Queens | Kevin Brunnock | NYC Real Estate Professional

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.

Kevin Brunnock | NYC Real Estate Professional

Tag: Queens