How much cash do I need up front?

Typically first month plus a one-month security. The security cap is statutory, and a broker fee is now the responsibility of whoever engaged the broker.

How do I know if a unit is rent-stabilized?

Request the rent history from the state housing agency. Status follows the unit and its history, not the landlord's description of it.

United States · USD

Rentin New York

New York caps security at one month's rent and bars the old practice of stacking last month plus a deposit. Landlords conventionally want provable annual income around forty times the monthly rent, or a guarantor who clears a higher bar.

Miami Los Angeles Chicago Austin Seattle

County records path

HOA & insurance checked

3D map

50state codes — there is no one US market

Titleinsurance, not a notary, protects the buyer

FIRPTAwithholding hits foreign sellers, not buyers

No SSNneeded to take title as a foreign buyer

What a purchase really costs

$750,000 home in New York

Local transfer tax, buyer share (1%): $7,500
Owner's title insurance (≈0.5%): $3,750
Lender, escrow & appraisal (≈1%): $7,500
Attorney, recording & prepaids (≈0.3%): $2,250
Cash needed at closing: $771,000

≈ +2.8% over the price. There is no national property code. Transfer tax is a city and county question — New York adds a buyer mansion tax above $1m, Chicago charges the buyer 0.75%, Texas charges nothing and takes it back in annual property tax. Since the 2024 NAR settlement, buyer-agent compensation is negotiated in writing rather than assumed from the listing.

Rentals run on rules

The rent side, in three lines

Deposit caps, notice periods and eviction timelines are state law — one to two months is common, but New York and Florida are not the same statute.
Rent stabilization is local: New York City has it, Miami and Austin sit under state preemption against it.
Insurance is the variable that reprices a building — Florida wind and flood can move faster than the asking price.

HOA and condo documents are the yield. Read the reserve study and the special-assessment history before the inspection.

Cities

Six metros, six closing customs

The buyer-side transfer tax is the fastest way to see how local this market is: 1%+ in Manhattan, 0.75% in Chicago, zero in Austin and Seattle where the seller pays instead.

Rent stabilization covers a large share of the older housing stock and governs both the increase and the renewal right. Whether a specific unit is stabilized is a question with a documented answer — ask for the rent history rather than accepting a listing's word.

The FARE Act moved the broker fee to the party who hired the broker, ending the long-standing practice of charging a tenant for the landlord's agent. Budget the first month and the one-month security, and query anything beyond that.

Short-term letting under thirty days without the permanent occupant present is unlawful in most of the housing stock and is enforced through a registration regime. It is not a grey area.

FAQ

How much cash do I need up front?: Typically first month plus a one-month security. The security cap is statutory, and a broker fee is now the responsibility of whoever engaged the broker.
How do I know if a unit is rent-stabilized?: Request the rent history from the state housing agency. Status follows the unit and its history, not the landlord's description of it.

All markets: sivrce.com · Georgia marketplace: sivrce.ge · Prices and availability are published only when a verified listing exists. Market currency: USD.