Can a co-op reject a creditworthy buyer solely because the board thinks the price is too low? That’s the exact email I got last week. “No,” I said, it being pretty much accepted wisdom that the market, not the board, sets prices so it can’t reject a buyer just because the apartment is too cheap. Only it can, at least if it has a right of first refusal. That’s the takeaway from the decision handed down yesterday. Read more »

It’s tough enough if you buy a new condo from a floor plan and then you think the finished apartment isn’t up to snuff. Usually the sponsor has stuck so many disclaimers into the offering plan that there’s not much you can do. But what if your complaint isn’t just about problems with your apartment, but design and construction defects with the common spaces? Is there anything you can do? Read more »

An Upper East Sider asks the Sage in the City whether the super in her co-op, a mini-real estate mogul in his own right, who owns lots of condos in Riverdale, should be allowed to buy an apartment in her building and become one of them Read more »

Think again. Maybe it can’t nix you outright, but there are ways it can get you to walk away. That’s the message that came across loud and clear from real estate agents and lawyers alike. Here'e how it's done. Read more »

Ask the folks at 77 East 12th Street, that red brick 1960’s building in the heart of the Village. Many of you have followed the saga of Sam Chang and his hotel that has gone up in fits and starts since the project was announced nearly four years ago. I have watched it rise in real time each day on my way to the Union Square subway station. What's the upshot? Read more »