On My Stoop
Celebrating New York’s Black Women Homeowners
‘On My Stoop’ is a photo series and interview journal by Sunday School and FourTwo Creative. The story is dedicated to highlighting the varied narratives of ownership through the stories of four compelling Black women and their respective journeys of landing history-rich homes, including the coveted Brownstone.
Photographed by Bronx-native Kreshonna Keane in Harlem and Brooklyn, each story gives a glimpse into each woman’s background and their path to securing this valuable asset that will benefit them and generations to come.
What is your occupation? DE&I Executive and Entrepreneur
Can you please share your nationality or cultural background? Black
How long have you owned your brownstone? 18 years
Can you start from the very beginning and tell us about your path to ownership? My father always instilled in me the importance of homeownership. His most common saying to me was, “the most important thing you can buy is property because they are not making anymore”. When I first moved to NYC, I always dreamed of owning a brownstone in Harlem. I shared my dream with my financial planner and he introduced me to a broker and the rest is history.
What's the biggest change you've noticed in the community since moving in? Since I moved into my home, there has been much more development happening in the community. There are more mainstream commercial stores within a 10-minute walk. Some of the property values have more than doubled, which is a double-edged sword. On one side the amenities are great and convenient on the other hand many small Mom & Pop shops have gone out of business.
What is your favorite part about your home and why?
One of my favorite parts of my home is the stoop. I’ve watched many neighborhood kids grow up to be amazing adults from my stoop. I also enjoy sitting on my chocolate leather coach reading and coming up with my next creative idea or spending time in my backyard.
Can you share any obstacles you might have faced on your quest for ownership and how you overcame them?
The thing I remember most is the contractors missing critical deadlines. Once I learned to be very patient, my stress level reduced. Things happen when they are supposed to.
What advice do you have for young Black women who want to own but feel there are too many roadblocks in their way?
The only roadblock is YOU. Keep your affairs in order, monitor your credit score and make sure you have a decent amount of money saved for your down payment
What do you believe is the generational significance of homeownership for Black people?
Homeownership for Black people is the simplest form of generational wealth. If done properly, property ownership allows us to pass down a working asset to our families for generations.
What is your occupation?
Historically, my background is in accounting and finance. When I finished college, I was an accounting and finance major. So I worked at KPMG as a real estate auditor. That really gave me a lot of my real estate, business backing, and knowledge. I did that for a couple of years before going to law school. And then went to Georgetown Law School. And while it's very general, my focus after law school was immediately in real estate law. I'm a real estate investor. Now, because I did work at KPMG as an accounting, accountant and author for law school. And after law school, I went to work for law firms in New York City for about five years. And then I went on my own in 2006. So I've been out there for a while on my own.
Would you also share your nationality and your cultural background?
Sure. I'm black. But my family is Jamaican. Both my parents were born and raised in Jamaica, and they came to the US to go to college. So my dad went to Howard and my mom went to Catholic and then they both got their masters at Johns Hopkins. I was raised in the DC area and stayed there until I finished law school, and then moved to New York for my first post law school job.
How long have you owned your brownstone now?
My current house, I bought it in 2008 and then renovated and moved in 2009
Can you start from the very beginning and sort of tell us a path to ownership story?
When I was in law school, I bought my first condo in DC and then I bought a few condos in DC and the building I was living in just happened to be converting from rental to condo, so it was a great opportunity to go into an investment with very little cash because I had no money. And obviously this really great first time homebuyer programs and if there's a conversion from rental to condo, it's perfect because if you live in the building, they pretty much need to work something out for you. So that was how I really started out with purchasing and once you get your first place with any kind of first time homebuyer program, or any other kind of 10th tenant conversion program. If there's good equity in the place, it opens the door to the next level of investment because I bought that first condo for $96,000. And within a couple of years, it was worth $300,000. And so that gives you the opportunity to refinance and take out cash. And that's how I, you know, was able to invest in my second home, which turned out to be my main home in New York when I moved there.
I've never been a great saver. So I've never saved for a downpayment. And I know a lot of people work really hard. And they're like, I don't want to do anything until I save for this downpayment but, saving is not easy. In New York, if you live in New York. I came out of Georgetown Law, I paid for it myself. So I had six figures in debt. I was making probably the best salary for anybody coming out of school at that time. But I'm in my 20s and even if you're making—like at that time, I think I weighed 150 plus bonus—so it may have been 190, that's excellent for a 20 something year old, right? By the time I paid my student loans, and then hung out, there wasn't much left. So I wasn't saving, it really had to come from getting creative with either, pulling off of another property, which is what I did in DC. Or another thing was, I tell anybody, I don't think I'm supposed to but, if you have good credit, there's a world open to you. So I mean, America, at least, is open. If you have strong credit, you can pretty much get a credit card with a line of credit on there. And with that, there's always an offer for cash back, then you're able to use it for Home Improvements or whatever else. And I would just use that to add my saving, quote, unquote, savings. And that's what you use for different investments or to buy your house.
