Broker Tips
Three NYC Real Estate Myths
Ask two economists the same question, and you’ll get three different answers. Real estate can be the same way. It’s easy for clients to get sidetracked in a fast moving market like ours. Buyers and sellers are inundated with experts offering their advice loudly from any forum that will take them. It’s important that real …
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Comparing Offers in a Seller’s Market
One of my sellers called me the other day and happily announced that she had a buyer and asked me to prepare the contract. “Great I said, and by the way, how many offers did you get?” “We had 3 she replied, so we picked the highest one,” she proudly responded. “Are they financing?” I …
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When Foreigners Sell
One of the nice things about selling real estate in New York is that even those who have never had to file a tax return before get to file one. What could be better than that! Like everything else in our market, the rules are complicated. Let’s simplify it. New York State: Individuals (and trusts …
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Preparing for the Appraisal
One of my sellers called me the other day and said she was waiting for the appraiser to show up from the buyer’s bank. “Is the broker coming?” I asked. “No, should he be?” was her questioning response. Yes. And don’t come empty handed. Financing is the trickiest part of today’s transactions, and the appraisal …
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Success in 2013: Build on What We Learned in 2012
The name of the first month of the year comes from the Roman God Janus, who is depicted with a head of two faces, one looking forward, the other backward. That’s appropriate as we enter the new year. Let’s learn from the past to build success in the new year. Here are a few lessons …
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The Amazing Shrinking Apartment
You would think that the topic of measuring the square footage of an apartment would be without controversy. After all, measuring tapes don’t lie, so what’s all the fuss about? Well, like almost any other aspect of NYC real estate, this one has some quirks that can cause confusion. When buildings are first built, or …
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Buying New Construction Before It’s Built
One of the realities of the post-Lehman real estate world in the New York metropolitan market is that construction financing for new development dried up, resulting in a dearth of new construction/conversion projects coming on line. And for those already in the pipeline, homebuyers were less inclined to buy off “plans and specs,” having seen …
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Why Deals Die and How to Avoid These Problems
It’s an unfortunate reality of the New York City marketplace that not all deals end up closing. But given the amount of work it takes to successfully market a property and find a willing buyer, just as much effort should go into ensuring that deal gets from the handshake to the closing table. Let’s start …
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Not Realizing You Bought a Mansion – Congratulations!
Do you remember when buying a house for a million dollars really meant you were buying a mansion? Probably not. But there was a time when the “mansion tax” really meant what it was called. Now it’s just a cruel joke repeated at the closing table when buyers write out checks for 1% of the …
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Becoming More Than Just a Real Estate Salesperson
Today’s brokerage clients demand more of their real estate professional than before, and successful agents and brokers recognize this. I deal with many real estate professionals across the spectrum of success, and have noticed that the more talented brokers are the ones who make themselves the single resource that clients trust in connection with all …
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