Category Archives: Real Estate
Supportive Housing in the Bronx
Complaining about one’s housing situation is as good a remedy as any for the loneliness epidemic; there are so many things to complain about, and the more creatively you do it, the more popular you will be. If you own a house, which no one does in New York, you can complain about making… Read More »
Deed Theft and Other Real Estate Crimes
All business transactions involve a fair amount of bluster, but some careers that involve persuasion have more of a reputation for charlatanism than others. People will easily assume that lawyers and used car salesmen are dishonest, but they tend to take the charm of real estate agents at face value. It helps that real… Read More »
What Are Appraisal Management Companies, and Are They Friend or Foe?
Compared to the anticipation that precedes them, real estate closings are anticlimactic affairs. In the most upscale parts of the Five Boroughs, the law office conference rooms where the closings take place are lovely to behold, but if you can afford to buy a real estate property that would entail such an opulent setting… Read More »
Should You Invest in REITs Instead of Buying a Real Estate Property as an Investment?
Of all the lies and false hope associated with the pursuit of passive income and the quest to be your own boss, one of the most insidious and persistent rumors is that owning real estate properties as an investment is easy money. Anyone who has ever rented out a real estate property to tenants… Read More »
House Hacking
In better economic times, people used to daydream about building up enough equity in their homes that they could move to a bigger house and use the old one as a rental property. There were times when becoming a mom-and-pop landlord seemed to be within the reach of almost all homeowners. These days, good… Read More »
Think Twice Before Writing a Real Estate Love Letter
Love is insincere when there is money involved. How many successful businesspeople find themselves the center of attention at networking events, but when they get home, their spouses revile them, their children want nothing to do with them, and their extended family members only contact them when they need money? Almost anyone who has… Read More »
3 Types of Real Estate Properties That Are Old News
The best reason to buy a real estate property is that it is a place where you want to live. It has just enough bedrooms for the members of your household, and it is easy to get from your new home to your workplace and your children’s school. If the long-term financial investment is… Read More »
New York City Faces Lawsuit Over Real Estate Broker Fee Law
The struggles of tenants in New York City are well known; there is a reason that the musical Rent was such a big hit even in parts of Middle America that generally have little sympathy for New York. Of course, being a landlord is not exactly easy, either. At least New York landlords do… Read More »
What Can Go Wrong If You Gift a Real Estate Property to a Family Member?
Now that the new year has been going on long enough that people have started breaking their New Year’s resolutions, everyone is talking about the annual gift tax exclusion. In 2025, the annual gift tax exclusion is $19,000. This means that you can give a whopping $19,000 per recipient to as many recipients as… Read More »
What to Do If You Are Stuck in a Starter Home
Buying a house can give you a feeling of permanence, but what if moving into your forever home does not really mean forever. The concept of a starter home exists for a reason. Many homebuyers, especially young, newlywed couples, who can afford to qualify for a mortgage at all can only qualify for a… Read More »