Can you tell me how the community around you has changed since you moved in? In Oh, nine?
I can even go back to 2002. Because that's where I really see the change, because I was just a block away, if that makes it easier. But I moved in in 2002. It was an up and coming neighborhood. But I was on Myrtle and Waverly. And now Merle in Washington. So it's just a block away. But it was not the coolest block. We didn't have Bank of America. We didn't have soco, we didn't have any of these, like really cool spots. We did have Citibank and a lot of other things that were kind of local. And then you still had a lot of crackheads in the neighborhood. So it was like, 2002, Brooklyn was a little different. But it was, my part of the neighborhood wasn't that close to the train, I had friends that were closer to the sea, I was closer to the t, which at that time was horrible. But it just got better. And the bus line got better. Pratt Institute has been there forever. But it became, I guess, it's just been so busy with their foreign student program. And then you see an influx of like, lots of different races. And if I didn't own my place, I'd be really pissed. If I didn't own my place, and several other places in the neighborhood, I'd be ticked off because the prices are much higher. You have a lot of people that used to live in the city thinking Brooklyn now is cool, where before they wouldn't even come to Brooklyn, and then trying to change what the standards are, how loud you play your music, like, what do you do? And that part of it is like the bullshit that comes with junk gentrification, right? When you own your place, dude, there's nobody that can tell you what to do. Like even the police department isn't allowed anymore to come under de blasio. They can't come into your house on the noise complaint. It's just they can't come in, nobody can do anything. So you're in much more control over what you do, and what you can do. If things get tough, or like me, I split my time between Miami and New York. So if I don't want to be in New York for six months, I can rent out my house. That might be harder if I had a rental to sublet. So, yeah, the neighborhood's changed in good ways. There's a lot more access, Mr. Coco Myrtle, there's a lot of little stuff, but, but I'm not a huge fan of some of the neighbors that have moved in, but then some of the neighbors that were there before weren't great either. So if you own it doesn't matter if you own it doesn't matter.
We used to have parties in the park every Sunday and then the neighbors complained. But if you're a neighborhood owner, you have your voices as strong or stronger than theirs. And that's my issue with black people not owning. Because you lose your power. When you're an owner, you decide what your neighborhood is allowed to do and what we're not allowed to do.
Do you have a favorite part of your home and, and why?
The pool and the hot tub. It was the best investment I made. I think I've probably spent under 50,000 for maybe 25 for the pool and hot tub, and then maybe another 10 or 15. For the decking around it. It wasn't terribly expensive. When you think about the fact that I could refinance and pull that cash out at times, but the joy that it gives me my friends is everything. That's probably my favorite part of the whole house.
But do you have any more specific advice for a young black woman in particular, we feel that they're like too many roadblocks?
I would say, just don't be afraid to ask people for help. There's nothing that I've done without somebody else helping me a bit. Everything I've told you was told to me. And so don't be afraid to ask, I think that's wonderful. The black female network is strong. I think that women that have done well, like me, and Trisha, and I'm sure a lot of other women that you're interviewing, have that knowledge to share. And they benefited from that knowledge from other people completely, especially if you're an immigrant, or from an immigrant family. You somebody helps you hear, so don't be afraid to ask, but then don't ask if you're not willing to put in the work because nobody cares anymore.
What do you believe is like the generational significance of home ownership for black people?
I think it's power. I think that's what it comes down to real estate and homeownership is power. The number one way to gain wealth in this country and generally through the world is real estate, period, and homeownership is almost the only way that people that didn't create some great invention [can gain wealth]. It's the number one way the average person creates equity and a positive balance sheet. It's just the number one way. Even if you have good income from other sources, it's a wonderful deduction as well. It's just.It's important for black women to invest in their neighborhoods, because it makes no sense for us to complain about what we can and cannot do in the park or what we can do on the street without getting involved.
But if we all do it collectively, I think, you know, I mean, black women are becoming the most educated women in the country. So why wouldn't we be the most powerful in politics and finance. And that's really the driver of everything. Finance drives this country. So even if you don't want to be a politician and set the tone for what was happening in the police force, where else if your financial backing is strong, you can influence the people that are making those decisions. If collectively, black women have that financial power, then there's no reason that we shouldn't feel protected and safe. Because then at that point, you're the taxpayer, you're the one that's paying the police department, you're the one that's playing for the city. Official, you're donating to their campaigns, you're involved. But you can't be involved. If you're not owning your property or or businesses in the area. There's nothing, nobody cares what you say.
