MahattanHenge!

Perhaps not the best article for a blog about buying real estate in NYC. The topic; what will future civilizations think of the grid arrangement of Manhattans streets? Neil deGrasse Tyson thinks they may conclude we worshiped baseball and war.

"War and Baseball"

Manhattan Market Temperature from UrbanDigs

Two things that stand out to me and have always been part of the conversation when I speak with clients, " Each building is an Island,price correctly and let the market work". Sales spiels from Glenngary Glenn Ross don't have a place in todays high tech, transparent marketplace. Honesty, knowledge and transparency have taken the place of the classic, old school sales pitch. The NYC buyer is highly educated and wants an informed broker partnering with him/her to assist with a sound strategy and assessment of valuation. Seeing what is right with the deal is easy, we work hard to identify what is wrong with the property/deal. Perhaps it is a bit naive to say we don't ever sell, however we certainly resist the urge and seek to provide clear insight and information to assist the client with drawing sound conclusions. "Our index current stands at 143.31. It pins the peak of the market back in June 2015, with a value of 154.89. So, the UD index currently thinks today’s Manhattan market is -7.4% from the peak hit in mid 2015."

A Simple, Inspiring Story

As I have become more successful my focus has been on how can I give back? I certainly have worked hard to get where we are and that makes the drive to give back in some meaningful way even stronger (besides rebates! lol). What is difficult, in a world where there is so much need is where, to whom? The goal is to give a fixed % of each deal to a charity, my heart says 'children'. If you have any suggestions, please share them.

More Great Feedback from our Clients! 6 Deals Closed in the Last 10 Days!

We have continued to grow with zero paid advertising and it is because of the great testimonials we get from the wonderful clients we work for.

"Hi, Keith and Christian

Thank you so much for working with us every steps.  You guys seems too good to be true but it was really true!

Keith, we deeply admire and agree on your work philosophy in this field and hope you be the successful pioneer and path finder( as you already are!).  You've been always very solid, candid, reliable and experienced.  

Christian, you don't say much but your every word has a keen and valid point.  Your advice really helped us to decide many things on sight. 

Through the process, we've felt safe because we could see you stand with us, not with the opposite side. 

Lance, we didn't have a chance to meet you this time but i am sure you are great and hope to meet you next time.  

I wish you inspire other competitors and change the market.  Also I wish you grow not only your buying but also selling part so we could get help from you again when we sell ours.  

Thank you so much!  It was great pleasure to work with you and wish you the best! 

-Cherin and Stan"

Let's Do This!

When I started The Burkhardt Group back in 2007 as an alternative approach to renting apartments (and paying less commission), I never imagined where we would be today. We continue to grow with zero advertising, I opted to grow organically by just focusing on providing an exceptional customer experience while adding back quantifiable value (dollars!). Then let word of mouth drive the bus!

It was the early Streeteasy discussions in their very much read forum that got my wheels turning. There was a loud, persistent voice that wanted an alternative way to engage with their real estate broker/agent. What we are doing has been fine tuned over the last 8 years and we now function like a well oiled machine. Funny thing happened as well. I would say that clients equally value our guidance along with the rebate component!

Next stop is expansion. I want to reach more buyers, there is no reason why someone purchasing a $20,000,000 home is not calling us. On that note we have continued to expand, to date the largest closed deal has been $5,665,000.  We have had the pleasure to work with some very demanding, sophisticated buyers who have enjoyed working within our model. Take a look at some of the recent testimonials. We are also ready to begin listing properties, please call or email me for more information on how we can assist you with selling your property.

Thank you to the over 50 people who purchased with us last year! Let's get the word out about The Burkhardt Group!

Best,

Keith Burkhardt
917.770.4951

This Testimonial Blew Our Minds!

Just more proof that what we offer is not limited service, discounted or in anyway less effective. We just work differently; disruptive by design and built on a platform of integrity. Whether you are purchasing a $400,000 studio or a $10,000,000 penthouse, we will provide you with a rewarding, efficient, knowledgeable and 100% transparent experience.

"Thank you Keith. In a process that was filled with frustrating variables caused by several parties, I am happy to say that each of you guys were a positive constant. You were quick to respond at all hours (xxx and I remarked more than once that your availability and responsiveness reminded us of...well, us), Christian was very thorough with the board package, the walk through and ongoing advice, and Christian and Lance were always available throughout the summer when we needed an escort to visit certain apartments.

I told Christian the other day that in our view your business model is a welcome disruption to the traditional NY RE paradigm. In the internet age, the barriers to discovery of inventory that the large brokerage houses were able to erect that forced a buyer to use them no longer exist in any meaningful way (i remember those barriers were still a problem when i bought my old place back in 2005). And for people like XXXXX and I that amassed our capital by being intelligent in the first place—well, we would only ever deploy it in a way that is also intelligent. So there is therefore NO way we would move forward on the biggest financial decision of our lives (bigger than all others COMBINED) without doing full independent diligence.  Therefore, the traditional model makes absolutely no sense for people like us relative to yours. I’m, going to forego a 2% return for the “benefit” of having some junior broker of a large firm that has been in the business for six months pound the pavement with us as we trapise around the city offering advice that one could find on page 1 of a Real Estate 101 pamphlet, and the additional “benefit” of having some large firm offer to find inventory that I know I am going to find myself? Please—its  a no brainer.

To echo what XXXX said, we are friends with like-minded people, and intend to recommend you in the first instance to those that indicate they may be interested in looking around themselves. I can assure you of that."

Off to a Rough Start!

Happy new year! I spent the last 8 days in the beautiful city of Alamos, Mexico where my daughter was married in her Grandfathers home. If you want to explore a beautiful, historic colonial city in Mexico...start here.

It would appear that the softening in the market we experienced starting in August will be the continued theme. According to Streeteasy there has been a substantial decline in inventory. They tell a story of homes being sold quicker and closer to ask over the last quarter, that has been our experience as well. However it's been because it has been much easier to get to home plate for buyers. After being beat up for the past several years, paying ask or close to it was perfectly acceptable. The perk was not having to compete against many other bidders.

We'll know more come the end of the month....

From left: My wife, daugter (Zoey), daughter (Kirtana), me and Lance