When is a kitchen not really a kitchen?

No one would mistake Julia Child’s kitchen for a typical one in the Big Apple.

Out-of-towners invariably know two things about New York City apartments: Prices are high and kitchens are small.

But how many consumers and brokers alike know what a kitchen is?  Yes, we have galley kitchens, country kitchens, eat-in kitchens and Pullman kitchens.

In fact, any space used for cooking either is a kitchen or a kitchenette, according to the city’s Administrative Code.

While a kitchen must contain 80 square feet,

New law best thing for buyers since open houses

Gov. David Paterson

Gov. David Paterson signed into law yesterday measures that will increase consumer protection by adding more transparency to the real estate process.

I’ve been ranting about agency disclosure–who’s representing whom–in New York forever, so I welcome the law, which goes into effect on Jan. 1

The law mandates that that agency disclosure forms be completed for all residential transactions. It permits consumers to give their advance consent to dual agency representation–that is, explicitly allowing consumers to demonstrate their understanding of a situation in which a broker must represent the best interests of both buyer and seller.