When I was ready to buy my first home a few years ago, I decided that Queens was a wonderland compared to the properties in my price range in Harlem, where I had rented for years. Pre-war? Check. Apartments with large windows and rooms that had not been cut up and reconfigured? Check. Check. Ability to eat any kind of food I wanted within a few blocks? Check. Check. Chalupa!
When I realized I could have a beautiful green space where my son could run around relatively freely, I realized that a garden apartment in Jackson Heights was what we wanted. Why? Because I wanted my son to have the experience of growing up in the city, experiencing the entire world on the streets around his home, matched with the experience of knowing what the trees and flowers are called, to find worms, and to use sticks as swords.
This was before I knew anything about the ins and outs of real estate. So when I went to look for the perfect apartment, I had a hard time finding an agent who really took the time to learn about me and what I wanted to accomplish with my real estate purchase. In the end, I bought without a buyer’s agent. But that was not my intent. I think that one of the reasons I became an agent was because I thought it would be really fun to be the agent I wish I could have had: an agent who would educate buyers and enliven the process, bringing the gems of each neighborhood to life, and guiding the way in an otherwise daunting process.
And that is what I strive to do!
