The best for the money is probably the one offered by the AKC. If you have a purebred, they offer a low rate if you sign up while the dog's a puppy - not sure if they extend that to mixed breeds as well. IMO, it doesn't make sense financially to sign up for the plans that cover wellness visits, shots, etc., as it's cheaper to pay out of pocket. I can almost guarantee you that at some point in the dog's first few years you'll have to shell out $ for some unforeseen medical issue, so insurance does make sense. There was just a discussion of the topic on the NYTimes "Puppy Diaries" blog - lots of complaints in the comments re- the two non-AKC affiliated companies.
I'd also suggest you call VERG - 24 hr. emergency clinic in Carroll Gardens, and ask them who people have been happiest with.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/garden/05puppy.html?_r=1

Posted by: petunia at November 16, 2009 8:28 PM in response to Pet Insurance?

Yes, but (knock on wood), never had to file a claim w/them.

Posted by: petunia at November 5, 2009 5:42 PM in response to home owner's insurance

Hi, the Brownstone Agency carries Everest's policy around here, and I know they are widely used in Brooklyn. I don't know how Everest is on claims - Brownstone used to carry AIG policies, and recently switched to Everest.

Posted by: petunia at November 5, 2009 11:02 AM in response to home owner's insurance

Too bad - I love the idea of parking permits. People driving in would still get to park, but not all day. It would encourage people to use mass transit to get to congested areas, and is aimed more at commuters than shoppers. Other cities (with much spottier mass transit) do this and it works well - people are opposed to it here without understanding how it works.

Posted by: petunia at November 2, 2009 4:15 PM in response to Closing Bell: Windshield Spam Backfires

We haven't used Edson ourselves, but over the years, I've watched them work on several brownstones in Park Slope and have always been struck by how well the finished product turns out. I have no idea how expensive they are (I'd assume they're pretty expensive, too much so for me at least) or how easy they are to deal with, but several years ago they redid the facade on the Brooklyn Conservatory on 7th ave. in North Slope, and I remember beig impressed with the result.

I've also seen them do complete facade overhauls on a brick-and-brownstone, on the north side of President just before 8th Ave., and on another brick-and-brownstone on 10th St., on the north side just a few houses before PPW. Sorry not to have the exact addresses, but they did such a good job repointing the buildings you can probably guess which ones they are yourself.

Posted by: petunia at October 22, 2009 10:23 AM in response to Major Facade Restoration

Another issue here that has not been mentioned: If you're interested in a co-op and your parents are covering most or all of the DP, make sure that co-op board is 100% comfortable with the arrangement. I would hope that most boards have dealt with this by now, but some may spook at having parents cover the DP even if the bank approves and the buyers are handling the mtge and mt. costs thereafter.
Finding an experienced agent is important, as they'll know which boards will pull stunts such as asking your parents for the past two years of complete financial statements - many parents, esp. out-of-staters, will object to this.
I speak from sad experience on this - when we sold our co-op several years ago, our first buyer was rejected for this very reason. It was a very small co-op and the board was just too inexperienced with the issue.

Posted by: petunia at October 2, 2009 12:01 PM in response to Downpayment as a Gift

Leroy is right on both counts - I use Penofin on our Ipe deck about every two years, and it looks great. I also had to order it online, after checking every local hardware store.

Posted by: petunia at September 29, 2009 11:20 AM in response to Ipe Deck seal

On 1st. St. btw 5th and 6th in the Slope, the block association has put some decent looking signs all up and down the block. While I think this particular offense needs to be upgraded to something guaranteeing jail time for the perp (I have a dog, so I know it's really not so hard to clean up after them), sometimes the signs people put up are almost as bad-looking as the actual mess on the sidewalk.

Posted by: petunia at September 21, 2009 11:02 AM in response to Dog Poop

According to an agent I spoke with a few weeks ago, Allstate no longer insures in NYC because of hurricane/flooding issues, and whether or not you're actually in a flood zone is no matter. We use Brownstone, and while (knock on wood) we've never filed a claim, they've been quite responsive in our other dealings w/ them.

