No good Real Estate News....So here's some "Client News"

One would have to live in a cave to not know the Real Estate news is not great, yet Brooklyn and Manhattan seem to remain relatively lively as real estate markets are concerned. Clearly the woes of the banks are making financing more problematic, but mortgage money is available for those borrowers who are not on the fringe in terms of deposit amounts and the ability to furnish documentation.

OK....now the good stuff:

Instead of dwelling on Real Estate (no pun intended), I'm pleased to report on three of my client beauties:

Laura Piquado has just finished her run as Mrs. Stockmann in Ibsen's " An Enemy of The People". I was delighted to attend one of her performances and I can report that Laura's performance, as well as those of her co-stars, was riveting! Next time I'll make sure to report of her appearances well in advance.

Milena Govich, who has starred in NBC's "Law and Order" and "Conviction" before that, as well as many other credits, has a great "gig" coming this fall, but I've been sworn to secrecy for the moment. As soon as I'm allowed, I'll share the details here.

In the meanwhile, Milena is having fun. Please join her for the Grand Opening of the new Donna Distefano Jewelry Atelier.
Donna is an incredibly gifted jewelry designer, and a dear personal friend of hers. She has been a jeweler of the stars for over ten years, and it would be cool to attend the grand opening celebration of her gorgeous new space. Milena tells me she has loved wearing her jewelry both on the red carpet and in her daily life, and it never fails to attract attention. Come be a guest and experience firsthand her genuinely creative artistry.
Wednesday, October 137 West 20th Street, Suite 1106(between 5th and 6th Avenues)New York City6:00pm-9:00pm
RSVP:guestlist@donnadistefanoltd.com212-594-3757

Last, but not least, Sarah Blaze is currently in Reno, Nevada in rehearsals for "The Barber of Seville" where she lights up the stage as Rosina in this production staged by the Nevada Opera. For those few fortunate souls who may be in Reno in early October, these are the details:

Gioachinno Rossini's
The Barber of Seville
Friday, October 3, 2008 - 7:30 pm
Sunday, October 5, 2008 - 2 pm
"Figaro! Figaro! Figaro!"
Performed at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts
Sung in Italian with English Supertitles
Gioacchino Rossini's The Barber of Seville has been hailed as a masterpiece of comedy ever since its premiere. When the bumbling Doctor Bartolo schemes to marry Rosina, Figaro (the barber of Seville) steps in to save the day and insure that her true love, the handsome Count Almaviva, gets her instead! The beautiful and dynamic Sarah Blaze (our Cinderella from 2007) returns as Rosina; Mark Walters (our fiery Pirate King from 2007) brings Figaro to vibrant life; and Joseph Muir (last heard at Nevada Opera in La Traviata in 2001) makes a long-awaited comeback as Count Almaviva.

I'll make it a point to notify everyone when Sarah next performs in a venue closer to our fair city.

Buyer Beware! Neighborhood issues.

Most buyers in New York know that NY is a "Buyer Beware" State, which, in general means, a typical seller of property is not required to offer information about a property he or she is selling (except as I have discussed in a previous blog relating to the NY Property Condition Disclosure Act). It is up to the purchaser to do his/her homework to learn as much as possible about the property and the surrounding area or neighborhood.
Obviously, a professional inspection is first and foremost, which will disclose much about the actual property in question, but little or nothing about the neighborhood. I recently had a discussion with an attorney in Rockland county who was consulted by a woman who purchased a home in Rockland and discovered, after the closing that there was a serious leak from an underground oil tank on her property. The cost of the cleanup exceeded $250,000!!! A professional inspection before contract might have disclosed the issue or uncovered some clues. But, with a spills tendency to spread underground, how would a neighboring house be affected?
Now there are other resources available, especially with the internet that can be very helpful.

One such resource is www.everyblock.com . This free site is designed to allow a user to enter an address into the webpage and learn about all sorts of issues that affect the particular area. This includes very local news, building permits, violations issued, crime reports, Real Estate listings & sales, graffiti and more. While it cannot cover every "quality of life" issue, it's a good place to begin an investigation into a neighborhood.

Even more specific is a website I read about in the New York Times recently.
While we have all become more aware of environmental issues lately, it has been difficult to know specifically about a particular neighborhood from a "toxic" point of view. Now, along comes www.toxictargeting.com . A user enters an address into the site and is directed to a map based page disclosing environmental hazard sites in the vicinity.

Now, if only www.noisyneighbor.com delivered as one would would hope, I'd never have an unhappy client again!!!