Guides
Grouped by what you are actually doing. Every figure is attributed to the agency or company that published it, with the date we checked — rates and thresholds move, and a guide that does not tell you when it was written is not worth reading.
Buying a home in NYC
Co-op share loans, condo and house mortgages, CEMA on a refinance, and the closing-cost math that only exists in New York.
CEMA Loans in NYC: How They Cut Recording Tax
What a CEMA is, the Section 255 mechanics, worked math on a NYC refinance, when the fees and 75-day timeline outweigh the savings, and purchase CEMAs.
Buying a homeCo-op Share Loans vs Mortgages in NYC
How a NYC co-op share loan differs from a condo mortgage: no mortgage recording tax, a UCC-1 lien, a recognition agreement, and board financing caps.
Buying a homeFirst-Time Buyer Programs in NYC: SONYMA and HPD
SONYMA loans, DPAL and DPAL PLUS, HPD HomeFirst up to $100,000, and HDFC co-ops: current limits, income caps, and how NYC first-time buyers sequence them.
Buying a homeNYC Closing Costs: What Buyers and Sellers Actually Pay
The full NYC closing cost stack for 2026: mansion tax tiers, mortgage recording tax, transfer taxes, title, attorney and co-op fees, with worked examples.
Buying a homeNYC Mortgage Recording Tax: Rates, Who Pays, Exemptions
How the NYC mortgage recording tax works in 2026 — the rate tiers, the $500,000 cliff, the lender's 0.25% share, why co-ops escape it, and how it stacks.
Buying a homeSponsor Units and New Development Financing in NYC
What a sponsor unit is, why the buyer pays the transfer taxes, and how offering plans and condo warrantability rules affect NYC financing.
Investing in NYC property
Hard money, bridge, and DSCR financing on five-borough investment property. Business-purpose lending, usually to an entity rather than a person.
Bridge Loans in NYC: Exits, Recording Tax and CEMA
How NYC bridge loans really work: credible exits, published lender terms, co-op and mixed-use limits, and how a CEMA saves recording tax twice.
InvestingDSCR Loans in NYC: How Rent Regulation Changes the Math
How DSCR rental loans work in New York City: PITIA with condo common charges, rent-stabilized legal rents, Good Cause, and a worked Queens example.
InvestingFix and Flip Financing in NYC: Draws, Permits, Exit
How NYC flip loans are sized on ARV, how draw reimbursement really works, and what DOB permits, LPC review and transfer taxes cost your deal.
InvestingHard Money Loans in NYC: How They Work in 2026
How hard money lending works across the five boroughs: published 2026 terms, LLC vesting, mortgage recording tax, and how to read a term sheet.
InvestingHard Money vs Bank Financing for NYC Property
An even-handed NYC comparison: speed, cost, documentation, when a community bank wins, and the CEMA that saves mortgage recording tax on the exit.
Financing an NYC business
Term loans, lines of credit, SBA programs, and the City and State programs a national guide will never mention.
NYC Small Business Grants and Programs
Verified city, state and federal funding programs for NYC small businesses — what each provides, who qualifies, and where to check current status.
Business capitalRestaurant and Storefront Financing in NYC
Financing a NYC restaurant or retail buildout: equipment loans, SBA 7(a) and 504, MCA math, and why your lease and permitting float decide the deal.
Business capitalSmall Business Loans in NYC: Banks, SBA, CDFIs
How NYC small business lending actually works — bank, SBA, CDFI, online and MCA options, what underwriters check, and why your lease drives the file.