I would suggest buying your own snake ($12-14) and snake it again. I bought one and it's a great investment for clogs. Make sure the end can fit through the slots on your drain. (I'm not sure how this would work with a disposal.) A snake is a good tool to have around--faster, safer, and dare I say it, funner than drano.

Posted by: phoffy at January 15, 2007 1:12 PM in response to Kitchen sink drain clog

And I typo-ed spreadsheet!!!! Sorry!

Posted by: phoffy at January 20, 2007 12:15 PM in response to Please Share Remodel Spredsheet!

Original poster here-- it was marketed as a "rec room" or alternate living room, but I guess someone was using it as a bedroom. It was also called a "basement" but doesn't seem to qualify based on zoning definitions--more than 50% is below the curb line. But I don't understand, even if it is reclassified, what's to stop anyone from sleeping in a rec room? Whatever the case, the stairs leading to it need to be walled until it is reclassified -- that is if it CAN be reclassified.

Posted by: phoffy at January 25, 2007 10:39 PM in response to Rezoning a basement room

Yes, you can definitely use it to negotiate, because the bank usually won't give you a mortgage if the property doesn't appraise to the right level. That being said, a negotiation is a negotiation and the seller doesn't have to bite. But I would call your bank and make sure they will give you a mortgage based on this appraisal. If this was a private appraisal, (not a bank appraiser) then it probably has little negotiating value.

Posted by: phoffy at January 26, 2007 9:51 AM in response to bank appraisal as leverage on price?

Yes, you can definitely use it to negotiate, because the bank usually won't give you a mortgage if the property doesn't appraise to the right level. That being said, a negotiation is a negotiation and the seller doesn't have to bite. But I would call your bank and make sure they will give you a mortgage based on this appraisal. If this was a private appraisal, (not a bank appraiser) then it probably has little negotiating value.

Posted by: phoffy at January 26, 2007 9:52 AM in response to bank appraisal as leverage on price?

OP here, just to clarify, it's a ground floor "duplex", there is no kitchen or bathroom downstair in the cellar, it's not a separate apartment, it's just an extension of the ground floor apartment, called a living room or rec room. (Though someone was obviously sleeping in it, using as a bedroom.)

Can a rec room NOT have a window?

Posted by: phoffy at January 26, 2007 9:56 AM in response to Rezoning a basement room

I'm glad you're as confused as me. I'm looking for answers.

Posted by: phoffy at January 26, 2007 1:36 PM in response to Rezoning a basement room

You may also have trouble getting financing at 21% occupancy. Do not believe a word the broker says. This sounds like trouble to me. Don't forget, all the pain in buying a co op will be revisited upon you when you want to sell it.

Posted by: phoffy at January 30, 2007 1:54 PM in response to Sterling Place Co-Op

Yes!!! I'm dealing with the repercussions right now of not filing ... $5000 violation. Also, are you sure it's a basement and not a cellar? A cellar's windows are %50 or more below the curb line and can't be legal bedrooms.

Posted by: phoffy at February 5, 2007 4:03 PM in response to Basement finishing: need permit?

In no particular order:

A. with good credit you'll have no problem gettin a loan. Can do stated income or no doc loan.

b. Make sure you are put on the Title. You don't have to be on the mortgage.

c. Why "quick resale"? You still need a place to live. Keep living there knowing that you will be gaining equity etc.

d. Have a "buyout" clause-- i.e. if one of you wants to leave, the other has to buy you out OR put in on the market. Buyout can be based on independent appraisal assuming value goes up.

e. Talk to a lawyer!! but why pass up this opportunity?

Posted by: phoffy at February 12, 2007 9:46 PM in response to First Condo Purchase

cmu is right. Do not stop looking-- there are much cooler options out there. If it was right you wouldn't be asking others. I don't really think that you are challenged- I think that you just know intuitively that this option is a big compromise in your aesthetic.

Posted by: drunkenstooper at June 6, 2007 2:27 PM in response to Aesthetically-challenged guy needs help-Please vote!

no offense for the emphasis here, but...

do not do not do not do not turn your backyard into a parking lot.

any concrete looks like eastern bloc hell, but there's more sun here than east berlin so it will be hotter in the summer.

try the bricks, or pebbles or paving stones. even ones from home depot look better than concrete. nothing looks worse than concrete, except concete trying to not look like concrete.

it's like the line in boogie nights about his "genuine imported italian polyester shirt".

Posted by: at June 6, 2007 5:58 PM in response to Aesthetically-challenged guy needs help-Please vote!

I sold my Park Slope co-op and did none of what Phoffy did. I spent a lot of time staging the place and spent even more time marketing it (Times, blogs, CL, flyers). Had 150 to the open house, had 6 offers, had them fill out a financial info form (that I found on the net) that outlined their assets/debts and their best and final offer. 5/6 of them would have easily cleared our board (people have money these days!). Sold to highest offer and turned it all over to our attorney and their attorney.

