what the requirements are. Every client has a priority and limitations. Taking the client through the process makes them feel at ease and assures them that you're moving in the right direction.
[10:28-11:17] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[11:17-11:32] Where is the hottest place in Brooklyn for you in terms of overall activity and growth? For me, it's mostly Williamsburg and Bushwick.
[11:32-13:00] What is it about Bushwick that is so attractive right now? It's on the verge of moving into a commercial nature and artists’ sensibility will always create the neighborhood first because it’s affordable.
[13:00-13:37] If you could speak to the you of 10 years ago, what professional advice would you give? Just stay on course, keep your heart intact, and keep your sensibility and confidence in front. Also, keep honing your craft to make yourself more original and vital.
[13:37-14:34] What advice would you give to someone looking for an interior designer? Check out an interior designer’s past work and look how they take a space and transform it. Look for references from past clients and ask for recommendations on how the designer works with clients.
[14:34-16:00] How would describe your aesthetic? I have no colors I'm attracted to. I'm a painter and sculptor so I have to be versatile with color and texture. I'm very sensitive to color and tonalities when I enter a space. I also tend to be very experimental so that I am inspired. I also tend to never repeat myself twice and I let space and light dictate me.
[16:00-16:53] Do you have a favorite kind of job or specific type of task when designing a space? I like hospitality. It has a very wide range of international clientele and you’ve got to bring universal sensibility to a space. This is challenging but very thrilling.
In addition to that, I love clients who are open to new ideas and who can explore with me through the process. This is something that adds to a productive collaboration between me and the client.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Joe an email at joe@joeginsberg.com
Give him a ring at 212-465-1077
www.joeginsberg.com
Resources:
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Episode #14 - Interview With Maurice Frumkin
Maurice Frumkin owns NYC Admissions Solutions. He attended business school, was an independent school admissions officer for several schools, and was at the department of education for 5 years, where he was involved in all areas of running the admissions process. He started NYC Admissions Solutions to help individual families get into the schools of their choosing.
In the interview, he outlines the admissions process that NYC schools go through in admitting students and how families can best position themselves to get into their desired school. He recommends reading Launching a Leadership Revolution by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward.
[1:32-2:04] Intro; We are joined by Maurice Frumkin. He is owner of New York City admissions solutions. He started his business in order to help families through the very complicated process of getting admissions into schools in New York. Maurice attended business school, and was an independent schools admission officer for several different schools. He was at the department of education for 5 years where he was involved in all areas of running the admissions process.
[2:04-2:59] Tell us about yourself and what you specialize in?
My Company focuses on helping families and schools across the city navigate the school admission process with a particular focus on middle and high school admissions.
[2:59-3:32] Is your work primarily focused in Brooklyn or is it spread through the whole city? It is spread throughout the city. However, for a variety of reasons, majority of my businesses tend to come from families in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Recently I started working with families in Queens.
[3:32-4:34] What are the most important qualities one must have in order to be successful in your profession? First is credibility and trustworthiness. The person needs to have experience and know what they are talking about and give the families accurate and trustworthy information.
[4:34 -6:38] If a family lives somewhere that is zoned to go to a particular school, is it guaranteed a spot in the school? The city developed a choice process some years ago where families can choose from school throughout the city and decide which one best fits for them. This was after they didn’t want to force people into going into schools in their zones. However, you are guaranteed a spot if you choose it somewhere in your applications.
[6:38-7:42] What kind of process does the school go through in order to select those who they are going to admit into their schools?
It involves a variety of the schools admissions methods. That is, the way that you are evaluated. Depending on the school, they might be looking for an interview or a writing supple or showing up unknown at a house and in other cases just putting it on the application will do it. So depending on the admissions method program that’s going to determine what they are looking for and how selective the school might be.
[7:42-8:51] What schools in Brooklyn have the longest waiting list and are the hardest to get into? Some of the more popular school are hard to get into especially because of demand and selectivity. This includes schools like the specialized high schools for example Brooklyn state, Brooklyn Latin, Leon Goldstein among others.
[8:51- 10:35] What are the most important things that parents should know about getting their children into a public schools? In New York City, there are a lot of schools to select from so they have the opportunity to shop around and to decide what works for them and their child. Most importantly, have some type of plan. It’s unlikely that you will accomplish anything in a short amount of time so it is advisable to have a consistent approach over time. Start early, have a plan, understand what to do with the help of experts and counselors such as myself.
[10:35-13:39] What is the best way to find out about a school tour in your district and what are the most important questions that you would recommend parents to ask the school while they are on the tour? Use the school website. Also check with the schools by calling, checking their websites, or book marking their websites.
[13:39-14:28] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[14:28-16:28] If schools improve in the neighborhood, does it lead to a spike in real estate values in that neighborhood and vice versa? It is tough to quantify since it can take a number of years for a school to evolve itself. So even if afterwards real estate prices in the neighborhood may increase, it will still be after a couple of years. Although it is true to say that improved schools can cause a spike in real estate values.
[16:28- 17:53] How long have you lived in Brooklyn and what’s your favorite area there? I’ve lived in Brooklyn for about 10 years and my favorite area is Quantel, because it feels like a real neighborhood to me as compared to where I used to live in Manhattan.
[17:53-18:39] Do you have any favorite cafes and restaurants in Brooklyn? I am a pizza lover so I go to a place called Emily’s. They serve the best pizzas.
[18:39-19:46] From which areas of Brooklyn are you getting the most business? I get calls from all areas of Brooklyn but mostly Williamsburg.
[19:46-20:55] What advice would you give to someone looking for a school consultant? Find someone with experience and one that is trustworthy. Someone who knows what they are talking about and has credibility. It is equally important to choose the right fit in terms of style and personality. Choose someone whom you and your children can get along with easily. That will lead to more effective results and better communication.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Maurice an email at mfrumkin@nycadmissionssolutions.com
Give him a ring at 347-709-2258
www.nycadmissionssolutions.com
Resources:
Launching a Leadership Revolution
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
In the interview, he outlines the admissions process that NYC schools go through in admitting students and how families can best position themselves to get into their desired school. He recommends reading Launching a Leadership Revolution by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward.
[1:32-2:04] Intro; We are joined by Maurice Frumkin. He is owner of New York City admissions solutions. He started his business in order to help families through the very complicated process of getting admissions into schools in New York. Maurice attended business school, and was an independent schools admission officer for several different schools. He was at the department of education for 5 years where he was involved in all areas of running the admissions process.
[2:04-2:59] Tell us about yourself and what you specialize in?
My Company focuses on helping families and schools across the city navigate the school admission process with a particular focus on middle and high school admissions.
[2:59-3:32] Is your work primarily focused in Brooklyn or is it spread through the whole city? It is spread throughout the city. However, for a variety of reasons, majority of my businesses tend to come from families in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Recently I started working with families in Queens.
[3:32-4:34] What are the most important qualities one must have in order to be successful in your profession? First is credibility and trustworthiness. The person needs to have experience and know what they are talking about and give the families accurate and trustworthy information.
[4:34 -6:38] If a family lives somewhere that is zoned to go to a particular school, is it guaranteed a spot in the school? The city developed a choice process some years ago where families can choose from school throughout the city and decide which one best fits for them. This was after they didn’t want to force people into going into schools in their zones. However, you are guaranteed a spot if you choose it somewhere in your applications.
[6:38-7:42] What kind of process does the school go through in order to select those who they are going to admit into their schools?
It involves a variety of the schools admissions methods. That is, the way that you are evaluated. Depending on the school, they might be looking for an interview or a writing supple or showing up unknown at a house and in other cases just putting it on the application will do it. So depending on the admissions method program that’s going to determine what they are looking for and how selective the school might be.
[7:42-8:51] What schools in Brooklyn have the longest waiting list and are the hardest to get into? Some of the more popular school are hard to get into especially because of demand and selectivity. This includes schools like the specialized high schools for example Brooklyn state, Brooklyn Latin, Leon Goldstein among others.
