In 1978 a young couple with a 2-year old boy and a newborn moved into a converted 1850s farmhouse in a small town in upstate N.Y.  4 years later, a third boy was brought into the family.  Together this family grew into their home.  The boys loved exploring in the woods and fields behind the house.  The mother enjoyed making her garden beautiful and finding the perfect pieces of furniture.  Taking pride in his 1 ½ acres, the father worked hard in the yard, building tree houses, landscaping and playing catch.  The oldest boy had all of his memories growing up in this house.  His first birthday parties, his li’l work bench next to his daddy’s in the basement, catching fireflies on sultry August nights with his dog keeping pace beside him, sneaking in late from his high school parties.  Eventually he moved away to start his own life but would visit frequently.  He brought home new friends for weekend who admired the place and created their own memories.  A sister was added by marrying one of his brothers, he even found his own future wife and more memories were layered upon others.  Baby was subsumed by kid leading way to adolescent burgeoning into young adult.  Now the gray hairs are starting to pop out and face is taking on more character.  And it is time to say good-bye.

As he walks through the now half-empty rooms filled with clutter and the detritus of a life well lived, he cannot help but be inundated with emotions and recollections washing over him at every step.  That’s where his Christmas stocking always hung, that’s the room he’d escape to to read in peace, over there was where many a scheme was hatched with his brothers, the porch where his mom would call his brothers and him in for dinner is now littered with boxes.  The trees he used to climb with abandon now are now dying and sad.  As he sits in his yard with a glass of wine in his hand watching the last of more than 12,000 sunsets that have graced the last 33 years, he watches a mother deer with her three offspring frolicking in the field a few hundred feet away, aware but unafraid of his presence.  He hears his expanded family inside behind him laughing and sharing memories.

Sometimes you need a minute to yourself.  His old prom corsages are in the dumpster, the books that were read to him as a child have been donated away, the old report cards are packed away, his childhood bed now has a “For Sale” sign on it.  It’s hard, it’s painful but it’s lovely.  Who gets lucky enough to have his childhood home for so long?  So why does this luck constrict his heart so much.  It’s the death of a family member.  A silent, stalwart friend who has watched you go through your best and worst, a confidant that has listened to fervent prayers and whispers in the deep of the night, a place that no matter what has happened to you welcomes and comforts you.  Now it will watch over new people.  Their ghosts and experiences will slowly leech out of the foundations, fading into the past.  It’s as it should be.  But it doesn’t make it any easier.

The sun finally disappears behind the treeline.  He stands up, his personal time ended to rejoin the gathering inside.

In the dusky twilight, the three fawns prance and explore, trodding on paths that three little boys never will again.

Now things are obviously much different.  West of Willow there are now six, SIX luxury buildings!  There is a brand new Clearview Movie theater, our cute boutique stores are pushing back further into the city, TONS of new construction and (close to my heart) a great new beirgarten!  New building are getting their own Dunkin’ Donuts, spas, gyms, pools, childcare, parking, shuttles and more.  There is a whole separate world growing up back there.  It’s a little bit older, perfect for new families.  It’s a little bit quieter and with new shuttle buses it’s just as easy to get to the PATH, lightrail or ferries.  AND, it makes it so much easier to escape with a car to green pastures!

I understand that much of the “scene” is closer to Washington Street, but let’s be honest, you can walk ANYWHERE in Hoboken in around 10 minutes.  And having a gorgeous apartment to come home to (or show off your friends or crushes) will make the end of your day the best part!

- Hunt Ethridge

Our homes are our safe haven, our refuge, our bulwark against the stresses of the day.  After a hard day’s worth of work there is nothing better than taking your shoes off, pouring yourself a cold glass of something and sitting down on the couch.  That exhalation is magical.  As you breathe out, you let your worries out in the saftey of your abode.

However, this process is can be fraught with pitfalls.  You know the phrase “Too many cooks can spoil the soup?”  When we go through these actions we can up to and including: our clients (the new buyer/renter), their potential roommates, parents, (many) other realtors, landlords, current tenants, owners, management companies, supers, co-signers, credit companies, mortgage brokers and more.  Unfortunately, like any machine with many intricate and interwoven parts, hiccups happen.  I feel so bad for a client when their credit score many not meet the landlord’s expectations or a company was supposed to clean and refurbish a new apartment only to find out nothing had been done.  We are their point person and while we do try to do everything for them, we’re not Superman.  But we have the ability to make phone calls and many times a situation can be smoothed with just a quick conversation.

We are Gotham.  We want to be your point person, we want to make this new transition as easy as possible for you.  We’ll go above and beyond for you and if there is anything you need, just give us a call!  201.610.0036

Follow us on Facebook (http://on.fb.me/kntTes) and Twitter @GothamRealty.  We’d love to hear from you!

The year was 1999 and I was moving down to the greater NYC area.  I was home for the summer in Upstate NY when one of my friends told me he was living in Hoboken and that I should come down and check the place out.  I came down one weekend and stayed at his place in 300 Grand.  We went out to the Cadillac Bar (totally dating myself now) and I really enjoyed the vibe of the place.  This was all pre-luxury buildings with only pubs for options to imbibe social adult beverages.  When we got our first place it was on 4th and Hudson and was a FIVE bedroom!  Basically it was the top two floors of a brownstone with room access and a stoop.  When my buddy was describing the stoop he was so excited and I couldn’t understand why.  Now having lived in an urban area, I realize having your own private stoop is awesome!

My first bedroom was 7′ x 11′ and it was prorated at $425 a month.  **Sigh…** To be able to only pay that amount these days…

So watching these two kids being twitchy about signing their first lease and asking all these unrelated but predictable questions was great.  I totally saw myself in them.  And they got an apartment on Washington Street with a great 300 sq. ft. private terrace!  These guys are going to have a great time in Hoboken.  Hopefully they will enjoy it as much as I have this past decade, it’s a great city!

So what’s the good word today?  Mortgages!  Wow, how boring right?  Wrong!  While the topic is dry, you can get your home out of it and what’s more exciting than that?!

Okay, so here’s the breakdown.  I see many people coming in to rent say a $3000 apartment.  Add 1 1/2 months security deposit, broker fee and first month’s rent and you’re already at over $10,000!  Don’t forget moving costs, supplies, etc…  So you’re looking at about $12K you’d have to shell out at once.

Now, if you waited and saved up an extra $3000 for a total of $15,000 (assuming you qualify) you can put that down as a 5% down payment for a $300,000 home!  Instead of throwing it away to a landlord, start building your own equity!

Find out what you qualify for today!  Contact Kyla the mortgage SUPERSTAR at Superior Mortgage at 201-796-8870 x6731.  Tell her Gotham sent you!