I would agree with all the previous posters advice. Under no circumstances should you pay more than what is done (labor+materials). Last thing you want is to give the contractors more leverage.

Before you sign the contract, speak to the contractor and break down the payments based on the timeline. Good luck.

Posted by: namahs at September 11, 2009 3:26 PM in response to Contractor Deposit

The window security guards do not have a safety latch so under their guidelines its against the fire code even though there are 2 exits on the floor (front and rear door).

Posted by: namahs at September 9, 2009 3:22 PM in response to Advice on Mortgage Rate

I agree with the other posters..definitely call a couple of other banks. There is no need for a mortgage broker. Try giving Wells Fargo a call, they are very competitive with their rates and would pretty much match and beat any bank mortgage rates.

Before you commit to a bank, make sure the mortgage specialist knows exactly what type of property you are buying. Wells Fargo is very strict as far as the guidelines and commitments compared to any other banks. e.g. They made us remove our window security guards or we could not get the mortgage while other bank (HSBC) would probably care less.

Posted by: namahs at September 9, 2009 2:05 PM in response to Advice on Mortgage Rate

Go find yourself an architect and take it from there. They will let you know what your options are and draw up the plan to file with DOB. Once its been approved, then you file for permits (depending on what is needed in the extension) and hire your contractor to start working.

Posted by: namahs at September 8, 2009 1:50 PM in response to Extension Process

So it seems like majority of people think I'm over reacting. As I said earlier, I do not have experience with dealing with contractors. This is my first big renovation job. I just assume that if I'm paying some guy a ton of money, they should at least do what they are expected and communicate.. I guess that is too much to ask.

Thanks for all the advices.

Posted by: namahs at September 4, 2009 12:25 PM in response to Fire This Contractor?

I guess I failed to mention that in the contract all the renovation work already has a price for it. e.g., Finishing the basement is $20K, and the tile price was not in the contract..he just verbally told me. So regardless if the tile is $1 or $1.50...end result is the same cost for the basement finishing.

Posted by: namahs at September 4, 2009 11:01 AM in response to Fire This Contractor?

In regards to the hardwood. I was told and read it is best to let the new hardwood accumulate for 3-5 days before installing them. I felt bad so I told him that he can start installing after 2 days. After promising me twice that he will wait 2 days.. he broke the promise and installed it after 1 day to one of the bedrooms. The new hardwood floors is costing us $5000 (material and labor), last thing I want is to pay this amount and have it warped or have gaps..because he is not coordinating his workers properly.

My architect and colleagues are telling me if you are working with more than 10 cubic ft to use an auto concrete mixer than doing it manually. He promised us that he will be getting the concrete from the truck but later used the excuse that his workers had nothing to do so he decided to mix it manually. The night before he told me he was using the truck.. and the the next morning.. I saw skids of concrete mix in my driveway..c'mon now!

I guess the problem is the principal. I can care less about 30 cents different per tiles.. but if you are saying you are doing this and then take it back.. you break the trust. Obviously this is the not the first case.

Maybe I'm overreacting, I don't know.. since this is my first big renovation job.. I just cannot stand someone telling me one thing and then doing another without my consent.

Posted by: namahs at September 4, 2009 10:26 AM in response to Fire This Contractor?

400-500SF seems awfully long (almost half the length of most Brooklyn houses).. thats about 20x25.. are you sure the extension is allowed by code?

We got a quote for ~$120K to have our house extended.. but thats just a 2 stories 20x15 extension.

Posted by: namahs at September 4, 2009 9:29 AM in response to Expensive Estimate?

I'm not expert in this matter as we just bought our first place. We were looking for about a year and we put 3-4 offers. Half of the offers were accepted and they were a 5-10% below the asking price. You cannot base the asking price since some sellers like to overvalue their house.

The rule of thumb is when you are looking at a house.

Check to see how long the house been in the market, the longer it is..the more room you have for negotiating. I believe if the house is not sold after 3-6 months..the RE agent will advise the seller to drop its asking price.