Posted by: petunia at September 14, 2009 2:38 PM in response to Good/Bad Insurance Cos?

Anonymous complaints to 311 do work. I called once, though I think it was directly to the Dept. of Health. A letter was mailed to the boss, and that was that.

Posted by: petunia at August 14, 2009 1:16 PM in response to Smoking in the Workplace

Thanks!

Posted by: petunia at August 5, 2009 3:58 PM in response to Awnings (again), Anyone?

Take a look at ParkSlopeParents. Someone there just posted saying they have to give up an older kid-loving puppy b/c of allergy issues. Regardless of what kind of dog you get, it really can't be left in the yard for very long - good dogs are dogs that get lots of people time. Spending time with their people (and proper socializing, training and exercising) is how dogs learn to behave in the house and not be a nuisance to you and your neighbors. A kid won't be able to do all that, there has to be an adult in the house willing to do the work.

Posted by: petunia at August 3, 2009 9:16 PM in response to Labrador in brownstone

My head's too fuzzy right now to do the math, but the CEMA should take care of the origination fee for the original $608K, and you should be paying 1.8% tax on the remaining balance - so 6K seems a bit high.

Posted by: petunia at July 28, 2009 11:52 AM in response to Refi Closing Costs - Shoe Drops!

"It has always been AY supporters' method to ignore what anti-AY people are complaining about. Knee-jerk response: NIMBYISM! I have yet to hear a pro AYer address the many legitimate complaints and concerns the public has."

-bxgrl just made the point I was trying to, and did it more concisely.

Posted by: petunia at June 11, 2009 5:29 PM in response to Quote of the Day

"Petunia lists all the reasons against development and progress." Uh, no, I listed concerns that should be addressed esp. by a project of this magnitude - once the developer makes his money and leaves, let's make sure the actual residents of his development as well as those in existing ones nearby don't have to struggle with overburdened schools, streets, etc. Sorry to be fashionable about that.

Are you saying none of the things people were worried about would have been an issue if the project went up as planned? Ratner had it all figured out, so he figured he may as well skip the review process? There was no public input - hysterical or otherwise - that was the problem. It seems as though you're saying just let him build, give him all the tax breaks and forget the oversight because that's the only way something spectacular will happen - that seems a little knee-jerk to me.

There has been decent new development in the borough, but obviously the scale of AY, not to mention the wheelie-dealing behind it, puts this discussion in whole other category. Some, like Minard above, are untroubled by the scale of the original design - even so, I don't see how you can brush off questions about impact and context as irrational negativity. I think a good, well-thought out design can stand up to these questions and take its surroundings into consideration. It still wouldn't appease everyone of course, but FCR spent far more effort on behind-the-scenes nonsense and hiring people to disrupt meetings, than doing the least little thing to address these questions.

Posted by: petunia at June 11, 2009 5:25 PM in response to Quote of the Day

When a project sidesteps and sweetheart-deals its way past the normal review process, then you get lawsuits from the public shut out of the process. Do the people who are blaming DDDB for this state of affairs really think that ambitious projects such as this should be rushed through without public oversight and that valid concerns about the surrounding infrastructure - traffic, schools, etc, etc. should go unaddressed because otherwise nothing "ambitious" will ever get built? Bruce Ratner is no Ayn Rand hero, guys. And asking hard questions of this project (and getting unsatisfactory answers) is not knee-jerk NIMBY-ism.

City Hall's lack of attention to the new infrastructure needed for all the new development it's championed is starting to have real consequences in Lower Manhattan and elsewhere, overflowing kindergartens being one example - do you think this project would have been an exception?

Also, we'll all soon be paying higher subway fares and waiting even longer for the F train to arrive, all while the MTA gives FCR an 80% discount upfront. That's not the inevitable result of an unfairly delayed project, that's sheer chutzpah from the powers-that-be who concocted this farce in the first place.

