Jeffries gives ProCro The NoGo -may be against law in the future - broker fraud?

Totally agree.

In addition, such a law would be completely unenforceable from a practical stand point.

Gotta love the populist appeal though

blo-mo

am i too late?

I think its a great idea. Other municipalities (nationally and internationally) already name boundaries through a public process.

In terms of being enforcable all they have do to is have multiple ways to report offending brokers (complaints including real estate listing) and work on a system that creates a scale for the number of violations and maybe a letter grading system. Yes they would have to have some staff to check complaints but I dont see why it would have to be any different than the complaint process at the Department of Consumer Affairs.

Too bad that I voted for this guy. I thought he was different, but this shows that he's no different from other attention-seeking politicians who care only about the next election. It's a shame he can't work harder and focus on genuine issues.

It also allows people to believe that brokers cause name changes and gentrification, causing people to think:

"if we can just keep our neighborhoods present name, we can stop change"

So quaint, trite and naive. I want to ride on that train. Damn it, If they get an enemy (brokers) want an enemy too!

Granted, it can be viewed as demagogic, or quixotic, but consider whether Jeffries’ proposal could be beneficial to ALL consumers.

House-seekers waste so much time and money going to see apartments that are misrepresented in ads. Retail store owners can not get away with what brokers do. There ARE laws about such things when it comes to rental cars, durable consumer goods, advertised specials, etc.

However, I don’t see the made-up names as being as much of a problem as the falsely advertised locations. Remember, the street address is not always given, so one can not look it up for oneself. If the apartment is listed without an address, it should at least NOT have a false “neighborhood” location. This could be a benefit of Jeffries’s proposal. A commission could determine where neighborhood boundaries were and their names, and those names should be used in the context of commerce, with no non-conforming names. Seems pretty simple, though I’m sure there’d be some tricky junctures when drawing the map. For those concerned about change over time, there could be a revision of the map periodically. Fair enough?

As long as they had all the players at the table to write the above law, I would also like it if accurate measurements of an apartment were mandatory in ads. Ceiling height and floor area as square feet. So quantifiable. You can’t make that shit up when you’re selling a television, why is it OK for real estate?

So I am willing to hear Jeffries out, and if his proposal is developed in a broader, consumer-protection context, I might be appreciative of his efforts. Some things might have to remain fuzzy, as, for example, the definition of “cozy,” but other things can be quantified, and it would be nice if those things were accurate in ads.

Thank you inpixels

Assuming they were ever able to create a list of the official names (a big assumption), If I were a broker, I would adapt by using the regulated neighborhood names with modifiers before or after them or use terms that had no regulations attached.

Near Prospect Heights

Minutes from prospect park

Gentrified Crown Heights

Etc

This way I could continue to convince the less savvy buyers that they were living in a neighborhood they couldn't actually afford (or didn't want to pay for).

You know, like how Kraft advertises Cheese Product? ....because it isn't cheese.

I agree, the government could do more to protect consumers, but I don't think Jefferies is going about it the right way. Caveat emptor remains the best advice

The commission on neighbor names sounds like a hellish place to be.

All of the various ethnicities and interest groups would complain that the neighborhood should be named after them, based on vague authority.

Folks would constantly test the limits of the law by naming their area after real features:

"Brower Park area of Crown Heights" would be shortened to Brower Park.

Etc, etc

We are talking about full time employment for life for the folks on that commission.

this agent seems to like the traditional borders and name "Crown Heights", s/he even takes the time to describe the borders in their ad:

http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/nfb/2332580115.html

this guy seems partial to bringing the name "Crow Hill" back from the past:

http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/abo/2331410976.html

A little part of my brain dies whenever I read Gothamist; They put out that video.

I remain partial to the term "Crown Heights", and would like it if others called the area by my preference.

....however, I am quite opposed to government wasting time on this issue. They have actual work that needs doing.