Tuesday, February 4, 2014

May Be....

There is a Taoist story of an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. "Such bad luck," they said sympathetically. "May be," the farmer replied.
The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. "How wonderful," the neighbors exclaimed. "May be," replied the old man.
The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune. "May be," answered the farmer.
The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son's leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out. "May be," said the farmer.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Meet Christian Bari an Integral Part of the Burkhardt Group

Not only do you need an innovative business model if you are going to take an alternative approach to a very entrenched old-line business, you need a great team. We are not the only company offering a new approach to purchasing real estate, however I feel we do it better than anyone else. The NYC market is not only very competitive  we have some of the most educated,sophisticated buyers and sellers in the world. It would be foolish to think you could succeed simply by offering a buyer a financial incentive, there is just too much on the line when purchasing a home at these valuations. It does not end when the contract is signed, if you are purchasing a co-op, the real work now begins.

I have been working in NYC as an agent, broker for over 23 years. I first moved to Manhattan in 1982 to pursue a career in music. I then raised two children in Chelsea/West Village, my son Eli was the first 2nd generation student at West Village Nursery school (his mother attended in the 1960's). I have really witnessed quite a bit of change in NYC since renting my first apartment on Norfolk street in 1982 for $200 dollars a month!

I first met Christian as a client, he and his wife rented an apartment in the West Village. Many years later he contacted me when he decided he wanted to try his hand at real estate part-time, he was then the owner of the very popular "Oliva" restaurant on the Lower East Side. After selling the restaurant he joined full-time just as our new model was starting to take on a life of it's own. Initially I thought he would assist with board packages and appointments, but that year our business started to rapidly grow and what he thought would be some part-time work while he built his own book overwhelmed us both!

Christian has become my partner and has helped continue our mission of honest, transparent service as we continue to grow. He has received accolades from some of the top players in NYC real estate for his professionalism as well as some stellar feedback on the board packages he prepares.  Christian also has a degree in accounting, is very knowledgeable about construction and renovation  procedures and cost. He is also happy to dig into ACRIS, the NYC Department of Finance, NYC Department of Buildings to find information on SRO status of townhouses/brownstones, tax information and the details of tax abatement status.

This may sound a bit cheesy but I know it to be true. Our innovative business model helps bring clients to us. But it is our attention to details and quality service that keeps our clients with us and is why they refer us to their friends. Our business is driven by 100% referrals.