My Neighborhood: Cobble Hill, Brooklyn

By Luke Constantino 11/14/2012

What does the word “cobble” mean?

Cobble Hill is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Brooklyn, just south of Brooklyn Heights and north of Carroll Gardens; its name was derived from all the cobblestones left here from the ships that used them as ballast. Cobblestone ballasts kept large ships (which had large sails back in the 1600’s) from tipping over and gave them an even keel. Back then, South Brooklyn was a major shipping port.  

The beautiful homes

Cobble Hill has some of the most beautiful homes in NYC, dating back to the mid 1800’s. Most of the homes here are designated as historical landmarks. There are a few different influences here: Romanesque, Greek, Gothic, Queen Anne and French structures. The tree lined streets here are some of the most beautiful streets NYC has to offer.

Retail, Restaurants and Lounges

Where do I start? You can get everything here and then some! Court and Smith Street have some of the best restaurants and shopping in NYC.  People from all over the 5 boroughs flock here at any given time, especially on the weekends. If you are a foodie like me… Cobble Hill is the place! From “The Peanut Butter Bomb” at “Wild Ginger” to “The Hangover” at “Mooburger” you will be hard pressed to find such an eclectic variety of restaurants so close to each other. They even have formal dining, such as “Marco Polo’s Ristorante” (one of my favorites).But if your just looking for a good loaf of Italian bread of some cookies, stop by Capouto’s on Court Street, right next to my office.

There is so much to see and do here I cannot mention it all. Here are a few sites that might help you:

YELP

Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens Patch

Cobble Hill Association Blog

Luke Constantino 
Realtor
Coldwell Banker
(212) 300-3919
lukeconstantino@gmail.com 
7428 5th Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11209

Buying Houses in Brooklyn

Luke Constantino | Friday, March 06, 2009

Brooklyn has quickly become one of the most desirable boroughs to live in New York City. There is a vast majority of neighborhoods and different ethnic backgrounds here which makes it (in my opinion) the greatest place to live. You have a majority of ethnic restaurants, museums, entertainments and parks that outweigh Manhattan by far. Why Brooklyn than Manhattan? It's less expensive and more residential...


It's a place where people live.

(Some kids playing "Stickball" on a residential street in Brooklyn)

Before buying or renting a place in Brooklyn:

"DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!"

One of the best sites that I have found to give you a great description of an area you're thinking of moving into is "PropertyShark"

http://www.propertyshark.com/mason/nyc/index.html

It gives you graphs and descriptions on everything from property size, household income and age distribution! If you wanted to be in a neighborhood that has a lot of children, younger crowd or more adults they have a graph that shows you!

A typical Broolkyn Street

Here are some other sites that might help you:

http://www.trulia.com/

http://www.zillow.com/

And the all time famous "Craigslist" (Great for finding apartments too!):

http://newyork.craigslist.org/cgi-bin/apartments.cgi

There are many things here that make Brooklyn one of the most famous places in the world. I was born and raised here, seen it change a lot and can honestly say...

Luke and Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough President at a neighborhood function.

It has changed for the better.

You will also need an experienced Realtor. One who knows Brooklyn inside and out, who can help you. There are alot of very beautiful things here only a native (like myself) can show you. Experience counts now more than ever in this ever changing market.

WITHOUT A DOUBT, I WILL GET THE LOWEST PRICE WHEN WORKING FOR A BUYER...

GUARANTEED.

I would be glad to help anyone who seriously wants to move into one of the greatest places in the world...

Brooklyn, NYC.

***********

My name is Luke Constantino...

And this is my home.


Luke Constantino
Commercial Residential
RE/MAX AT THE SLOPE
Direct: (212) 300-3919 Fax: (360) 368-0098
http://lukeconstantino.com/

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BE PREPARED! - What Every Renter Should Know To Step In Front of the Line

BE PREPARED! - What Every Renter Should Know To Step In Front of the Line

Luke Constantino September 9, 2008


I deal with a lot of buying and selling of property in NYC, but along with that, I also deal with rentals. Renting an apartment can be a pretty big job. Going to different sites on the internet, newspapers and just finding that decent location that coincides with your lifestyle can be very stressing. For me, rentals often bring on new home buyers later on. Here are some of my sure-fire tips on how to get in front of the line and be the best candidate for a rental in NYC:
5 TIPS ON WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO BE THE BEST CANDIDATE:


• Have a credit report ready from all three credit bureaus in hand. This is the most important thing you will need. You don't need perfect credit, but the higher your credit score the better. Anything above 580 is an open door, no questions asked. If a student loan or medical bill has brought your credit score down (and nothing else), you should point this out.
Best credit report: Creditreport.com
• Photocopy of your driver's license, social security card, 2 pay stubs from your employer and W2/1099. You have to draw a picture of who you are and how substantial you are to the person from whom you are renting.

• A letter from your employer. A letter from your employer (on the company's letterhead) stating how long you have been employed by that company and anything else that might be useful (Like the "He/she is an exceptional part of our team" statement, etc.).

• Do a "background check" on yourself (Optional). I do this on every renter I deal with along with a statewide U.S. Party/Case Index court check. This makes the person you are renting from very comfortable about you.
"Integrascan" background check: http://www.integrascan.com/

• First impressions count! When meeting with the person whom you will be renting from, dress nicely, be on time and bring all the information you have assembled. The bottom line; They want to know who you are on paper and that they are going pay them the rent in a timely manner.

Provide the person who you will be renting from all these assurances and you will move to the front of the line!


Luke Constantino has been a realtor for over 12 years and is currently employed by Remax Metro in NYC. He has also been quoted in the April 08' issue of " Time Out New York" magazine on "How to be the perfect candidate - Tips for renters" along with many other publications.

Luke Constantino

Commercial Residential

RE/MAX at THE SLOPE

Direct: (212) 300-3919 Fax: (360) 368-0098

http://LukeConstantino.com

Buying Real Estate in Brooklyn

These are trying times we live in now. There are over one million property owners in New York that are either in or in jeopardy of going into foreclosure. The 700 billion dollar bailout from the government will make things better, but it's going to take time for the market to regulate. A lot of people may not know this, but it is the best time to buy!


There is also a trend going on slowly among homeowners... They are buying down. Homeowners are re-evaluating their budgets. I'm starting to see people from Manhattan buying in parts of Brooklyn like Park Slope, Greenpoint and Williamsburg. The people from these areas are buying in Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst and Midwood. Everybody is trying to save money.

There are a lot of great deals on property now, more than ever before. I have literally seen some houses drop $135,000 below market value! Yes, this is on most of the high end properties here but I know one thing for sure:

"You will never find these prices ever again."

If you are an intelligent buyer and are looking to buy anywhere in Brooklyn, please, do your homework. There are sites out there which can help you with your search like: Zillow.com, Trulia.com and PropertyShark. They pretty much show you the demographics, schools and points of interest around the area you are looking in. One of the most important features of these sites is that they give you a general ball park figure of what the fair market value is for that specific area.

Get yourself a good Realtor also. Even though these sites may answer some of your questions, a good Realtor will be able to answer many more. A good Realtor will be able to help you make the best decision based on your needs and also should have a few inspectors, lawyers and mortgage people who can help your transaction run smoothly. I believe that experience counts now more than ever and I hope you will give me a call.

Luke Constantino
Commercial Residential
RE/MAX at THE SLOPE
Direct: (212) 300-3919 Fax: (360) 368-0098
http://LukeConstantino.com