Partying college student turned landlord. Critique? Forum

[Anonymous User]

My contractor had his hands full and I was anxious to get this job completed even if it meant getting in there and helping. Hours earlier I had met with my architect and his expediter so I wasn't exactly dressed for the job. I was on my hands and knees helping to prep a floor for sanding in our Spanish Harlem apartment building. My dress shirt was covered in drywall dust, and sweat, but I didn't mind. The apartment looked fantastic, a far cry from the grim rat hole it was just a month before when our previous tenant had vacated. He was the last of the truly terrible tenants we had. Our new tenant would arrive in a few weeks and everything had to be in perfect order before she got there.

Not too long ago, I was a carefree, twenty something college student. However, when my late father, then in his eighties, began to experience a decline in his health, I was put in a unique position. I not only helped care for my father in the winter of his life, but I helped keep our business afloat; a business he and my mother started 15 years before. It was January of 2004 and after only a couple of weeks I was put to the test. When a problem tenant started a small electrical fire, the NYPD, FDNY, and Inspectors from every city agency descended upon us. We were issued violations for small infractions, many of which were caused by our tenants themselves. Everything was slapped with a fine. It ranged from a cracked bathroom tile, a heating tube painted with latex paint, and even a bicycle stored on the fire escape was subject to a penalty. The number of violations exceeded 500. We were dragged to court by the city's department of housing several times and were issued notices almost daily.

The real estate business in New York City, especially in Manhattan, can be very profitable, it can also be one of the most difficult places to own a rental property. The laws are stacked against you due to the excessive number of regulations, the difficulty dealing with each of them and the high cost of doing business in the city.

I took my new job seriously and researched the business thoroughly. I looked for books that would help explain the various laws which were unique to New York City. Over a short period of time my knowledge of the laws and how they worked increased; however the problems increased as well. The difference now was that I was equipped to handle these problems. Notices from the city still came, but I was better able to read them and understand them.

I've been through a lot in the ten years since I took over the business. A serious fire, new construction projects, changes in business models were all issues I had to deal with as an owner. Ironically, it was a law suit that showed me how much I enjoyed the challenge of legal work. I worked closely with my attorney, and for months his office became my second home. It was here that I found out how much I enjoyed the challenge of legal work. The high drama one sees in movies was absent and in its place was the challenge of reading, and understand the law, then finding a solution.

When our court date came around I was excited. There was no trial, no dramatic objections, we didn't even speak with the judge who sat at the bench with a copy of the The Daily News. Instead of a formal trial we would be sent into mediation. We were all lead to a room to discuss the matter. My newly acquired knowledge made me able to confidently discuss the issues with my tenant, the mediator, and my attorney. At one point when I saw that we were going nowhere I spoke directly with the tenant in a calm, professional manner and offered to buy her out of her lease. The amount we eventually agreed on was much lower than the amount of money she would have been awarded had the suit been lost and we wouldn't have to deal with her again.

A law degree would be an invaluable asset to my business, but it would also be fulfilling both emotionally and financially. My goals would be to open my own office in East Harlem and focus on property, and landlord/tenant law. I have the office space available to me which would greatly reduce my overhead, and I also have the respect and recognition of my neighbors and fellow landlords. My decade of experience in the industry and my passion and drive to find unique solutions to the problems faced by small landlords, and tenants alike would put me in a position to serve this area well. I am at a point in my life and career where I am seeking challenges that would help me find a greater purpose. It is for these reasons that I seek admission to law school.

[Nebby]

Too long.

Edit: Shoot for two-pages, double spaced. Conciseness is a skill you'll need in law school, thus might as well start with your PS. And a long PS will bore the piss out of adcomms.

[MiracleNeeded]

I agree, a little too long

[Nebby]

PM me.