Posted by: petunia at June 11, 2009 4:26 PM in response to Quote of the Day

Whoa whoa whoa. The MTA's budget woes have been in the news like, what, constantly over the past couple months?? And where is the news coverage on the MTA allowing Ratner to reduce his bid even further, when they're supposed to be in such a hole and FCR's wasn't even the highest bid to begin with?? I don't care who built who's shiny new headquarters - I'd expect to see some coverage somewhere besides a blog.

Posted by: petunia at June 1, 2009 11:56 AM in response to Recapping the State Senate Hearing on Atlantic Yards

"the anti crowd pits a real developer against a dream/a fantasy. there is no ready to roll alternative."

Actually, during the so-called "bidding" process for the AY land by the MTA, the Extell corporation (who aren't exactly little straw men for DDDB) bid an amount that was higher than Ratner's by about $50 million, if I recall correctly.

During the bidding the head of the MTA excused himself, took a call from the Mayor, came back and awarded the bid to Ratner with no explanation as to why the higher bid was rejected.

So Col. Austin is absolutely right - that extra $50m would go a long way in the MTA's budget.

I have to credit the Atlantic Yards project for opening my eyes (I thought I was jaded enough by then, but I was wrong) as to who really runs this city.

Posted by: petunia at May 18, 2009 11:39 AM in response to Appellate Court Rules Against Atlantic Yards Opponents

Having seen how it works in the SF Bay Area, I'm completely for this. I don't have a car (we rent or Zipcar when we need to), and my concern is not pitting one group of drivers against another, but weighing convenience for a few against the real problem of traffic congestion in my neighborhood. The pollution and safety issues caused by too many people looking for a spot affects everyone. Policy should be determined by what best serves a neighborhood, not by what best serves commuters or car owners. That's not "destroying" intra-city car usage - it's holding down the problems caused by too-heavy usage to a more manageable level.

I find it ironic that people on this board are blasting Millman and Yassky, when state senators like Carl Kruger bollixed up the MTA bailout with their completely car-centric, Robert Moses-era point of view. People have every right to own a car and drive it wherever (I love having a car, just don't need one right now), but unlike public transit, commuting via car, whether you're coming or going, has a very real and negative impact on the community and there's no pretending it doesn't.

I understand that local stores can't get by on just local residents, but letting all the cars pour in and then fight each other for spots isn't working either. Nor is allowing major employers like Methodist Hospital (near me in park slope) to undergo huge expansions and then leave it to the surrounding streets to just absorb all the extra parking needs this creates.

I'm assuming that they picked Brooklyn Heights, not Park Slope, to start with because almost every subway line connects there. The permit program to be implemented w/ congestion pricing was mainly for certain rush hour times, assuming the same will hold w/these permits.

I think the fee should be higher than "nominal" because it's going to public transit, and I absolutely think more money to improve public transit should come from drivers, in the hopes of funding better transit options than driving to work. Since part of my subway fare is going to pay for roads upstate (thanks Carl), it's only fair.

Posted by: petunia at May 18, 2009 11:23 AM in response to Residential Parking Permits Pushed for Brooklyn Heights

"Go into a Bank or a Mortgage Broker and like them show a rate schedule, add on the interest you have PAID and the remaining moths on the new mortgage"

Moths aside, the What is right. You really need to look at the amortization tables to make sense of this. Brokers and real estate lawyers should be able to help.

If Mr. B or whoever else is refinancing can pull out their old mortgage's amortization table (ours was deep in the pile of closing docs), see where you are in the sched. of that loan, and then compare it to the amortization table of your brand-new refi, it should be plain and clear how much money you'll save and how quickly the prior interest paid and second round of closing costs are offset. Rather than all this back and forth, comparing those two tables will tell you exactly whether you'll be better off and by how much.

For Mr. B's numbers, I don't see how they wouldn't work in his favor provided his family stays put for a while.

