Kate Akerly's (akerlyre) Blog

  There is a common refrain amongst long-time Manhattan brokers and investors.  When it comes to real estate downturns geographically wide in scope, “Manhattan tends to be the last in and the first out.”  Back in late 2005, early 2006 I was selling some investment property that I owned in Orange ...

No Fishermen Need Apply: What Not To Say in a Real Estate Listing By Village Confidential Real estate listings can be tricky things to write: since the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968, even the slightest slip-up can get someone in trouble. For obvious reasons, no listing would ever conta...

By Mike Akerly and Kate Akerly of Village Confidential The Beginning Jay Goldberg is a New Yorker to his core and a genuine lover of baseball.  Having been taken to his first baseball game by his father at the age of three, and crawling underneath the seats at Yankee Stadium looking for bottle c...

Mike Akerly, Esq. of Village Confidential Yesterday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the state legislature has agreed to a $132.5 billion spending plan for the State of New York that addresses the $10 billion deficit facing the state. According to the governor "We set out to build a new New York...

By Mike Akerly, Esq. of Village Confidential   RENTAL BUILDINGS Multi-family rental buildings are buildings owned by a person or company in its entirety for the purpose of renting out each individual apartment to tenants.  There is one deed to the property that is for the entire building and it ...

I am sure this type of post has been done on Active Rain before, but I thought it would be a very useful endeavor nonetheless.  I would like to suggest that those interested in receiving feedback on their personal blogs post links to them in the comments section.  Readers can e-mail their notes ...

By Kevin Korber of Village Confidential Last month, artist and political activist Suze Rotolo passed away after a battle with lung cancer. She was 67 years old. Rotolo was an accomplished writer and radical thinker in her time, but she is probably best remembered for her influence on one of the ...

    By Mike Akerly of Village Confidential   First of all, feel assured that simply being invited to the board interview is a good sign.  Attorneys typically advise co-op board directors not to entertain interviews if they do not like what they see on paper. This is to lower the risk of a claim a...

By Donna Dazzo of Village Confidential  Sometimes, making an improvement to your home could actually hurt you when you try to sell it.  Here are the top 10 home improvements that can make your home harder to sell:  1. Kitchen Renovation. Any renovation of a kitchen that is too taste-specific or ...

Shaun Meller of Village Confidential   Shaun Meller is a mortgage professional at Bank of America specializing in financing for Manhattan condos, co-ops, and townhomes and a contributor to Village Confidential. Last week in review (March 7 – 11, 2011)   First, let us extend our deepest sympathie...