NYC Real Estate News by Fernando Branco, Real Estate Broker, GRI, ABR, CNE - Fernando Branco Realty

I f you are a new renter in New York City, maybe as a recent college grad or young professional, your strategy might be to divide and conquer an apartment—and squeeze in a roommate or three—in order to turn a place you can't afford into one that you can. One of the ways to do this is to put up a temporary pressurized wall, which can transform a one-bedroom apartment into two (or a two-bedroom into three, and so on). Using a temporary pressurized wall—one that is not permanently attached to the walls or floor and doesn't interfere with the ventilation or sprinkler systems, or block exit routes—is a popular strategy to add a bedroom for apartment shares or families. You can also use a pressurized wall to create a home office if you work from home. Here's what you need to know about using a temporary pressurized wall safely, and a round-up of the companies that sell and install them This temporary pressurized wall system with French doors by Manhattan Pressurized Walls runs ab...

I f you’re buying a co-op or a condo in New York City, you also need to plan on buying co-op or condo insurance—so it’s a good idea to budget for that cost. (Your building will have a master insurance policy, but that only covers the concrete shell of your apartment and common spaces.) While of course, it’s prudent to get co-op or condo insurance, it’s also often a requirement of your building or your mortgage lender. In fact mortgage lenders tend to be more strict than buildings; they often require condo owners, for instance, to insure the interior structure—walls, floors, built-in renovations—for at least 20 percent of the loan. The cost of co-op vs. condo insurance in NYC There’s not much difference in the cost or the specifics of co-op or condo insurance in New York City.  “The prices are the same and the contracts are virtually identical, too,” says Jeffrey Schneider, president of  Gotham Brokerage.  "The right degree of coverage is what matters." The pande...