[8:51- 10:35] What are the most important things that parents should know about getting their children into a public schools? In New York City, there are a lot of schools to select from so they have the opportunity to shop around and to decide what works for them and their child. Most importantly, have some type of plan. It’s unlikely that you will accomplish anything in a short amount of time so it is advisable to have a consistent approach over time. Start early, have a plan, understand what to do with the help of experts and counselors such as myself.
[10:35-13:39] What is the best way to find out about a school tour in your district and what are the most important questions that you would recommend parents to ask the school while they are on the tour? Use the school website. Also check with the schools by calling, checking their websites, or book marking their websites.
[13:39-14:28] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[14:28-16:28] If schools improve in the neighborhood, does it lead to a spike in real estate values in that neighborhood and vice versa? It is tough to quantify since it can take a number of years for a school to evolve itself. So even if afterwards real estate prices in the neighborhood may increase, it will still be after a couple of years. Although it is true to say that improved schools can cause a spike in real estate values.
[16:28- 17:53] How long have you lived in Brooklyn and what’s your favorite area there? I’ve lived in Brooklyn for about 10 years and my favorite area is Quantel, because it feels like a real neighborhood to me as compared to where I used to live in Manhattan.
[17:53-18:39] Do you have any favorite cafes and restaurants in Brooklyn? I am a pizza lover so I go to a place called Emily’s. They serve the best pizzas.
[18:39-19:46] From which areas of Brooklyn are you getting the most business? I get calls from all areas of Brooklyn but mostly Williamsburg.
[19:46-20:55] What advice would you give to someone looking for a school consultant? Find someone with experience and one that is trustworthy. Someone who knows what they are talking about and has credibility. It is equally important to choose the right fit in terms of style and personality. Choose someone whom you and your children can get along with easily. That will lead to more effective results and better communication.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Maurice an email at mfrumkin@nycadmissionssolutions.com
Give him a ring at 347-709-2258
www.nycadmissionssolutions.com
Resources:
Launching a Leadership Revolution
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Episode #15 - Interview With Dmitry Gutman
Dmitry Gutman was born in Moscow and has lived in Brooklyn for the past 17 years. He is the CEO of a
title insurance company E-Title Direct. He was in the mortgage business for 18 years and made the shift
to the title business 4 years ago. His company removes all the junk fees associated with purchasing title
insurance and in the process educates and saves his customers money.
[1:32-2:01] Intro: Today we are joined by Dmitry Gutman. He is the CEO of the Title Insurance Company E-title direct. He was born in Moscow and has lived in Brooklyn for the past 17 years. He was in the mortgage business for 18 years and then shifted to the title business 4 years ago. His company specializes in removing the junk fees associated with purchasing title insurance, helping his customers to save money and giving them quality options to purchase title insurance.
[2.01- 2:51] Can you tell us about yourself and what you specialize in? I specialize in title insurance. I’ve been a specialist for the past 4years. I did mortgages for past 18 years for various mortgage share brokers and bankers.
[2:51- 3:24] How did you get into the title insurance business? A good friend of mine who owned a title insurance company for the past 12 years thought it would be a great idea for me to join the company and that it could be a game changer for me to become partners with him in the title insurance company. I said yes to the opportunity because I always like challenges.
[3:24-4:02] Why does someone need title insurance? When someone purchases a property they need protection against forgery and fraud and any missing arrears to show the property is clear of any type of violations judgements. This is also to make sure the future buyer will get a clean and good sale and this will ensure that there is nothing that can affect the buyer after the deal closes.
[4:02-4:49] How does title insurance protect the buyer and specifically what is the process? Title insurance protects the buyer. The day of the closing we issue through our underwriters. The day of the closing, an underwriter will issue a policy which protects the buyer to make sure there is no fraud and to make sure the deed has been exchanged properly.
[4:49- 6:20] What kind of options do people have when it comes to title insurance? Title insurance is shoppable in terms of a lot of title companies charge fees such as search fees, abstract fees or municipality fees. The only thing that’s standard and regulated by the state is the fee policy and mortgage policy fees which is based from how much they are going to borrow from the bank. For us, we don’t charge any of these fees commonly known as junk fees .We remove them from the caliber hence absorbing them and not passing them to the buyer. Title insurance is shoppable just like life and health insurances.
[6:20- 7:12] Is it good to have big underwriter? Absolutely. The reason being, in case there is a claim of something missing , big underwriters will pay the claim without a problem since they have big and healthy budgets whereas the small underwriters have small budgets thus may go out of business .
[7:12- 8:13] What’s the most unique or challenging job you’ve done in the past few years? The unique one is joining a new industry which is Title Insurance, since I had done mortgages for 18years, and became successful in it. My challenge always is educating the consumer and the realtor that the insurance is shoppable.
[8:13- 8:43] What have you found to be the most effective way in which you can educate people that title insurance is shoppable? Organically, using social media. This is through educational videos that we have on my website going over what is title insurance, when and why you need it, and also educating the consumer and the realtor that title insurance is shoppable.
[8:43-9:31] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[9:31-9:38] Where in Brooklyn do you live? I live in Sheepshead Bay in the southern heart of Brooklyn.
[9:38- 10:20] What’s your favorite part of Brooklyn and why? I love the whole entire of Brooklyn. I like the Northern part since it’s very diverse such Williamsburg, Brooklyn heights - they are upcoming areas - and I love Sheepshead Bay because it’s close to the water
.
[10:20-10:51] What’s your favorite restaurant in Brooklyn? I have a lot, they are too many mention though if I was to mention one it would be Maggie’s, a Russian cuisine.
[10:51 -11:38] What’s one of the biggest ways Brooklyn has changed over the past decade or two? There are a lot of new condos developing projects emerging in the last 10 -15years and people are buying them like hot cakes.
[11:38- 12:20] Which neighborhoods are giving you the most business? I am so much diversified over Brooklyn therefore I get calls in Sheepshead Bay in the southern part of Brooklyn, Williamsburg among others. This areas became very desirable although not as desirable as Manhattan. I think downtown Brooklyn has become the new Manhattan.
[12:20 -13:00] Downtown Brooklyn has become the new Manhattan .When can you say this shift really began? The last five years.
[13:00-13:41] If you were to buy property in Brooklyn as personal investment where would your focus your search? The southern region since there are coastern restaurants, it’s close to the beach, and everything is 5 minutes way such a taxis, or Uber.
[13:41- 14:23] So do you think that South Brooklyn has a big appreciation potential over the next 10 years? I will definitely say so and hopefully towards areas like Marine Park which is a prominent single family residence and I think those are the areas that will soon be coming up into the market.
[14:23-14:34] If you could speak to the You of ten years ago, what professional advice would you give yourself? I would advise myself to invest in good location.
[14:34- 14:52] What advice would you give to a person looking for a title investment company? I would advise that one should do their homework, explore social media, google title insurance, don’t be afraid. and shop for a title insurance company on your own.
[14:52 -15:40] What do you feel is the most valuable thing that you will bring to the table in terms of services to your consumers? I will provide to them my best knowledge with expertise and my quick response time. My service is impeccant since I strive on service and transparency. Also I give quotes on my website.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Dmitry an email at dmitry.gutman@abstitle.com
Give him a ring at 718-975-2175
www.etitledirect.com
Resources:
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
title insurance company E-Title Direct. He was in the mortgage business for 18 years and made the shift
to the title business 4 years ago. His company removes all the junk fees associated with purchasing title
insurance and in the process educates and saves his customers money.
[1:32-2:01] Intro: Today we are joined by Dmitry Gutman. He is the CEO of the Title Insurance Company E-title direct. He was born in Moscow and has lived in Brooklyn for the past 17 years. He was in the mortgage business for 18 years and then shifted to the title business 4 years ago. His company specializes in removing the junk fees associated with purchasing title insurance, helping his customers to save money and giving them quality options to purchase title insurance.
