Letters & Announcements
Product rollouts, COVID updates, recommendation letters, board package letters, cover letters, you name it!
Letters
Re: Quarantine & NYC’s Temporary Shutdown
“To whom it may concern:
These are unprecedented times, both in the country and in New York City. As you know, so much of our business is conducted in person, but for the moment we are abstaining from those aspects of the industry at the direction of the Department of State and REBNY for the safety of our customers, clients, and community.
The Flintstone Team has had to do some dramatic reshuffling in the past several months, but we have adapted to the new virtual landscape so well that since the PAUSE order went into effect for New York, we have closed on two multimillion dollar properties, brokered a rental deal, have an accepted offer on one of our listings, and gained multiple new listings.
Until such time as we may continue the business of real estate in person, here are the changes we have made that are proven to work:
Regular check-ins with our sellers to address their questions, concerns, and needs
Constant contact with the management services of buildings so that we are always up-to-date on their policies regarding visitor and broker activity
An ongoing list of interested parties for our properties to whom we send information and update on building policy and listing activity, so that we can show the apartments as soon as it is permissible
Virtual tours or video walkthroughs of our listings, obtained however we are able, to send to all interested buyers and renters
Utilizing our vast network of local, national, and international agents to match our listings with motivated buyers
In addition, our typical digital marketing efforts have become the focal point of all our campaigns so that we can take advantage of the higher numbers of people scrolling Facebook, Instagram, and listing services to find their new homes.
The attached packet is our guideline for the return of business as usual, a gesture of our certainty in the endurance of the New York City real estate market and our determination to see our clients through this ordeal. Not all the services outlined in it are currently applicable, but we know they will be again.
We'll be ready when the time comes.
Sincerely,
The Flintstone Team”
Re: A Co-op Renovation Dispute
“Dear Armie,
Thank you for your time and patience as we work through this. I consider this apartment to be my home and I have always thought of my neighbors as more than just neighbors. I hope we can smooth this out and enjoy an amiable relationship for years to come.
This will be my final attempt to reach out to you regarding my plans. As such, there are a few things I would like to say regarding the proposed changes to my apartment and the improvement of our shared hall.
First, I’d like to address how these changes will affect your property and your life. Aside from the brief construction period, there will be no negative impact to your residence whatsoever. All additional square footage to the lobby and elevator will come from the B-Line, and therefore will not change anything in your apartment. The improvements to the shared space will be done at no cost to you, but at great benefit to the value of your home.
Second, I would like to restate my reasons for these proposed alterations. These changes are not frivolous or petty and are not done without much consideration – the very flow and functionality of my home is at stake. I plan to live in this apartment for the rest of my life and it would improve my day-to-day routine and my general happiness greatly to fix this one simple feature.
In an effort to promote congeniality, I and a variety of relevant experts have seen to all of your questions and concerns. Therefore I would ask you once more, as a gesture of good faith as neighbors, to reconsider your stance. We will be living next door to each other for many years to come and I think we would both appreciate a relationship of mutual respect and harmony.
I hope you enjoyed the holidays and I wish you and yours a happy new year.
Sincerely,
Jesse Eisenberg”
“Dear Board of Directors,
I am a veteran real estate broker with 18 years experience representing both sides of residential and investment property transactions in New York City. I am writing in regards to the proposed changes to Apartment [Unit A] at [Street Address] and how, in my professional opinion, it may positively impact the value of both [Unit A] and [Unit B].
Currently the door to [Unit A] is across from the door to [Unit B]. In my opinion, from the apartments I have seen over the last year, this is worth considering because it would enhance the unified entrance foyer. The proposed changes (see attached plan) would improve the privacy enjoyed by both units as well as prevent crowding of the entrance to the elevator. In addition, the refinishing and updating of the shared vestibule will increase the attractiveness of the entire floor for both current residents and potential buyers.
In my opinion, from the apartments I have seen over the last year, these alterations are worth considering because it would enhance the unified entrance foyer.
Sincerely,
Wilma Flintstone
Real Estate Salesperson”
“Dear Board Members,
Thank you for your time and patience through this process. I appreciate your consideration and I apologize for any undo stress or inconvenience my proposed plans may have engendered. I understand this will likely not be an easy decision.
