Now that you've landed your new apt - it's time to unpack. Tips on how to make it stress free

Moving In NYC: How to Unpack Once You’ve Reached Your New Home

streeteasyMay 28, 2013 at 5:37 pmReal Estate Tips and Trends

By Laurel Byrne, City Move

Moving in NYC is super stressful. But with a bit of organization and foresight, you can make your move to your new apartment more manageable. Read this article for a guide on how to strategically and efficiently unpack your furniture and belongs once you’ve moved into your new apartment or home.
You may think that unpacking the contents of your entire home or apartment after a move would be difficult, but you can make it easy by sticking to a plan. The order in which you unpack your belongings will be based on what items you will need immediately versus those which you can wait until using. If you have an inventory list handy, you may want to reference this as you unpack to make sure that you are not missing anything. When you packed up your belongings at your old home or apartment, you should have made one box, or several boxes, of essentials that you kept using right up until your move; these items include things like a toothbrush and toothpaste, medicine, a hairbrush, toilet paper, several daytime outfits and nighttime sleepwear, shoes, some dishes and silverware, and some essential cooking utensils. Hopefully you labeled your essentials boxes—these are the boxes that you want to unpack first.

Read the full story here: http://ownyourhome.streeteasy.com/moving-in-nyc-how-to-unpack-once-youve-reached-your-new-home/

 

23 New Developments Hitting the Market This Spring - click for he map

CURBED MAPS

23 New Developments Hitting the Market This Spring Tuesday, April 9, 2013, by Sara Polsky

 

The real estate market tends to heat up come spring right along with the weather. For anyone out hunting for a condo or rental, there are a few new development offerings to choose from. We've compiled a map of projects that are set to hit the market this spring, plus a few that appeared on market in the first quarter. Know of one we've missed? Please share in the comments or with the tipline, and we'll add it to the map. Happy hunting to all. UPDATE: We've added a few more developments to the map, but let us know if there are others we're still missing.

Read the Full Story Here: http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/04/09/23_new_developments_hitting_the_market_this_spring.php

Fewer sellers fuel low inventory in NY real estate market

 

 

 

 

 

 

Real Estate News | New York Report

Shortage of 'Unaffordable Housing' in NYC

By Bahar Tavakolian | April 8, 2013 10:57 AM ET

Market reports released last week for the first quarter of 2013 in New York were nothing short of impressive. There is record low inventory and high demand. There are buyers out there looking for that perfect New York home and fewer sellers. This has held true for all market segments, from the trophy properties to the more modest ones.

Not long ago I could not have imagined that it would be a challenge to find qualified buyers their New York dream pad. But in these past couple of months, it certainly has been. We have what my esteemed colleague Kirk Henckels calls "a shortage of unaffordable housing."

Once again we have a resurgence of competitive bidding for intelligently-priced quality properties, as buyers who qualify for a home mortgage want to take advantage of the record-low interest rates. Inventory is down 16.9 percent from a year ago and quality homes are selling rapidly and for compelling prices.

Read the full story here: http://www.worldpropertychannel.com/featured-columnists/new-york-report/new-york-housing-luxury-residential-market-ny-real-estate-market-reports-2013-6702.php 

 Green Mountain Coffee Hazelnut K-Cup Packs 80 ct. (Google Affiliate Ad) 

Tips and Tricks for finding a home for you and your dog in NYC

What Pet Owners Must Do to Get New York Apartments

Emily Louise Andrews for The New York Times

Gerald Allarde of East 30th Street takes in the view while Leo gives the camera an I-deserve-a-biscuit look. The dog, an American Staffordshire terrier, made the Allarde family’s apartment hunt a headache.

By CONSTANCE ROSENBLUM

Published: March 29, 2013   

In a seemingly endless game of cat-and-mouse, pet owners do many things to ease their way into the apartment of their dreams — legitimate and not so.

