Brooklyn | Kevin Brunnock | NYC Real Estate Professional

Tag: Brooklyn

December 8, 2020

Tips for New York Home Appraisal

If you are looking to buy a new home or just refinance your current mortgage, your lender will want to schedule an appraisal. This objective assessment helps to determine what your home is worth. Something that ranks high to all lenders is the consideration of collateral on their loan. Whether you are buying or selling, it will help you get a feel for how appraisals work. Here’s how you can prepare for your NYC home appraisal.

What’s Involved?

So what should you expect if you have someone come to your home to appraise it? An appraiser’s job is very similar to a home inspector’s position, with some tiny differences. Items that range from big to small will be taken into account by your appraiser, so that geometric mural that you did during the lockdown may need to go.

Things That Go Into a Home Appraisal

While your potential buyer may love your place and decide that they are ok with your asking price, all lenders will require you to have your home appraised to determine its value. To help them arrive at an estimate, they will look at the following:

Your home’s exterior: The appraiser will look at just about every part of the construction of your home. From the roof to the foundation, walls, and flooring, these will all be the potential cause for the house’s value to decrease if the appraiser finds something wrong.
Size: A big part of determining the home’s value is the slot’s size and square foot of the lot. The more rooms and bathrooms that a house has can help to raise the value of the home. Knowing the floor area or FAR of the property will tell you if space has room for extensions, which can be another factor in the value.
Condition: Just like your exterior, the appraiser will go over the inside of your home with a fine-tooth comb. The flooring, kitchen, plumbing, electrical, and lighting are all components that your appraiser will be assessing.
Improvements: Your appraiser can also help you determine what might need to be updated to increase your home’s value. Renovating a bathroom or adding an HVAC system can add years of life to the property, which helps increase the value.

Who Receives the Appraisal Information?

The final verdict will be gathered by your appraiser and at the disposal of who ordered it; this is usually the lender. It is then up to them how the information is distributed, regardless of who paid for it. If the buyer asks for an appraisal, the lender is obligated by law to release that information. Your appraisal is valid for six months, but market prices can change quickly. Many lenders will only consider an appraisal to be valid for about three months. Any changes to the market or the property can drastically alter the value price.

September 13, 2020

The Best NYC Neighborhoods To Live In

New York City is gigantic. If you’re thinking of moving into the city, you’ll have plenty of options to choose from in terms of the neighborhood you live in. While you may think you only have to choose between Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Staten Island, the fact of the matter is that there are several neighborhoods within these 5 boroughs. That’s a lot of options, and it’s important you pick the right choice for your budget and lifestyle. Here are a few of the best neighborhoods to live in within New York City.

SoHo

Located in Manhattan, SoHo stands for South of Houston and is one of the busiest neighborhoods in the city. If shopping is your thing, you’ll never get bored in SoHo as it features great high-end clothing stores as well as plenty of great food options. You’ll also be able to find various art galleries within the neighborhood and the architecture sets up a certain vibe if that’s your thing. Being located in Lower Manhattan, housing can become rather expensive and you’ll primarily find expensive lofts and co-ops.

Downtown Brooklyn

If you’re looking for a location based on convenience such as having plenty of transportation options, Downtown Brooklyn might be the place for you. It’s located right over the Brooklyn Bridge and in the past few years, thousands of new apartments have been made as the neighborhood grows. Plenty of subway and bus lines get off in the area, meaning you can get to Manhattan in about 15 minutes and also be close to other great neighborhoods where you can find options for dining and shopping. Due to the location’s recent growth, housing will likely be expensive, though not as expensive as SoHo.

Forest Hills

If you’re looking for something a little more urban and not as much big city, Forest Hills in Queens might be a good spot to check out. The area features a fantastic view of the Manhattan skyline so you’ll be close to the city but not smack dab in the middle of all the commotion. The architecture is one of the area’s many points of interest and you’ll find many single-family homes as opposed to the many apartments deeper into the city. To top it off, the area is much cheaper than Manhattan or Brooklyn if you’re not trying to break the bank.

