FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com APRIL 9, 2015 • REAL ESTATE • THE QUEENS COURIER 49 real estate Flushing condo building completed after foreclosure process BY LIAM LA GUERRE [email protected]/@LiamLaGuerre The condominium building at 42-05 Parsons Blvd. in Flushing has fi nally been completed, owner Triangle Equities announced on April 6. The real estate development fi rm acquired the uncompleted building a few years ago, and proceeded to fi nish the nearly 30,000-square-foot, nine-story, mixed-use structure after a foreclosure process. “We purchased a non-performing note collateralized by the building in 2011, which had been 85 percent complete,” said Brett Goldman, director of acquisitions at Triangle Equities. “After going through the foreclosure process, we ultimately obtained control of the asset and are thrilled to be able to offer brand-new luxury housing and offi ce space to the surrounding community.” The Raymond Chan-designed building features an allglass and panel façade, which allows views of Queens, and even the Manhattan skyline at top fl oors. On the fi rst two fl oors there are fi ve condo offi ce units, which are being marketed for sale. And in the upper fl oors there are 14 condos apartments, which are 90 percent sold, including two penthouse units with three bedrooms and three bathrooms on the eighth and ninth fl oors. Prices in the building for residential condos start near $550,000 and top out over $1 million. GOT A HOT REAL ESTATE STORY IN QUEENS? Contact Liam La Guerre Real Estate Editor EMAIL: [email protected] TWITTER: @liamlaguerre Forest Hills men charged with illegally evicting Richmond Hill homeowner BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO [email protected] @aaltamirano28 Two Forest Hills men have been charged with burglary for illegally evicting a Richmond Hill homeowner from his home after the two had won the house in a foreclosure auction, according to authorities. Semyon (aka Sam) Muratov, 34, and Yuriy (aka Erick) Munarov, 31, were each arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on April 6 on charges of seconddegree burglary, third-degree criminal mischief, second degree criminal trespass and unlawful eviction, according to the Queens district attorney, “More and more we are seeing individuals who are dealing with distressed properties unscrupulously taking advantage of the situation to benefi t themselves,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. “The defendants in this case are accused of taking the law into their own hands and bullying a homeowner into vacating his residence so that they would not have to deal with a housing court eviction proceeding.” According to the charges, Muratov placed a $25,000 down payment on a home located on 111th Street in Richmond Hill during a foreclosure sale on Jan. 9 but the sale had not yet gone to closing. On the same day, Muratov and Munarov reportedly went to the property and told the 59-year-old homeowner that he had to vacate the home because they had bought the house at an auction. When the homeowner asked for a proof of sale, according to Brown, the men refused to supply evidence and instead told the homeowner he had to hand over the keys and that they would be back in a couple of days to make sure he had left. Muratov and Munarov then allegedly returned to the property on Jan. 12 and when they couldn’t get into the home, they broke the doorframe and deadbolt lock, and pushed in the front door. They then told the homeowner he could take a few things and when the homeowner said he had nowhere to go, the men gave him $200 in cash to fi nd a place to stay. The homeowner left the property with some important documents and when he later returned he found all the fi rst-fl oor doors and windows had been boarded up and chains were on the door lock areas of the front door. “We are not going to stand for anyone circumventing the law. Our offi ce is working diligently to protect homeowners and tenants who may fall victim to the various unscrupulous and predatory behavior in real estate transactions,” said New York City Sheriff Joseph Fucito. “People have the right to live undisturbed in their homes and these two individuals are accused of violating the due process rights of the tenant at the address.” An investigation by the district attorney and sheriff’s offi ces revealed that on May 6, 2014, there was a judgment of foreclosure and sale on the 111th Street property, even though the homeowner said he was not aware of the foreclosure proceeding. Documents later allegedly showed that the homeowner’s estranged son was served the notice in 2012. Although the mortgage lender had auctioned off the property on Jan. 9, Muratov would not assume ownership until there was a closing with full payment for the property and transfer of the deed, according to the district attorney. Even after the closing, there would have had to been a lawful eviction proceeding of the homeowner. Both Muratov and Munarov face up to 15 years in prison if convicted and were ordered held on $5,000 bond or $2,500 bail. They are scheduled to return to court on May 5. Why real estate brokers charge the fees that they do BY MINAS STYPONIAS Real estate agents have always been scrutinized and lambasted for the often large sums of money they collect in transaction fees, whether it’s a rental transaction or a sales transaction. The common public sees the amount received and always seems to utter the same uninformed responses. “For what?” or “What did he/she even do?” or the ever-popular “Just for doing that?” Those are but brief examples of the type of disdain and scrutiny that a real estate agent must often put up with when performing their duties. The fact of the matter is, however, that those paydays often come after grueling weeks of late-night telephone calls, numerous hours in front of a computer screen doing research and advertising, and hours of individual communications with tons of prospective renters, sellers or buyers. The true real estate professional commits themselves to their chosen career and puts in the necessary man hours and intellectual effort to be good at what they do. We sacrifi ce time, energy and our personal fi nances all in the hopes that we can obtain a small percentage of the enormously large pie that we have staked ourselves to. The additional factors of loss of personal time and fi nances make the collection of a transaction fee rewarding and appreciated in those sporadic instances when it is achieved. Each opportunity is a mini relationship. And just like any relationship there are times where you consummate the relationship and times when you get dumped. The emotions and intellectual roller coasters are often enough in and of themselves to merit some sympathy from the public, but the reality is that most people seem to think that real estate agents are nothing more than overpaid tour guides. For those of us who dedicate their lives and stake their reputations on our efforts, our fees are but frosting on the proverbial cake that is our life’s work. So before condemning the entire profession after the experience you may have had with a few, please consider that for every fee my peers and I earn we have often had to deal with untold rejections leading up to it. We strain. We struggle. We hurt. And through it all we provide the services that we are expected to regardless of the outcome. Minas Styponias is a licensed real estate broker for BuySell Real Estate in Astoria, where he was born and raised. He has had a career as a luxury rental property manager in New Jersey and Manhattan. Styponias speaks English, and is conversational in Greek and Spanish.
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