In any real estate market, purchasing that first home is a daunting proposition; it's often the biggest investment of the buyer's life up to that point. And with today's high cost of urban living, it's exponentially more intimidating. Jus…
As we’ve recently seen in the news--from the Democratic National Committee email leaks about Bernie Sanders from last year’s presidential election, to the latest in the Trump-Russia brouhaha --emails aren’t always the safest and sec…
Residential sales prices for Brooklyn and Queens during the second quarter of 2017 set records over the same period a year ago, reflecting strong activity in those boroughs, according to Douglas Elliman in a new report released today. …
Property management - or rather, effective property management - involves a great many moving parts and potential loose ends. Here, a trio of management professionals discuss how they keep it all straight, manage their time, and do their pa…
In March 2015, an illegal tap on a gas line caused an explosion in a residential building in the East Village. Two lives were lost and three buildings were leveled. In the aftermath, it became clear that while the city required ins…
Many New Yorkers have happy memories of their grandmothers’ apartments that were dense with greenery despite the heavy curtains, window security gates, and stifling radiators. Yet their own modern city abodes are as bare as a desert and lac…
The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is an agency dedicated to retain the rich history of New York City, including its residential architecture. Boards of landmarked condominium or cooperative properties have a more strict set of rul…
Changing management companies is a big deal - but it doesn't necessarily have to represent a major upheaval. Knowing what documents and records to furnish to the incoming firm will help keep the process orderly and drama-free, and enable yo…
In New York City, having outdoor space is an amenity not enjoyed by many. Sure, some apartments may have tiny balconies. Some co-ops may share a front or inner courtyard. Condo developments -- especially new ones -- can boast shared roof de…
The rules are almost always different for co-ops, and that is most certainly true for occupancy issues. One of the initial reasons for the co-op ownership structure, both on the part of the those already living there and those buying in, w…