One of the most important issues in deciding if a cooperative or condominium apartment is a wise investment is the financial status of the building itself. The key document that potential buyers should review is the annual financial state…
What do you look for when you're researching a possible new neighborhood? Movie buffs will tell you that it's essential to be near a state-of-the-art theater. Fitness conscious New Yorkers will want to investigate whether there's a good h…
According to the most recent survey by the National Association of Realtors, 41 percent of all new homes are purchased by first-time buyers. Whether you're shopping for a co-op or condo for the first time, or you've already been through t…
We've all heard that old adage little things mean a lot. This is especially true when you're trying to sell your co-op or condo apartment. The way you present your property to prospective buyers can make all the difference between succ…
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…
How to Handle a Demand for Special Services Will you trade in your co-op or condo for a Florida address when you reach retirement age? Don't be so sure. More and more New Yorkers are choosing to age in place in the same apartment they fell…
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…