Lease Renewal/Rent Question


We’ve had a great tenant for 2 years and the tenant’s lease is up again in a few months. We are debating whether we should raise the rent – I think it’s a reasonable rent ($1250 for a $700sf top floor 1.5 BR in Bay Ridge) and don’t want to risk losing him, however, water and property bills have increased. Also, how often do you repaint an apartment if the same tenant is there? Do you wait until a turnover or is it every 3 yrs? Just looking for opinions, experiences, thanks!

By mdmh | 05/16/2011 4:08 PM | Comment

Basement Flooding Question


I’m not sure I can explain this well but I will try – yesterday after the rainstorm we had water in the basement, we’d had a few minor wet spots in this area before but nothing like this – puddles of muddy water. The previous owner finished the basement of our woodframe house, but he really did the bare minimum of work. The wall in the front part of the basement where the water was found was installed about a foot in front of the stonewall. Just air in between, plus the waste pipe runs through this stone wall and there’s another small pipe connected to the stonewall too. There is a small door in the wall to access the pipes. Through this opening we can see that the stone wall appeared wet and muddy and crumbly in parts after the rain. Any recs for who to call? Ideally we’d like to find someone who is experienced in investigating the sources of leaks so we can be sure what we’re dealing with. It is not coming from the coal chute and the cement in the front was replaced 3 yrs ago and pitched away from the house. We do have some dripping under our stoop but nothing like the basement this last time. Any advice appreciated.

Categories: Cellar
By mdmh | 04/14/2011 1:45 PM | Comment

Toilet Replacement Cost


We are having issues with our 2 toilets and are considering just replacing them altogether. We got an estimate from a plumber we like, but it seems kind of high overall so wanted to get other opinions. Does $700 to remove and replace a toilet (including cost of toilet) sound reasonable? And if not, can anyone recommend a plumber? Thank you.

Categories: Plumbers
By mdmh | 06/30/2010 11:45 AM | Comment

Can I deduct cost of sewer main?


I’m getting some conflicting information about whether this is a deductible expense. Last year we had to replace the 100 year old sewer main on our 2-family due to a large crack. This was our first large scale “repair” expense and just not sure how to apply this on the tax form. We live there and rent out the other apt. Thanks for any help on this matter.

Categories: Taxes
By mdmh | 02/20/2010 5:30 PM | Comment

Need Help to Disassemble Sofa


We have a large sleep sofa that I believe needs to be taken apart in order to move it out of it’s current location (barely fit in the first place), and then reassembled in a new location in the house. I’ve heard of companies that can do this, but wondering if anyone has a personal recommendation? Thanks.

Categories: Movers
By mdmh | 07/08/2009 10:22 AM | Comment

Party Venue Recs?


Sorry this is a bit off topic, but I’m looking for recommendations for a bar/restaurant to accommodate 20 adults for a gathering on an early Friday evening. Prefer Park Slope, someplace not too crowded or noisy around 7pm and also offers food, but not necessarily sit down. A back room or downstairs area perhaps? Thanks.

Categories: Leisure
By mdmh | 11/23/2008 2:08 PM | Comment

Lock in mortgage rate before signing purchase contract?


As far as I know this is not possible (need contract first), and yet the potential buyers of our coop, who are planning on signing the purchase contract later next week, mentioned that they will be locking in a mortgage rate earlier in the week. I’m wondering if the buyers are not being properly informed by their mortgage broker. Any thoughts?

Categories: Mortgage
By mdmh | 03/14/2008 1:56 PM | Comment

Projects: Where to get started?


We’re closing on a house next month that has already been renovated, but we’re considering undertaking a few projects before moving in (about 8 weeks after closing). We’re just not sure if we need an architect, designer, or contractor, etc. We’d like to redo the smallish kitchen (replace cabinets, put sink in the island, possibly replace the tile floor with wood), plus replacing a small “shed” like extension off the back wall of the building with a bigger structure or even knocking down a wall and making the room a true extension. And/or turning a window into french doors. We’d like to get some design ideas as well as cost estimates before we decide how much work we’re going to be able to do. Any advice or where to get started?

Categories: Renovation
By mdmh | 02/19/2008 9:15 PM | Comment

Walk away of work it out?


Advice needed, and I’ll try to make this brief as possible: My husband and I just had a very thorough (2+ hours) inspection done on a 2-family house we had hoped to purchase in Bay Ridge. The price is right and it has everything we’d been looking for including the fact that the owner had everything renovated just a few years ago (and included zoned heating, central a/c, soundproofed floor, finished basement, etc.). He did the work for himself and family to live in, although recently had to take in some elderly relatives so needed more room and now lives in the house right next door. Unfortunately yesterday the inspector gave us the sobering news that a lot of the renovation work that was done to the place was sloppy and would need fixing, including some (if not all, couldn’t see) of the pipes were not laid/secured well, electrical upgrades (possibly not enough voltage running to house) and a lot of other smaller stuff. Even the owner seemed surprised/disappointed in the results. We are so glad we did the inspection early on as it was a sobering experience! We were going to just walk away since we don’t have the money for these kind of repairs right now, but the owner really wants us to be his neighbor and is offering to get the new work done himself (at no expense to us) or even pay for us to get our own estimates from electricians and plumbers, etc. and then give us a price reduction on the house according to the costs (I’d consider this option first). Does any of this seem reasonable? I have no idea how much money or time any of this would involve or if we’re just crazy for even still considering this house. Opinions welcome!

Categories: Real Estate
By mdmh | 01/09/2008 3:26 PM | Comment