[2.01- 2:51] Can you tell us about yourself and what you specialize in? I specialize in title insurance. I’ve been a specialist for the past 4years. I did mortgages for past 18 years for various mortgage share brokers and bankers.
[2:51- 3:24] How did you get into the title insurance business? A good friend of mine who owned a title insurance company for the past 12 years thought it would be a great idea for me to join the company and that it could be a game changer for me to become partners with him in the title insurance company. I said yes to the opportunity because I always like challenges.
[3:24-4:02] Why does someone need title insurance? When someone purchases a property they need protection against forgery and fraud and any missing arrears to show the property is clear of any type of violations judgements. This is also to make sure the future buyer will get a clean and good sale and this will ensure that there is nothing that can affect the buyer after the deal closes.
[4:02-4:49] How does title insurance protect the buyer and specifically what is the process? Title insurance protects the buyer. The day of the closing we issue through our underwriters. The day of the closing, an underwriter will issue a policy which protects the buyer to make sure there is no fraud and to make sure the deed has been exchanged properly.
[4:49- 6:20] What kind of options do people have when it comes to title insurance? Title insurance is shoppable in terms of a lot of title companies charge fees such as search fees, abstract fees or municipality fees. The only thing that’s standard and regulated by the state is the fee policy and mortgage policy fees which is based from how much they are going to borrow from the bank. For us, we don’t charge any of these fees commonly known as junk fees .We remove them from the caliber hence absorbing them and not passing them to the buyer. Title insurance is shoppable just like life and health insurances.
[6:20- 7:12] Is it good to have big underwriter? Absolutely. The reason being, in case there is a claim of something missing , big underwriters will pay the claim without a problem since they have big and healthy budgets whereas the small underwriters have small budgets thus may go out of business .
[7:12- 8:13] What’s the most unique or challenging job you’ve done in the past few years? The unique one is joining a new industry which is Title Insurance, since I had done mortgages for 18years, and became successful in it. My challenge always is educating the consumer and the realtor that the insurance is shoppable.
[8:13- 8:43] What have you found to be the most effective way in which you can educate people that title insurance is shoppable? Organically, using social media. This is through educational videos that we have on my website going over what is title insurance, when and why you need it, and also educating the consumer and the realtor that title insurance is shoppable.
[8:43-9:31] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[9:31-9:38] Where in Brooklyn do you live? I live in Sheepshead Bay in the southern heart of Brooklyn.
[9:38- 10:20] What’s your favorite part of Brooklyn and why? I love the whole entire of Brooklyn. I like the Northern part since it’s very diverse such Williamsburg, Brooklyn heights - they are upcoming areas - and I love Sheepshead Bay because it’s close to the water
.
[10:20-10:51] What’s your favorite restaurant in Brooklyn? I have a lot, they are too many mention though if I was to mention one it would be Maggie’s, a Russian cuisine.
[10:51 -11:38] What’s one of the biggest ways Brooklyn has changed over the past decade or two? There are a lot of new condos developing projects emerging in the last 10 -15years and people are buying them like hot cakes.
[11:38- 12:20] Which neighborhoods are giving you the most business? I am so much diversified over Brooklyn therefore I get calls in Sheepshead Bay in the southern part of Brooklyn, Williamsburg among others. This areas became very desirable although not as desirable as Manhattan. I think downtown Brooklyn has become the new Manhattan.
[12:20 -13:00] Downtown Brooklyn has become the new Manhattan .When can you say this shift really began? The last five years.
[13:00-13:41] If you were to buy property in Brooklyn as personal investment where would your focus your search? The southern region since there are coastern restaurants, it’s close to the beach, and everything is 5 minutes way such a taxis, or Uber.
[13:41- 14:23] So do you think that South Brooklyn has a big appreciation potential over the next 10 years? I will definitely say so and hopefully towards areas like Marine Park which is a prominent single family residence and I think those are the areas that will soon be coming up into the market.
[14:23-14:34] If you could speak to the You of ten years ago, what professional advice would you give yourself? I would advise myself to invest in good location.
[14:34- 14:52] What advice would you give to a person looking for a title investment company? I would advise that one should do their homework, explore social media, google title insurance, don’t be afraid. and shop for a title insurance company on your own.
[14:52 -15:40] What do you feel is the most valuable thing that you will bring to the table in terms of services to your consumers? I will provide to them my best knowledge with expertise and my quick response time. My service is impeccant since I strive on service and transparency. Also I give quotes on my website.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Dmitry an email at dmitry.gutman@abstitle.com
Give him a ring at 718-975-2175
www.etitledirect.com
Resources:
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Episode #16 - Interview With Barbara Biziou
Places collect energy – in the same way that your clothes and hair get dirty. Just as you need to do the laundry and shower daily, spaces also need to be cleansed. This is especially important when you want to transform your life in a BIG way.
I believe that everything is alive, filled with spirit. Everything has an energetic field. It just so happens that quantum physics also agrees with me. There have been a multitude of research studies, which support that everything in our physical world is actually vibrating energy. Whenever I clear and bless a client’s space, I’m actually literally revitalizing and re-charging the energy in the atmosphere. I love to help harmonize my clients’ spaces, so that they can bring in more joy and prosperity. Space Clearings and Space Blessings are especially important to do after a breakup or divorce, so as to clear the space thereby allowing in new energy.
Barbara is the author of the Joy of Ritual and The Joy of Family Rituals and she has been featured in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and Oprah.com. She has also appeared on television shows on CBS, NBC, FX and the Hallmark Channel. Biziou’s weekly newsletter currently reaches thousands of people and she contributes to Huffington Post, Mind Body Green, Rewireme, and What Now, What Next.
[1:31-2:06] Intro: Barbara Biziou has a spiritual calling. She clears rooms and helps people live life to the fullest potential.
[2:06-3:44] How did you get involved with practical spirituality and ritual cleansing? I'm a Sagittarian so I love travelling and I was also a seeker. But through a tragedy that happened in my life, I started to look for answers. I started discovering spiritual practices that people do around the world and through that I discovered these rituals and ceremonies that almost every culture around the world does, which is space clearing and blessing. This can be anything from blessing a business to a home to a Broadway show. I realized this was missing in the western culture and I started researching on it. I then integrated it into my business and practical life.
[3:44-4:20] To Americans, this is abnormal compared to what you’ve seen around the world. If you ask anybody’s great grandmother, they’ll tell you they did space clearing rituals which involved brooms, oils, and salts.
[4:20-5:20] What does a ritual look like? Spiritual cleaning goes on the premise that we are all connected and we’re all energies. Quantum physics also proves this. This means that any time we’re in a space, we have energy experience in that space. It could be happiness, sadness, or anger. And just as we pick dirt on clothes and hair, we pick energy from spaces. It is therefore essential to clear out energies from spaces we plan to live in.
[5:20-6:23] What does it look like when you enter into a room when doing a clearing? There are two ways. If you're trained, you learned to sense what places are holding stuck energy. For an average person, you might walk in to a place and immediately feel good or bad. A spiritual cleanser breaks up stuck energies and then raise the vibration to make it more in harmony and balance with what you want.
[6:23-8:26] Is this done with sense and sounds? Yes. The best ritual involves all your 5 senses. The smell sense is one of the most important to the brain and it boosts your energy and immune system when you smell something good. Citrus smells boosts your energy. Traditionally, people used sage, frankincense, and copal although they set up the fire alarms. Now, I make a line of aromatherapy sprays.
For sounds, traditionally, bells, clapping, chanting, and sometimes drums, were used to break up energy.
[8:26-9:33] Is there a difference between older and modern buildings with how you clear energy? Yes. Older buildings have more people who have lived there and unless people have been clearing the energy, it's going to be heavier with time.
[9:33-10:41] What are some of the fun results that you’ve had? Simple things like clearing a space and having it sell. I also do a lot of space clearing when people have changes in their lives. For example, when someone goes through a divorce, we clear the space to relieve the old person’s energy. New businesses, and Broadway shows are also part of my job. These are just some of my success stories.