They offer to pay large sums in advance to cover the potential cost of refinishing scratched floors or replacing damaged lobby carpet. Owners of large dogs fudge a pet’s weight (always downward) and the breed. Owners of several black cats will admit to having just one, on the theory that all black cats look the same.

Read the full story here:  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/31/realestate/what-pet-owners-must-do-to-get-new-york-apartments.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

 

 

The Latest Sign of Gentrification: Biggie's Old Apartment Is for Sale for $750,000

POSTED BY KRISTIN IVERSEN ON TUE, APR 2, 2013 AT 1:46 PM

• c/o artnowsf.com

The 3-bedroom apartment where a young Christopher Wallace, later known as Notorious B.I.G. (obviously), lived is now for sale for $750,000. That's a lot of money! Or is it? I don't know. I have maybe officially lost all perception of what "a lot of money" is when it comes to Brooklyn real estate. However, I used to live on that block, wayyyy back in 2001, which was still a completely different era than when Biggie lived there because it was already being called Clinton Hill back, but still, that seems like an awful lot of money.

Biggie, of course, never would have said he came from Clinton Hill. He would have said he came from Bed-Stuy. Obviously. And he also probably wouldn' t have recognized his old apartment, because it went through extensive renovations a few years ago which attempted to "preserv[e the] traditional styling while answering the needs of modern usage." And probably the fact that the real estate listing places special prominence on the presence of "a place to store bikes" in the building, wouldn't have mattered all that much to Biggie. I guess I'm assuming here, but he never seemed like much of a cyclist. And, I mean, who can even guess what he would have thought of the proliferation of bike lanes in his old hood. Sadly, we'll never know. Well, I guess that there are other things about his absence that are a lot sadder than that, but still.

Read Full Story here: http://www.bkmag.com/BKShelter/archives/2013/04/02/the-latest-sign-of-gentrification-biggies-old-apartment-is-for-sale-for-750000

Ever wonder how the monthly charges are determined on condos and co-ops?

How Monthly Fees Are Calculated in Co-ops and Condos

Wednesday, March 27, 2013, by Jeremiah Budin

Curbed University delivers insider tips and non-boring advice on how to buy, sell, or rent a home or apartment. Additional questions welcomed to tips@curbed.com. Today's topic: monthly fees!
Today's Curbed U lesson is short and sweet. Those pesky monthly fees that you're always having to pay. How are they calculated? This is how:
Condos: Common charges in a condo are calculated by taking each unit owner's percentage of common interests and multiplying it by the total operating costs of the building. Percentage of common interests is figured based mostly on the total amount of space that an apartment occupies, but also on other factors, such as its location within the building. A penthouse, therefore, would generally have higher common charges per square foot than a second-floor pad. The total operating costs of the building include things like heat, hot water, electricity in common areas such hallways and the lobby, building staff, and amenities such as pools, gyms, concierge, etc. Subtracted from that total is any income received by the building from things like laundry rooms.

Read Full Story Here: http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/03/27/how_monthly_fees_are_calculated_in_coops_and_condos.php

Why the Upper West Side may be your best investment

Study Finds Upper West Side Is A Magnet For Real Estate Investors

By: Jill Urban

 

More than any other neighborhood in Manhattan, the Upper West Side is attracting real estate investors at a breakneck pace, according to a new report by Eastern Consolidated.

 

More than any other neighborhood in Manhattan, the Upper West Side is attracting real estate investors at a breakneck pace, according to a new report by Eastern Consolidated. NY1's Real Estate reporter Jill Urban filed the following report.
There is little question that investors regard New York City as a safe place to put their money, but a new report by Barbara Byrne Denham, the chief economist of Eastern Consolidated, finds that one neighborhood in particular — the Upper West Side — is proving to be an investor magnet.

Read the full story here:

http://www.ny1.com/content/ny1_living/real_estate/179230/study-finds-upper-west-side-is-a-magnet-for-real-estate-investors

Not your Grandma's murphy bed...Is this the house of the future?

Linon Luxor Folding Bed (Google Affiliae

New Trend? More siblings becoming roommates.