July 28, 2020

Tips For New Residents of New York City

So you’ve decided to take the plunge and choose to live in New York City. While this is an exciting choice, it’s oftentimes a gigantic change, especially if you’re coming from a small town or someplace more rural. While you might think making the adjustment will be easy, it’s almost guaranteed you’ll have a rough time if you’re moving there and have nobody to guide you. Luckily, there are plenty of guides that feature tips and tricks to help you adjust, with many of them coming straight from the mouths of both newer and older New York City residents. Here are a few of those tips and tricks.

Prepare Your Budget

You’ve probably heard about this but you won’t truly understand until you experience it; living in New York City can be expensive. Many times you’ll find that living in Manhattan and other parts of the city costs double of what it cost to live where people are previously coming from, unless they’re coming from an equally pricey area such as another metropolitan area. If you think you have enough money prepared for the adjustment, think again as you’re likely under prepared.

Public Transportation

Owning a car while living in New York is often no fun at all. Many New York Residents have gotten used to taking public transportation. You have the option of taking a bus, taxi or the subway, and the options vary in price and where they’ll bring you. Since traffic is always so jammed up in the city, public transportation is likely your best option so it might be wise to figure out your favorite style of transportation and stick with it.

Feeding Yourself

Feeding yourself when moving into the city can be a little challenging at first. Depending on where you live, you’re likely not going to be able to go to the large grocery store’s you may be accustomed to. Oftentimes you’ll be walking to the closest bodega and only getting enough groceries that you can carry home to your apartment. If that isn’t enough to satiate you, you may be tempted to order take out or go to a restaurant. While that’s not necessarily a bad choice, it’s quite expensive and can add up quickly. It’s important to figure out this balance before you overspend by eating out all of the time.

June 4, 2020

Should You Buy Or Rent In NYC?

If you’re moving to New York City, one of the hardest decisions you’ll likely have to make is choosing between buying a home there or just renting one. Many different factors come into play when making this decision. Are you planning on staying in New York for a long time? Can you afford extra chargers such as utilities, food, entertainment, and property taxes? These are some of the common questions you should ask yourself before deciding if owning your home is worth it. It usually takes about 5.6 years in order to break even after buying a home in New York, so if you think you’ll be there that long or longer, buying may be worth it. To be sure, let’s take a look at some of the other benefits that come from both buying and renting in NYC.

Renting

While a lot of people say that renting is a waste of money in the long run, there are still plenty of perks that come with it, especially in a place like New York City. First off, by renting your home you can give the neighborhood or even the building you’re in a “test drive”. It gives you the chance to learn more about the area you’re in. Another great perk to renting is that in most situations the landlord will pay for most utilities outside of electricity and the internet. You may have to pay more for these units but overall this makes things like budgeting much easier. Renting also helps you get your money situation in order in case you ever decide you do want to buy.

Buying

One of the biggest perks of owning your home is the fact that you build equity. When you rent, the landlord builds equity, meaning you get nothing but the space you’re renting. Building equity is great because once the mortgage is paid off you can use that equity to borrow money for another large purchase in your life. Buying is also great because of the tax reductions you get, as well as the potential for the IRS not applying capital gains tax when you sell your house. Finally, the ultimate benefit of buying your home is the freedom you get. You can do whatever you want to your home when you own it, but when you rent it there are usually distinct boundaries.

January 14, 2020

Blending Traditional and Modern: New York City Real Estate Architecture

When you think “New York City architecture”, you probably immediately picture towering skyscrapers that reign over the city with all glass windows. You aren’t wrong, but if you look closer you’ll start to see several addresses transforming their facades in a new and exciting way. More and more architects are reimagining what buildings throughout NYC should look like. Many real estate addresses are taking a blended approach, giving a nod to the past while bringing the building into the future. Here are five of these innovative buildings you can search for the next time you find yourself in the Big Apple.