Dcorreale's mid-term scenario does work if you're strictly using all the monthly savings to pay down the principal, but like he/she said first off, that takes quite a bit of discipline. I know I can't promise I'd do that for the life of our loan, so our calculations were done without plugging the savings back in.

Posted by: petunia at May 14, 2009 4:26 PM in response to Refinancing: How Sweet It Is

I basically agree with Dcorreale - in Mr. B's case, without having the amortization tables I used previously (a real estate lawyer ran the numbers for us) it seems pretty certain that the savings in interest going forward will quickly surpass the 3.5 years of interest paid that is essentially thrown out. Of course, this "lost" interest does become relevant if you've already lived in your house for, say, 5 years, and you're thinking of leaving in another 5. The old interest minus tax-deduction should be added in along with closing fees as non-reimbursable costs.

The tables for the old mortgage should be near the back of all the closing docs you got, and can be compared if you request the tables on the new mortgage.

Posted by: petunia at May 14, 2009 1:00 PM in response to Refinancing: How Sweet It Is

my first comment posted twice - I'm sorry!

It sounds like Bretton may have had the same appraiser we had (from Long Island as well). It's not a factor of falling prices when it comes in sub-2003 levels, it's sloppy appraising and overcorrecting from the sloppily high appraisals of years past.

With the new rules about appraiser/bank contacts in place, is there anything a homeowner can do *before* an appraisal firm is hired to make sure they're familiar with the local market?

Posted by: petunia at May 14, 2009 12:40 PM in response to Refinancing: How Sweet It Is

For Ontheparkway, remember that any building improvements or repairs you make that also affect the rental portion of your house are tax deductible for that portion, so that will offset the taxes a bit. (For a $1000 plumbing job, you'd deduct 25% for a 4-story w/ garden floor rental.)

For Dcorreale, we ran the same numbers the What is mentioning before we decided to refinance. For the early years of your mortgage, most of your monthly payment is applied to interest, not principal, precisely because most people move or refinance within 5 years. So you have to calculate back in the additional interest you'll be re-paying at the lower rate, and the extra years you'll be adding on the back end of your mortgage (to keep Brownstoner as an example, he'll be paying for 33.5 years instead of 30). Because of all that and the closing costs of a new loan, people are advised not to refinance unless rates are a full point lower than what they have.
However, only knowing my own numbers and not Brownstoner's, I'd have to guess that he'll easily make these costs back within several years. Three and a half years is not that long to be making payments, so he hasn't tossed away that much interest.
While our payments went down a lot, they didn't go down quite as much per month as Mr. B's. Still, when we looked at the life of the refi'd loan vs. the life of the existing loan, it turned out that we'd be paying about 200K less in interest (again, most of which you pay in the beginning) than if we stuck with the rate we had. And that's accounting for the interest we'd already paid for our first loan. We'll make back our closing fees in about a year.

Posted by: petunia at May 14, 2009 12:28 PM in response to Refinancing: How Sweet It Is

Sorry, Dcorreale, I was replying to your first post, not your second. It took a long time for my reply to go through for some reason.

I think the combination of the disappearance of crazy bonus-money buyers at the top end, and the glut of condos at the lower end, will stretch the bottoming out of house prices for a little while, even though I agree that the low interest rates and gov't incentives to buyers are worth looking into now even if prices themselves might fall a bit farther in the next year or two. For regular middle-class NY'ers who have jobs that aren't in finance or media, the tide may finally be turning their way.

Posted by: petunia at May 14, 2009 12:28 PM in response to Refinancing: How Sweet It Is

For Ontheparkway, remember that any building improvements or repairs you make that also affect the rental portion of your house are tax deductible for that portion, so that will offset the taxes a bit. (For a $1000 plumbing job, you'd deduct 25% for a 4-story w/ garden floor rental.)