[10:41-11:23] Are you high in demand? More and more people are understanding this now and it's more accepted just like yoga is. When I first started this, I had a non-disclosure clause but now as soon as I do it, they’re hashtagging us on Instagram.
[11:23-12:11] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[12:11-14:31] Since not everyone can hire you, are there tips to perform cleansing on our own? Absolutely. On my website, I have simple tips and videos and weekly offerings where I show people how to do it themselves. The simplest thing is to make a connection to the space. Ask permission to be there and ask the spirit of the land to cocreate a safe, happy, and wonderful space. After this, walk around with space clearing sprays such as lemon in water, sage, copal, and clap very hard around the corners. This will do a light cleaning and start opening it up.
I also create little altars where I light candles and put a crystal or it could be anything that you like that makes you feel happy, and dedicate the space to whatever it is you want. Whether it's the right person to come live there if you're selling it, or whatever you want if you're moving in.
[14:31-16:04] What’s the difference between your two books? The Joy of Ritual is more of an overview. It's like a spiritual cookbook of ‘this is how you do it, here are some of the ingredients’. I also give real life stories with this.
For The Joy of Family Rituals, I show how to do this with your children. Children love doing this kind of stuff and they really understand it.
[16:04-16:37] Is it possible for you to do this on Zoom or Skype? Absolutely. With these apps, it's great that I can see and can tune in and give suggestions on what people do.
[16:37-17:14] You're so much involved in a career world. How does spiritual cleansing and career combine? The good thing is I can bring both of them together. When I'm in the career world, I'm either helping people jumpstart their careers and get clearer or I'm going to corporations and I'm talking about women’s leadership and emotional intelligence. This brings in meditation, spirituality, but it grounds it into practical reality.
[17:14-19:03] What would you say if you met someone and they told you that their life is in chaos? I just did a video called email appnia which says so many people today when sending texts, answering calls, or sending emails don't breathe. When you don't breathe you aggravate your stress response in your body.
If you're in chaos, you need to stop and take a deep breath or do some technique to get yourself grounded. Usually, when someone is in chaos, their life is clattered. Whether it’s physical or emotional clatter.
[19:03-19:42] Are there teams of spiritual people that we can reach out to in our area? In most areas, you might want to look for a good Feng Shui person because a lot of them do space clearing. Hay House has a lot of good spiritual teachers and also The Shift Network has a lot of courses that they do. In my weekly newsletter, I always do recommendations for my community.
[19:42-19:57] Is what you're doing part of Feng Shui? It's tied to it but I'm not a trained Feng Shui practitioner. In my 30 years’ experience, I've learned to incorporate some Feng Shui techniques.
[19:57-22:53] What is the difference? Space clearing is part of Feng Shui but Feng Shui could also tell you the best colors to put where you would like to move furniture. Feng Shui practitioners help you make energy flow.
[22:53-23:21] There are a lot of spaces we don't think we should cleanse. - Right. I did a space clearing for a car for the Car Show in Java Center New York. Some people get new boats and they do ceremonies. People do this all the time.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Barbara an email at Barbara@BarbaraBiziou.com
Give her a ring at 212-741-3358
www.barbarabiziou.com
Resources:
Aromatherapy Sprays
Conversational Intelligence
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
I believe that everything is alive, filled with spirit. Everything has an energetic field. It just so happens that quantum physics also agrees with me. There have been a multitude of research studies, which support that everything in our physical world is actually vibrating energy. Whenever I clear and bless a client’s space, I’m actually literally revitalizing and re-charging the energy in the atmosphere. I love to help harmonize my clients’ spaces, so that they can bring in more joy and prosperity. Space Clearings and Space Blessings are especially important to do after a breakup or divorce, so as to clear the space thereby allowing in new energy.
Barbara is the author of the Joy of Ritual and The Joy of Family Rituals and she has been featured in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and Oprah.com. She has also appeared on television shows on CBS, NBC, FX and the Hallmark Channel. Biziou’s weekly newsletter currently reaches thousands of people and she contributes to Huffington Post, Mind Body Green, Rewireme, and What Now, What Next.
[1:31-2:06] Intro: Barbara Biziou has a spiritual calling. She clears rooms and helps people live life to the fullest potential.
[2:06-3:44] How did you get involved with practical spirituality and ritual cleansing? I'm a Sagittarian so I love travelling and I was also a seeker. But through a tragedy that happened in my life, I started to look for answers. I started discovering spiritual practices that people do around the world and through that I discovered these rituals and ceremonies that almost every culture around the world does, which is space clearing and blessing. This can be anything from blessing a business to a home to a Broadway show. I realized this was missing in the western culture and I started researching on it. I then integrated it into my business and practical life.
[3:44-4:20] To Americans, this is abnormal compared to what you’ve seen around the world. If you ask anybody’s great grandmother, they’ll tell you they did space clearing rituals which involved brooms, oils, and salts.
[4:20-5:20] What does a ritual look like? Spiritual cleaning goes on the premise that we are all connected and we’re all energies. Quantum physics also proves this. This means that any time we’re in a space, we have energy experience in that space. It could be happiness, sadness, or anger. And just as we pick dirt on clothes and hair, we pick energy from spaces. It is therefore essential to clear out energies from spaces we plan to live in.
[5:20-6:23] What does it look like when you enter into a room when doing a clearing? There are two ways. If you're trained, you learned to sense what places are holding stuck energy. For an average person, you might walk in to a place and immediately feel good or bad. A spiritual cleanser breaks up stuck energies and then raise the vibration to make it more in harmony and balance with what you want.
[6:23-8:26] Is this done with sense and sounds? Yes. The best ritual involves all your 5 senses. The smell sense is one of the most important to the brain and it boosts your energy and immune system when you smell something good. Citrus smells boosts your energy. Traditionally, people used sage, frankincense, and copal although they set up the fire alarms. Now, I make a line of aromatherapy sprays.
For sounds, traditionally, bells, clapping, chanting, and sometimes drums, were used to break up energy.
[8:26-9:33] Is there a difference between older and modern buildings with how you clear energy? Yes. Older buildings have more people who have lived there and unless people have been clearing the energy, it's going to be heavier with time.
[9:33-10:41] What are some of the fun results that you’ve had? Simple things like clearing a space and having it sell. I also do a lot of space clearing when people have changes in their lives. For example, when someone goes through a divorce, we clear the space to relieve the old person’s energy. New businesses, and Broadway shows are also part of my job. These are just some of my success stories.
[10:41-11:23] Are you high in demand? More and more people are understanding this now and it's more accepted just like yoga is. When I first started this, I had a non-disclosure clause but now as soon as I do it, they’re hashtagging us on Instagram.
[11:23-12:11] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[12:11-14:31] Since not everyone can hire you, are there tips to perform cleansing on our own? Absolutely. On my website, I have simple tips and videos and weekly offerings where I show people how to do it themselves. The simplest thing is to make a connection to the space. Ask permission to be there and ask the spirit of the land to cocreate a safe, happy, and wonderful space. After this, walk around with space clearing sprays such as lemon in water, sage, copal, and clap very hard around the corners. This will do a light cleaning and start opening it up.
I also create little altars where I light candles and put a crystal or it could be anything that you like that makes you feel happy, and dedicate the space to whatever it is you want. Whether it's the right person to come live there if you're selling it, or whatever you want if you're moving in.
[14:31-16:04] What’s the difference between your two books? The Joy of Ritual is more of an overview. It's like a spiritual cookbook of ‘this is how you do it, here are some of the ingredients’. I also give real life stories with this.
For The Joy of Family Rituals, I show how to do this with your children. Children love doing this kind of stuff and they really understand it.
[16:04-16:37] Is it possible for you to do this on Zoom or Skype? Absolutely. With these apps, it's great that I can see and can tune in and give suggestions on what people do.
