I attended the West Indian-American Labor Day Carnival/Parade. Held in Brooklyn New York, annually. Can you taste it?  Oxtail, Rice and peas, Jerk Chicken, Curry chicken, Beef Patties, Coconut water, Sorrel juice, Cow-foot soup, Callaoo, Plantains, Roasted corn and stew chicken was just some of the food served at the parade.  Can you hear it? The sound of Soca, Reggae,and Calypso had everyone dancing on the streets. Eastern Parkway was full for the Brooklyn West Indian-American Parade. (Eastern Parkway is a street in Brooklyn New York that runs  from the Ocean Hill/Brownsville section of Brooklyn, through Crown Heights to Prospect Heights Brooklyn down by Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Museum.)  I have seen the parade from my stoop, because I lived on Eastern Parkway and Utica ave for a... 09/08/2007

Number of home sales in Bedford Stuyvesant: 302 homes closed in 2004; 446  closed in 2005; 531 closed in 2006.Average Price of a home in Bed Stuy:2004 sale price of a home in Bed Stuy was 368,065. In 2005 the average sale price rose to 495,332 and by the end of 2006 the average price was 597,46. Between 2004-2006 the average price of a home in Bedford Stuyvesant rose a whopping 62.3%. For listings and more community info on Bed-Stuy visit my website.  08/26/2007

Hi Guys It seems that the mortgage meltdown is imminent and unavoidable. Reputable lenders closing right and left like Greenpoint who just announced that they will shut down their operation for new applications but keeping their commercial branch open.Another lender that shut its doors last week was First Magnus, a Great alt A Lender with great Products. What is sad about it is the way mortgage brokers and realtors on the front end are feeling the squeeze. Especially painful is when you already got your approval and it is scheduled to close in 24 hours and then you hear the lender is shutting their doors and will not honor their prior commitments.It seems almost like betrayal, a company going under and taking their profit with them and ignoring the poor borrowers and brokers who are des... 08/20/2007

 We kept it very simple. We went to the court house. My sister hired a photographer to follow us around all day. After we got married we went to the Brooklyn's  Empire Fulton Ferry State park in Dumbo.  The waterfront  park  is  located in Brooklyn it has gorgeous views of the the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge with the NYC skyline. Then we went to dinner with about 10 people at Night of the Cookers in Fort Greene Brooklyn.  They serve down-home southern food and has a live jazz band.  The day was perfect! If you are ever in Brooklyn you have to check out the park and the restaurant   08/19/2007

Brooklyn Real Estate and Miami Real Estate are light years away from eachother but connected all the same.  Before moving to Brooklyn, NY I served many Brooklyn Clients seeking a luxury condo in Miami and Miami Beach.  Compared to NY Real Estate, Miami Real Estate is far less expensive.  Its only a short flight between the two cities which makes owning property in both cities very sensible to me. Live the best of both worlds! In this Blog, I will discuss both Brooklyn Real Estate, and Miami Real Estate, and their connection. -Rolan Sereny 07/31/2007

2467 E 14th St Brooklyn, NY 11235 Asking: $789,000 Selling: $740,000 On the Market: 4 Weeks   This SD Brick R4 zoned 4 Family in Sheepshead Bay Brooklyn features Four 2 Bedroom Apartments each with 1 Full Bath, Lr and Kitchen. This 4 family also features an open unfinished basement all on a 20x100 lot! Floor plans available in the office!  Visit CarolloRealEstate.com for more information 07/13/2007

By Luke Constantino | 7/10/07 As a Realtor my peak time on average is early spring right though till July 4th. After that, the real estate market slows down, people go on vacation and a steady pace resumes after Labor Day. I've been asked by many buyers: when is a good time to buy? My answer is usually anytime. When you find the property you want and it's below fair market value, buy! Some people make the mistake of overpricing their property or putting it on the market in what we in the real estate field call "Slow times". Overpriced property: When it's peak time, and a property is overpriced on the market it will usually still be listed through the summer, which is an off peak time. Sometimes you can find the best deals in the summer. Property owners are more likely to be flexible wit... 07/10/2007

There are great many of people are struggling and get Scammed in Home-Based Business Offers. Fortunately, Easily Daily Cash Gold has founded in 2006 by two successful persons Craig and Mike. EDC Gold is a business opportunity that based on a secret formula that makes you earn substential income sooner than later....Personally, i joined in one of their programs called EDC Gold, i got amazing results from the first week of marketing. Now, i'm earning at least $2575 a week. Sometimes 4000 a day, depends on the traffic and how much effort i put....When i say effort, i do not mean 8 hours! No, i mean 2 hours a day and my business works amazingly for me 24/7. I'm talking on Fact not Hype. What about you? Why this happens to me and does not happen to you? Is it because i have prior experience ... 07/08/2007