For Dcorreale, we ran the same numbers the What is mentioning before we decided to refinance. For the early years of your mortgage, most of your monthly payment is applied to interest, not principal, precisely because most people move or refinance within 5 years. So you have to calculate back in the additional interest you'll be re-paying at the lower rate, and the extra years you'll be adding on the back end of your mortgage (to keep Brownstoner as an example, he'll be paying for 33.5 years instead of 30). Because of all that and the closing costs of a new loan, people are advised not to refinance unless rates are a full point lower than what they have.
However, only knowing my own numbers and not Brownstoner's, I'd have to guess that he'll easily make these costs back within several years. Three and a half years is not that long to be making payments, so he hasn't tossed away that much interest.
While our payments went down a lot, they didn't go down quite as much per month as Mr. B's. Still, when we looked at the life of the refi'd loan vs. the life of the existing loan, it turned out that we'd be paying about 200K less in interest (again, most of which you pay in the beginning) than if we stuck with the rate we had. And that's accounting for the interest we'd already paid for our first loan. We'll make back our closing fees in about a year.

Posted by: petunia at May 14, 2009 12:14 PM in response to Refinancing: How Sweet It Is

I love dogs and birds. My children, dog and I all enjoy the off-leash hours at the park immensely. I sincerely believe that off-leash time, used *responsibly*, can head off behavior problems in dogs because many of them need a level of exercise that their owners cannot provide by simply walking them - not everyone can jog several miles a day w/ their dog.

However, I see way too many people in the park just turn their dogs loose without the appropriate training and direction, and then the dog causes headaches for others enjoying the park. Dogs are like kids in the sense that it's your responsibility to guide and manage their behavior, if left to themselves the choices they make won't be good ones. I'd say that 99% of this bad behavior is directed at other dogs though, not at humans in the park. If all owners worked on a good, solid recall for their dogs, that would solve a majority of the problems.

And I'm totally fine with people being ticketed for letting their dogs run in the woods - it's completely selfish to let your dog chase the little critters that live there.

The "lady with the walking stick" mentioned in the Post article, with the two "jack russells" (actually, they're rat terriers)? PLEASE, by all means let a birdwatcher pepper-spray her - that's Marcia, she lets her dogs hunt squirrels and rabbits in the park. I've seen her many times, the police have given her many tickets but that's all they can do. But please don't pepper-spray the dog, it's not their fault, it's the blockheaded owner who should pay.

I also wonder why the same level of hostility and ticketing efforts aren't directed at the weekend litterers. These people know exactly what they're doing, and their (in)actions have a hugely negative impact on the park, way more than the occasional annoying dog.

Posted by: petunia at May 11, 2009 11:38 AM in response to Prospect Park Vigilante Wages Canine Campaign

No one would call either my husband or I handy, but we had no problem installing window guards bought from a hardware store years back. They sell in either the standard 3-bar height or the taller 5-bar size.

Posted by: petunia at May 7, 2009 2:39 PM in response to Window Guards for Child

Sorry to ruin everyone's fun but: there was one initial Carrie Nation-style post, from someone asking others to report the bar to whichever authority is in charge of regulating these things. After that one post, there were about 8 or 9 replies all saying they supported having a new restaurant, loved the other bars by the owner, didn't see what the big deal was, etc.

So, only one nutty person on PSP for that topic at least. You'll have to find some other reason to gripe about local moms. (Mother's Day is coming soon, after all!)

Posted by: petunia at May 5, 2009 8:43 PM in response to How'd You Miss This?

If you value journalistic ethics and disclosure, for goodness sake go out and buy a newspaper. Whether a tip on a HOTD/COTD is coming from a disinterested party or from an owner, I don't see what difference it makes, unless the owner has bought a big ad on the site. Otherwise, I don't see why Brownstoner would be under any pressure to feature the house or consider it on anything but its own merits.
Indie music blogs, and before that, indie zines get their review material from the source and always have, and it doesn't affect the tone of the coverage (unless the record label bought a big ad, but even then, the sell-out ratio is lower than you'd think).
Free media, whether it's Wikipedia, TMZ or an opinionated real-estate blog, operates by different standards and should not be confused with print or online pubs with an actual editorial board and reporting procedures and guidelines. Frills like that cost money.

