Featuring real estate articles and information to help real estate buyers and sellers. The Nest features writings from Georges Benoliel and other real estate professionals. Georges is the Co-Founder of NestApple and has been working as an active real estate investor for over a decade.
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Private mortgage insurance, or PMI, is a premium you pay on a conventional loan when your down payment is under 20%. It protects the lender if you default, not you. PMI runs roughly 0.5% to 1.5% of the loan amount… Read More
When you have a place like New York City, everything has a protocol, a fee, or even a particular process or concept. Even something along the lines of air or “space above” can have a specific way of being parsed.… Read More
Identifying the “most libertarian” states in the US relies on various factors, such as economic freedom, personal freedom, regulatory policies, and the extent of government intervention. Various sources rank states according to these criteria. Let’s examine some of the states… Read More
New Jersey may be known as the Garden State but is also quite densely populated. While some cities in the state are notably safe, the most dangerous areas can be frightening. Continue reading to learn about the most perilous towns… Read More
Many NYC sellers focus on the sale price and only later realize how much transfer taxes affect what they actually take home. Transfer taxes alone can run into the tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on the… Read More
How to file for divorce in NYC? Divorce cases are a plethora in New York State. When you first get married, you expect things to last forever. Unfortunately, all the expectations in the world can’t keep couples who are not… Read More
Co-broking is when the broker who listed a home and a separate broker representing the buyer cooperate on the deal and split the commission the seller pays. It’s how most NYC resales get done. Since January 1, 2024, the seller… Read More
This post will teach you how to execute a 1031 exchange in N.Y. A 1031 exchange, also known as a “Like-Kind” exchange or a “Starker exchange,“ is a formidable tax-deferred strategy that savvy real estate investors use in real estate… Read More
Rent vs buy in NYC comes down to two numbers: how many years you’ll stay and the price-to-rent ratio in your neighborhood. Buying carries 4% to 6% in round-trip transaction costs, so in about 5 years, renting usually wins, the… Read More
Emeryville, Commerce, Oakland, San Bernardino, and Stockton remain among California’s higher-crime cities in 2025 — but the picture has shifted meaningfully since 2023, especially in Oakland, which saw its steepest crime decline in decades. Let’s walk through the current, sourced… Read More
A classic six is a prewar apartment with six rooms: living room, formal dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms, and a former staff room off the kitchen. Six rooms, not six bedrooms. That sixth room runs around 72 square feet, and… Read More
A buyer (let’s call her Sally Streetwise) works with her broker to find a property she loves in a beautiful coop and begin her real estate transaction. The brokers work with the buyer and the seller to reach an agreement on the purchase price, review the… Read More
A mother daughter house is a single-family home with a second kitchen in it, occupied by the owner’s parents or children, and it needs a permit. The Town of Hempstead has defined it in writing since 1973. It isn’t a… Read More
If there is one thing that people in the tri-state love are doing, it’s house flipping. Also known as the house “fix and flip,” this real estate investment involves buying a home, fixing it up to look better or have… Read More
A mortgage broker shops your loan across a network of lenders. They get paid 0.5% to 2.75% of the loan by the lender, or 1% to 2% if you pay directly, but never fund it themselves. A mortgage banker represents… Read More
