Here's an interesting article I found on Zillow, I take it with a grain of salt, there still seems to be a ton of NO FEE apartments in NYC, albeit they are in the financial distirct (where  studio runs about $3000 per month).   Bad news for college grads moving to Manhattan: You can't live here for under $1,300. As a rule, if you are living in Manhattan, it's not impossible, but it's very hard to find anything under $1,300 or $1400.Rents aren't actually that much higher than last year. Average rents are up 3.62 percent from the same period last year. The average rent for a non-doorman studio is $2,077, while a doorman studio is $2,367 (last year: $1,958 and $2,337, respectively). A non-doorman one-bedroom is $2,713, while a doorman one-bedroom is $3,428 (last year: $2,590 and $3,276, re... 02/13/2011

By Mike Akerly of Village Confidential     How to Make Your Rental Properties Stand Out From The Crowd And Lower Your Loss Factor An assertion that many NYC landlords are lacking on the reputation front would hardly be breaking news.  Some seem to have no interest in pleasing their tenants, building a sustainable (and growing) business, providing a quality product (housing) that keeps people coming back, and service (property management) that people are happy to continue to pay for.  Of course there are also some landlords that have established a brand based on quality and reliability (the Related Group comes to mind).  We at Village Confidential thought we would share a few of our thoughts with our landlord readers on how to get and keep quality tenants while protecting their asset and... 02/12/2011

Are you Contagious? by Feng Shui New York consultant Laura Cerrano of Feng Shui LI Remember it only takes one! photo coutesty of www.freakytj.com Energy comes in so many forms.  When Laura Cerrano Feng Shui New York consultant speaks about living the "Feng Shui lifestyle", she always stresses to be mindful of others.  How you interact, your body language, and even the words that are spoken (inner and outer) make an impact. Do your best to keep your thoughts as positive as possible.  Your inner thoughts and what you say out loud manifest themselves to the universe. Like attracts like.  In today's world this can be a challenge. We are constantly surrounded by negativity, whether that be in the Newspaper, watching T.V., and at times other people. Also, do you best to even be mindful of oth... 02/09/2011

    Paul Purcell is a co-founder of Rutenberg Realty, a top ten boutique residential real estate firm based in Manhattan.  A respected industry voice, Purcell is often quoted in such prestigious publications as The New York Times, and has appeared frequently on New York 1 News as well as CNN, CNBC, and WNBC-TV.   Originally printed in Resident magazine’s October, 2010 issue   The number one real estate question these days seems to be “Is this a good time to buy a home?”  Given the current state of the economy and the housing market, consumers are heavily weighing the decision of “buy or not to buy.”  The decision, however, is always based on each individual’s unique needs and abilities.  But, whether you’re a first time buyer or in the market for a second home, there are a series of ste... 02/06/2011

I am sorry to repost so many of these blogs post, but they are so true and have some great information--thanks Naked Apartments! What Does No Fee Mean?September 7th, 2010 by The Naked Apartments Team“No Fee!” That one little phrase makes every renter so excited, but why are only some apartments no fee? And why are the best apartments never advertised as no-fee? As a renter looking for your next apartment, you should understand the answers to these two questions.What’s a fee?A fee is the dollar amount owed to a broker when they help you find an apartment.  ‘Fee’ is the one word abbreviation for ‘Broker Fee.’ Fees are how brokers earn their living.  It’s the dollar incentive for a broker to help you find your next apartment.   The fee can range from 8% of the full year’s lease to 15% of t... 02/03/2011

Here's another great post When you sign that fee check you may think to yourself, “wow, they’re getting a lot of money. I should become a broker!” But what most renters don’t understand is that a broker is usually not getting the full broker’s fee.  And if you sign a no-fee apartment, the broker is not getting the full fee that your new landlord pays them. (Any apartment advertised as No-Fee just means the landlord pays the fee for you.  Read more about this concept in our previous post,  What Does No Fee Mean.)Instead of going entirely to your broker, the money is typically split several ways.  The brokerage firm that your broker works for will take the largest cut - usually 50% or more.  And if someone else helped show the apartment, they also get a cut. Why is so much owed to the bro... 02/03/2011

