Roslyn Heights: Low-Income Housing? (Huntington, Nassau: apartment complexes, rental, houses)

[newtoli]

Originally Posted by purelygeneric

Just to put a bow on this one...

I finally discovered that the Laurel House, located four blocks from the home we were looking at is Section 8 "low-income" housing. After driving through several times, I was surprised at what I saw. It certainly eliminated this area from my search. While it's hardly 'the projects,' there have been several major incidents involving law enforcement over the past few years.

While it's the real estate agents' job to represent the seller, I say shame on the realtor who did everything he could to 'play dumb.'

If you're like me, and start to think that you are 'over researching' the whole house thing, think again. We were close to pulling the trigger. This is why driving around a neighborhood and talking with the "locals" is important - even if you think you 'know' an area.

Very good! The best thing to do is take a drive around, especially at night. A Realtor was trying to sell us hard 2 years ago on a house... I told my husband to drive by at night and we were VERY glad we did not buy.

Now, the Realtor we got after that was excellent. It was a 2 woman team and they were VERY good at letting us know if an area did not fit our needs. We simply explained the area we had seen for that previous house, and if we suggested a house that we saw online that was in a not so great area, they would simply say "I don't think that area is going to suit your needs". Having no knowledge of Long Island, we could have really gotten taken easily.

I simply did not want to move to an area with people hanging out on the streets at all hours of the night.

[GigiBowman]

Thank you alliswell and Ilovelongisland. I see a lot of RE bashing and with all the rules we have sometimes we're afraid to speak! I will say that I have had very very lovely customers over the years. Renters who come back to me to buy a house and people I've worked with that recommend me etc. I've never met anyone who talked so negetively about RE agents until came in here and found out what people "really" think...unless it's just a few miserable blokes who think that perhaps. I'm not sure really where the bad rep about RE agents comes from.....but with as many rules as we have....you have no idea how sometimes we want to put tape on our mouths because we might say something we're not supposed to.

Anyway, I just found out from a friend of mine that a RE agent friend of theirs was fined $2,500 because they showed a house that was for sale that had an illegal rental in it. Apparently the "customer" was an agent for the State. You can't even show a house now if someone made an apartment in it and you don't find out in advance before showing it?????? Half the time we're shocked by the rules we don't even know exist!!!!

I have to be afraid to show houses for sale that might have an illegal apartment in them because I might have a customer that isn't really a customer but an agent working undercover. YOU try and do your job with those kind of rules and games being played!

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by GigiBowman

Anyway, I just found out from a friend of mine that a RE agent friend of theirs was fined $2,500 because they showed a house that was for sale that had an illegal rental in it. Apparently the "customer" was an agent for the State. You can't even show a house now if someone made an apartment in it and you don't find out in advance before showing it?????? Half the time we're shocked by the rules we don't even know exist!!!!

That is a very unfair situation. If the agent HAD NEVER SHOWN THE HOUSE BEFORE and DID NOT WORK FOR THE BROKER WHO LISTED THE HOUSE, how could it be their fault? The fine should have been given to the RE Broker who listed the house, not a salesperson who just happened to show the house
Moderator cut: sorry.... no links to outisde real estate companies

[VTP]

So I am curious. If a house with what is obviously an illegal apartment in it is listed for sale, how is this described to prospective buyers who come to look at the house? This must arise very often because there are so many illegal apartments on LI. Is the space just identified as an extra bedroom or something like that? And what if people ask about things like the extra kitchen and the separate entrance? How are those explained? And what if somebody puts 2 & 2 together and asks the obvious question: is this space an apartment that is being rented out? Doesn't that put the realtor in an extremely awkward (and perhaps professionally dangerous) situation? What would one do?

[GigiBowman]

Originally Posted by VTP

So I am curious. If a house with what is obviously an illegal apartment in it is listed for sale, how is this described to prospective buyers who come to look at the house? This must arise very often because there are so many illegal apartments on LI. Is the space just identified as an extra bedroom or something like that? And what if people ask about things like the extra kitchen and the separate entrance? How are those explained? And what if somebody puts 2 & 2 together and asks the obvious question: is this space an apartment that is being rented out? Doesn't that put the realtor in an extremely awkward (and perhaps professionally dangerous) situation? What would one do?

Yes. And sometimes the listing agent doesn't even mention that there are two stoves, refrigerators etc.....because they know it's illegal...and say I make an appointment to show my customer and walk in...and there it is --the illegal apartment in the basement-- no mention was made of it, but it's there....I could be fined for showing the darned thing!!! ESPECIALLY if it's a secret agent customer!

[VTP]

Thank you. But you could be fined for essentially walking into a "blind" situation? Is there an expectation that you would have researched the property and viewed it yourself before showing it to somebody? What if somebody does directly ask if the space is being used as an apartment? I suppose you, as the agent who is merely showing the property, could honestly answer that you don't know. But what about the listing agent? Surely, they know the true nature of the use fo the property. How would they respond to such a question?

