Important Changes to Streeteasy and Buyer Searches
Hello, as you may or may not know, Streeteasy has implemented several initiatives this year which have upset the brokerage community, including selling leads and charging for rental listings. In the wake of these developments, REBNY, the trade group representing the brokerage community, has begun bolstering its services by, as of August 1st, streamlining the […]
Digs Realty 2017 Q2 Update
Hey everybody! I hope you’re all enjoying your summer. Digs News. What a quarter! Eight closed deals, ten signed contracts and four new listings! We are well on our way to closing over $50M in transactions this year, which would be such an incredible milestone for our company to hit in just our third full year […]
$600,000 in Broker Commission Rebates to Clients in 2016
2016 was a pretty crazy year! Digs Year in Review $600,000 in Rebates. In 2016, we hit a huge milestone and eclipsed $1,000,000 in gross broker commission rebates and discounts given since we launched Digs full time in 2014 – real money that has helped make home ownership a bit more affordable for our clients and has […]
Waiving the Mortgage Contingency when Buying a Home in NYC
Buyers who require financing can improve their chances to compete with cash buyers by waiving the mortgage contingency. Most of my deals over the past few years have been cash or non-contingent. An increasing number of my deals today are contingent, but it is still a minority. This blog post discusses a bit about the […]
REBNY Legal Line Question of the Week – Buyer Representation FAQs
Here are some snippets from today’s REBNY Legal Line Question of the Week regarding buyer representation, answered by Neil Garfinkel, the head of the real estate and banking practices at Abrams Garfinkel Margolis Bergson, LLP, and General Counsel of REBNY. This is extremely important because buyers often ask me whether they should use a buyer’s agent […]
Happy Summer from Digs Realty!
I hope you are all having a great time enjoying the warm weather and sunshine. The momentum continues to build for Digs as we celebrate another busy few months. We now have nine closed deals in 2016 with twelve more in contract and, as of the time of this writing, another four offers accepted. We are […]
Digs Realty’s NYC Home Buyer Guide
Welcome to our NYC Home Buyer Guide. Due to a number of factors unique to the New York City market, the home buying process here is a particularly complicated and stressful endeavor. The below presents a description of each phase of the process and should serve as a good primer for those who are considering buying NYC […]
First Time NYC Homebuyer Panel Discussion
Are you a First Time NYC Homebuyer? Last night I participated in a well-attended panel discussion to demystify the NYC homebuying process. The discussion was graciously hosted by the Cornell Club and co-sponsored by NYC Cornellians. More than 50 Cornell grads (and friends) came out to hear my advice, together with that of Justin Waiser (a […]
Happy Clients for More Than Just the Commission Rebate
Absolutely lovely clients of mine – a young married couple expecting their first child – just closed on their first home purchase in downtown Brooklyn and wrote me such a touching note that I am happy to share (a link is below, in PDF format.) It is expressions of gratitude like this that make what I do so […]
What does all the land in Manhattan cost?
According to a report published by three Rutgers economists, land prices in Manhattan have risen 15.8% per year since 1993 and, if you go all the way back to Dutch settlement in 1626, there’s been a 6.4% annual rate of return. Not a bad investment. Article can be found here. About Digs: Digs Realty […]
Happy New Year From Digs Realty!
Hi Everybody, Happy Holidays! What an amazing year 2015 has been, exceeding just about everybody’s expectations! We continue to receive a tremendous response to our offerings and are poised to significantly increase our business in 2016! In addition to keeping over $350,000 in our clients’ pockets, 2015 saw the evolution of Digs, as we responded […]
Expensive Closing Gifts or Tax Free Cash Back?
Let’s assume you just spent $15,000,000 on a Manhattan penthouse – would you rather receive an all-expenses-paid Vegas vacation with your real estate broker or a check for $300,000 cash back at closing? Or how about a $1,200,000 Brooklyn condo – a Tiffany key ring and bracelet or a check for $24,000? It really should not take you too long to answer this […]
Every Penny Counts in NYC Real Estate
Many of my clients have different reasons why they want to buy NYC real estate. Some people make a lot of money and want to take advantage of the mortgage interest deduction to reduce their tax liability. Others look at renting as flushing money down the toilet and want their monthly payments to build equity in an appreciating asset. […]
Wait a minute, you’re going to pay me to buy a home in NYC?
Yes, that’s what I do. I pay people to buy an apartment in NYC by giving my clients a huge percentage of my commission cash back at closing. A lovely client looking for an Upper West Side pied-a-terre to be closer to his grandchildren was referred to me by a good friend, who happened to […]
Larry Silverstein on the NYC Real Estate Market
In a talk yesterday, Larry Silverstein, the head of Silverstein Properties, who six weeks before 9/11 acquired the lease under the World Trade Center and is currently developing many of the new buildings at the site, addressed one of the burning questions on people’s minds these days – where is NYC real estate going? Having seen cycles […]
