Monday, April 11, 2011

The Masters and some Open House Blathering

I think yesterday's Masters finish was one of the best I have watched since seeing Jack win in 1986. Perhaps one of the best tournaments in recent memory though, was Tiger and Rocco battling at the US Open; it was pretty spectacular. Poor Rory, you could tell he was hanging on by a thread right out of the gate, the poor kid was sweating bullets standing on the first tee box. That's pressure.

He hung on for a while but I think when he looked up to the leader board and saw Tiger had caught up with him, that's what broke him. Ahhhh, it was good to see some shades of the old Tiger, confident and fist-pumping after a few clutch shots, including that spectacular eagle on Sunday.

At one point on Sunday there were like, 5 people tied for second and just a stroke back from the leader. It was also great to see Adam Scott live up to his former grand expectations, though funny to watch him putt with that broom handle. There were just so many players killing it! Another highlight was certainly seeing Freddy Couples making a run at it but I think his bad back finally was just too much to overcome, along with the long course and treacherous greens. Angel put on a good show as well, a totally old school golfer, a bit portly, loves a good scotch and steak from his ranch in Argentina. But man, can he play...and he hits as far as almost any of the younger, fitness-obsessed guys on the tour.

But in the end, Charl Schwartzel was just magnificent!! He played an almost flawless round on Sunday and seemed to thrive on the pressure. I think charging from behind is easier than holding onto a big lead, especially at the Masters. He went into Sunday with nothing to lose and played his heart out. It looked like he was just having fun at the local Muni with his Sunday foursome. Then, to sink that 12' birdie putt on the 18th...damn, this guy just killed it! He should have used his putter like a sword to emphasize what he had just done, like Chichi in the old days!


So, a little bit about real estate. It continues to be a "Tale of Two Cities", apartments that are priced right in great neighborhoods continue to draw crowds and multiple bids. The other stuff, well, it sits and their gate keepers continue to scratch their heads in frustration. Over the last week I have submitted 6 offers, one $150,000 above the ask, so far nothing has stuck though we are close on a couple and hoping for some good news today! In some cases we were simply not willing to go where the sellers wanted to see our bid and in those cases, I believe our valuation is correct. These units are still available and some have been on the market for 60+ days. In one case in particular, I felt we were offering a generous price for the unit, the customer really loved the space, so we were a little generous with our bid (more generous than I would have liked but not outrageous). I think they will come back to us eventually as I don't think any sane human being will pay what they are expecting! We'll see. I did hit the listing broker with some hard facts, solid math that indicates why the numbers just don't add up but it's a fine line between annoying the shit out of him and making our case. I think I made the case.

News Flash! Just got a call from a broker that represents a listing that we have an offer on. The owner wants us to present our best and final offer. Fingers crossed.

Now, more than ever, as this little micro bull market plays out in what I would still consider a much larger bear trend, be careful!! Keep your emotions in check and balance that with a solid understanding of the financial sides of the deal. I am speaking for NYC of course, in most (if not all) of the rest of the US, the bear is king!!! We will be stepping into the mega bear den in Florida in a few weeks to purchase a house! Now that is bear country!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Best Thai food in Hells Kitchen

Decor is simple. Food is authentic.
Via android
Keith Burkhardt
The Burkhardt Group
917.770.4951