Ask an Expert: Is it the apartment, the price--or the broker?
by Teri Karush Rogers | 1/31/12 - 11:30 AM
Q. I've been trying to sell my Upper East Side one-bedroom for 4 months. I've had 6 open houses, no offers, and very little feedback one way or the other. I did everything my broker suggested in terms of staging, purging, and freshening, and lowered the price a total of 10%.
Right now it's just below the price that an apartment two floors under mine sold for last spring. (In case you were wondering, we are NOT affected by the Second Avenue subway construction.)
Any suggestions? How do I know if the problem is the price, the apartment, or the broker?
- Sponsored by Braverman & Associates
The Board Room: Why those confidential emails may end up in court anyway
by Robert Braverman, Esq. | 1/31/12 - 9:05 AM
Using email for co-op and condo board business is fast, easy, and efficient. It’s also far less private than you probably think.
Time and again, New York City co-op and condo boards involved in legal disputes are required to disclose emails that they never, in their wildest imagination, dreamed would ever be read by anyone other than their fellow board members, and maybe their managing agent, or even their attorney. These emails often wind up damaging their case, or worse.
Here are two ways it could happen to you.
The 8 best websites for finding a no-fee apt in New York City
by Teri Karush Rogers | 1/31/12 - 8:17 AM
Searching for a no-fee apartment in NYC is not for the faint of heart or short of time. To give you a head start, we’ve rounded up the 8 best websites to troll for listings directly from landlords, management companies, and/or brokers whose fee is being paid by the owner.
Serial Renter: Getting real with your future roommate
by Caren Maio | 1/30/12 - 3:02 PM
Serial Renter Caren Maio
Finding a really good roommate is just about as stressful as finding the actual apartment itself. Much like selecting an apartment, you should choose a roommate carefully – as a hasty choice is one you could seriously regret later.
Here are a few quick temperature checks you should take to help ensure you and your potential roomie will be at each other’s backs instead of throats when it comes to picking an apartment and living peaceably ever after.
1. Share your preferences.
Think about what you’re looking for in an apartment, make a list if you have to, and talk it through with your roommate.
What are both of your non-negotiables? Where are you both willing to compromise? Hopefully, there’s enough overlap in your lists in terms of location, layout, price, and specific amenities.
A new BrickUnderground rent poll: Talk to us!
by Lucy Cohen Blatter | 1/30/12 - 12:27 PM
Those with a keen eye may have noticed that at the right of our homepage, we've added a new reader survey.
This time we've turned our attention to rent, asking our BrickUnderground readers to tell us how much your rent went up the last time you renewed your lease.
Give us your response and see the kinds of rent increases your fellow BrickUnderground-ers had in the last year or two.
Park Avenue millionaire leaves $500k to doorman; ex-wife Not Bitter
by Teri Karush Rogers | 1/30/12 - 11:41 AM
In a testament to the quasi-family status building staff can attain in the eyes of residents, a Park Avenue doorman received a $500k bequest from a music executive who lived in the building and became "a really good friend," reports the NY Post. (This is, of course, way above and beyond the suggested annual tipping amounts for one's doorman.)
So was the apartment dweller's former wife, whom he divorced only a year ago, miffed that she apparently received nothing from her ex?
Apparently not.
“If he wants to give it to the bums, he can give it to the bums," she tells the Post. "He could f--k a nun. I couldn’t give a s--t. He can give his money to whoever he wants. We’re divorced. The man is dead.”
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StreetEasy Open House Scorecard: Family-sized apartments still rule
by Emily Feldman | 1/30/12 - 10:01 AM
An unnamed "award winning architect" designed this $1.095 million 2-bedroom co-op at 35 West 92nd Street. Both bedrooms have built-in bookcases and closets.
Families looking for a new home should take notes from this week's installment of the Open House Scorecard. The ten most popular open houses on StreetEasy.com over the last week (measured by how frequently each open house was "saved") include plenty of 2 and 3-bedroom apartments, large and versatile enough for a growing household.
Are no-pet rules worth dying over?
by Teri Karush Rogers | 1/30/12 - 7:34 AM
Upper West Side condo owner Nick Santino (above left), took his own life last week after allegedly being harassed over his pit bull in his building at 1 Lincoln Plaza, whose swank lobby is pictured here.
In a tragic turn of events last week, a troubled Upper West Side condo owner who said his building harassed him about his pit bull took his own life just hours after euthanizing his healthy 5-year-old dog.
The story as reported so far raises some unanswered questions.
StreetNoise: UWS condo tragedy linked to dog ban; don't lie to the board about your reno, and more
by Ronda Kaysen | 1/30/12 - 7:25 AM
- Downtown property manager accused of stealing $260K from co-op (The Lo-Down)
- "Harassed" by condo board over pit bull, UWS actor euthanizes dog & commits suicide (Gothamist; NY Post)
- The next best thing to your favorite unaffordable neighborhood (NY Times;previously)
- Why you probably do need renter's insurance--and what to know before you get it (NY Times; previously)
- A good offer isn't just about the money (Malcolm Carter)
- If you're trying to buy, don't lie to the board about your remodeling plans (StreetEasy Talk)
- Who actually gets paid when you pay the appraiser? (The Real Deal)
- There are ways to get inside Gramercy Park, but the place is so uptight you may not want to (Business Insider)
No-Fee Apartment of the Week: Three-bedroom townhouse apartment for $3,200
by Lucy Cohen Blatter | 1/27/12 - 3:38 PM
This $3,200 a month three-bedroom townhouse apartment in Central Harlem has its own backyard.
This $3,200 a month three-bedroom apartment is located inside a three-family brownstone at 163 W. 129th Street in Central Harlem.
Built from the ground up in 2002, the space has approximately 2,400 square feet, and a backyard, too. The kitchen, while spacious, has standard, non-luxury appliances. Rent includes heat and hot water.
The first lease term is for one year plus six months (ending July 31, 2012), and it will be renewable after that for one year at a time.
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