Prospect Leffert Gardens, Brooklyn

This 467-unit luxury rental building still boasts a glass facade, but incorporates brownstone-esque bay windows, precast concrete, and a chevron pattern to give homage to the surrounding architecture. The result is a stunningly unique place to live in Brooklyn if you’re looking for something both modern and traditional.

Oskar, Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan

This luxury rental fuses modern glass and shapes with old-school masonry. The building features a rounded glass form but incorporates the traditional with white terracotta wrapped around the facade. While it blends well within its surroundings, its impressive fusion of modern and traditional elements set it apart, making it a unique find within New York’s real estate market.

11 Hancock, Harlem, Manhattan

This building, by far, has the most powerfully modern shape, but the traditional aspects are certainly there to make it stand out above the rest. The 12-story cantilevered structure offsets its modern shape by combining glas, steel, brick, and burnished copper, all paying tribute to different eras of construction in the city.

40 Bleecker, NoHo, Manhattan

Manhattan has no shortages of condos, but not all condos are made equally. This 12-story building sits in a landmark-rich neighborhood. The architects wanted to do something different but not so different the building would stand out as an eye sore. This address features a brick and metal facade with punched-glass window openings to give homage to the pre-war buildings that dominate the area.

CRE Must Reads to Get Ahead and Stay There _ Kevin Brunnock

April 27, 2018

CRE Must Reads to Get Ahead and Stay Ahead

These hand-picked seven reads will help any CRE professional best maximize their time and make the most out of any growing business:

7L: The Seven Levels of Communication: Go From Relationships to Referrals by Michael Maher: By prioritizing relationship building, Maher offers tangible tips on how to cultivate communications skills to grow your network and get you ahead.

The Due Diligence Handbook For Commercial Real Estate by Brian Hennessey: This invaluable resource will be a handbook you will want to keep on hand for years to come because of its practical checklists and expert tips designed to create value-add in any property.

The Millionaire Real Estate Agent: It’s Not About the Money…It’s About Being the Best You Can Be! by Gary Keller: Although this book was originally written for brokers, the content transcends to any career in real estate by offering useful tips on how to generate leads and pump up sales.

Nine Proven Strategies To Make 2018’s Peak Rental Season Vacancy-Free (published in Forbes): With the busy summer rental season approaching, this quick read will offer a myriad of tips on how to maximize your business potential during the holy grail months for commercial real estate brokers.

Three Essential Strategies For Smart Student Housing Development (published in Forbes): The hot housing market has spilled over into the student sector. This timely and informative article will bring you up to date on how to best capitalize on this relatively new real estate sector before it’s too late.

The Conversion Code: Capture Internet Leads, Create Quality Appointments, Close More Sales by Chris Smith: In this day and age, digital is king. It is imperative that CRE professionals possess the skills to effectively market their properties in a variety of online avenues. This book will help you get the job done and stay one step ahead of your competitors.

The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss: It is too easy to get sucked into the trap of living to work and not working to live. Learn how to best manage your time so that you can maximize your efforts to achieve the greatest success in the shortest amount of time.

Kevin Brunnock, NYC, Brooklyn Navy Yards

September 7, 2016

Dutch Startup Incubator Set to Open Location in Brooklyn Navy Yards

The Dutch startup incubator B. Amsterdam is set to open a location at Brooklyn Navy Yards. The Netherlands-based business incubator will introduce new jobs to the area as well as attract an increased number of global technology tenants. In addition to agreeing to occupy 100,000 square feet of the property’s space, they’ll create approximately 500 living-wage jobs.

The company, which provides business and real estate services, made the announcement on Wednesday, September 7th. At the new location, they will share their knowledge, with regards to tax planning, legal, real estate, and human resource, with about 300 early and growth-stage startups. According to a statement, Brooklyn Navy Yard Chief Executive Officer David Ehrenberg stated, “B. Amsterdam will connect the Brooklyn and greater New York business communities with dynamic product design and tech companies across Europe.”