Posted by: petunia at May 4, 2009 1:19 PM in response to Real Estate Blogs: Double-Edged Swords

We refinanced in January (were able to pay down our jumbo into a conforming loan) and had no problem obtaining a CIMA (CEMA?) from Citi, our old bank. That's the part of the article that confused me - has the CEMA situation changed since January/February?
Even though we avoided the mortgage tax w/ the CEMA, the closing costs were still way higher than what my sister is paying for her refi in California.

Posted by: petunia at May 4, 2009 10:00 AM in response to Despite Low Interest Rates, Few Refinancings in New York

I love this garden - it always gives me ideas on my way to Gowanus Nursery, a block away.

Posted by: petunia at May 1, 2009 11:21 AM in response to Community Garden Spotlight: Summit Street Garden

Keep in mind that the newer AC's are much more energy efficient. Between the repair costs and higher energy bills for your older ACs, you might spend less by getting new ones.

We bought two Frigidaires last year that came highly rated on Consumer Reports - they work great but are really noisy, which is ok for us as they drown the summer "street noise" that's more apt to wake us up.

Posted by: petunia at April 29, 2009 10:31 AM in response to A/C questions

The photo is of Added Value's vegetable garden - they get local teens (from Red hook and presumably elsewhere in Brooklyn) involved in running the garden and then selling the vegetables at Added Value stands at various farmers' markets.

Posted by: petunia at April 29, 2009 9:31 AM in response to Wednesday Links

houseowax basically said what I was about to say. I want to add that, as pointed out in Gladwell's article, aggression against humans and prey drive/animal aggression are two very different things. The fact that many pitbulls are sweethearts where people are concerned has nothing to do with how high their prey drive may be.
I once saw a pitbull attack a horse in Prospect Park while the two kids who'd let it offleash stood by without a clue what to do. Once the dog went for the horse's nose and the horse bolted through the park, the dog was easily approached, blood-flecked muzzle and all, by another passerby. I heard the poor dog was caught and eventually put down - totally unnecessary and caused 100% by the owner's idiotic lack of respect for the breed and what it's bred for and capable of doing.

Posted by: petunia at April 28, 2009 12:45 PM in response to More Problems with Pit Bulls — And Their Owners

If the problem is with the gas line itself rather than the lamp, he can't fix that. He replaced the valve, changed our burner from invert to upright and also put on that little crossbar thingy that ours had lost some time ago. It all came out to about $150.

Mopar, there's a dedicated gas line for these lamps in the basement. It's probably shut off down there. You can check to see if the line outside was capped or not by simply turning that line back on in the basement (it's the only little pipe leading out into the front yard), then go up where the mantle should be and see if you smell gas. If it's a matter of just putting a new lamp, valve and burner on, it's not that big of a deal (if you can find the right parts).

Posted by: petunia at April 24, 2009 11:41 AM in response to Gas Lantern Repair?

We just had him fix our gas lamp and it now works great, and the price was indeed reasonable. He's not a plumber so he can't do those kind of fixes (and if that's the case he won't charge you) but we didn't need a full-on plumbing job and certainly would have been charged a lot more by a plumber for the same work. He's a neighborhood guy who just does this on the side, and for once what you read on a flyer is actually the truth.

Posted by: petunia at April 23, 2009 4:30 PM in response to Gas Lantern Repair?

How did the plants look when you bought them? If they looked healthy and disease-free, they probably were at that point, and that's pretty much all a nursery should be expected to provide, IMO. It's a shame you lost your plants, but I don't know that I'd hold the nursery responsible for whatever might have killed them over the winter.
Also, I have found rhododendrons (at least the one that I have) to be a little fussier than my other plants. Growing large plants in containers (even big containers) can be a little tricky too - I always have to put my container plants in a protected area, or wrap the pots in ugly burlap w/ mulch, so the roots don't freeze in winter. Plants that haven't had a chance to get their roots established and acclimate before winter are more vulnerable to freezing.