[16:37-17:14] You're so much involved in a career world. How does spiritual cleansing and career combine? The good thing is I can bring both of them together. When I'm in the career world, I'm either helping people jumpstart their careers and get clearer or I'm going to corporations and I'm talking about women’s leadership and emotional intelligence. This brings in meditation, spirituality, but it grounds it into practical reality.
[17:14-19:03] What would you say if you met someone and they told you that their life is in chaos? I just did a video called email appnia which says so many people today when sending texts, answering calls, or sending emails don't breathe. When you don't breathe you aggravate your stress response in your body.
If you're in chaos, you need to stop and take a deep breath or do some technique to get yourself grounded. Usually, when someone is in chaos, their life is clattered. Whether it’s physical or emotional clatter.
[19:03-19:42] Are there teams of spiritual people that we can reach out to in our area? In most areas, you might want to look for a good Feng Shui person because a lot of them do space clearing. Hay House has a lot of good spiritual teachers and also The Shift Network has a lot of courses that they do. In my weekly newsletter, I always do recommendations for my community.
[19:42-19:57] Is what you're doing part of Feng Shui? It's tied to it but I'm not a trained Feng Shui practitioner. In my 30 years’ experience, I've learned to incorporate some Feng Shui techniques.
[19:57-22:53] What is the difference? Space clearing is part of Feng Shui but Feng Shui could also tell you the best colors to put where you would like to move furniture. Feng Shui practitioners help you make energy flow.
[22:53-23:21] There are a lot of spaces we don't think we should cleanse. - Right. I did a space clearing for a car for the Car Show in Java Center New York. Some people get new boats and they do ceremonies. People do this all the time.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Barbara an email at Barbara@BarbaraBiziou.com
Give her a ring at 212-741-3358
www.barbarabiziou.com
Resources:
Aromatherapy Sprays
Conversational Intelligence
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Episode #17 - Interview With Joseph Feldman
Home disaster, injury on property or loss of precious items can hit when you least expect it. On the podcast today, we'll talk to Joseph Feldman from Prime Insurance to discuss the importance of property insurance. We will also discuss the components of an insurance policy, the importance of having the right insurance for your needs, some mistakes insurance buyers make and how to prevent making these mistakes.
We put a lot of time, effort and expense into building our lives. It’s essential to make sure that what we do acquire is safe, secure and will not cause us financial or emotional detriment in the future. Led by Joseph, we’ll learn that purchasing insurance that fits your needs is the best investment you can make.
[0:00-0:35] Introduction to show
[0:35-1:08] Introduce Joseph Feldman from Prime Insurance and his background. Joseph grew up in Belgium, has lived in England, the US, and Israel. He has now settled down back in the United States.
[1:09-2:45] Why did you choose this line of work? Drew me in with the solid professionalism. Insurance is all about helping people. It brings me great satisfaction to use my nature as a perfectionist to help people. You caught the vision and now are able to do good.
[2:46-3:57] What is the importance of having insurance? The best investment you can make.
[3:58-6:04] What does a typical home policy cover? Property and liability coverage. Property coverage to protect from fire, disaster, etc. and liability coverage to protect yourself from injury on your property.
[6:05-6:57] What are some of the mistakes landlords make these days getting a new policy? The commodification of insurance has been harmful. It’s a personal investment to ensure what you have and your needs will be different from the next person. Going shopping for the cheapest insurance price ends up hurting you more than helping. It’s important to have a personal conversation with an insurance representative to discuss your specific needs to then get a quote that covers your specific needs.
[6:58-9:33] High-Value Home Insurance: what does it mean and what is the difference?
High-value home insurance is a package designed to cover people who have high-value homes, which is calculated per square foot. This package also covers a larger percentage of the content coverage as well as specific add-ons not in typical policies, such as jewelry coverage.
[9:34-10:39] What are the most common property insurances that the industry offers right now? There are many different types of property insurance policies available, including tenant-occupied, vacant property, construction policies, homeowner, condo owner and renter insurance to name a few.
[10:43-11:50] What is the most important thing to include in your insurance policy today?
Property and liability will already be included in your policy so it is crucial to ensure the policy is personalized to your needs. For example, including options such as water backup, replacement costs, structure coverage, etc.
[11:51-12:30] Stay in touch with the Podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866
[12:31-14:22] Are you able to get a better deal if you insurance multiple buildings at once? Is bulk pricing available? You can get a packaged rate (between 10-50% savings) instead of having multiple buildings covered with different policies from different insurance companies. More coverage, better policies.
[14:23-16:03] What is the number one thing that people overlook? Add-ons to policies. Worker’s compensation added to the home insurance policy, in the case that you have anyone in your home doing a job. For example a cleaner, someone to install fans or fix a clogged drain. ($2-3 a year). Added peace of mind.
[16:04-19:16] Your situation can change over the years. Is there a certain amount a time you need to reconsider what you’re covered for? Adjust for more or less coverage. Things do change. Most insurance policies have added an inflation guard. They will increase coverage to keep up with inflation every day. Important to have a personal relationship with the insurance company to discuss if you need to changes made to your policy, or you need to be re-quoted. Helpful to get re-quoted after a couple of years or annually. Prime Insurance automatically requote customers annually with the all the companies that would be a good fit for the product they have. Saves money and keeping the personal coverage they need.
[19:17-22:56] A story of Joseph making a difference and stories of those who decide not to go forward with insurance policies - Business owner and manager didn’t realize the need of getting workers comp for the employees he workers with and hires day-to-day. Legally it was required but no one brought it up to him. Joseph offered him coverage to help him get him what he needed to ensure he would not be hit with hefty fines, ensure his employees would be safe and secure.
[22:57-25:12] Get in contact with Joseph and Prime Insurance.
For you Brooklyn Made Podcast listeners, it’s easy to stay up to date with new interviews, events, new listings, real estate news, rental market reports, new listings, a whole lot more. Text the word Brooklyn to 66866 and you’ll be set up with our exclusive Brooklyn Made email.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Joseph an email at joseph@primeins.com
Give him a ring at 732-886-5751 x148
www.primeins.com
Resources:
Learn more about Prime Insurance
Subscribe to Prime Insurance’s blog
Organifi
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
We put a lot of time, effort and expense into building our lives. It’s essential to make sure that what we do acquire is safe, secure and will not cause us financial or emotional detriment in the future. Led by Joseph, we’ll learn that purchasing insurance that fits your needs is the best investment you can make.
[0:00-0:35] Introduction to show
[0:35-1:08] Introduce Joseph Feldman from Prime Insurance and his background. Joseph grew up in Belgium, has lived in England, the US, and Israel. He has now settled down back in the United States.
[1:09-2:45] Why did you choose this line of work? Drew me in with the solid professionalism. Insurance is all about helping people. It brings me great satisfaction to use my nature as a perfectionist to help people. You caught the vision and now are able to do good.
[2:46-3:57] What is the importance of having insurance? The best investment you can make.
[3:58-6:04] What does a typical home policy cover? Property and liability coverage. Property coverage to protect from fire, disaster, etc. and liability coverage to protect yourself from injury on your property.
[6:05-6:57] What are some of the mistakes landlords make these days getting a new policy? The commodification of insurance has been harmful. It’s a personal investment to ensure what you have and your needs will be different from the next person. Going shopping for the cheapest insurance price ends up hurting you more than helping. It’s important to have a personal conversation with an insurance representative to discuss your specific needs to then get a quote that covers your specific needs.
[6:58-9:33] High-Value Home Insurance: what does it mean and what is the difference?
High-value home insurance is a package designed to cover people who have high-value homes, which is calculated per square foot. This package also covers a larger percentage of the content coverage as well as specific add-ons not in typical policies, such as jewelry coverage.
[9:34-10:39] What are the most common property insurances that the industry offers right now? There are many different types of property insurance policies available, including tenant-occupied, vacant property, construction policies, homeowner, condo owner and renter insurance to name a few.
[10:43-11:50] What is the most important thing to include in your insurance policy today?
Property and liability will already be included in your policy so it is crucial to ensure the policy is personalized to your needs. For example, including options such as water backup, replacement costs, structure coverage, etc.