By Luke Constantino | June 29, 2007 The music hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn will open September 4th. A lot of quality artists will be part of it's venue due to the promotion of "The Bowery Presents" which will also be running concerts in McCarran Park Pool in Green point which has run quite a few awesome cancerts recently with great success. It hasn't been filled with water in quite a while but has with great music recently. McCarren Pool Party last summer, 2006   The opening act for The Music hall of Williamsburg will be legendary "Patti Smith". She has been a part of American rock and roll the way apple pie and hot dogs are to the American way. She has collaborated with the greatest band of our time and has written songs that will be forever engrave in rock and roll history. To have ... 06/29/2007

You haven't been to Coney Island unless you took a  ride on "The Cyclone"! It started to roar in 1927 when roller coasters were at the beginning of becomming bigger and better. Evevthough there are many rollercoasters today that are much bigger and faster, The Cyclone give a gut wrenching ride with alot of rattling, the pull chaines making an errie clinking noise and hair pin turns that make you think you're going to fall right on to Surf Avenue!   So the next time you take a trip to NYC,  jump on the B,Q,D,N or F train to the last stop, Coney Island to get a piece of this nostalgic but breath taking ride. And while your there get the best hot dog in the world, Nathan's Famous and a beer. As a precaution; Do this after your ride on The Cyclone, not before... You'll thank me for that inf... 06/29/2007

    SHORE PROMENADE, BROOKLYN, NY THIS IS HOW IT LOOKS ON A HOT HUMID DAY (90 DEGREES TODAY)   RIGHT NEXT TO THE BIKE PATH IS THE BELT PARKWAY WHICH CONNECTS TO THE BROOKLYN QUEENS EXPRESSWAY     TAI CHI PEOPLE... THERE'S ALOT OF THEM HERE EARLY IN THE MORNING   I TOOK A MAJORITY OF THESE PICTURES WHILE RIDING ON MY BIKE WITH NO HANDS   This is one of the most beautiful jogging/Bike pahths around... A very well kept Brooklyn secret.   69 Street Peir (At the end of the Promenade) 9/11 MEMORIAL STATUE     YES, THE STATUE OF LIBERTY IS OUT THERE...  YOU CANNOT SEE HER THROUGH THE HAZE BUT ON A CLEAR DAY YOU HAVE A BEAUTIFUL VIEW OF NEW YORK HARBOR! This is the 1/2 way point on my bike ride.   THIS IS PABLO.  HE FISHES AT THE END OF THE PEIR EVERY MORNING. HE LAUGHS AND SAYS; "You are one c... 06/29/2007

Luke Constantino | June 16th 2007 The loans given to homeowners with less than perfect credit became a fast growing part of business for many mortgage companies the past few years to people who couldn't qualify for a conventional loan. This sounded like a great opportunity to a lot of people with modest incomes. They were able to buy that home and live the American dream.   This has spiked the amount of new homeowners in the very high priced market we had just a few years ago. In the next two years, the more modest parts of Brooklyn that consist of hard working class people will be going into foreclosure at an astounding rate. I have already seen the amount of houses trying to sell before foreclosure increase dramatically. Here is a copy of the stats on The Brooklyn NY MLS hot sheet for... 06/15/2007

Luke Constantino | June 1, 2007 Have you walked around some residential neighborhoods lately?  Sometimes you can see 5 houses for sale on the same block... Since Last Year!!!   A home can be a source of debt or wealth.  Many people want their homes to pay their bills or to buy up to a better place.  Let's take into account that it really doesn't matter what you think your house is worth.  What matters is what the bank appraiser who is going to give the buyer a mortgage thinks its worth.  Here's a little known fact: they come to us for a comparative market analysis on similar homes in your area.  We guide them on the prices of homes.  You should always listen to a respected Realtor about the price range of your home, and not your neighbor down the block. Your House Is Overpriced when:   ... 06/01/2007

This was e-mailed to me by a colleague and I found it very beneficial. I hope this works for you in your endeavors.  By Jeff Stanton If someone changes their thinking, they will change their behavior. I committed to putting a referral network database together and mail them a postcard every month. I now have 425 people on my list and growing. They hear from me every month about what I do and how I help customers.   I think I have made more contacts in the Shop Rite, than anywhere else. Every time I go food shopping, which feels like every day, someone says, "Hi Jeff how's real estate / mortgages?"   The market is changing, our market place slowed down, it's harder to sell.  I got use to telling people good news over the past 8 years. My question is this, "what do I say today?" That's a ... 05/24/2007

