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Not only do buyers glom onto glam in an apartment and long for light, but the charm of original details as varied as dentil molding and pocket doors may well appeal to many of them. Pomander Walk Although such characteristics often can’t hold a candle to the allure of a particularly lovely Manhat...

Are new business models winning a fight with older brokerages? (Flickr photo by red betty black.) The new June issue of the Real Deal has a piece about an unsurprising development among brokers.  In the article, which correctly quotes me, writer Candace Taylor notices that many brokers are quest...

  The Supremes. Okay, killing all the lawyers would a mistake, especially those in the photo.  But there are times when I’d like to savage some whose involvement in a transaction made my life difficult. Such are the lawyers with little experience in real estate, no respect for real estate brokers...

  "Running the Gauntlet" by amber in norfolk on Flickr. One of the most pernicious aspects of purchase approvals by the boards of co-operative apartment buildings in Manhattan has to do with price. Boards have an obvious interest in analyzing whether prospective shareholders have the financial re...

West End Avenue (Flickr photo by claudiadaggett) There is one axiom in real estate that sellers rarely get: In a slow market, it normally is all but impossible to recoup the cost of a major renovation. A one-bedroom apartment that is handsome, stylish and uncommonly appealing  exemplifies that t...

The new Good Faith Estimate (GFE) went into effect at the beginning of the year. Its aim is to protect the consumer against hidden fees and enable borrowers without advanced degrees in accounting or law to compare apples and oranges.  Previously, GFEs had a way of departing from reality at the c...