Forum: Agent
May 21, 2008
Agent wants fees, security, first month etc. BEFORE I receive lease?
Today I received a call from my agent/broker to say that I'd been accepted to rent an apartment I applied for a few weeks ago. To give you the backstory the apartment is apparently owned by three owners (described by the broker as "three little old" ladies) and I had to provide a lot of references etc. in order to have them accept me.
That was all cool but now they want me to go to sign the lease tomorrow and bring certified checks for one months rent plus two months security, plus the remainder of the broker's 15% fee (I've already paid some of this when applying for the apt. on the condition that it would be refunded if I was not accepted for the apartment but not if I refused the apt. after being accepted.
The thing about the signing tomorrow is that once I sign the lease it will then be sent off to the three "little old ladies" to countersign and once the lease is returned to the broker I can move in, supposedly on June 1st.
However, I have to pay everything tomorrow by certified check! Is this typical in New York? I haven't rented an apartment here in a long time but it just seems outrageous to me that I have to put all this money down by certified check tomorrow and don't even walk out of there with a signed lease in my hand.
I would really like to take this apartment but I'm dropping almost 9K on this place and don't want to be made a fool of. Having said that the agency seems reputable, they have nice offices etc. and seem to have been around for a while.
What do you guys think? Any advice would be much appreciated.
May 7, 2008
RE Agent in Crown Heights & Bed Sty
Can anyone recommend a good real estate agent that deals with Crown Heights and Bed Sty. We've been looking, to buy, on and off, half- heartedly on-line, and if something catches our eye, we go check it out. We'd like to concentrate our efforts and find something.
I'd like an agent in the area. Someone that knows the neighborhoods. Not just someone selling a house there. (Been to a couple of open houses and asked where the nearest train station is, and the agent didn't know.)
Any recommendations?
January 29, 2008
broker or no broker?
In order to buy a coop in Brooklyn are you required to enlist the services of a realtor? If not required, what are the advantages besides the obvious (ie; someone doing the bidding for you and someone to connect you with a mortgage broker).
If there's anyone out there who has bought recently without a broker, I would be interested in hearing your story.
November 25, 2007
Is it unreasonable to have a Contractor walk through before contract to determine damage by unlicensed workers owner hired?
Is it unreasonable to have a contractor walk through a property before going into contract if the inspector found significant damage done by the previous owner in doing upgrades - example, a 6 inch section of the joist removed to accomodate a PVC pipe installed in the upstairs bathroom?
The sellers broker thinks he is doing us a favor by allowing a 30 - 45 minute visit with a licensed contractor and wants a non-refundable deposit to accomodate such request. I don't think this is unreasonable as a buyer and we told the contractor we would request two estimates, one for the damage done by the sellers "contractor" if you even call him that, and one for for the cosmetic upgrages we would like done - to clarify, we asked for the estimate to repair the damage asap to determine a new lower offer from the original accepted offer and a seperate estimate within two weeks as this would not impact the seller. Mind you this property has been on the market for 10, going on 11 months.
Who is the a$$hole here - me or the sellers agent? Thanks all.
November 12, 2007
Who is the broker for corner house on Boerum Hill...
Hey, do any of you know which broker has the house on Hoyt and Dean?
Thanks!
October 29, 2007
Roslyn Huebener Strikes Again
Please stay AWAY from Aguayo & Huebener. They are the most unethical of brokers. Their whole bidding scheme is a way to jack up prices and they are entirely dishonest in working one offer against the other. Watch your inspection and attorney fees get sucked away while they pit one buyer against another, all the while claiming their system is designed to prevent wars. Nonsense. It's devised to create the war but shroud it in a bunch of what they perceive as defensible systematic lingo, which is nothing more than double-speak for WE WILL ROB YOU of your money before you even get to K. Roslyn Hubener is a particularly filthy piece of slime in her machinations, keeping the agents under her in the dark as she double-deals. Next place I'm going to see her arrogant pretentious thieving face is in court. Just my very strong opinion, but so be it. Anyone with similar experiences please speak up.
September 25, 2007
New Construction Condos & Exclusive Broker - Legal?
I was told by the 'exclusive' broker @ a new construction condo that they were 'not working' with any external brokers and that I could not have my own broker. In many states this is illegal, does anyone know about NY?
Turano
August 7, 2007
Can anyone recommend good brokers in CH/FG?
Good brokers in Clinton Hill/Fort Greene area?
We are thinking of selling our condo, but after having dealt with a horrible broker (Minsky), we want to be careful who to use to help sell our condo. We refuse to use Corcoran group so that's out. We had dealt with Jim Rigney before and he seemed okay, but read some negative comments about him in another forum (and never dealt with Douglas Elliman/Prudential before). Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
May 6, 2007
Financial Advisor?
Financial Advisor?
Does anyone have a financial advisor that they have worked with and can recommend? We're hoping to buy this year and just want to make sure our financial reasoning is sound. Thanks.
April 27, 2007
Brokers Gone Wild!
This is sick! This article is a perfect example for the real reason why Douglas Elliman and Corcoran refuse to join the new REBNY MLS. What a corrupt bunch of jerks! The VP agent didn't even present the co-broking agents offer!
Here's the article lifted from the Real Deal:
Suit: Elliman agent commission scam
Stanley Ginsberg
Prudential Douglas Elliman and one of its agents are in the hot seat.
A lawsuit will be filed Monday morning alleging that Elliman senior vice president Stanley Ginsberg prevented Laurence Beame -- the great nephew of New York City Mayor Abe Beame -- from purchasing a Soho apartment in order to avoid splitting a commission.
"He did it out of straight greed," said Shai Shustik, Beame's real estate broker and the lone plaintiff in the lawsuit.
Ginsberg did not respond to an inquiry from The Real Deal, but in his written correspondence with the Real Estate Board of New York's residential ethics committee, which looked into the allegations, he said: "I deny complainant's allegations that I, at any time, attempted to prevent Mr. Beame from purchasing the subject premises in order to avoid giving up a portion of a commission."
After about a year of searching for an apartment, Beame instantly fell in love with a 1,430-square-foot one-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath cooperative apartment at 140 Thompson Street, according to Shustik, president of Manhattan Residential.
Ginsberg was the exclusive listing agent for the property. In January, when Beame offered an all-cash bid of $1.435 million, just shy of the $1.495 million asking price, Ginsberg rejected the offer, saying he had a better one, according to the suit. Eventually, Beame put in a $1.6 million offer, said Shustik.
In the end, however, Ginsberg arranged the sale of the property for the asking price to another buyer. The move allowed Ginsberg to take home a full 3 percent commission on the sale, or $89,700, Shustik said. If the seller had accepted Beame's $1.6 million bid, Ginsberg would have received only 1.5 percent of the sum, or $48,000.
Ginsberg never presented Beame's offer to the co-op's owner, according to Shustik's suit.
The lawsuit seeks to recover the $48,000 commission plus $2 million in punitive damages from Ginsberg and Prudential Douglas Elliman because Elliman allegedly covered up and took "a look-don't-tell policy," said Marc J. Held, Esq., Shustik's attorney and a partner with Lazarowitz & Manganillo.
Elliman declined to comment on the matter.
The fiasco has soured Beame on his ongoing apartment search.
"I wanted the apartment the second I saw it," Beame said. "It should have been my place, but he was a completely unethical broker. I hope everyone gets to find out what kind of person he is." By Lauren Elkies