 By Luke Constantino | May 18, 2007 How many times have you seen Abbreviations after A Realtor's name or in an ad from the newspaper you didn't understand? I've been in real estate for years and I don't even understand some of them! There seems to be an abbreviation for everything. I've compiled a list of abbreviations most from my experience and some from different sources to make things easier to understand: 1C, 2C 1 or 2 car Garage 1 LV, 2 LV 1 or 2 Living Levels 4/3  4 Bedrooms/ 3 Bathrooms 3/4 Bath = toilet + sink + shower or tub 4/3/2 = 4 bedroom / 3 bath / 2 car garage ab  Abstract ABR Accredited Buyer Representative a/g pl  Above ground Pool ac  Acre a/c  Air Conditioning Actv  Active AICUZ  Air Installations Compatible Use Zones Alm  Aluminum Siding APR - annual percentage rate... 05/18/2007

Selling or buying a house is a major transaction. And doing just a little homework can mean getting the best help in the business. By Beth Teitell  |  April 15, 2007 Donna Scott sold $78 million worth of homes last year in the Wellesley area - almost a house per week. If Scott, who works for Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, has the listing on a place and the owners happen to need help in the sprucing-up department, she will personally bring over clean towels to hang in the bathrooms. If the house is lacking that warm, happy vibe, she'll pick up some perfectly ripe fruit and arrange it in a bowl on the kitchen table. She's a high-earning, high-power, busy and successful agent, so it's no surprise that Scott, who is 56 and brunette, drives a nicer car than most of her clients - a Be... 05/16/2007

Housing Court in New York City (a part of the NYC Civil Court) has a reputation of not being a very sympathetic place for landlords.  It's safe to say that if you are a landlord in that arena, and you have not followed the myriad rules and regulations concerning substance and procedure with perfect precision, your case can be, and often will be, dismissed, without regard to justice or equity.I've been in Housing Court both as an attorney and as a litigant - both as a landlord and as and a tenant, and I've seen my share of unfair outcomes. I have seen instances where the perfect compliance required of landlords has not been applied to tenants. Some judges see tenants as the poor, down-trodden oppressed masses with no economic power trying to fight the mighty, wealthy ruling-class landlor... 05/16/2007

 By Luke Constantino | May 15, 2007 I remember when I was a kid watching the black and white re-runs of "The Honeymooner's" on late night television.  Ed and Trixie Norton and Ralph and Alice Kramden going through their everyday live with Ralph yelling "Hey Norton" out of his window so his best buddy would come down stairs and help him with his crazy schemes. Could this place 328 Chauncey St really exist in Bensonhurst?   "You're off by a few miles, Ralphie boy!!!"   There is a 328 Chauncey St. but it's not in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn.  It's in the Bushwick section where Jackie Gleason (Ralph Kramden) really grew up.  It's up for sale!!!   "I've got a Biiig mouth!"   But we do have a Jackie Gleason Bus depot dedicated to the late, great man.     And a huge "Welcome to Brookly... 05/15/2007

Elaine Ochoa emigrated from Jamaica to New York in the late 70s, and 12 years ago, the single mother of three achieved the American dream of owning a home.   "It was like, ‘wow, I finally did it,'" says Ochoa.   Last May, Ochoa, a licensed practical nurse, decided to get a cash-out refinance to fix up her single family home in the Bronx and to pay some bills. She took out a subprime loan in the amount of $340,000, and Ochoa admits she signed the agreement without doing her homework.   "I don't even think I was aware what was going on, just the thought of being able to pay off my debts," says Ochoa. "But it was something I needed to have sat down and think about."   Which she did recently through Neighborhood Housing Services, a national not for profit designed to assist homeowners. For ... 05/07/2007

Is the new senior center planned for Marine Park a round peg in a square hole? Officials are hoping that's not the case as they wait for responses to a new bid put out just days ago. "This a project that's going to happen and it's going to happen before I leave office," Councilmember Lew Fidler told this newspaper. The councilman representing the 46th District secured funding for the project more than three years ago, but the cash has yet to put a shovel into the ground. Parks Department Brooklyn Borough Commissioner Julius Spiegel talked about the ongoing efforts to convert the Marine Park Field House located between Stuart Street and Fillmore Avenue into a new state-of-the-art facility for senior citizens at last week's meeting of the Madison-Marine-Homecrest Civic Association.   Luke... 05/07/2007