When you put in an offer and if the seller accepts, the RE agent will ask you to sign a binder which they will then send to the seller. A contract (within a week or so) will then be drafted based on the info of the binder. This is the phase where I believe you will be 'IN CONTRACT' and the seller cannot take another offer.

Again this is based on my experience. Hope this helps.

Posted by: namahs at August 27, 2009 5:03 PM in response to How to buy a house?

Since we wanted our house to be deliver vacant and in a timely matter. We added a clause that if the seller does not close in 120 days.. the contract will be canceled and seller will be responsible for the buyer's fee during the closing process (down payment will be refund).

Posted by: namahs at August 26, 2009 8:33 AM in response to What to Have in the Contract?

We have some (8) Burnham cast iron baseboard, which are almost new. Email Carnagejr9 AT Hotmail DOT com if you are interested..price negotiable.

Posted by: namahs at August 23, 2009 7:48 PM in response to Cast Iron Hot Water Radiators

I'm just trying to be cautious since the plumber we are using turned out to be very shady. They were referred by a family friend and initially before we signed the contract, they seem very good. After we signed the contract though, it was another story... everything was a lie and there was no follow-up/lack communication. The job was agreed to be done in 2 weeks but turned out to be a 4 weeks job and they are STILL not complete yet. The sad thing is there is nothing we can do now, this probably feels more stressful than the closing.

One last question I have is that if they were to go to DOB (ARA/LAA app) this Friday to schedule an appointment for an inspection. Is there anyway that I can that find out if they really went? Does it show up on the DOB website real-time? I want to make sure they schedule the appointment before I give them the 2nd payment. Oh man, I need a drink. =(

Posted by: namahs at August 19, 2009 7:58 AM in response to Gas Conversion Questions

We dealt with something similar during our closing. We demanded the house to be deliver vacant by closing (90days). The owner gave written notice to tenant (no lease) that they have to leave in 60 days and they agreed. The tenant immediately stops paying rent. When we went to get an update 1 month before closing.. the tenant were still there and had no plans on leaving. They gave some BS excuse to the owners and asked them for moving fees. The owners were pissed off and their lawyer told them they will handle it from this point to start eviction. In the end, the owners ended up paying to the tenants to leave. Reason is the tenants knew they have the upper hand.. if they did not give in to the money.. the buyers will walk away from the deal.

Don't quote me since I'm not an expert but I think you are stuck with fulfilling that lease. Judges/Law always side with the tenants. Also eviction is not a fun and fast process.. it can drag.

Good Luck

Posted by: namahs at August 13, 2009 1:01 PM in response to Eviction for Owner Occupancy

How much does a video inspection usually run?

Posted by: namahs at August 6, 2009 12:10 AM in response to Sewer Line Replacement

Make sure a couple of days before your closing, you get a copy of the exact breakdown of the closing cost from your loan officer. Also schedule your final walk through the day before or the morning of the closing so you don't have any hidden surprises.

Our closing took about 2 hours even though we did not get our exact bank figures until an hour into the closing. Read and make sure your attorney explains everything to you before signing. Also note that your attorney might suggest you tip the title agent.. its up to you.

Good Luck.

Posted by: namahs at August 3, 2009 12:51 PM in response to Preparing for Closing

This forum community has to be the most informative and entertaining place. I've been a lurker for quite some time but recently signed up as a member. It helped me greatly during my house closing and renovation process. As far as why real estate agents would hate this site is probably because it gives TRUTHFUL knowledge of the Brooklyn community..which means the lazy real estate agents will need to work harder to sell a property. Of course with any online community you should always take everything with a grain of salt and research yourself. =) Good Luck

Posted by: namahs at July 28, 2009 12:19 PM in response to RE Agents Hate Brownstoner

If our budget fits, we are going to buy a pair of the Electrolux washer and dryer. I heard its best to buy the gas powered versus the electric ones.

Posted by: namahs at July 23, 2009 8:33 AM in response to Washer + Dryer Recs?

We just recently closed on a house and needed our chimney cleaned before converting to gas. We called up A&A and they accommodated to our work schedule. The chimney specialist finished the job in 30-45 minutes and explained to us what we need to look out for in the future. The job was initially quoted for $125 but because theres major clog in the chimney..I guess extra work needed to be done.. so it was $175 which is still not bad.

