December 2006
Monthly Archive
30 Dec 2006 11:26 pm
Homes Sell, and History Goes Private
House museums are struggling in the face of dwindling interest, diminished staff and lack of endowment dollars.
30 Dec 2006 01:22 pm
New Yorkers have many reasons for choosing where they want to live, and the city's neighborhoods oblige with something for every taste.
30 Dec 2006 02:51 am
The Bottom Line: Weighing Finances and Feelings for a Decision
The basic question of whether it?s better to rent or buy your second home is one whose answer can always prove elusive, even in a healthy market. And that?s because it?s never solely a financial decision, but an emotional one, too.
30 Dec 2006 02:50 am
Big Deal : The Condo and Co-op Tax Bargain
While property tax assessments across the city rose by more than 9 percent, the assessors reviewed 720 Park. The tax burden on it was cut by 12 percent.
30 Dec 2006 12:00 am
The Ranch, an Architectural Archetype Forged on the Frontier
If asked to name America's most important contribution to residential architecture, most people would probably suggest Abraham Lincoln's log cabin, a Southern plantation mansion like Scarlett O'Hara's Tara (even though it was only a movie set) or George Washington's Mount Vernon.
30 Dec 2006 12:00 am
Split the Mortgage, Get Tax Benefits?
Q: DEAR BOB: I sold my principal residence in January with a capital gain of about $400,000. The same day, I bought another house using the profit as a down payment. I was single until April. Mine was the only name on the title to the house that was sold.
30 Dec 2006 12:00 am
Sea Change In Insurers’ Coastal Coverage
Major insurance companies are throwing cold water on America's new passion for living near the ocean and by the bay.
30 Dec 2006 12:00 am
A Piece of History Saved by a Flood
Enalee Bounds has filled 20 guest books with the names of national and international visitors to the antique and gift shop she has owned for 44 years in Ellicott City's historic district, defying predictions by local banks and area business owners that her country store would never last.
30 Dec 2006 12:00 am
At the end of each year, some people look back, while others look to the future. There's nothing we can do to change 2006, so let's look forward.
30 Dec 2006 12:00 am
Selling home? Don’t focus on lopsided trees
In adverse market conditions it's better to trim your side of the tree to "balance" it rather than focusing on a squabble with a neighbors, advises Steve McLinden.
30 Dec 2006 12:00 am
Home buying or selling: 7 top tips for ‘07
Year 2007 will be one of transition, bringing most U.S. markets one step closer to healthier home sales. In the meantime, take note of these home-buying and home-selling strategies in a down market, from Real Estate Adviser Steve McLinden.
29 Dec 2006 06:23 pm
Your Home: Spelling Out Brokers? and Agents? Duties
This just in, from the New York Department of State: expanded definition of who must be loyal to whom in various real estate deals.
29 Dec 2006 06:19 pm
National Perspectives: Priced-Out Buyers in the Virgin Islands
Until recently, homes on the United States Virgin Islands ? made up of St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix ? were widely considered undervalued.
29 Dec 2006 06:12 pm
Q & A: All Satellite Dishes Are Not Created Equal
The courts have held that a satellite dish that protrudes into the airspace outside the window is not within the premises covered by the proprietary lease.
29 Dec 2006 06:06 pm
Q & A: Rent-Stabilized or Not?
Whether an apartment is rent-stabilized is a matter of law, not one of agreement, between the parties.
29 Dec 2006 02:37 pm
The Hunt: All in the Family, and Then Some
?A home, whether you own or rent, is still a home.?
29 Dec 2006 02:13 pm
In the Region | Long Island: In This Jackpot, 22 Affordable Homes
At a lottery in Southold on Long Island recently, 22 residents won the right to buy yet-to-be-built homes at prices they can actually afford.
29 Dec 2006 01:38 pm
Make a Resolution to Pay Off Your Holiday Debt
As the New Year is just around the corner, it's time to make your New Year's resolution. This year, why not resolve to pay off your holiday credit card bills and gain the advantages that come from paying off your debt?
29 Dec 2006 12:52 pm
Streetscapes | East 63rd Street: Tracking a Century of Changes Along One Block of Town Houses
On East 63rd Street between Fifth and Madison, two old plain-Jane buildings are getting dressed up in limestone and classical-style fronts.
29 Dec 2006 11:48 am
Habitats | Upper West Side: A Former Studio, Still Chockablock With Art
?Why live in a place like this if you?re not going to have a lot of people over??
29 Dec 2006 11:29 am
Living In | Stuyvesant Square: History and a Dog Run, in One Cozy Package
A square created in 1836 and sold to the city by the Stuyvesant family for $5 is known today for priceless qualities: an aura of tranquility, a sense of history and a dog run.
29 Dec 2006 11:10 am
Breaking Ground : Mandarin Oriental Dellis Cay and Montelucia
A new luxury hotel with residences in the Caribbean and a gated resort community in Paradise Valley, Ariz.
28 Dec 2006 11:19 pm
Renovating in France, From New York
Home renovation projects are always a challenge, but implementing one remotely, from 3,000 miles away, is a triumph.
28 Dec 2006 11:10 pm
In many areas where second-home buyers flock, prices are trending downward and slower appreciation has made some would-be buyers into renters.
28 Dec 2006 07:00 pm
REITs Generate Many Happy Returns – Pushing 34% (Investor’s Business Daily)
Investor's Business Daily - Major stock market indexes are on the verge of posting weighty returns this year, but won't come close to the performance of real estate investment trusts -- again.
28 Dec 2006 05:07 pm
Living Here | Houses Near Salmon Fishing: See How They Run
?Here in Tofino, which is on the Clayoquot Sound, the fishing is world class. You can fish most seasons of the year, weather depending.?
28 Dec 2006 05:07 pm
Havens | Truckee, Calif.: Once Overlooked, a Four-Season Town Is on the Rise
As Lake Tahoe becomes more exclusive, second-home buyers are looking to its neighbor to the north.
28 Dec 2006 05:02 pm
Existing home sales, consumer confidence up (Reuters)
Reuters - U.S. existing home sales rose in
November for a second straight month and consumer confidence
hit an eight-month high in December, according to reports on
Thursday showing the economy ending the year on a solid note.
28 Dec 2006 12:55 pm
Existing Homes Sales Up for Second Straight Month
Sales of existing homes rose in November, giving proof that the housing market has stabilized. How will it fare in 2007 and what is driving such strong home purchase activity?
28 Dec 2006 12:00 am
Extras make home payments climb
Insurance, condo fees and taxes all add to your monthly costs.