Elle Bee

Posts by Elle Bee:

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Astoria to Hudson Heights: Why I'm missing my old neighborhood ... a lot
By Elle Bee
August 30, 2013 - 08:58 AM
As regular Brick readers know, our very own Elle Bee, who chronicled her real estate market adventures in Diary of a First Time Buyer, has finally moved into her new co-op. Below she shares her observations on her new neighborhood. Spoiler alert: It's not all good.
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Diary of a First-Time Buyer: 13 lessons learned after 60+ apartments
By Elle Bee
August 5, 2013 - 09:57 AM
After two years of on-and-off again looking at 60+ apartments, two attorneys, three brokers, and two co-op board applications, what did I learn? Here are a few takeaways I am happy to share... 1. I wish I had gone to a “first time buyer” seminar so I could manage my expectations, understand the lending opportunities available, and really get a handle on whether I wanted a coop or a condo. (Even if you don’t want to drill down to the fine detail, it’s good to understand the lingo.) 2. Understand what you can live with and what you can’t. For me, living in a neighborhood with real street life turned out to be priority number one. I also learned that I was willing to sacrifice a little bit of space for a lot more light.
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Closing time: On June 27, 2013, I finally became a co-op owner
By Elle Bee
July 15, 2013 - 12:34 PM
There are a few dates in my life that I’ll always remember: Oct. 2, 1987, when I quit smoking; Dec. 16, 1997, the day I met a boy I was crazy about for about 10 years; and Dec. 15, 2003, the night I got engaged to the friend of the boy I was crazy about (yes, do the math. No, that one didn’t last). June 27, 2013 will be the date I’ll remember as the day I finally became a homeowner. After two years and three months of looking, negotiating and waiting, I was about to be inducted into the club. The closing was to take place at a law firm serving as the transfer office and I was to bring photo ID, the remainder of the down payment and my personal checkbook for the rest of the miscellaneous fees and charges. That morning my attorney called me in a panic: the name on my ID did not match the mortgage paperwork.
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My co-op board interview: Sometimes you need to leave the Marc Jacobs bag at home
By Elle Bee
June 17, 2013 - 10:22 AM

Once I received notice of the loan approval from my lender, my life went into warp speed—a head-spinning ride after months of plodding along the co-op trail.  

The elation of financing approval had barely died down when the co-op’s management company called to arrange an interview with the board.  We scheduled a date that gave me five days to practice my elevator pitch and worry about my wardrobe.

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Another co-op board package, and a commitment letter countdown
By Elle Bee
May 29, 2013 - 08:58 AM

Like any girl with a new beau, after my “second date” with my new lender I decided to spiffy myself up. In this case, that meant ensuring that my co-op board package looked perfect.

The co-op board’s 35-page application was in read-only PDF format, so I printed out a hard copy, filled it out with a new extra-fine Sharpie and reviewed it with Sidney, my broker. He recommended we type it.

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The two most beautiful words a mortgage applicant can hear
By Elle Bee
May 6, 2013 - 13:42 PM

At this point in my apartment-buying career—and yes at times it has felt like a full-time job—I began coming around to the idea that hope looks through a blind eye.

With so many obstacles in my way, should I give up? Or was that purchase just around the corner? Or a phone call away?

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