[11:51-12:30] Stay in touch with the Podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866
[12:31-14:22] Are you able to get a better deal if you insurance multiple buildings at once? Is bulk pricing available? You can get a packaged rate (between 10-50% savings) instead of having multiple buildings covered with different policies from different insurance companies. More coverage, better policies.
[14:23-16:03] What is the number one thing that people overlook? Add-ons to policies. Worker’s compensation added to the home insurance policy, in the case that you have anyone in your home doing a job. For example a cleaner, someone to install fans or fix a clogged drain. ($2-3 a year). Added peace of mind.
[16:04-19:16] Your situation can change over the years. Is there a certain amount a time you need to reconsider what you’re covered for? Adjust for more or less coverage. Things do change. Most insurance policies have added an inflation guard. They will increase coverage to keep up with inflation every day. Important to have a personal relationship with the insurance company to discuss if you need to changes made to your policy, or you need to be re-quoted. Helpful to get re-quoted after a couple of years or annually. Prime Insurance automatically requote customers annually with the all the companies that would be a good fit for the product they have. Saves money and keeping the personal coverage they need.
[19:17-22:56] A story of Joseph making a difference and stories of those who decide not to go forward with insurance policies - Business owner and manager didn’t realize the need of getting workers comp for the employees he workers with and hires day-to-day. Legally it was required but no one brought it up to him. Joseph offered him coverage to help him get him what he needed to ensure he would not be hit with hefty fines, ensure his employees would be safe and secure.
[22:57-25:12] Get in contact with Joseph and Prime Insurance.
For you Brooklyn Made Podcast listeners, it’s easy to stay up to date with new interviews, events, new listings, real estate news, rental market reports, new listings, a whole lot more. Text the word Brooklyn to 66866 and you’ll be set up with our exclusive Brooklyn Made email.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Joseph an email at joseph@primeins.com
Give him a ring at 732-886-5751 x148
www.primeins.com
Resources:
Learn more about Prime Insurance
Subscribe to Prime Insurance’s blog
Organifi
Wix
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Episode #18 - Interview With Barry Koven
Barry Koven is one of the top producing renovation loans specialists. Twelve years ago, Barry made a complete career change into the mortgage business. He has a passion for making homeownership and home renovation dreams a reality.
In this podcast, Barry lets you in on the best-kept secret in the mortgage industry. He talks about what renovation loans are, their advantages over second mortgages and how they often make the most sense.
About Barry Koven
As one of the top producing Renovation Loan Specialists in the country, Barry Koven is known for his product knowledge, customer service, professionalism, and integrity. Barry’s success is not limited to only renovation loans, he is proficient with all real estate financing including
Renovation/Construction financing is what Barry refers to as “The best-kept secret in the mortgage industry”. This product allows one to borrow the funds for both the purchase and renovations of a home, to fix up a home already owned, or to build a new home. Barry can finance
Barry’s passion and desire to help people make their homeownership dreams a reality is evident in every transaction. Known for his customer service and loyalty always as his top priority has enabled Barry after 13 years in the mortgage industry to be an extremely successful top producer in his marketplace.
Prior to his highly successful mortgage career Barry spent over 20 years in the music business achieving great success ending up as the Senior Vice President of National Sales at one of the largest and most innovative record labels TommyBoy Music / Warner Music Group where he was responsible for the sales and marketing of many gold and multi-platinum recording artists.
Barry lives in Brooklyn NY with his wife of over 20 years and could not be more proud of his 2 children in high school and college.
[02:19] How Barry got started in the mortgage industry
[03:15] The best-kept secret in the mortgage industry
[05:29] Why people should consider a renovation loan over a second mortgage
[07:11] How getting a renovation loan works
[08:24] How renovation loans look at the future value and usage of the property
[09:39] How renovation loans are appropriate for both big and small renovations
[12:09] Why are renovation loans not talked about more?
[13:48] What can be included in a renovation loan
[15:18] Can you choose the contractor?
[16:39] Are these loans harder and more complicated to get?
[18:53] The importance of working with someone experienced in renovation loans
[20:40] How the contractor gets paid
[23:39] How renovation loans have the advantage of consumer protection
For you Brooklyn Made Podcast listeners, it’s easy to stay up to date with new interviews, events, new listings, real estate news, rental market reports, new listings, a whole lot more. Text the word Brooklyn to 66866 and you’ll be set up with our exclusive Brooklyn Made email.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Barry an email at bkoven@loandepot.com
Give him a ring at 718-907-7420 or at 917-597-1330
www.Barrykoven.com
Resources:
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win
The seven spiritual laws of Success
How to win friends and Influence People
Think and Grow Rich
Wix
Learn more about Renovation Loans Here
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
In this podcast, Barry lets you in on the best-kept secret in the mortgage industry. He talks about what renovation loans are, their advantages over second mortgages and how they often make the most sense.
About Barry Koven
As one of the top producing Renovation Loan Specialists in the country, Barry Koven is known for his product knowledge, customer service, professionalism, and integrity. Barry’s success is not limited to only renovation loans, he is proficient with all real estate financing including
Renovation/Construction financing is what Barry refers to as “The best-kept secret in the mortgage industry”. This product allows one to borrow the funds for both the purchase and renovations of a home, to fix up a home already owned, or to build a new home. Barry can finance
Barry’s passion and desire to help people make their homeownership dreams a reality is evident in every transaction. Known for his customer service and loyalty always as his top priority has enabled Barry after 13 years in the mortgage industry to be an extremely successful top producer in his marketplace.
Prior to his highly successful mortgage career Barry spent over 20 years in the music business achieving great success ending up as the Senior Vice President of National Sales at one of the largest and most innovative record labels TommyBoy Music / Warner Music Group where he was responsible for the sales and marketing of many gold and multi-platinum recording artists.
Barry lives in Brooklyn NY with his wife of over 20 years and could not be more proud of his 2 children in high school and college.
[02:19] How Barry got started in the mortgage industry
[03:15] The best-kept secret in the mortgage industry
[05:29] Why people should consider a renovation loan over a second mortgage
[07:11] How getting a renovation loan works
[08:24] How renovation loans look at the future value and usage of the property
[09:39] How renovation loans are appropriate for both big and small renovations
[12:09] Why are renovation loans not talked about more?
[13:48] What can be included in a renovation loan
[15:18] Can you choose the contractor?
[16:39] Are these loans harder and more complicated to get?
[18:53] The importance of working with someone experienced in renovation loans
[20:40] How the contractor gets paid
[23:39] How renovation loans have the advantage of consumer protection
For you Brooklyn Made Podcast listeners, it’s easy to stay up to date with new interviews, events, new listings, real estate news, rental market reports, new listings, a whole lot more. Text the word Brooklyn to 66866 and you’ll be set up with our exclusive Brooklyn Made email.
Contact Our Guest:
Send Barry an email at bkoven@loandepot.com
Give him a ring at 718-907-7420 or at 917-597-1330
www.Barrykoven.com
Resources:
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win
The seven spiritual laws of Success
How to win friends and Influence People
Think and Grow Rich
Wix
Learn more about Renovation Loans Here
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Interview #19 - Interview With Geoffrey Cobb
Geoffrey Cobb is the author of the book Rise and Fall of the Sugar King which shows what it really cost to create the sugar industry. He’s got touching stories of how Henry Havemeyer would stop at nothing just to see his company thrive. We discuss how this has personally affected him and we’re sure from this, you won't be able to view sugar the same way.
Buy The Book
[01:48-2:25] Intro: Today we are joined by Geoffrey Cobb who is the author of the book 'The rise and fall of the sugar king'.
[2:25-3:05] Can you tell us more about Dominos sugar? It was started by two brothers, Henry who did the marketing and Theodore who handled the technical side. It was doing well, but then after the civil war ,more people discovered that they too could refine sugar which created a lot of competition and in turn forced them to cut down on their prices which put a strain in the business.
