“In a sea of slick and lazy real estate agents, Jake is a breath of fresh air.” Indeed, Jake’s ability to listen, adapt, and execute is unparalleled among Manhattan real estate agents. He prioritizes his customers’ needs, values their time, and maintains a consistently high level of honesty and integrity. Consequently, he was a top producer at his previous firm and is a welcome addition to the Rutenberg team.
Accomplished in both sales and rentals, Jake exemplifies versatility at its best, while maintaining a particularly keen understanding of West Side real estate. Whether you are looking for a brownstone off Central Park West, a Chelsea loft, or a garden apartment in a West Village townhouse, Jake will utilize all avenues to find you exactly what you need. Landlords and sellers are equally impressed with Jake’s knack for marketing strategy and his ability to generate traffic quickly in any home. He maintains steady communication with his customers and always welcomes their input. Such a collaborative approach produces the creativity needed to succeed in a troubled market.
A California native, Jake graduated magna cum laude from Middlebury College with a B.A. in English and Italian. He has studied and worked internationally in the education and travel industries, and he has acted on numerous international stages. At home in New York, Jake enjoys the multicultural vibrancy offered at every corner of this great city. When he is not hosting open houses or researching for his clients, he is frequently at the theatre or walking his two dogs through Central Park.
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What's keeping you up at night?
What's keeping you up at night? If you're a New Yorker, your answer is likely to be "stress," or "worry," or "overwhelming anticipation for what lies ahead." But what's missing from those responses? Noise! Even though we live in one of the busiest cities on earth, bustling with taxi horns, police sirens, and drunken street quarrels, it seems most New Yorkers can adapt... for the most part.
When attending open houses, many house hunters listen carefully for the street noise, especially if the apartment is on an avenue, rather than on a typically tranquil side street. They compare the noise with the windows open to that with the windows closed, and they imagine themselves going about their daily tasks and sleeping with that background noise. This ritual is completely natural, and often helpful, but it also helps to keep a few things in mind.
1) New Yorkers, by and large, can get used to pretty much anything, least of which is a bit of street noise. I live on a rather busy street, and I don't even notice the multitude of sirens passing my window every evening.
2) Pay attention to where the bedroom is. It's often in the back, away from the street, so street noise won't be a problem while you're sleeping.
3) For extreme cases, sound proof windows offered by companies such as City Quiet and Cityproof can work miracles. I had a client who rented a place on Sixth Avenue, on the fourth floor of a walk-up, in which both bedrooms were facing the avenue... and he wanted to make one of them a massage parlor. I thought he might be a bit nuts, but he had City Quiet windows installed, and you could hear a pin drop in that apartment... if it weren't for the mood setting nature sounds emanating from his stereo.
4) To minimize street noise, seek out high-floor apartments. If the view clears the building across the way, there will be no reverberating noise bouncing into your windows.
5) Pre-war buildings with thick walls are more likely to provide noise insulation between apartments. Some newer condo buildings are paying more attention to this as well. Renters... your job will be a little more difficult.
7) Nothing could be worse than your partner's snoring.
A bit of noise is ultimately part of the New York experience, and there are usually ways to muffle it. And if not, you'll probably get used to it... just ask a neighbor. But! If you're an insomniac who needs utter serenity to catch a bit of shut-eye, then be sure to tell your broker, and he or she will know how to adjust the search.
If you're worried about bedbugs...
Over the past year, there has been an increasing volume of discussion around a certain critter in NYC homes... and unfortunately, for good reason. Bedbug complaints grew last year, and they're projected to rise again this year.
However, when searching for your home, there are a few things to consider. First, as of August of last year , landlords are legally required to provide you with a disclosure stating whether or not there have been any incidents of bedbugs in the past year. Also, while the bedbug registry may provide a starting point for your search, reports are not verified. Tenants could be mistaking rashes for bedbug bites, or they could just be seeking vengeance on their landlords. Also, at any evidence of bedbugs, landlords are required to do a thorough cleaning.
When purchasing, have your broker contact the appropriate people to dig up history of bedbug infestation, if any.
Now don't freak out too much. The vast majority of NYC real estate is free and clear of these little guys, and if you do happen to come across them, there are some prescribed measures to take. You should call your building management and proceed according to plans with which they should be familiar.
Preventative measures are also aplenty, including the subway icon protectabed. Again, the chances of you running into an issue are slim, but I want you to be as educated as possible so you can find your dream home! A smart apartment hunter is a happy one, so feel free to reach out with any questions, and until then... happy hunting!
6 Ways to Make Your Home Look Brighter
Your chocolate painted bedroom may give you comfort and your candles may offer the right mood for a romantic evening at home, but when it comes to putting your home on the market, there is no exception to the rule: brighter is better.
With so many large buildings in this city, only a small percentage of apartments get much direct sunlight, so the challenge becomes giving your home a cheery glow even if you don't have to don your shades every time you enter the living room. Luckily, there are several ways to do this.
1) Take a tip from Lalaland and substitute the natural with the artificial. Identify every less-than-bright area of your home and illuminate it with a lamp. In that lamp, don't put a low-wattage yellow bulb, but rather one that emits joyous white light. Then, before each showing, turn every single light on.
2) A strategically placed mirror will reflect the best rays into more sunlight-deprived areas of your home.
3) Choose bright colors. If you have a brown wall, repaint it white. Ifyour furniture is brown leather and black velvet, replace whatever possible with lighter-colored furniture and pillows. If necessary, rent the furniture!
4) Clean windows, walls, and floors. Clean surfaces will allow more light in and reflect it throughout the apartment.
5) Unless they are blocking a particularly ugly view, open all your shades all the way.
6) Be sure to do all of these things before your prospective buyer or renter ever steps foot in the apartment.
If you have any case-specific questions on how to make your home more appealing to apartment hunters, feel free to reach out for a free consultation.
