Rental Dementia: No Expectations

Written by Brian Carter on March 14, 2007. Posted in Opinion and Column, Posts

My last appointment of the day turned out to be a big jovial Irishman who loved to talk. As he went through what seemed his entire history, I stood in the increasingly dark and empty apartment, looking out of the large windows. Three stories below, the clock-watchers were already hurrying home. It was just after
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Rental Dementia: The Last One Bedroom in Dumbo

Written by Brian Carter on March 7, 2007. Posted in Opinion and Column, Posts

New construction condos were once again flying into contract, and if I didn’t get my shit together, another frothy wave of commission checks would pass, while I splashed around in the flat bath water of the rental market. I was still reconfiguring a New Years resolution when the phones returned to ringing and the emails
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Rental Dementia: A Broker in Waiting

Written by Brian Carter on February 28, 2007. Posted in Opinion and Column, Posts

I’m drowning in complaints. My fellow rental agents have gotten it into their thick and neurotic skulls that I’m the resident shrink, the guy to go to when you need to unload the latest litany of crimes perpetrated by those ruthlessly insensitive clients. Whether they’ve been stood up, laid out, flat out insulted or backstabbed,
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Rental Dementia: The Other Side of the Coin

Written by Brian Carter on February 21, 2007. Posted in Opinion and Column, Posts

The weather has finally turned nasty and it’s bad out there. You would have worn thermals but they make your thighs look fat, which is a little weird as this story applies to both genders, but it’s New York and no one is going to accuse you of being vain, only stupid, which you can
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Rental Dementia: Lenny, The Queens Broker

Written by Brian Carter on February 14, 2007. Posted in Opinion and Column, Posts

How I ended up meeting Lenny and trying to broker a one-bedroom for $150,000 in Kew Gardens without ever having to actually go to Queens is sort of a long story. It was a terrible idea from the start, as I didn’t even know where Kew Gardens was. My only excuse is that it all
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Rental Dementia: No Room for Dreamers

Written by Brian Carter on February 7, 2007. Posted in Opinion and Column, Posts

He didn’t have a single friend in this entire city. Not one person to offer him a little advice, make a phone call to, or get a favor from. There was no old roommate or college buddy to shack up with, and no couch to crash on while he got settled. He didn’t have a
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Rental Dementia: Little Landlords & the Crumbs They Deny

Written by Brian Carter on January 31, 2007. Posted in Opinion and Column, Posts

It was a gorgeous, garden level floor-through in a turn of the century townhouse in West Chelsea. Layered with impressive original details, including an oversized working fireplace, the space was a measured blend of old world charm and modern convenience. The large bedroom was separated from the living room by a short hallway with original
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Rental Dementia: Why All the Hostility?

Written by Brian Carter on January 24, 2007. Posted in Opinion and Column, Posts

I recently spoke with the manager of a very well known and respected real estate company. He was speaking specifically about agents when he said the business had a self-esteem problem. Apparently, real estate agents aren’t very proud of what they do for a living. It was refreshing to hear, as overcompensation generally comes with
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Rental Dementia: Miracle on Broker Street

Written by Brian Carter on January 17, 2007. Posted in Opinion and Column, Posts

In general, landlords are suspicious. They’ve been burned before. This is their livelihood and their largest investment. They have every reason to be cautious and every opportunity to be selective. On the other hand, many renters are angry. They don’t like feeling ripped off and yet they’ll spend over 30 percent of their entire income
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Rental Dementia: Jeremy Shockey, The Rental Agent

Written by Brian Carter on January 3, 2007. Posted in Opinion and Column, Posts

I have one New Year’s resolution this year: to become the Jeremy Shockey of rental agents. I’ve spent the last few years floundering between periods of hard work and total apathy. This half-assed approach to the business has yielded me only modest results, as I’ve spent a good deal of time and energy questioning the
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