What is your occupation? Real Estate Broker in New York City
Can you please share your nationality or cultural background? 110% Jamaican 🇯🇲
How long have you owned your brownstone? 2 years
Can you start from the very beginning and tell us about your path to ownership? I did what I tell so many of my clients to do. I purchased what I could afford while I built up savings and resources for a house purchase. For me, that was a co-op home in Clinton Hill. Very simple and very small, but I put a lot of love into that space and created such a great home for myself, when I ultimately sold it there was a bidding war on the first day. It sold in one Open House and set a record at the coop for that size unit sale. I made more money on that sale because I had poured what resources I had into creating great space. After that, I rented in a highrise building, because that was something I had always wanted to do. I wanted that full-service experience. That was fun until it wasn't and that was right around the time that I realized that I had spent about $50K renting something I could never own. When I found this home, I wasn't sure if I had the bandwidth to deal with a purchase, renovation, chasing contractors, etc,... I knew that life well from my previous career and I wasn't too keen on it. This time it was different, I had a partner that had vision, resources, and more patience than me. We worked like a tag-team and when I would tire myself out, he would jump in and get things done. Our strengths were obvious, I like the pretty parts, the design, the floorplan, textures, and materials. He was all over the budget (boo!) and managing the teams. We focused on having people do only what they were good at so we would bring in a cabinet team, knowing they would work fast and keep us on schedule but have to work at a pace to align with the stone team. We would have someone come in and do all the clean-up, so the contractors could move along at a faster pace. We had separate teams working so they depended on each other to stay on schedule, that pressure kept them on schedule. We finished a full reno in under 4 months.
What is your favorite part about your home and why?
I love my backyard. We designed it to party so we have a bench built into the fencing and what I like to call a stage/dance floor. It gets perfect sunlight and is my favorite place to work and catch up with my girls.
Can you share any obstacles you might have faced on your quest for ownership and how you overcame them?
There are mental, physical, and financial obstacles. For most of us, it is "..how am I gonna come up with that much money?" That's a huge obstacle so I believe in tricking your mind to accept, starting where you are. If a studio apartment is your most attainable first purchase, then you start there! At Least THAT is gaining appreciation while you work out your master plan over the next few years. For example, if you buy a condo for $400K in 2018 and it's worth $500K in 2021, you're that much closer to the downpayment on your next home. You have what you've saved, plus what you've made on that first property. You must start where you are and stop making the end goal, the only goal. It's about progress. The physical challenge is, it's a lot of work to create great space. Unless you can have a team come in and Wahla!, it's perfect,--prepare to be spending lots of time at tiling, plumbing and appliance stores. The financial challenge is the sacrifice, and that's where you lose most interest. Huge investments can be lots of delayed gratification. You have to be ready to make the financial sacrifice, owning in this city is not as easy as the rest of the country. Personally, my ability to overcome any of those annoyances really comes down to knowing and seeing solid proof that the pros drastically outweigh the cons.
What advice do you have for young Black women who want to own but feel there are too many roadblocks in their way?
Break it down into smaller steps. Set a realistic budget, SAVE YOUR MONEY. When it's time, speak to an experienced lender about money, an experienced realtor about the real estate market, and a real estate lawyer about the legal process. Let the professionals guide you and know that your first home is just that, your first home. Start somewhere. My clients buying multi-million dollar brownstones today are most often trading out of their 1 or 2 bedroom homes. They are selling those smaller spaces (that they made a significant appreciation on) and now buying their pre-war home.
What do you believe is the generational significance of homeownership for Black people? this goes so deep. There was a generation, one that came before mine that believed in homeownership as a wealth-building tool. I hear these stories from my elders where many family members partnered to buy properties and if it took 6 people to cover the expenses, that's what they were willing to do. If you observe so many pre war homes now, you see how they were SROs or multi-family use. Those are my favorite stories and when I sell their homes today and they profit millions, I cheer for them because that's what it's about. Yes, it's home, but it's wealth! It has less to do with the physical property and more about how it provides freedom to my clients. That’s what wealth can do. It's putting yourself in a better financial position, opening up options. I sometimes feel like THAT skipped a whole generation. The right real estate can be a great tool for building and sustaining wealth. When I see homeowners preparing to sell because no one in the family (of my generation) is able to take over the property, offer a good price to purchase it or maintain it, It does get to me, I can't deny that. Look, I sell homes. It's how I make my living, but the work that I love most is educating young women on reaching the homeownership goal and how attainable it really can be. I recently got a call from a young lady that I sold a coop to in 2016. She may have paid $405K for it then, it was what she could afford and a great investment. I'm pretty sure that I will sell it for $550K this year when she moves on to buying a single-family pre-war home. She's saved some cash, between that and her sale profits, she will be well-positioned to purchase her new home. I see this every day. But you would look at her and say, “...how did this woman accomplish this or that?”. She started somewhere as opposed to not start at all.
