Seller Tips
Mastering The Walk Through
The final inspection or “walk through” can often generate last-minute disputes between buyers and sellers the can transform an amicable closing into a contentious one. But it doesn’t need to, and here are some tips that can help avoid problems. The basics: Let’s remember what we are trying to accomplish in the walk through. The …
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5 Rules to Make the Walkthrough Much Smoother
The final inspection — or walk through — should simply be one more pleasant meeting with the buyer to welcome them to their new home, before heading over to the closing to finish the deal and convey title. But too often, the walk through can be the source of dispute, and fodder for the buyer …
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Success in 2015: Build on What We Learned In 2014
Santayana famously said “[t]hose who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” With that admonition, let’s take a look at what we learned from real estate in 2014 and use it to build an even more successful 2015. It’s All About The Team: Buyers spend months searching for the perfect apartment. They miss …
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Three NYC Real Estate Myths
Ask two economists the same question, and you’ll get three different answers. Real estate can be the same way. It’s easy for clients to get sidetracked in a fast moving market like ours. Buyers and sellers are inundated with experts offering their advice loudly from any forum that will take them. It’s important that real …
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Comparing Offers in a Seller’s Market
One of my sellers called me the other day and happily announced that she had a buyer and asked me to prepare the contract. “Great I said, and by the way, how many offers did you get?” “We had 3 she replied, so we picked the highest one,” she proudly responded. “Are they financing?” I …
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When Foreigners Sell
One of the nice things about selling real estate in New York is that even those who have never had to file a tax return before get to file one. What could be better than that! Like everything else in our market, the rules are complicated. Let’s simplify it. New York State: Individuals (and trusts …
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Success in 2013: Build on What We Learned in 2012
The name of the first month of the year comes from the Roman God Janus, who is depicted with a head of two faces, one looking forward, the other backward. That’s appropriate as we enter the new year. Let’s learn from the past to build success in the new year. Here are a few lessons …
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In the Aftermath Of Sandy
As the recovery from Sandy continues, the financial impact of the storm continues to grow. Here is a brief legal guide that may help those most affected in making decisions. Flood insurance: It’s hard to learn after a storm like Sandy that typical homeowner / condo owner / coop owner insurance policies do not cover …
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Do No-Pet Policies Affect Market Value?
We get a lot of questions on the Saturday morning radio show I co-host (Eye On Real Estate, WOR710), but a recent caller posed one that got me thinking. She is considering a coop purchase in a building that does not permit pets. She is not a pet owner, so it won’t affect her directly, …
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The Amazing Shrinking Apartment
You would think that the topic of measuring the square footage of an apartment would be without controversy. After all, measuring tapes don’t lie, so what’s all the fuss about? Well, like almost any other aspect of NYC real estate, this one has some quirks that can cause confusion. When buildings are first built, or …
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