Condo insurance Advice, Please!


yay! we found a place we love. yay! we have a signed contract. yippee!

it’s a condo and we need to get homeowner’s insurance. i don’t need any more quotes, but i would love some advice on things like
- an all-risk policy vs not all-risk (they both seem to cover quite a bit.)
- loss assessment coverage: do we need $1000 or $10,000 (it’s not a brand new condo, but there’s a relatively small reserve fund, so this seems important.)
- any extras that we should be getting that aren’t normally covered.

i’m asking the two agents i’m dealing with lots of questions, but they’re both clearly trying to sell me on their policies, so i’d like some unbiased opinions from those who have been there. thanks!

funkymonkey

Categories: Insurance
By funkymonkey | 05/20/2011 1:18 PM | Comment

air conditioner needed below grade?


we are making an offer on an apartment where the lower level is a below grade rec room (probably about 80% below grade.) it has one small window. there are air conditioning units in each of the rooms upstairs, but not in the rec room. can someone who has experience living with a below grade space comment on whether or not it will stay cool during new york’s horrible hot summers? since the rec room will double as a guest room for our far away families, i want to be sure they will be comfortable during the summer. thanks!

Categories: A/C
By funkymonkey | 04/20/2011 4:18 PM | Comment

Safety in Greenwood Heights


we’re considering a place on 22nd between 4th and 5th. can anyone comment on safety in this area, especially the 25th street stop on the R train?

we plan on visiting the area at night to check it out firsthand, but i wanted to get a take from some people living in the area. i’ve seen mostly positive comments on greenwood heights in the archives here and on the brooklynian message boards, but they tend to be more about the 6th ave/7th ave side of the neighborhood.

thanks!

Categories: Quality of Life
By funkymonkey | 04/12/2011 3:36 PM | Comment

Transfer Tax/New Construction?


A friend of mine is conetemplating a unit in Be@Schermerhorn. One of the flyers they gave her says “Transfer Taxes are calculated and added to the purchase price (for tax purposes only) and then recalculated based on the bulked up price.” Can anyone tell me what that means, in plain English?

thanks!

Categories: Taxes
By funkymonkey | 06/30/2009 3:22 PM | Comment