NOTE: whole Brownstone speaks to the sandstone material used in the facade. Often NYer speaks of townhouses, rowhomes, and specifically “pre-war” homes that speak to the architecture and design of so many turn-of-the-century homes.
It’s literally a Brooklyn home people speak of when they say brownstone. I think this article clearly explains it. Buyers want historic pre-war homes, often not too dedicated to the material. Of the stones used in the late 1800s, brownstone was the least expensive material.
What is your occupation?
I’d say I’m an entrepreneur. I own a restaurant with my husband. We also own a shop next door to the restaurant that sells a lot of just local, cool, fun stuff from clothing to artifacts and accessories. So I own a shop, a restaurant, and I'm a full time mom–like that's the jobs right there.
And what would you describe as your nationality or cultural background?
My parents are from the Caribbean (Trinidad.) And we're the first generation from the states. So we're Caribbean American.
What is your ownership story?
Inheritance. My property has been in my family since the 1950s, and it just got passed down through my family. It was actually my great uncle that bought it, and the story is that it was difficult [to buy a home]. My great uncle worked for the bank, but it was really about who you knew, and you really had to have your portfolio, your numbers and everything together. It wasn't as easy. You really had to show a strong kind of footing to be able to pull out all the stops and all the connections and everything you have to be able to secure the property that he did.
How has the community changed since you moved in?
The neighborhood has really changed because when I first moved in, the neighborhood didn't have much [outside of Franklin Avenue], It was just a lot of families. That felt really good, but there really wasn't a lot to do. There were a lot of Caribbean restaurants and I really loved that you could easily access really authentic Caribbean food, but in terms of different coffee shops, and places to hang out and that kind of thing—there wasn’t that much of that. Suddenly [businesses] started to pop up but they didn't feel like they were really for us. When I say for us, I mean for black and brown people with Caribbean and African backgrounds. That honestly is what fueled us into figuring out the whole restaurant thing. So much change was happening and it felt really good for us to be able to be a part of the change. You know what I mean? For us to put a restaurant in the neighborhood, then change no longer felt like it belonged to someone else. It feels like we had a hand in that change. I remember when Barboncino first opened and their kitchen closed late like 1am and we were so excited to actually leave our apartment at 11pm and walk to go have dinner. It just felt really good in have that as an option in the neighborhood. We wanted to be a part of that change. We watched over the last 15 years so, really change and become the place to be. It feels good to be a part of that change.
Speaking of your home, specifically, can you tell us what your favorite part is about your home?
The whole home has transformed, and it's under construction right now. So my favorite area is still being built, but it’s my kitchen. I just feel like for me now, especially with my kids, and my husband, we're all so busy, everyone has their schedules. It's just a place of duty, but we can all kind of come together. We are restaurant people, so we love to entertain. Being able to have friends or family around this kitchen that we really carefully planned out and curated—that's important, and makes me happy. And my bed. I like my bedroom! My family likes to watch a lot of TV, and I like to watch what I want to watch whenI want to watch it. So the TV in my room is where I go to lay in my bed and watch my Netflix. And that's my private space and my sanctuary.
Do you still feel like pieces or parts of your uncle are still there even with the renovations that are taking place?
My uncle was just such a big part of his community and the land. The land is the foundation that my uncle left of us and it will be here for generations and generations to come. It’s seems simple but its actually quite brilliant what he created.
What is the generational significance, especially for black people around home ownership and like, what it means for future generations. What this meant for you,
I think it’s the heartbeat of everything. We're able to have what we have today because of decisions that my great uncle made in the 50s. Here we are in 2021 and it's still here for my family and my children. And now the work that we're doing on this house, is for my grandchildren, and generations beyond. It really is a roadmap, a foundation. Land ownership that it’s essential for generational growth, because having that roof over your head and the importance of having it generate value over time. You can just build and build and build and build on that. I think it's really important that we continue to acquire property, hold on to it and, and breathe new life into it. That foundation is going to be there forever. That's like, super important.