Posted by: petunia at April 10, 2009 10:44 AM in response to My Plants Are Dead

I used DVS a few years ago to fix the original cast-iron railings on our front stoop, and they did a great job. I recommend them.

Posted by: petunia at April 8, 2009 11:10 AM in response to DVS for Iron Deck

It really depends on who the bank uses for the appraisal. I would ask them where the appraiser is located and how much experience they have with your area. We refinanced earlier this year and our bank used a Long Island appraiser who didn't know the area well, came up with some really wacky comps and appraised it so low (more than 500K less than the city estimate, and our place is in good, well-maintained condition) it would have jeopardized our refi if we'd had anything close to an 80/20 LTV.
So an accurate appraisal cannot be assumed. You might want to research a few comps on your own, to see if values in your area are holding up so far.

Posted by: petunia at April 7, 2009 10:12 PM in response to Appraisal Question

We're not looking to move, but if we were (and had a co-op to sell for the down payment), I'd want this house. I love this part of 2nd St., it's pretty and quiet and has a good mix of old timers and young families (I know this because whenever I walk by, half the block seems to be out puttering in their yards). With more than 1 kid, the lack of a 3rd bedroom might eventually become an issue, but I know plenty of people living in houses whose kids still share a room.

Posted by: petunia at March 31, 2009 4:14 PM in response to House of the Day: 93 2nd Street

CRA stands for Community Reinvestment Act, it's offered to people who fall within a certain income level and/or live in particular neighborhoods. CRA loans are offered by Sovereign as "Affordable" loans, and by HSBC as "Community Works" loans, I don't know what Wells Fargo calls them. But the CRA rates I'm seeing are all in the 4.625 - 4.5 range, so I'm curious about this low rate too!

Posted by: petunia at March 18, 2009 9:18 PM in response to Refinancing Question

We got our chimney relined a couple of years ago by B&P Chimney. Our house is 3 stories, not sure how much diff. it makes if yours is taller, but we sure didn't pay anywhere near 5K for the job.

Posted by: petunia at March 5, 2009 1:48 PM in response to New chimney liner

But even if you do need your chimney swept, make sure it's by a service *you* call, not one that calls you. After (in a moment of weakness)we had a chimney service that had called us come by, we called another company that our plumber recommended. Big difference, both in price and lack of alarmist attitude. Luckily the first sweep gave me such bad vibes that I realized my mistake and didn't let him do any work.

Posted by: petunia at March 4, 2009 11:52 AM in response to Chimney Sweep for Gas Boiler?

Parkedslope: the 321 zone extends to the north side of 5th St. Both my kids are in school there, and I know this is the current southern boundary. The apt. may not look like much, but it is a 2-bed starter apt. with a little bit of vintage detail very close to 321, on a nice quiet block, albeit an avenue. Not saying if it's over priced or by how much, but people shouldn't be looking to 15th St. or PHts for comps - the Novo would be a more interesting comparison. What's the price differential between a 321-zoned starter apt in a big ugly building on a big ugly avenue vs. a starter apt. in a smaller brownstone building on a much nicer avenue?

Posted by: petunia at March 3, 2009 5:31 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 344 6th Avenue, #2

The repairman is right about having to get rid of the squirrels first. Now is a good time, before any babies are born. A Havahart trap is the way to go, but if you catch and then release them in your yard or even in the park, they will go right back to their nest in the cornice. Squirrels are very territorial and have an amazing homing instinct. You have to transport them over 15 miles or over a body of water to ensure they don't return. If squirrels have been nesting and breeding there for years, you may have quite a population of squirrels that consider your cornice "home" and will do their best to re-establish a nest there. Not sure they would be able to chew through a new cornice, but they might try.

