The Carson Alexander Team had a year like none other in real estate sales, between being the third agents to list a Brooklyn townhouse to taking on a fixer upper in Texas, this year was one for the books.
We’re Carson and Erin, and we’re a husband and wife real estate team at Triplemint.
We’re spouses selling houses and this is our 2021 year in review.
Bedford-Stuyvesant Townhouse
This is one of our Bed-Stuy houses. This was a really beautiful two family brownstone in Bed-Stuy and it was really well cared for. Just what you think of when you think of a Brooklyn brownstone, lots of original detail. We were actually the third agents to get this listing and we really wanted to knock it out of the park for these sellers because they’d been trying to move to New Jersey for years. It’s so hard to come into a situation where people have had bad experiences, maybe with other agents, because you have to understandably try to regain their trust. In this case, the first time it was listed, it was just way overpriced. It’s a huge problem because it turns away so many potential buyers from even seeing the place. So we were very strategic about our pricing and we ended up being on the market for just twenty one days. We got four offers and it ended up selling at one hundred and twenty thousand over our asking price. The buyers that we sold it to were also just really sweet people. They wanted a two family home so that their mother could live in one of the units, be close to their family, but also have their own space. So it just really ended up being a situation where it worked out great for the sellers and it worked out really well for the buyers as well.
Gowanus Warehouse
This is the warehouse that we sold in Gowanus. This is really special. It was sort of personal for Carson. We both moved to New York, from Texas, and when you first move to New York, you don’t really know anybody and you have no idea the people you first meet when you move here, how impactful they’re going to be. The owner of this property, his name was John, and he was one of those people for me. Over the years, we would catch up every now and then we’d have coffee off of Smith Street and just sort of touch base. He was a fascinating person. He had passed away and his executor had called me earlier this year and he told me that he passed. And in his will, he stipulated that I sell his building for him so that his niece and his nephew could get the proceeds. It was a really interesting building. It was commercial, but he used it as a residence and also as his art studio. This property is located in Gowanus, and if you’re not familiar with Gowanus it has a very long, storied industrial history. A lot of materials that were made there used solvents that were toxic at the time. And so it’s not uncommon for commercial property to be sold to have a phase two environmental inspection, which is where they bore into the ground. They take soil samples and if the dirt is dirty, it’s a big problem. We listed the property and two people offered way above the asking price, but we also got an offer from a really savvy developer who chose to forgo any of the environmental tests. So, he was making an offer just under asking price, but also with no contingencies. So this buyer actually lived nearby, and had passed by the building every day from going from his home to his office. And every time I showed it, I made sure to keep the gate rolled up and stand outside talking to people as long as I could so that he would drive by and see that I was showing it. And it worked, he increased his offer. We closed quickly without any issue. John’s niece and nephew received their inheritance, and a formerly commercial property in Gowanus is now being converted to residential use by the new buyer.
Austin Home Flip
This was our very first flip and it was outside of Austin, where I’m from. For some reason, we decided it would be a good idea to flip a property long distance. We started going down to Texas in February through October. They knocked down the whole chimney, redid the walls, finished the floor and just really opened up the room. This is an old house. They said it was built in the sixties, but I think it was built much before that. I think it was actually moved in the 60s because it’s original structures are actually different sizes and colors of old growth pine. They had square nails which were dated back to the late 1880s. You can see in the after photos of the kitchen, we had a subway tile backsplash from the countertop to the ceiling put in, some butcher block countertops and refinished the floors to really make it pop. We are in contract on this. It’s supposed to close at the beginning of January.
So that was 2021, and I think we owe a big thanks to Triplemint for really having our back. Our clients were so easy to work with and we were really grateful to be able to help them transition to a new situation. It’s been so wonderful. We’ll see what 2022 has in store. We hope everyone stays happy and safe and healthy. Happy New Year!
To work with the Carson Alexander Team, contact them at 512.658.8664 or 818.445.4656 or via email at carson@theagencyre.com or erin.frisbie@theagencyre.com.
