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In Williamsburg's Version of Monopoly, Bedbugs and Repairs Plague Players

By Gwynne Hogan | March 25, 2016 2:39pm | Updated on March 28, 2016 8:41am
 Broker Ralph Modica created a 'Buropoloy' to give to clients who buy real estate through him.   
Burgopoly Williamsburg
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WILLIAMSBURG — Bedbugs infest your apartment, the tax abatement on your condo expires or a bathtub overflows and you've got to make repairs — these are the pitfalls that can set you back thousands of dollars in a game of "Burgopoly."

Ralph Modica, real estate broker at Compass, created the Williamsburg-themed spinoff of the classic board game "Monopoly" as a way to thank clients, he said. 

Final versions of the game were printed just over a month ago, and the company has already given them out to several clients who've closed deals with the firm.

"It's definitely getting a lot of big eyes and open mouths when I give it to people," said Modica, 50, a Williamsburg resident. "The game is free, all you have to do is meet me at the closing table."

For more than a year, Modica and his employees worked on perfecting the game with late-night pizza parties and meetings at a coffee shop, Pudge Knuckles at 184 Kent Ave., near their office.

As a thanks to the cafe, it now has its own copy of the game with which customers can play.

"I really tried to stick with things that were just real estate-specific that both buyers and sellers go through," Modica said.

"They're just a part of the experience of owning real estate, selling real estate, buying real estate. It's just a game and it's meant to be fun."