[3:05-6:31] Could you please tell us more about the conditions of the refinery? They picked Polish-speaking immigrants that didn’t know English and this was because they knew that they were desperate and would do anything. They would work for 12 hours a day in temperatures that ranged from 110 to 130 degrees and at almost 100% humidity. Most workers would wear loin cloth because of the heat. There were a number of accidents in the refinery that left some workers sick and/or disable and without compensation. There were deaths, too, especially on hot summer days yet the refinery didn’t stop working even after the workers demanded for better working conditions.
[6:31-8:29] Tell us more about the turmoil in the States and around the world because of this? In 1882, there was a fire that completely engulfed the refinery to the ground. It cost them 1.5 million, which in today’s economy is about 1.5 billion to reconstruct. The workers then protested about the poor working conditions which was resolved, but went onto becoming a recurring problem.
[8:29-10:53] The sugar industry really shaped the economy and the skyline when it comes to the sugar industry. What would the city have been without it? In the 1830's there was a vision of Williamsburg being a posh residential area. It didn’t happen due to a real estate bubble burst which left large tracks of land which later became sugar refineries. Henry Havemeyer later remarried Louisine Havemeyer who brought great awareness to impressionist art, which some she later donated to metropolitan museum.
[10:53-12:03] Did the art come from the mansion facing central park? Yes. The mansion was decorated by Louis comfort Tiffany.
[12:03-14:35] Could you tell us more about the sugar trust? In the 1880's the competition became cut throat and the only way to survive was to limit the amount of sugar produced and to increase the price. Henry Havemeyer then convinced other sugar producers to set up a sugar trust that would control the price and supply. This, in turn, made them very wealthy, affecting the economy of the United States. In 1858 with the start of the civil war in Louisiana where most of the sugar come from, the supply was cut off and sugar had to be imported from different places such as Cuba, Egypt, Puerto Rico, and Brazil but mainly from Cuba. This sparked the Spanish-American war.
[14:35-14:55] What made Henry Havemeryer push the American government to fight with Spain? He wanted to buy up the sugar plantation where the raw sugar way raised.
[14:55-15:24] It was all about the money, right? Right. And as soon as Cuba was freed from Spain and Puerto Rico became an American territory, they reconfigured the economy to best suit them.
[15:24-16:13] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[16:13-18:09] Does Met Museum have a responsibility to talk about the money and the history of the art hanging on their walls? Unfortunately, there is no stipulation for this even though there is a lot of criminality surrounding the Havermeyer's wealth acquisition.
[18:09-19:39] What did the president of the United States say about this? He asked that justice be served for the fraudulent behavior that cost the country a lot.
[20:06-21:34] What kind of emotion does seeing sugar evoke from you knowing what you know now? I am now aware of how many lives were lost and ruined for the production of that sugar. I cut my story off at 1909 but this went on till 2005. I have a visual attachment to sugar.
[21:34-22:33] Why did the union solider need so much sugar a month? It’s not clear but a logical argument would be that they were cooking up boozes.
[22:33-27:41] What was the influence of the Sherman act? After the sugar trust was formed, the New York State sued them for being illegal which they won. They then incorporated in New Jersey and they were able to run the sugar trust fund through Henry Havermeyer. Through bribing top government officials, Henry Havermeyer was able to maintain and run his business empire without problems despite breaking the law. Henry was also known to destroy anyone that attempted to come into competition with him as in the cause of Claus Spreckels, a sugar king from California, and The Arbuckle which cost a lot of money.
[27:41-30:09] Let’s talk about his family that’s living today.
After his death, there was an investigation and they found out that Henry had illegally received a huge amount of stock in the American Sugar refining company which violates the security exchange commission laws. The family divested and the sugar monopoly was broken up by the government, but they still held huge amount of stock worth millions.
His daughter, Electro, set up foremost museum of Americana, and the son became a family historian. They’re still wealthy people to date.
[30:09-31:10] What’s happening to the modern Domino sugar building? The building is landmark and it rapidly transformed into something different. It was set up as an industrial building but now it's going to be luxury offices and condos. I would love people to remember that there's a unique and tragic history attached to this building which is one of the reasons I wrote the book.
Special thank you to Michael Kawochka from Warren Lewis Sotheby's International Realty for making this introduction and helping with the interview!
Contact our guest
www.Geoffreycobb.com
Resources:
The Rise & Fall of The Sugar King
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Buy The Book
[01:48-2:25] Intro: Today we are joined by Geoffrey Cobb who is the author of the book 'The rise and fall of the sugar king'.
[2:25-3:05] Can you tell us more about Dominos sugar? It was started by two brothers, Henry who did the marketing and Theodore who handled the technical side. It was doing well, but then after the civil war ,more people discovered that they too could refine sugar which created a lot of competition and in turn forced them to cut down on their prices which put a strain in the business.
[3:05-6:31] Could you please tell us more about the conditions of the refinery? They picked Polish-speaking immigrants that didn’t know English and this was because they knew that they were desperate and would do anything. They would work for 12 hours a day in temperatures that ranged from 110 to 130 degrees and at almost 100% humidity. Most workers would wear loin cloth because of the heat. There were a number of accidents in the refinery that left some workers sick and/or disable and without compensation. There were deaths, too, especially on hot summer days yet the refinery didn’t stop working even after the workers demanded for better working conditions.
[6:31-8:29] Tell us more about the turmoil in the States and around the world because of this? In 1882, there was a fire that completely engulfed the refinery to the ground. It cost them 1.5 million, which in today’s economy is about 1.5 billion to reconstruct. The workers then protested about the poor working conditions which was resolved, but went onto becoming a recurring problem.
[8:29-10:53] The sugar industry really shaped the economy and the skyline when it comes to the sugar industry. What would the city have been without it? In the 1830's there was a vision of Williamsburg being a posh residential area. It didn’t happen due to a real estate bubble burst which left large tracks of land which later became sugar refineries. Henry Havemeyer later remarried Louisine Havemeyer who brought great awareness to impressionist art, which some she later donated to metropolitan museum.
[10:53-12:03] Did the art come from the mansion facing central park? Yes. The mansion was decorated by Louis comfort Tiffany.
[12:03-14:35] Could you tell us more about the sugar trust? In the 1880's the competition became cut throat and the only way to survive was to limit the amount of sugar produced and to increase the price. Henry Havemeyer then convinced other sugar producers to set up a sugar trust that would control the price and supply. This, in turn, made them very wealthy, affecting the economy of the United States. In 1858 with the start of the civil war in Louisiana where most of the sugar come from, the supply was cut off and sugar had to be imported from different places such as Cuba, Egypt, Puerto Rico, and Brazil but mainly from Cuba. This sparked the Spanish-American war.
[14:35-14:55] What made Henry Havemeryer push the American government to fight with Spain? He wanted to buy up the sugar plantation where the raw sugar way raised.
[14:55-15:24] It was all about the money, right? Right. And as soon as Cuba was freed from Spain and Puerto Rico became an American territory, they reconfigured the economy to best suit them.
[15:24-16:13] Stay in touch with the podcast by subscribing to the mailing list. Text Brooklyn to 66866.
[16:13-18:09] Does Met Museum have a responsibility to talk about the money and the history of the art hanging on their walls? Unfortunately, there is no stipulation for this even though there is a lot of criminality surrounding the Havermeyer's wealth acquisition.
[18:09-19:39] What did the president of the United States say about this? He asked that justice be served for the fraudulent behavior that cost the country a lot.
[20:06-21:34] What kind of emotion does seeing sugar evoke from you knowing what you know now? I am now aware of how many lives were lost and ruined for the production of that sugar. I cut my story off at 1909 but this went on till 2005. I have a visual attachment to sugar.
[21:34-22:33] Why did the union solider need so much sugar a month? It’s not clear but a logical argument would be that they were cooking up boozes.
