THIS MONTH’S FEATURED REAL ESTATE ARTICLE

This is the month of Halloween and thinking of scary things – even in real estate. Maybe watching Lovecraft on HBO made me wonder what real estate agents and sellers have to reveal about “unfortunate” circumstances that have occurred in a house. Is it haunted? Was there an ax murder? Did someone die from a lethal disease like Ebola or commit suicide? As it turns out the legal answer is surprising and slightly different in every state. Buyers should know to ask and find out […]

Residential real estate sales transactions, dollar volumes, and prices raced upward in July surpassing levels recorded during the great real estate bubble which preceded the Great Recession in our area. At the same time, New York City’s real estate market is at a standstill with people leaving the city for Westchester, the Hamptons, the Catskills, and our region. Bloomberg reports that Manhattan apartment rents plunged in July by 10%, the biggest decrease in almost nine years with a vacancy rate at 4.33% and a supply […]

Recently I reviewed an inspection report for a client that included a check “yes” by washer and dryer where none existed. It made me wonder how carefully the client had looked at this document. Inspection reports are usually a necessary part of the selling and purchasing process, but what do they really tell you? How can you get your money’s worth?

You’re paying for this. A pre-sale inspection paid for by the seller will identify issues that should be addressed before putting a house on the […]

This year especially, the place to enjoy eating or hanging out with friends is outside your own home on a deck or patio with plenty of social distance. Do decks and patios add value to your home when you rent or sell? How much do they cost? What’s their history? What should you think about when adding a deck or patio to your home? Main Street investigates.

What’s the history of decks and patios?

You could think of decks and patios as porches without a roof, usually located […]

As I write this article in mid May, restrictions on real estate agents in New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut to physically show properties to potential buyers remain in force. Residents are still under distancing, masking and quarantine orders, busy village streets are empty, bars are closed, groceries are delivered. Everyone is wondering how long this will last and what the impact on our economy and the real estate market will be. Like COVID-19 test results, figuring out what is happening right now in the national […]