Can’t Wait To See It When It’s Finished

I was having coffee this week with a real estate associate of mine, a real catch-up for us during this vacation week where we could actually sit for a few minutes rather than run to our next appointment. As we traded tidbits on different topics in the community, she suddenly asked: “How many of your recent sales are with buyers who are changing nothing in the house other than possibly a new paint job?”

My first reaction was, “You gotta be kidding!” But when I thought about it for a second, I realized she was right. The more I thought about the recent closings I’ve had, the more I realized that it’s been a while since someone bought a house that they could move into “as is” without changing anything.

There was a time in years past when new home buyers would ask to see houses that they could just move into without changing anything. Or at least a house that wouldn’t need any major repairs or renovations for a while. Just a few years ago, the percentage of buyers looking for a house in move-in condition was far greater than those looking to completely gut and remodel their house, or worse, tear it down and completely rebuild it.

Just like everything else in life, things change, and as we drive down most streets in town, there’s at least one house on each block that is in one of these categories: either being renovated, or being knocked down so they can build an entirely new house.

This is all very interesting and wonderful, but for those thinking along the line of either buying and renovating or buying, knocking down, and rebuilding, home buyers should take into consideration what is permissible and not permissible depending on the zoning laws in that area.

For instance, many building codes have changed over the last few years. In fact, somehow building codes seem to change almost every year, and unless you’re a developer or working for the Building Department, you’d be hard-pressed to keep up with all of the changes going on at any time. It is vital to take these building codes into consideration prior to purchasing a property to know whether or not the changes you wish to achieve will be possible based on the current building codes.

For instance, Cedarhurst Village building codes allow for you to build on 30% of the footprint of your property, whereas Hempstead allows only 27% of your footprint. (A footprint is the size of your property in total square feet.) So, for instance, if you had a 60×100 lot, your footprint would be considered 6,000 square feet. Anyone doing construction in Hewlett, Woodmere, or Inwood would need to follow Town of Hempstead guidelines.

On top of the percentage of footprint, there are other guidelines, such as setbacks, which translates to the amount of property from your property line to where your house begins. All building departments require setbacks both in the front, back, and side yards, so all of this must be taken into consideration prior to purchasing a property to ensure that the property as is will be sufficient for your needs.

The easiest way to achieve this in one step is to consult with an architect before buying a property since architects are on top of all the different building codes and regulations, and can tell you immediately what will work and what won’t.

I’m afraid that after Superstorm Sandy, people found that FEMA put a new crimp in housing remodels. Since Sandy, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) has created updated flood maps with new rules pertaining to what percentage of a house can be built or added onto an existing house as well as new guidelines as to how much new houses need to be raised (in some cases) from ground level depending on the flood maps. These rules should also be taken into account for those looking to remodel or build from scratch since what will or won’t be allowed on houses on the flood map must be scrupulously taken into consideration as well when considering a property for renovation.

Although this may sound cumbersome, with all the new construction going on, it’s obvious that people are getting used to these new FEMA guidelines as we have a highly-motivated group of people that are not letting anything get in their way of building their dream house. And I look forward to seeing all the newly-designed houses as they make their debut in our neighborhood. n

Anessa Cohen lives in Cedarhurst and is a Licensed Real Estate Broker (Anessa V Cohen Realty) with over 20 years of experience offering residential, commercial, and management real estate services. You are invited to visit AVCRealty.com. She can be reached at 516-569-5007 and readers are encouraged to send any questions or comments by email to [email protected].