Brick Underground

Here at Brick Underground we love answering your New York City real estate questions and in this episode of the podcast we do exactly that. 

Lease signings have been rising for five consecutive months to record highs, according to the Elliman Report for Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens rentals. Last month saw an increase of 112.4 percent in new leases compared to February 2020.

Inaccurate property tax valuations give the least expensive residential properties in New York City an effective tax rate that is three times higher than the most expensive homes, according to a new article from Bloomberg.

Manhattan trailed the region in contract activity since the summer, the report says, but appears to be catching up in the new year. The increase in signed contracts was strongest for co-ops—there were 601 new signed contracts last month, compared to 321 in February 2020.

One of the first areas to address when you are refinancing is whether your New York City co-op building has enough funds for its capital needs. This will determine the size of the loan, says Steven Wagner, a real estate attorney and partner at Wagner, Berkow & Brandt.

Bolster, a NYC design-build firm, shares how you can add Passive House features to a NYC brownstone or townhouse.