I did have files with offering plan and financials for the building and I had to get those to my attorney at one point, but no big deal. Buyers had to worse having to pull together letters, bank statements, etc.

All it all, it was very easy. I guess I was dealing with pretty savvy people -- people who wouldn't dream of getting a 30 day rate lock,etc. Also. pre-qual letters are meaningless.

Posted by: at June 11, 2007 11:45 AM in response to selling on your own

"did none of what phoffy did"
except:

1. had the financials and offering plan together.
2. posted on NYtimes.com and craiglist.
3. had sellers get more than 30 day rate lock.

" finaancials were no big deal..." It IS a big deal, because unless they are paying cash, you have to have them.

Be prepared for the worst. All it takes is one deadbeat offer to set you back a couple of months. And of course, your coop should have its own application.

Posted by: phoffy at June 11, 2007 11:03 PM in response to selling on your own

I am thinking about doing the same thing. Thanks for the great advice. My reasoning for doing this, beside saving money: the last two apt that sold in the building, I felt like I did as much work as the board president than the brokers. I can't tell you how annoying it is to make multiple copies of documents that you already gave to the seller's broker, to give to the lawyer, bank etc. You'd think the broker would know who needs what and have extras on hand so that the closing would move faster. Also advising you to drop your price because the don't market it well will hurt you, but only reduce their commission slightly. Also a recent co-op of the day was a fsbo with a great website. They used a template form squarespace.com

Posted by: anon at June 12, 2007 10:46 AM in response to selling on your own

Go w/ Broker
I tried for 1 month on my own
Yes I staged, had gorgeous professional floor plan, all paperwork...NY times...
Broker got me 3 offers way above asking in 1 open house...go figure - they are there for a reason.

Posted by: at June 12, 2007 4:55 PM in response to selling on your own

LIE? why give advice when youndon't even know what you are talking about?
I don't think it's such a bad idea, I know 2 people who are doing this and aer very happy.
I would say that you should definateley look in queens to rent. check out forest hills or jackson heights. rents are much lower and the commute will be about 1/2 hour less

Posted by: anon at June 17, 2007 9:36 AM in response to Rent in BK, own upstate?

I have to agree that this is a trap.

I've given this a lot of thought. It seems like such a good idea because it's easier to buy more upstate, it seems like it's so close, etc.

But when you do the math for reals (factoring in all those hidden costs like EZpass, gas, car maintenance, financial dings like capital gains tax, and the fact that rents in NYC increase faster than property upstate appreciates... don't even mention all those extras you can't add up like how much more you'll eat out, the cost of furnishing and maintaining two residences, all the milk you'll throw away, how much time you will spend on the road, the negative helth impact of sitting in traffic, etc. etc. etc...)

It starts to look like a big drag that only works if you're rich.

My advice: Either be in the city or don't. Trying to be in two places makes you a half a person in each. It's great that you love Brooklyn. Maybe it makes sense to get a brownstone with a backyard in Bed Stuy (where we have a lot of different kinds of birds and raccoons and lovely patio an stoop sitting green relaxation...) and be with your friends and have space of your own and get a tax benefit.

Whatever you decide, think about your health in real terms like how much time and energy you spend living and what you get in exchange and whether you are doing exactly what you want for as much time as possible--and not in terms of Upstate romance v. dirty city. If what you really want is upstate, figure out a way to really be there all the time. If what you want to do is this city stuff you've been doing, then make the city work for you.

(We wound up getting a brownstone in Bed Stuy instead of this renting and buying upstate thing. We are really happy with our choices. YMMV)

Posted by: at June 17, 2007 1:11 PM in response to Rent in BK, own upstate?

We have a place in Beacon and Brooklyn. It takes an hour and a half to drive down to Bklyn or an hour to get to Manhattan. It's about an hour, 15min. on the Metro North line. The Bklyn house is our weekend place and Beacon is our primary residence. You can have your upstate home as your primary and avoid higher interest or capital gains. If you do a reverse commute, like us, you can avoid weekender traffic. We love it because we have the best of both worlds. Put me down as "great idea".

Posted by: at June 17, 2007 10:25 PM in response to Rent in BK, own upstate?

Why do people insist on posting information that is just plain wrong, when it's so easy to confirm? You certainly can deduct the mortgage interest on a vacation home. You can deduct the interest from a first and second home and so long as you don't rent out the second home, there is no minimum amount of time you have to spend in it to get the mortgage interest deduction.

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p936.pdf

Posted by: anon at June 18, 2007 2:35 PM in response to Rent in BK, own upstate?