Posted by: namahs at July 22, 2009 11:52 PM in response to Honest Chimney Guy

I closed a couple of weeks ago and just noticed that my attorney asked me to write the title closer a check for $200. It was very tense day at the closing, last minute bank approval so we were just glad we could cost and did not try to question every little thing. Now I wished I had questioned that. Oh well.. maybe it is part of a tradition.

Posted by: namahs at July 18, 2009 8:51 AM in response to Tips at Closings?

Will keep a note of all the advices above, definitely very helpful. Thanks again.

Posted by: namahs at July 14, 2009 6:58 PM in response to Renovation and Home Safety

I thought the same thing a couple of years ago and after some researches online..what PitbullNYC said is correct. The reading might be only $5 but they will end up persuading you to buy items to cleanse yourself. Items like spirit candles can be $100+.

Posted by: namahs at July 13, 2009 10:01 PM in response to Fortune tellers?

HurricaneKate, we are having the same issue with Wells Fargo. They are requesting a safety release latch on the security bars and then a final inspection after its installed. How did you get around that? I don't understand how this is fire hazard when we have a front door and back door which is 2 source of exits. Please advise thanks.

Posted by: namahs at June 25, 2009 11:49 PM in response to Safety latches on iron grates

I tried calling National Grid for a conversion quote but they said it varies since I would have to hire my own license plumber to take care most of the work. I am looking to convert to a gas from oil for a 2 family brick house in Bensonhurst, hopefully they can take care of removing that huge oil tank and have a total of 2 gas heater for each floor. Would it be doable for $12K? Thanks in advance

Posted by: namahs at May 19, 2009 9:21 AM in response to Fixing up basement

I am also looking to do an oil to gas conversion in a 2 Family brownstone house in Bensonhurst. I called a couple of local plumbers and got quotes around the $10K range (removal of oil tank, installation new gas and water broiler). We are also thinking about putting separate meters for each floor so renters can pay for their own gas. The quote for that procedure is $5K, is that normal?

Posted by: namahs at March 7, 2009 1:05 AM in response to Oil to Gas Conversion: Questions

Sounds like the guy just spoke too soon. And pretty much all parties lack experience. The wood is not from Prospect Park.

Posted by: jack slade at September 7, 2009 12:06 AM in response to Fire This Contractor?

Dam Fool

Posted by: OldManSam at September 8, 2009 2:11 AM in response to Fire This Contractor?

If you're landmarked, DOB will not give you permit without Lanmark's approval too.

Posted by: Boerum Hill at September 8, 2009 2:11 PM in response to Extension Process

Plans first, then get bids from contractors. It's not a bad idea to get a ballpark number from a contractor for an addition, so you know if it's affordable for you right now, but know that it is only an estimate. Once you have plans in hand, you should give them to the first contractor so he can adjust his numbers to bid on exactly what is laid out in the architect's drawings.

Posted by: zeebee_in_bklyn at September 8, 2009 2:48 PM in response to Extension Process

hire an architect

Posted by: eman1234 at September 8, 2009 8:17 PM in response to Extension Process

Thank you guys!

Posted by: Williams at September 9, 2009 8:50 AM in response to Extension Process

When hiring an architect avoid Robert Scarano like the plague.

Posted by: FenFen at September 9, 2009 9:27 AM in response to Extension Process

Thanks so much for the advice! It certainly looks like going to the bank directly could be problematic. They don't seem to want to touch 3 unit buildings.

Calling around to other brokers though to see if they can better the rate & terms.

Thanks!

Posted by: kissiffer4 at September 9, 2009 2:30 PM in response to Advice on Mortgage Rate

agree with other posters on the fact that you can often do better dealing with the banks directly. don't forget to try the regional banks, such as astoria..

Posted by: raphael9 at September 9, 2009 2:32 PM in response to Advice on Mortgage Rate

Naive question, but why would you ever have to *remove* window security guards to qualify for a mortgage?

Posted by: slopette at September 9, 2009 2:45 PM in response to Advice on Mortgage Rate