Mayra David
ContactPosts by Mayra David:
What 8 first-time buyers wish they had known
July 22, 2013 - 10:28 AM
It's hard to live in New York City and not have some sort of real estate regret. But you don't have to live them to learn from them. Here's what 8 first time buyers told BrickUnderground they'd do differently next time:
1. I wouldn't hire a friend to be my broker--and I wouldn't believe everything the seller's broker says.
As a native New Yorker, I thought I was thoroughly street savvy and knew how to manage the whole process.
Read More Room For Improvement: A chef's kitchen & no more living above a restaurant, please
By Mayra David
July 17, 2013 - 13:22 PM
From the ultimate closet to the simple dream of an in-unit washer/ dryer, these five New Yorker share what would improve their city living lives.
•Some peace and quiet- I wish I didn’t live above a restaurant. It’s fine in the winter, but in the summer it gets really loud with people outside. I wish I could afford soundproof windows. -Chet, Upper West Side
•The kitchen fantasy- I'd love a chef's kitchen: a pot filler by the stove, a marble slab for making pastry, counterspace for my Kitchenaid, SubZero with glass doors, a wine cooler, and of course, a dishwasher. -Leila, Flushing
Read More NYC Renovation Chronicles: Bathroom redo part 1--finding a contractor
By Mayra David
July 10, 2013 - 13:03 PM
There comes a time in any homeowner's life when they realize (in my case, with a mixture of joy and trepidation) they will have to completely redo their bathroom.
For me, that time came within the first week my husband and I moved into our Harlem co-op. We had always known we would like to completely overhaul the bathroom eventually, but we didn’t know we would really have to undertake the remodel so soon.
We thought we'd have another few months to settle in and "get to know the space" as so many designers advise before undertaking a major renovation.
Then the toilet broke--I should say, broke completely--within the first week, and we decided there was no point in delaying the inevitable.
Read More Would you rather have a state of the art gym or a gorgeously landscaped roofdeck?
By Mayra David
July 10, 2013 - 08:55 AM
This week we're turning our attention toward building amenities. We asked six New Yorkers whether they'd rather have a state-of-the-art gym in their building or a gorgeous landscaped roof deck? Here's what they had to say.
Read More 6 mortgage roadblocks--and what to do about them
By Mayra David
July 9, 2013 - 08:57 AM
If you’re looking to buy a NYC apartment (where the average price of a NYC apartment was $1.425 million the last time we checked), there's a decent chance you are also in the market for a mortgage.
You may already know that in order to be taken seriously as a buyer you should be pre-approved before you step into your first open house.
But it's only once your real estate search is over and you’re ready to move forward on an apartment that the real financing fun begins.
Read More Room For Improvement: Bike and memento storage high on New Yorkers' wishlists this week
By Mayra David
July 3, 2013 - 08:59 AM
Bike storage, central A/C, and a roof deck. Six New Yorkers share some of their home improvement wishes.
Real bike storage We wish we didn't have our two bikes standing in the office. There was a lottery in the building for just one spot that costs $100 a month!! Of course, we didn't get it. -Josh, Morningside
Cabinets as they were meant to be I had a great carpenter who started building all my cabinets in the kitchen. But one day he just left to go back to Estonia -- before he put doors on my cabinets! I haven't gotten around to finding another carpenter to finish my custom cabinets. It's been two years. I do get compliments on my "open storage" but it's so hard to keep clean and organized looking! - Martine, Upper East Side
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