[22:33-27:41] What was the influence of the Sherman act? After the sugar trust was formed, the New York State sued them for being illegal which they won. They then incorporated in New Jersey and they were able to run the sugar trust fund through Henry Havermeyer. Through bribing top government officials, Henry Havermeyer was able to maintain and run his business empire without problems despite breaking the law. Henry was also known to destroy anyone that attempted to come into competition with him as in the cause of Claus Spreckels, a sugar king from California, and The Arbuckle which cost a lot of money.
[27:41-30:09] Let’s talk about his family that’s living today.
After his death, there was an investigation and they found out that Henry had illegally received a huge amount of stock in the American Sugar refining company which violates the security exchange commission laws. The family divested and the sugar monopoly was broken up by the government, but they still held huge amount of stock worth millions.
His daughter, Electro, set up foremost museum of Americana, and the son became a family historian. They’re still wealthy people to date.
[30:09-31:10] What’s happening to the modern Domino sugar building? The building is landmark and it rapidly transformed into something different. It was set up as an industrial building but now it's going to be luxury offices and condos. I would love people to remember that there's a unique and tragic history attached to this building which is one of the reasons I wrote the book.
Special thank you to Michael Kawochka from Warren Lewis Sotheby's International Realty for making this introduction and helping with the interview!
Contact our guest
www.Geoffreycobb.com
Resources:
The Rise & Fall of The Sugar King
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
Interview #20 - Interview With Haim Shemesh
Haim Shemesh is the co-founder of Sunlight Fine Rug Care & Restoration. A company that specializes in Oriental/ Antique rug, wool rug, cleaning repair & restoration as well as furniture restoration.
We discuss everything from how Persian handmade carpets are made to cleaning them and restoring them from bad stains and conditions. He’ll also share with us how to choose the best type of carpet fabric for residential as well as commercial use.
[0:22-0:44] Intro: Today we are joined by carpet expert Haim Shemesh.
[0:44-1:23] Tell us about yourself? I’m 42 years old. I came to U.S 18 years ago when I came to study acting, but ended up getting involved in the rug business and got fascinated by the oriental Persian handmade rugs.
[1:23-1:35] How long have you been in the rug business? Since 2003. I took a few years off then got back in 2006 which makes it 12 years.
[1:35-2:06] Tell us more about your fascination with the art and symbols in different regions and countries in the rug industry? It’s interesting to see the difference in the way they weave the symbols with different elements and technics as well as how they take care of them.
[2:06-4:42] How delicate are the rugs to clean? Persian handmade rugs are very delicate and need special soaps to wash them otherwise using regular ones may cause bleeding of the colors thus destroying the rug.
[4:42-6:10] what are the price ranges for carpet cleaning and caring? The prices are dependent on the condition of the rug. Some need more time and attention than others, but for a regular standard wash prices start from 150 dollar onwards.
[6:10-6:56] Do you do offers cleaning services to people outside Brooklyn since your based here? Yes we do. We have a pick-up and delivery service to clients around areas such as Queens, Hamptons, and long island, and for those far away we accept shipping.
[6:56-8:09] Do you also clean regular carpets? Yes. As a company, we don't only clean fancy Persian carpets, we also clean different types of carpets and do upholstery as well.
[8:33-10:39] What kind of chemicals do you use to clean the carpets? We use soaps and not chemicals that are green seal approved and that have a low pH value. This ensures that the carpet or rug maintains its color and texture after been cleaned.
[10:39-11:59] What’s the difference between residential and commercial clients? Residential clients are more sensitive to their carpets and rugs because they are more valuable compared to commercial ones.
[11:59-14:00] Who are some of your most famous client and places you’ve gone? One of the places I enjoyed the most was a church in Brooklyn where the Father had tapestry and rugs that I saw he really loved and had become quite dirty; that was an honor for me to do for him. Another one was Alec Baldwin who had a banana silk rug that was stained and after cleaning it, he wrote a review back to us and allowed me to post it on our website.
[14:00-16:15] What are some of the things to look for when buying a normal residential carpet? For a wall to wall, synthetic or plashet are the best but also keep in mind the color because some stain easily such as white and off-white. As for aerial rugs, choosing one that has been made from one fabric such as wool is the best when I comes to cleaning. For example, sisal rugs do not absorb the drying process very well and tend to leave water marks when they dry. Others to avoid are the overdyed rugs because once they are washed the colors fade off.
[16:15-16:45] What specials do you have for our listens here in the North east? At the moment we have a 50 dollar coupon and 10% off for new customers. We run promotions now and again too.
[17:38-18-24] How important are the customer’s reviews? It’s important for us because we want to know that we made our clients happy with the work we’ve done.
Contact our guest
Website: www.sunlightfinerugcare.com
Toll free number: 1-888-810-8120
Facebook: Sunlight Fine Rug Care & Restoration
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
We discuss everything from how Persian handmade carpets are made to cleaning them and restoring them from bad stains and conditions. He’ll also share with us how to choose the best type of carpet fabric for residential as well as commercial use.
[0:22-0:44] Intro: Today we are joined by carpet expert Haim Shemesh.
[0:44-1:23] Tell us about yourself? I’m 42 years old. I came to U.S 18 years ago when I came to study acting, but ended up getting involved in the rug business and got fascinated by the oriental Persian handmade rugs.
[1:23-1:35] How long have you been in the rug business? Since 2003. I took a few years off then got back in 2006 which makes it 12 years.
[1:35-2:06] Tell us more about your fascination with the art and symbols in different regions and countries in the rug industry? It’s interesting to see the difference in the way they weave the symbols with different elements and technics as well as how they take care of them.
[2:06-4:42] How delicate are the rugs to clean? Persian handmade rugs are very delicate and need special soaps to wash them otherwise using regular ones may cause bleeding of the colors thus destroying the rug.
[4:42-6:10] what are the price ranges for carpet cleaning and caring? The prices are dependent on the condition of the rug. Some need more time and attention than others, but for a regular standard wash prices start from 150 dollar onwards.
[6:10-6:56] Do you do offers cleaning services to people outside Brooklyn since your based here? Yes we do. We have a pick-up and delivery service to clients around areas such as Queens, Hamptons, and long island, and for those far away we accept shipping.
[6:56-8:09] Do you also clean regular carpets? Yes. As a company, we don't only clean fancy Persian carpets, we also clean different types of carpets and do upholstery as well.
[8:33-10:39] What kind of chemicals do you use to clean the carpets? We use soaps and not chemicals that are green seal approved and that have a low pH value. This ensures that the carpet or rug maintains its color and texture after been cleaned.
[10:39-11:59] What’s the difference between residential and commercial clients? Residential clients are more sensitive to their carpets and rugs because they are more valuable compared to commercial ones.
[11:59-14:00] Who are some of your most famous client and places you’ve gone? One of the places I enjoyed the most was a church in Brooklyn where the Father had tapestry and rugs that I saw he really loved and had become quite dirty; that was an honor for me to do for him. Another one was Alec Baldwin who had a banana silk rug that was stained and after cleaning it, he wrote a review back to us and allowed me to post it on our website.
[14:00-16:15] What are some of the things to look for when buying a normal residential carpet? For a wall to wall, synthetic or plashet are the best but also keep in mind the color because some stain easily such as white and off-white. As for aerial rugs, choosing one that has been made from one fabric such as wool is the best when I comes to cleaning. For example, sisal rugs do not absorb the drying process very well and tend to leave water marks when they dry. Others to avoid are the overdyed rugs because once they are washed the colors fade off.
[16:15-16:45] What specials do you have for our listens here in the North east? At the moment we have a 50 dollar coupon and 10% off for new customers. We run promotions now and again too.
[17:38-18-24] How important are the customer’s reviews? It’s important for us because we want to know that we made our clients happy with the work we’ve done.
Contact our guest
Website: www.sunlightfinerugcare.com
Toll free number: 1-888-810-8120
Facebook: Sunlight Fine Rug Care & Restoration
-
Our Proud Sponsors:
The RATNER Team
Spartan Renovations
Kings Auto Group
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