Long-time renter Marty Markowitz has bought a $1.45-million crib in Windsor Terrace, but life as a homeowner isn’t as free and easy as renting. Here are some the issues he’ll have to confront now that he’s on the other side:
• Slip-and-fall lawsuits! Markowitz may have won a $250,000 settlement from a spill at an Econo Lodge in Albany, but now he’ll have to be ever-vigilant when the snow falls in front of his house. It is the legal duty of each homeowner to shovel his or her sidewalk in the winter — and anyone who slips and falls in front of the Beep’s house is probably going to seize the opportunity.
• Nosy neighbors! Most renters tend to keep to themselves — owners, on the other hand, are all up in everybody’s business. Markowitz can expect his new neighbors to keep a keen eye on comings and goings at his new property. Such neighbors often gossip.
• Home repairs! Got a leaky ceiling? Toilet broken? Markowitz won’t have his Prospect Park West super when needs to be done. Instead, he’ll either have to do some reshingling himself, or fork out the cash for a repairman.
— Stephen Brown