Todd Heisler/The New York Times

Suzanne Dengel, at left, and her twin, Colleen, have been close since their days of dressing identically. Now they share a studio in the financial district. “It felt like a natural progression to get an apartment together,” Suzanne Dengel says.

By JOANNE KAUFMAN

Published: March 1, 2013

From the time they were middle-school students in Manhattan, Arielle Patrick and her brother, Andrew, had an agreement: come college graduation, if they weren’t married they would share a “bachelor/bachelorette pad” in the city. They were serious enough about the matter to put the pact in writing on a piece of loose-leaf paper and, with great earnestness, to sign their names at the bottom.

So it was that in September 2012, a dozen years later, the Patricks signed their names at the bottom of a lease for a fourth-floor walk-up in Midtown East.

Read full story here:  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/03/realestate/siblings-as-roommates-mom-always-said-to-share.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&partner=rss&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1362585889-zG3U6pKPAnVH40/eyC3OOQ

Tenant to Landlord: Let's Make a Deal!

Ben Erickson's prepared to make a rental deal few homeowners could refuse...

• ByC. Zawadi Morris
• Email the author
• February 4, 2013

Four years ago, Bed-Stuy resident and professional furniture designer and builder Ben Erickson struck a deal with his current landlord:
Erickson would renovate and restore the landlord’s double-wide brownstone mansion, located at 247 Hancock Street, in exchange for a reduced fixed rent on a 5-year lease.
So in essence, Erickson invested approximately $60,000 upfront and then divided that cost over the 60 months of his lease. At the time, the market value of the apartment was $2250 per month. So the negotiating parties subtracted the $1000-per-month investment, making his rent $1250/mo.
It was a win-win situation: Erickson put his passion for building to work in the 2,000 sq.-ft of space where he lived, while the landlord received rental income and at the same time a high-end restoration.
The original gutting and construction of the mansion on Hancock took about four months. And then Erickson completed the design and rebuild over the next 2-3 years, sourcing almost every fixture, including tiles and appliances from architectural salvage warehouses.
“I like to live in the space and have it tell me what it needs while also maintaining its original architectural integrity,” said the 34-year-old West Jersey native.
“I moved to Bed-Stuy ten years ago because I fell in love with the homes and the architecture here, and so I would never bastardize any of these gorgeous classic buildings.”
Also, he gave his current landlord's home the works, adding two new luxury bathrooms, a rustic chef’s kitchen with walnut slab countertops and a stone floor, plus almost 2,000 sq. feet of restoration and design on every square inch.
But as much as he loves building, his work is not just for kicks and far more than a hobby. After graduating from the School of Visual Arts (he’s originally a sculptor and photographer), Erickson opened a custom furniture design studio at 222 Clifton Place in Bed-Stuy.
He specializes in one-of-a-kind, modern custom furniture, primarily for NYC architects, interior designers and private clients, many of whom are A-List celebrities, art collectors and philanthropists.
The woodshop is a collaborative space where 6-7of Erickson’s friends – also builders who own their businesses – can share space and the overhead costs of all the big machinery. But he promotes all of his work and design aesthetic on his website and blog.
And now, the search is on again!
“My current lease is going to be up in about a year and I’m starting to put out my feelers for another interesting living situation,” said Erickson.
“The dream situation would be to find a gorgeous raw loft space. All I need is height and light. I'd love a big fixer-upper in rough shape that I can build out and design to the teeth. I would renovate it amazingly enough to hopefully get it photographed and published.”
And how does his current landlord feel about the deal she made with Erickson?
“Are you kidding? She loves it!” said Erickson. “I pimped that place out. I’m actually heartbroken to have to leave, because I poured my heart and soul into it.
“But… I’ll just have to do it again!”
To contact Ben Erickson, you can email him at benerickson@me.com.

Link and More pictures:  http://bed-stuy.patch.com/articles/tenant-to-landlord-let-s-make-a-deal#photo-
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