Like people, buildings age. Even under the best of circumstances, weather – particularly water, in the form of rain, snow, and ice – followed by or combined with extremes in temperature can do permanent damage to facades, cornices, parapets…
Whether a community is surrounded by suburbs or big-city high-rises, a little greenery can go a long way in adding visual appeal – and value. In fact, given the lack of space and the challenge of keeping plants healthy and thriving, urban g…
When it comes to energy, conservation is the watchword – not just as pertains to usage (although definitely that!) but also to cost. This may be especially true for New York City's condominium and co-op buildings, in which volunteer boards …
Housing Development Fund Corporation (HDFC) co-ops are an important and unique segment of the New York housing market that many fellow co-op shareholders are unaware of. Those who do know of the program are often familiar with it only from …
If you're not fortunate enough to have a washer/dryer in your apartment, the next best thing is a communal laundry room -- and those facilities have come a very long way since the days of bleak, fluorescent-lit basement spaces with a couple…
‘Jumbo loans.’ It’s a term we hear frequently and see advertised regularly. But what exactly is a jumbo loan, and how did ‘jumbos’ come to be? Origins The world of home loans -- including co-op and condo mortgages -- has changed and evo…
It's tax season, and homeowners in some states are apparently getting hit harder than others due to President Trump’s revised tax legislation. During a press conference in early February, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo argued that t…
It's been now over a month since Amazon's surprise decision to nix plans for its HQ2 in Long Island City , Queens. Following vehement opposition from local activists and several politicians, fallout from the split still lingers -- especi…
If you've followed New York real estate news in the last few days, you have certainly heard about Hudson Yards , the much-hyped, largest private development on Manhattan's West Side that boasts 18 million square feet of commercial and re…