Seeking Curtain-Maker


I’m seeking someone who can make custom curtains/shades for a reasonable price. I found some cute, inexpensive IKEA fabric and I’d like to have it made into roman shades or curtains for a child’s room. Any recommendations? Thanks.

Categories: Decorative
By chebubble | 12/11/2009 12:11 PM | Comment

Pest Control Necessary?


How necessary is regular pest control? We just bought and moved into a 2-family brownstone. The sellers had been getting Orkin’s anti-roach gel treatment 4x/year and say they never saw bugs. We’ve also seen nothing in the weeks we’ve been there. We’d been planning to continue the quarterly treatments, but when we asked the Orkin guy how often he treats his own home, he chuckled and said, “Never.” I appreciate his honesty and am now wondering about the necessity of preventative treatments. I may scale back to 2x/year or eliminate the treatments altogether, calling an exterminator in the event I see a roach. Are preventative treatments really necessary?

Categories: Exterminator
By chebubble | 10/27/2009 11:45 AM | Comment

Front Door in Landmarked Area


I just bought a brownstone in newly-landmarked Prospect Heights. The building’s front door is relatively new — installed within the last 10 years. It’s a good, solid, wood door but the light stain and shiny, brassy fixtures don’t fit the look of this old home. The LPC report describes the door as “non-historic” — and it looks it. I’d like to stain or paint the door a darker, subtler color and replace the fixtures with something that looks older. My question is: how do I do this now that the place is landmarked? I know it’s likely to be a hassle, but how much of one? Should I just forget it? If changing the color of the door is too difficult, can I at least change the fixtures or does that require approval too? If someone with experience can give me some advice, I’d appreciate it. Thanks!

Categories: Doors
By chebubble | 09/23/2009 2:15 PM | Comment

Giving financial info to broker


I am planning to put an offer on a house in Brooklyn. I’ve got a mortgage pre-approval letter from my bank, and I’ve given that to my realtor. As part of the offer process, the realtor has asked me to fill out a form detailing my financial situation. I’m hesitant to do this because I suspect it would hurt me in negotiations if the seller (or seller’s broker) knows how much money I have in the bank and so forth. My broker argues that I should submit this information in order for my offer to be taken seriously and to reassure the seller that the deal won’t fall through due to financing. How do other people feel about this? Does divulging my financial information truly strengthen my offer or should I keep my cards close to the vest?

Categories: Brokers
By chebubble | 05/15/2009 11:36 AM | Comment