By Hillel Fried, Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker (NY license 10301213249), founder of The Hillel Team at Compass. Updated November 2026.
These guides answer the questions people search for most before they buy or rent in New York City. Each one gives the short answer first, then the detail, and quotes the rule or the tax rate from the agency that publishes it.
Buying an apartment in NYC for the first time. The steps in order, the money you need, and the city's HomeFirst help of up to $100,000.
Do you need a buyer's agent in NYC? What a buyer's agent does, what happens without one, and when you can go it alone.
Buyer's agent commission in NYC: how much and who pays. Who pays your agent since the 2024 rule changes, and what your buyer agreement has to say.
Condo vs co-op in NYC. What you own, what you pay each month, and how approval works in each.
Buying a Manhattan apartment under $1 million. Where we've bought at that price, and why $1 million is the mansion tax line.
Co-op board package: what goes in it. The checklist, what each document tells the board, and the mistakes that slow approval.
Co-op board interview: questions and how to prepare. What boards ask, what they can't, and how to get ready.
Closing costs for NYC buyers, co-op and condo. Mansion tax, mortgage recording tax, transfer taxes and fees, with a worked example.
Manhattan rental broker: who pays after the FARE Act. When you can't be charged a broker fee, and when hiring your own broker is worth it.
Guide | Address |
|---|---|
hillelteam.com/buyer-guides/first-time-home-buyer-nyc | |
hillelteam.com/buyer-guides/do-you-need-a-buyers-agent-nyc | |
hillelteam.com/buyer-guides/buyer-agent-commission-nyc | |
hillelteam.com/buyer-guides/condo-vs-coop-nyc | |
hillelteam.com/buyer-guides/manhattan-apartments-under-1-million | |
hillelteam.com/buyer-guides/coop-board-package-nyc | |
hillelteam.com/buyer-guides/coop-board-interview-nyc | |
hillelteam.com/closing-cost | |
hillelteam.com/buyer-guides/manhattan-rental-broker |
Hillel Fried founded The Hillel Team at Compass and has worked in New York since 2014. The team has closed 800+ transactions and $1.3 billion in sales, has been named the #1 Team at LGF Compass eight times, and represents buyers about three times as often as sellers.
Every guide shows the month it was last updated. When a rule or a rate changes, the guide changes with it.
Buying or renting in Manhattan or Brooklyn? Call us and tell us what you're looking for.