New York City Apartments

Round-Table Session 2017 with Tony Jao and Steve Perrotta

February 21, 2017 | by SPIRE

SPIRE is excited to announce that we are bringing back the popular round-table sessions with even more value to better your business in 2017. Well respected industry specialists are now our eager guest speakers brought in to educate and introduce new products and even more services just for you! This weeks topics speakers and topics: Tony Jao- Regional Manager, Investors Bank Three Reasons Why Sellers Should Consider Seller-Paid Points The Gift Tax Myth: How to Navigate Around It How to Get the Primary Residence Capital Gains Tax Exclusion Steve Perrotta, CPA, Perrotta Tax & Consulting Services, LLC Working with foreigners. What your client can afford. Tax tips for real estate agents Read More

Closing costs: A guide for NYC buyers and sellers

February 20, 2017 | by Leigh Kamping-Carder

One of the most surprising aspects of buying or selling a New York City apartment—and thus, one of the more stressful—is the amount you'll spend on closing costs, potentially tens of thousands of dollars that get tacked onto the purchase or sale of a home. For sellers, closing costs take a bite out of the proceeds from the deal, possibly affecting your future plans. For buyers, closing costs can have a real impact on budget, in some cases persuading you to buy one apartment over the other. “When you’re considering that co-op that you like versus that condo that you like, it’s not just the purchase price, it’s the closing costs as well,” says Doug Perlson, founder of brokerage RealDirect. “When the typica... Read More

‘Coming soon’ listings are creative — but are they effective?

February 6, 2017 | by Andrew Wetzel

‘Key Takeaways Getting property listings can be very competitive. Agents are always looking for creative ways to market themselves and their listings. How do we balance our fiduciary duties to our clients with our innate competitive nature? Listing agents deserve to be excited about getting a new listing. It is a personal victory! Some agents want to get a jump on traditional marketing rather than waiting for the MLS and syndication to third-party sites to get the word out. We certainly don’t want to skip a step (MLS entries without photos or an incomplete/missing “remarks” section turn off buyers.) But much has to happen between hearing that we have been hired and uploading the property information online. Thes... Read More

What’s an hour in real estate?

February 6, 2017 | by Steven Trice

Key Takeaways Are your daily tasks bringing you closer to your goals, or is it busy work that gets you nowhere? Helping interruptive clients may be hurting your overall business. Time management isn't just blocking off periods of the day. It’s managing which tasks you do during your time. Stephen Cooley, who runs the No. 1 Keller Williams team in South Carolina, asks a simple question: What is my time worth? Cooley learned that if he gave up some activities, it would allow him to put more emphasis on money-making tasks. He knows he can make $500-plus an hour with a client. Anything less than that, and he’ll pay other people to do it. He doesn’t need to be taking signs to houses or making copies of keys. Time is money... Read More

How to get that millennial buyer in a home before 30

February 6, 2017 | by Sharron St.John

Key Takeaways Millennials posses a sense of intelligence and creativity that, if applied correctly, will build sustainable wealth through homebuying. Small multi-family homes between one and four units are ideal properties for first-time millennial homebuyers and are eligible for FHA financing with low down payments. I know — buying a first home before 30 is a crazy idea. First of all, who wants to buy a new home right now? The market prices are inflated, the mortgage interest rates are rising, who knows what’s going on with the government…all of these factors contribute to an overall sense of hesitation for any age of homebuyer. And currently, the “almost 30 and successful” bracket of Americans have come t... Read More

5 Personal Assistant Tools That Actually Make Life Easier

January 9, 2017 | by Amanda Zantal-Wiener

With the recent release of Google Home in the U.S., voice-activated devices are a big topic du jour lately. But which personal assistant tools are the most helpful? What do you need for each one? And how much do they cost? While a simple search for “personal assistant apps” seems to yield countless results, shifting through them can be a task. Today, consider us your digital personal assistant. We narrowed the options down to our very own top five. Read on, and discover which ones will best fit your needs. 5 Personal Assistant Tools That Actually Make Life Easier 1) Operator Price: Free Requirements: iOS Vacations are great. Holiday parties are, too. But scheduling the former immediately after the latter? Well, it’s... Read More

Agent Wisdom: Most Overlooked Parts of Buying in NYC

December 8, 2016 | by Lauren Riefflin

Today’s question: “What’s the most overlooked piece of the home buying process?” Building Your Team “Having the right team in place to usher you through the process. Finding the opportunity is just the tip of the iceberg. Negotiating the offer, getting the right price, reviewing due diligence material for the building, avoiding any potential pitfalls and having the right financing team in place for those seeking a mortgage are all key components to the process. The right agent will have these assets at the ready to prove for a smooth process.” – Josh Rubin, Douglas Elliman “The importance of choosing a real estate-specific attorney. Most people know an attorney through friends and relatives,... Read More

Agent Wisdom: Evaluate a Neighborhood, Not Just an Apartment

November 21, 2016 | by Lauren Riefflin

Today’s topic: What’s your advice for finding the right neighborhood (not just an apartment)? Go Exploring and Get Talking “Make sure you explore the neighborhood both during the daytime and evening. See what types of shops are in the vicinity, such as grocery stores, cafes and restaurants.” – Bernard Klein, Blooming Sky “Buyers should try to experience different neighborhoods at various times of the day and evening. Visit local parks, dine at local restaurants and cafes, go to a bar, talk to people who live in the neighborhood and walk down different blocks to get a feel for the neighborhood to determine whether or not it’s a good fit for you. And, buyers should consider the available transportat... Read More