Posted by: petunia at March 3, 2009 11:33 AM in response to squirrels in the ceiling

I am also interested in Lambretta's question: how will this affect current interest rates for refinancings in general? There had been a lot of previous talk about gov't intervention to lower the rates further, but this plan seems to be more about permitting a greater % of owners to take advantage of rates as they now stand. Can any mortgage brokers out there take a guess, or will we have to wait until March 4th to find out?

Posted by: petunia at February 19, 2009 11:40 AM in response to Obama Details Rescue Plan for Homeowners

oh, and for czar: our mtge is for a two-family and we were quoted the same rates (5% or below) as for a 1-family, the difference was all in the points.

Posted by: petunia at January 16, 2009 4:02 PM in response to Jumbo Limits-Worth Refinancing?

Smaller, local banks seem to be offering better rates at the moment. Try Astoria Federal, HSBC and Sovereign, and there are others out there too. If you are a member of a credit union, they can offer very competitive rates as well. Also, I found the brokers at Trachtman and Bach to be extremely helpful even though I ended up locking in directly with a bank.

Sovereign is also offering those "Community Works" aka CRA loans, which can definitely be used for a refi. There are "moderate income" requirements, but this is NYC so "moderate" would be high-end almost anywhere else.

Also, closing costs are a lot higher if you go to a different bank instead of refinancing w/ your current bank, even if you're doing an assignment. I was told that it's not worth doing for less than a full percentage point difference. For us, the difference between the new bank's rate and the best offer from our old bank (Citi) still makes it worthwhile.

Brownstoner, with that 4.875 rate, were you also quoted a point for a 2-family building? From what I've been told, for a 2-family, the conforming limit is higher (533, 850 on Dec. 30, though from what you posted, apparently that's now changed), but there is also anywhere from a quarter-point to a point added if it's 2-family or up.

Posted by: petunia at January 16, 2009 3:54 PM in response to Jumbo Limits-Worth Refinancing?

Are you doing a consolidation and assignment of your old mortgage to a new bank, or are you refinancing with the same bank as your original mortgage? If you're doing a CIMA, then you may want to use a lawyer to make sure nothing gets messed up. The lender's attorney can do a CIMA, but I don't know that I'd feel 100% confident with it. Lawyers generally charge less for a refinance than for a sale. A lot of people in the Slope use Bob Dubno, he'd be fine for a refinance and his rates (from what I recall 10 years back) are pretty reasonable.

Posted by: petunia at January 14, 2009 11:28 AM in response to do i need a lawyer to refinance?

have you had good experience with them?

Posted by: bootsbar at November 5, 2009 11:11 AM in response to home owner's insurance

Yes, but (knock on wood), never had to file a claim w/them.

Posted by: petunia at November 5, 2009 5:42 PM in response to home owner's insurance

I had my guys insured with VPI for years while they were younger and it came handy for emergencies. As a matter of fact we recommend pet insurance to all of our clients with new dogs, but agree with Petunia the wellness coverage is not worth it.

VPI was one of the first and they were OK. Unfortunately, as they get older the premiums increase tremendously. Also, if you are going to get pet insurance make sure that you have coverage for cancer. The cancer coverage is definitely worth it.

Posted by: HouseBroken at November 17, 2009 9:45 AM in response to Pet Insurance?

I had VPI back when I still lived in Manhattan. Maybe my vet was very expensive but I remember still having to pay a lot out of pocket. The allotment for a checkup was less than half of actual cost. And they kind of wanked around about pre-existing conditions and whatnot. So if you have a healthy young dog / puppy, then it may be worth it otherwise find a good but reasonably priced vet (that's what we ended up doing and we love our vet). Also, it probably won't go into effect until the dog has a full checkup (partly so that they can verify pre-existing condition, general healthy etc).

Posted by: CG_ups at November 17, 2009 2:01 PM in response to Pet Insurance?