“Cities like Amsterdam, Paris, and Stockholm are teeming with entrepreneurs looking to conquer the world with a new product or service. And they are all looking for ways to scale up,” said Kajsa Ollongren, the deputy mayor of Amsterdam, according to the Real Deal. “With the creation of B.NY, these startups will be able to enter the US market faster and easier.”

Once a shipbuilding site for the U.S. Navy, The Navy Yard later became a city-owned industrial park. During the peak of World War II, the Yards employed 70,000 people, and it currently houses 7,000 workers. That number is expected to double over the next five years as Navy Yard projects unfurl.

The commercial development plans grew from a partnership that began with Alicia Glen, New York’s deputy mayor for housing and economic development, and Amsterdam Deputy Mayor Kajsa Ollongren. B. Amsterdam will dedicate about 15 percent of their space to businesses centered on technology, hardware, and product design companies.

The development of the facility will begin during the early months of 2017. After it’s completion, it’ll be a homestead for European markets looking to expand into U.S. markets, and it will also enable local entrepreneurs to develop relationships with European clients. The incubator will occupy Building 127 at the complex. They’ll be joining the ranks of companies, such as Brooklyn Brewery, which signed a lease to take 75,000 square feet at the Navy Yard’s Building 77. Also, 1776, a tech incubator and seed fund, signed a 30,000-square-foot lease.

October 15, 2015

Is the Upper East Side moving to Brooklyn?

The luxury real estate market in Brooklyn, NY has been booming. Old properties that are on sale, in addition to newly constructed rental buildings, are all hitting the market priced at millions of dollars. This might sound strange to some. When most people think of million dollar homes in NYC they typically imagine decadent Manhattan Penthouses owned by the few, not modest family homes in Brooklyn. However, the trend of multi-million dollar Brooklyn homes has been on the rise as of late.

Industrial-style homes on Pacific Street, between Fourth Avenue and Henry Street, in Brooklyn are the new cash cows for investors in the city’s hippest borough. Douglas Elliman recently sold a $15.5 million mansion on that street. There has also been a string of mega-million deals on residential homes that have put a spotlight on a stretch of Pacific Street, which runs through Cobble HIll and Boerum Hill, areas near the Barclays Center. Noted celebrities have been buying homes in this area – another factor that has caused the boom. Singer Norah Jones even owns two houses in the area that are around the corner from each other.

Recently, investors have not only been re-selling homes but building new, cool, amenity-laden homes in vacant patches on the strip that are impossible to build in nearby neighborhoods such as Brooklyn Heights or even in the West Village. One of these new houses is about to hit the market for $12.5 million, which equates to over $2,000 a foot. New carriage-style homes are also making an appearance in the area. Located at 323 Pacific Street, the first home is a massive 6,000-square-foot, 25-foot-wide mansion. It features five bedrooms, an elevator, on-site parking, and custom Americana finishes. It is supposed to hit the market in late October 2015 for $12.5 million. While this is of course a sizable price tag, this house would list for around $40 million in Manhattan. Another home on Pacific Street, for example, was built with a 20-seat movie theater, a gym, a children’s playroom, a bar and wine cellar, a roof deck and parking facility.

Not only are houses being priced extremely high, but condos are as well. A new 30-unit condo development at 465 Pacific Street, designed by architect Morris Adjmi, is about to be listed at about 40% more than the neighborhood average, which is more than $1,4000 a foot. The diversity of the houses, from condos to brownstones to carriage houses to three-bedroom homes, is what is really luring wealthy individuals and celebrities to the area. Moreover, Pacific offers these high-profile individuals a low-key vibe, one which doesn’t attract the high tourist traffic of areas such as Brooklyn Heights. There are many factors that play into the boom of the luxury real estate market in Brooklyn, a trend that doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.

To learn more about Brooklyn, see the message from Brooklyn Borough President, Eric Adams below.

To learn more visit nydailynews.com.