As such, I would like to explain my reasoning and my point of view regarding the changes I wish to make to my home.
After living in New York City for 30 years, I have purchased my first apartment. I love this apartment, the building, and the community in it. I look forward to living in what will be my only home for the rest of my life.
However, I cannot imagine coming home every day to an apartment that is not the very best it could be. After reviewing the floorplan and consulting several relevant experts, it is clear to me that the proposed changes will vastly improve the flow, functionality, and feeling of my new home at no cost or permanent inconvenience to anyone else. I want an entrance that makes sense with the rest of the apartment – a foyer where my guests can hang up their coats and feel welcomed into my space and my home.
I dislike putting anyone in this position, but I feel it is a simple, essential feature that I cannot ignore. I hope you understand my reasoning and intentions.
Thank you again for your help and consideration. I hope you’ve had a wonderful holiday and I wish you and yours a happy new year.
Sincerely,
Jesse Eisenberg”
Announcements
The Launch of a Start-up
NOTE: This announcement was then tailored to fit the readership of specific magazines and news outlets.
Bedrock Real Estate is reinventing the way New York buys and sells property, transforming an overcomplicated obstacle course into an exciting and — dare we say it? — fun curated experience.
Thanks to the democratizing power of the internet, the way we do business is changing. Industries across the board are adapting to revolutionary new direct-to-consumer services that place the individual above the corporation. Until recently, New York City real estate has been the exception. Where once brokerage firms were the sole gatekeepers of who had access to listings and what each buyer saw, now online real estate marketplaces allow anyone to search for their new property with the click of a button. The Real Deal recently ran a cover story on “The Death of the Brokerage” and they're absolutely right — the movement is already happening and the role of the brokerage will need to adapt or die. Look no further than the timely demise of Town Residential for proof. So what is the role of the gatekeeper now that the gates are open? Pebbles Flintstone, previously at Compass and Douglas Elliman, is one of New York City’s youngest power brokers, a Hamptons homeowner, and a mother to a two-year-old son. She founded Bedrock Real Estate to define that role.
Bedrock is a start-up bent on disrupting the current brokerage commission structure in the NYC luxury market and putting the profits in the pockets of the people who matter most: the customers. Traditional brokerages charge an exorbitant commission of 5-6% with multiple third parties battling each other for a slice. At Bedrock, our solution is radical and unprecedented: we cut out the unnecessary middlemen and charge a flat 1% commission from our sellers. If a listing is outside our network, we pass 50% of our commission on to our buyer. We can do this because, unlike the competitive cultures inside most brokerage firms, Bedrock isn’t made up of individual agents looking to get ahead. Instead, we have expert teams dedicated to each aspect of the real estate process, all working together to ensure our customers the smoothest, most pleasant experience possible. More than a brokerage, we’re a white glove service here to guide our customers through the complex world of NYC real estate. Savvy New Yorkers are already on board with Bedrock; since our recent launch, we’ve received multiple offers on our first listings.
The Conception of an Artistic Collective
The Bloomsbury Group is a meeting of the artistic mediums meant to help artists in this difficult, marvelous city remember their love for their craft and celebrate the act of making.
Our mission is simple: we want to create a safe, welcoming, encouraging space for all artists to share their art, themselves, their processes, struggles, failures, victories, and their ever-evolving relationships with this strange human drive to create.
We are a brand new community seeking to meet artists of all ilks, from all genres and forms, from all stages of career, hobby, and practice, so that we can expand our understanding of what art is, but most importantly, so we can recognize what is universal in the artist. No matter what shape your art takes, we can't wait to experience it with you!
We will ideally be meeting once a month in a Midtown rehearsal studio to have a group check-in and discussion about where we are in relation to the work, what we're curious about, and what we're struggling with. Then those who would like to share their work will be given individual time to address the group in a manner that makes them most comfortable and, if they would like, receive thoughtful feedback that is respectful of the fact that making anything is heroic.
The nature of the meetings will no doubt shift into what works best for everyone as we continue, but we are very excited by what we think we can create together. We hope you'll come be our lab partners in this grand experiment.