Here's a great post from naked apartments, I think a lot of renters don't understand the economics of bypassing the broker, after allit is our job to to know the inventory and assist you in finding the right apartment!   Why Brokers Don’t Share the AddressDecember 8th, 2010 by The Naked Apartments TeamRespondRenters often become frustrated/irritated/angry when a broker witholds the exact address of a building. To understand why, renters need to understand the broker’s perspective.When a broker discloses the address of an apartment, there’s a chance the renter bypasses them in order to avoid paying a broker’s fee. Sidestepping the broker in this way does happen and happen often, especially when fees are as expensive as they are in NYC.  And it’s for this reason that most brokers will not... 02/03/2011

Tips on How to Implement the Five Elements Theory In Feng Shui for your Home by Laura Cerrano Feng Shui New York City consultant Welcome back to class :) Before starting, I would like to acknowledge Debi Broucher for collaborating with me on this post. As you all know, Debi produces very elegant and beautiful photographs of nature.  Her style and passion for what she captures resonates through her work, it is also wonderful for Feng Shui Art work.  Thank you Debi for all your help, you really complete this post :) Feng Shui has multiple methods that can be implemented together or separately.  One Theory Laura Cerrano of Feng Shui Long Island NY and NYC recommends everyone to try, especially in Urban Settings, is the "Five Elements Theory". Diagram of the Five Elements Theory in Feng Shu... 02/02/2011

Great analysis and advice here!  I hope you take a few minutes and watch this: 01/25/2011

Via: Online Schools 01/23/2011

Low cost, do-it-yourself home improvements produce a significant return on investment when a home is sold. HomeGain just released the findings of their survey of 600 real estate agents nationwide to determine the top 10 low-cost (less than $5,000), do-it-yourself  home improvements for people getting their home ready to sell. Based upon return on investment (ROI), Home Staging ranked 3rd as the most profitable improvement that can be made to a home, yielding a 299% ROI.  An average investment in home staging of $550 produced a $2,194 price increase. Home staging as defined by the survey includes adding fresh flowers; removing personal items; reducing clutter; rearranging furniture; adding new props or furniture to enhance room/s; playing soft music; and hanging artwork on walls.  A home... 01/18/2011

Motivational Monday: Thank you Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Photo Courtesy of beliefnet.com   Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction....The chain reaction of evil--hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars--must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.                                                                                      - Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength To Love, 1963 www.mlkonline.net Mr. King Jr understood the deeper meanings of life. He gave everyone inspiration, hope and strength to never give up on your dreams. He s... 01/17/2011

Auspicious Numbers by Laura Cerrano Feng Shui Long Island New York consultant 1,2,3....... Jasper Johns: Numbers in Color Courtesy of NHSDesigns.com I have always believed you meet the people you are supposed to.  Many times, people will say it's coincidence...but, I believe it has already been set in place by something much greater then we can imagine. A topic that has been coming up lately is the idea of Numerology.  Numerology is said to be a sequence of numbers that can indicate positive or negative outcomes in ones life. There are various forms of numerology and they all depend on the belief of that particular culture and what you choose to believe. My recent client from New Jersey taught me so much. She really opened my eyes and mind to other ways of gaining insight to help benefi... 01/13/2011

eFoods Global is offering 6 FREE meals More Info Want some more information? Signup below and I will get back to you. http://rsimpson.myefoods.com eFoods Global Free Food offer: It’s simple. We know how good our food is, but you probably don’t. So, we are putting our money where your mouth is by offering you 6 free meals – and all you pay is $9.95 for Shipping and Handling. A little snow and ice has stopped the trucks from delivering food to the stores in Atlanta,GA A city of 6+ million people. The ATL Airport is shut down for the 3rd day in row (01-12-11) Be prepared for the unknown! Go to http://rsimpson.myefoods.com I would like to invite you to try eFoods GLOBAL meals and then start representing us to earn a FULL time commissions working PART time Simply fill out your information on... 01/12/2011