[GigiBowman]

The listing agent has to know. Generally if it's an illegal accessory apartment and it's for sale, you better take the stove out!

When a listing agent is listing a whole house for rent -- I have found that there is usually an accessory apartment in the house that they are not mentioning. Sometimes you can figure it out when it says the house is a High Ranch and they are only mentioning the living space on one floor. Or They say "partial" utilities ---you know you're probably sharing those utilities with someone or if the basement is off limits...it't probably because there is an apartment in it. They don't mention it in the MLS ad....and we take our customers to rent a whole house.....only to have to explain that we had no idea there were apartments because the ad we get to see doesn't mention it.

But getting back to going in blindly on a house for sale, sometimes it happens because these days there are so many houses for sale and a customer might give me alist of 20 or 30 that they want to look at and there is no way in hell I can preview all the houses. I've had customers make me take them to look at 50 to 75 homes in two weekends time. Especially in the $400 and below price range. So yes, we walk in on homes with illegal accessory apartments in them.....and we're supposed to report them and we're not supposed to show them......it can get sticky.

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by GigiBowman

Maybe we need to charge renters a tax? If they use the school system they should have to pay taxes to the state? I don't know.....but things are not looking too good....

Renters do pay property taxes. They pay their RENT to the homeowner/landlord who then forwards (out of the rent) the renter's share of the property taxes to the municipality as the HOUSE/APARTMENT is in the landlord's name, not the renter's.

Why do you think rent is so expensive around here? Property taxes are high here and that means rents are much higher than in an area with lower property taxes.

However, this system DOES NOT WORK when the apartment is ILLEGAL and the landlord is not paying increased property taxes because of the additional apartment, nor increased NYS or Federal income taxes on the cash income from the rent. NONE OF THIS LOSS OF REVENUE IS THE RENTER'S FAULT. IT IS THE FAULT OF LANDLORDS GAMING THE SYSTEM.

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by GigiBowman

The listing agent has to know. Generally if it's an illegal accessory apartment and it's for sale, you better take the stove out!

When a listing agent is listing a whole house for rent -- I have found that there is usually an accessory apartment in the house that they are not mentioning. Sometimes you can figure it out when it says the house is a High Ranch and they are only mentioning the living space on one floor. Or They say "partial" utilities ---you know you're probably sharing those utilities with someone or if the basement is off limits...it't probably because there is an apartment in it. They don't mention it in the MLS ad....and we take our customers to rent a whole house.....only to have to explain that we had no idea there were apartments because the ad we get to see doesn't mention it.

But getting back to going in blindly on a house for sale, sometimes it happens because these days there are so many houses for sale and a customer might give me alist of 20 or 30 that they want to look at and there is no way in hell I can preview all the houses. I've had customers make me take them to look at 50 to 75 homes in two weekends time. Especially in the $400 and below price range. So yes, we walk in on homes with illegal accessory apartments in them.....and we're supposed to report them and we're not supposed to show them......it can get sticky.

If this is illegal and could cause big trouble, then WHY ARE REAL ESTATE BROKERS LISTING THESE HOUSES?????? Isn't that the first line of defense to avoid getting in trouble with NYS for listing and showing homes for sale with illegal apartments and, for that matter, for listing and showing rentals that are illegal? It just seems like the brokers in the RE business break the law on a constant and continual basis and then cry and moan when someone gets caught!

Why are they listing illegal property in the first place????? It's not a hard law to obey. It doesn't take a PhD to find out whether an apartment in a home is illegal or not. And that's another reason RE professionals sometimes get a bad rap ... ignoring the law.

[GigiBowman]

Originally Posted by I_Love_LI_but

If this is illegal and could cause big trouble, then WHY ARE REAL ESTATE BROKERS LISTING THESE HOUSES?????? Isn't that the first line of defense to avoid getting in trouble with NYS for listing and showing homes for sale with illegal apartments and, for that matter, for listing and showing rentals that are illegal? It just seems like the brokers in the RE business break the law on a constant and continual basis and then cry and moan when someone gets caught!

Why are they listing illegal property in the first place????? It's not a hard law to obey. It doesn't take a PhD to find out whether an apartment in a home is illegal or not. And that's another reason RE professionals sometimes get a bad rap ... ignoring the law.

Well there you go Now go and take a gander at craigs list and all the illegal accessory apartments listed directly by the landlords themselves. In towns like Huntington a landlord can be fined up to $24,000 of a years rent. Yet it all still goes on. Why? Because people can't afford to live in their own houses without a rental income. Do you think it's this way all over the country or is it just a Long Island thing with these illegal accessory apartments?