Yeah, this blog touches upon real estate and and I do have a license, but to be honest, I’ve haven’t paid much attention to the Brooklyn market since I bought my own home in 2005. If you must know, I really haven’t been interested in seeing how much my house has devalued.

So when I started to help a friend search for her first home in Brooklyn about a week ago, I thought we were walking into a buyer’s market. It didn’t take me long to realize I was wrong. First of all, there isn’t a ton of inventory out there. The houses that seem halfway decent are being snapped up rather quickly, with bidding wars and cash buyers and such.

The fixer uppers and overpriced homes do sit longer. No duh. People aren’t that stupid! I’m not saying it’s like the height of the market again, nor should my single observation be taken as anything other than a single observation. This also only pertains to the South Slope/Gowanus up to Sunset Park corridor with a couple of Carroll Gardens properties thrown in for good measure.

One positive that came out of the down market is that Brooklyn brokers are definitely more open to co-broking their listings now. I was sure I’d get the cold shoulder going in as a buyer’s agent, but most realtors have finally figured out it’s easier to sell the home if they are willing to cooperate with other firms. That being said, the lack of returned calls and emails makes me think they may not be all that keen on splitting their commission after all. It’s all good. I know how to be a pushy bitch when I have to be.

Now I just have to find this gal a home. Yo, know of anything?