Featuring real estate articles and information to help real estate buyers and sellers. The Nest features writings from Georges Benoliel and other real estate professionals. Georges is the Co-Founder of NestApple and has been working as an active real estate investor for over a decade.
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Should you renovate your home in New York City before selling it? The answer isn’t clear-cut. What is the cost of renovating an apartment in NYC? On the one hand, renovating your co-op or condo in NYC will sell faster… Read More
Buying a home in New York City involves more than just the contract price. Buyer closing costs can add tens of thousands of dollars to the total cash required, especially for condo and townhouse purchases made with financing. Understanding these… Read More
No-fee apartments in New York City used to be a small slice of the market. Since June 11, 2025, they are the default: the FARE Act bars a landlord’s broker from charging a tenant, so most NYC rentals now carry… Read More
How to Sell Land in New York starts with preparation, moves to pricing, and ends with choosing the proper selling method – either through a real estate agent, direct to a land buyer, or by owner. This comprehensive guide walks… Read More
Buying a townhouse means buying a whole building, and the thing that matters most is how many legal dwelling units it holds. That number sets your tax class, your sidewalk liability and which inspections you owe. The lines fall at… Read More
A home inspector checks the roof, foundation, plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems for safety and structural issues, not cosmetic ones. NYC inspections run $350 to $450 on average. Co-op and condo buyers often skip the inspection entirely, since building-wide systems… Read More
Think about your typical well-decorated Apartment. You likely imagine some family photos hanging on shelves, a few houseplants, maybe even a lovely piece of art on the wall. It creates the perfect balance of homey and stylish. But at the… Read More
If you have ever experienced the problems of bed bugs, you already know that getting these pests is terrible. Bed bugs are one of the most problematic types of pests to exterminate. To make matters worse, they bite and cause… Read More
The broker fee law in New York City is the FARE Act, Local Law 119 of 2024. Since June 11, 2025, a landlord’s broker can’t charge a tenant a fee for renting an apartment. The fee falls on whoever hired… Read More
Westchester closing costs depend on price, loan, property type and municipality. The county’s statutory mortgage recording tax is 1.30%, while Yonkers is 1.80%; the lender generally pays a 0.25% residential component, per NY State’s own mortgage recording tax schedule. Sellers… Read More
When trying to sell a home in New York City, it’s normal to feel like your property will fly off the real estate market. That’s usually what happens. However, there are moments when you won’t have that kind of luck.… Read More
A CEMA, short for Consolidation, Extension and Modification Agreement, combines an existing mortgage with a new one so New York’s recording tax applies only to the new money, not the whole loan. It’s common on refinances and possible, though rarer,… Read More
A mortgage is borrowed money secured by the home itself, repaid over a fixed term of usually 15 or 30 years. The lender can foreclose if you stop paying. Each payment splits between principal and interest, weighted more toward interest… Read More
Real estate agents are almost never W-2 employees. The IRS classifies them as “statutory nonemployees” if their pay is tied to sales, not hours, and they’ve signed a contract confirming that status. A 2016 misclassification case cost Coldwell Banker $4.5… Read More
An Aztech recognition agreement is a three-party contract used in many financed co-op purchases. It links the borrower-shareholder, lender, and co-op corporation, recognizes the lender’s security interest in the shares and proprietary lease, and sets notice and cure rights if… Read More
