Rookie Buyer: Everything the first-time apartment buyer needs to know to get approved for a mortgage

… may require as little as 35 percent down Military service members can qualify for a US Department of Veterans Affairs …

By Michelle Castillo |September 20, 2017 - 9:00AM
Rookie Buyer: Should we use a broker, or go it alone?

… like StreetEasy and Trulia was easy enough We were also told sellers pay the buyers agents commission and not having … She ended up getting a place in about week and thats how I met my agent Michael I decided to go with Jessie toto be true from its description Sure enough the listing was rented by the time we got there but Michael promised he had …

By Michelle Castillo |June 12, 2017 - 8:59AM
Co-op vs condo vs house? A first-time buyer sorts through her options

… If youre thinking of buying a place in New York youll have to decide between three main types of properties houses condos and cooperatives better known as coops We were … said to get a condo To get to the bottom of what we should buy we investigated the three main types of properties in …

By Michelle Castillo |May 31, 2017 - 8:59AM
A 'rental rookie' turns into a buyer: Join her journey and learn from her (mis)adventures

… myself My name is Michelle You may have read  my Rental Rookie column which ran back in 2011 and followed my … thats fine with us Were able to steer clear of tourists And best of all weve found it much easier to convince people to … we decided it was time to move Moving in New York is always a Herculean task especially when you are now carrying …

By Michelle Castillo |April 5, 2017 - 8:59AM