01/05/2011

31 Day December Challenge: Day 28-31 by Feng Shui New York consultant Laura Cerrano Day28 I Did some updating and received a call for a packaged deal Feng Shui consultation: home/business and apartment :) Celebrated New Years Eve with my brother (Adam) and good friends :) Day29 Unfortunately, I woke up with a sore throat and a stuffed nose ...worst of all I lost my voice. But, I have to admit... I didn't mind to much, it was like taking a mini vacation in my mind haha :) I Did how ever post a Happy New Year message for all...best wishes for the New Year of 2011!! :) Day 30 Updated my Feng Shui Manhattan website by adding a Projects Page. Still working on it but, wanted to show potential clients before and after photos from past and present Feng Shui projects as well as charity work my m... 01/04/2011

November 23rd 2009 is a long time to wait, eh? 2011 is gonna be mad fun (LOL) ;-) Starting January 2011 I'm going to be featuring other artists on the Ambassadors of Chaos record label. Did you guys know that Cher Johnson writes lyrics? Karen does cool lyrical spoofs, Candice is cooking up a rock band, Jessica is a classical pianist and I would love to high-jack a host of other fun Rainers for my music projects. I would absolutely love, love, love to hang out in GA and do a "Dear Richard" album. I am drooling over a black stratocaster so next year may be very interesting (LOL). BTW, we've been threatening to have a pajama party blogging on a certain Ambassador's deck inspired by the yellow briefs incident. Hint hint (LOL). Did I mention I was going to TX in the spring? Oooooooo... Word... 12/29/2010

The psychology of deflation has worked to put continued downward pressure on nationwide home prices over the past twenty-four months. The deflationary spiral works like this: 1. Consumer spending slows by choice (purchasers are "deal hunting"), or by discretion (purchasers are taking a "wait-and-see" approach), or by necessity (e.g. job cuts); then 2. Stocks are sold off as corporations anticipate falling gross revenues and lower net profits. Business spending slows and lay-offs increase in an effect to conserve capital. 3. Investors use their capital recouped in the sell-off of stocks to invest in safer asset classes such as government-backed bonds. As a result of the increased demand for bonds, mortgage interest rates move lower. This is because an increased demand from investors in b... 12/22/2010

    Monitoring America:  Nine years after the terrorist attacks of 2001, the United States is assembling a vast domestic intelligence apparatus to collect information about Americans, using the FBI, local police, state homeland security offices and military criminal investigators.  The system, by far the largest and most technologically sophisticated in the nation's history, collects, stores and analyzes information about thousands of U.S. citizens and residents, many of whom have not been accused of any wrongdoing.   'US new spying bid endangers citizens' The US government is jeopardizing the lives of private citizens by employing its new espionage infrastructure to collect intelligence on ordinary Americans, a former CIA officer says. “There are lots of ways for government to use thi... 12/21/2010

Food Safety Bill Passes 215 in favor, 144 against and 74 already on vacation:  House Passes Food Safety Bill, Raising Powers of F.D.A.  This time it is for real. After running a tortured and zig-zag course through Congress, a long-awaited food safety bill passed a final, clinching vote on Tuesday in the House of Representatives. Agricultural Services & Products: Lobbying, 2010: Total for Agricultural Services/Products: $25,770,916 Total Number of Clients Reported: 88 Total Number of Lobbyists Reported: 303 Monsanto  $6,560,000   Servicewomen and ACLU: Release Military Rape Data; Smash Pentagon Stonewalling: Sexual abuse is the primary causes of post-traumatic stress disorder among female service members In a story run by at least 31 publications, the AP (12/14, Christoffersen) reports,... 12/21/2010