Posts Tagged ‘New York Real Estate’

NY1 segment aims at red flags in real estate sales

August 7, 2012

This image from Jill Urban’s NY1 segment shows neither her nor me.

Real estate reporter Jill Urban of NY1 interviewed me last week about the ways buyers or sellers can cause trouble before a contract is signed.

We also discuss what either party can do when sensing a problem.  I hope you enjoy viewing her short piece on red flags in real estate.

I know I enjoyed participating and finally meeting Jill, with whom I have several mutual friends in the business.

The clip is only two minutes long and includes one of those friends, lawyer Ron Gitter. I’ll have much more detail about the issues in a future post.

Tomorrow: Thanks, Rodney

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Malcolm Carter
Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker
Senior Vice President
Charles Rutenberg Realty
127 E. 56th Street
New York, NY 10022

M: 347-886-0248
F: 347-438-3201

Malcolm@ServiceYouCanTrust.com
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REBNY requires brokers to disclose family ties

August 2, 2012

Garfinkel

Ethical real estate brokers who are members of the Real Estate board of New York (REBNY) have a requirement that is not in New York State law, notes Neil B. Garfinkel, the organization’s residential counsel.

If representing a member of her/his immediate family, according to REBNY’s Code of Ethics and Professional Practices, a broker must disclose that relationship in writing to other parties to a transaction.

Although the state doesn’t require that disclosure, (more…)

Do apartment buildings abuse First Amendment?

July 19, 2012

Numerous condo and co-op buildings restrict the amount, place or even the contents of notices and other paper that residents want their neighbors to see.

The arguments in favor of the restriction range from preserving dignity and removing clutter to avoiding political disputes.

For years, community association leaders and lawyers were in agreement that since condos are not governments, the First Amendment did not protect condo owners from speaking freely, lawyer and columnist Benny Kass observes in the Washington Post.  But a recent court ruling suggests the possibility that courts in some states may rule on the side of building residents, rather than their boards.

He reports that an opinion handed down by (more…)

Draft tax abatement bill reduces past decreases

July 18, 2012

Although legislation has been drafted to extended tax abatements for apartment owners, there are changes that residents may not have been expecting.

It has been widely reported that the legislature is expected to go into special session later this year to vote on the co-op/condo abatement, the J-51 program and a technical amendment for 421a tax benefits, which are aimed at encouraging new residential development in high-density districts in Midtown as well as in downtown Manhattan.

But only when I received an e-mail from the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) did I notice details that affect many residents of the Big Apple.  (more…)

Weekly Roundup: Sales strong, rents spike, celebs move, U.S. prices rebound, rates drop again, consumers hopeful, analysts see recovery

July 13, 2012

Strong sales mark first half of year as inventory dwindles

$7.67 billion worth of homes change hands citywide in Q2

Rents jump to highest level in two years in fifth consecutive quarterly rise

Woman accuses landlord of refusing to list her wife (more…)

The High Road: Today Show stoops to new low

June 24, 2012

Many years have passed since I started viewing the Today Show for a sample of the latest news.

Old habits, as they say, die hard, and I’m probably doomed to hang onto that one.  Enough of the pandering celebrity interviews, the glimpses into the on-camera personalities’ lives and Matt’s trips around the world.

I thought things were bad enough until Friday’s broadcast, which I had planned to ignore on this blog.  But two full days after watching a Barbara Corcoran segment, I cannot restrain myself from ranting about the shameless new low to which Today’s producers permitted themselves to stoop. (more…)

Condos still unsold after Solaria auction debacle

June 13, 2012

It was on Nov.22, 2009 that the developer of Riverdale’s 20-story Solaria sought to unload 54 of the new development’s unsold apartments  at an auction that drew hundreds of hopefuls and plenty of press.

The results were not pretty, and Joseph Korff of ARC Development subsequently tried and tried to get rid of orphaned units that failed to find buyers.  I recently got to wondering whether he has succeeded after so much time.

The answer years later is, (more…)

Advance approval for renovations eludes buyers

June 6, 2012

Let’s renovate!

“Ah,” the prospective buyer coos, “this co-op has great potential.”

Uh, potential?

“What do you have in mind?” I might respond.

“Well, I’d like to take out that wall between the living room and dining room.  And it would be great to turn that closet into a powder room.  And. . . “

I point out that residents need to present an alteration agreement to the building’s board for approval of such an enterprise.

“Do you think there’ll be any problem?” the buyer invariably asks.

It is a good question and not one with an easy answer, surely not one with an absolute answer.

First, it is good to know or find out (more…)

Out and About: The way to a home’s heart

April 9, 2012

The argument can be made, and frequently is, that kitchens are what sell a residence.

Although I agree that the concept is fundamentally true, I also appreciate that any number of deficiencies can outweigh the appeal of the most glamorous kitchen.

Moreover, I think that a top-end kitchen — one with the inevitable Sub-Zero refrigerator and granite countertops — in an otherwise modest apartment or townhouse isn’t likely to carry the day.  Rather, prospective buyers may discount a kitchen’s worth if the rest of the dwelling doesn’t meet the same high standard.

I base my reasoning on the real estate principle of (more…)

Brooklyn residents learn hard lesson about trust

February 9, 2012
Brooklyn House of Detention (via Gothamist)

Some brokers think they know it all.

Others may simply pretend out of ignorance, arrogance or avarice that they know what the future holds.

Some residents of Brooklyn learned that lesson the hard way, (more…)


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