I have always thought of myself as a good person. I have a job, I earn a living, I buy American-made products, do community service, visit my parents at least once a month and freely admit to watching Melrose Place. As if that weren't eno…
If you thought asbestos was a problem, wait until you hear about lead. Found in 57 million private homes in the United States (two million in New York City), lead-based paint poisons young children, reduces IQs, and causes learning disabili…
It has been compared to a trip to the dentist and a police interrogation. The very mention of it makes potential buyers' knees tremble and sets brokers' eyes rolling heavenward. What could strike such apprehension in even the most jaded New…
Unlike most places in America, Manhattan does not have a multiple listing service, a directory that outlines all the properties currently for sale in a given region. Instead, New Yorkers rely on real estate brokers to get the word out that …
In June 1992, the board of directors of a 160-unit co-op in Port Chester, New York made the same decision that countless boards have made before and since: They rejected the proposed sale of an apartment within their property. However, in…
The electronic age has reached the New York real estate market, bringing new ways of buying and selling apartments. Instead of spending weekends and evenings visiting real estate brokers and traipsing through neighborhoods looking for the…
At long last, the good news is here: New York real estate prices are on the rise. Every major real estate brokerage firm in the city reports that across-the-board prices rose from 1993 to 1994. Although there are areas that remain flat or…
Despite today's relatively low interest rates, it's not always easy to get financing. Lenders are more cautious because of the problems they incurred in the '80s, and banks and other institutions are more stringent than ever about the qua…
If you've been apartment shopping, you may think you know everything there is to know about the unit you've got your eye on. The price is right, the space is in excellent shape and there's room to spare. Generally, you get a good feeling …