What's the best time(s) to watch Saturday or sunday?

Thanks @Annod!

wow, didn't think I'd see it in my lifetime...

Good news!!!

Thanks @annod - I think that's what I'll do - ask a local notary public in NYC and see what they know.

Thanks for all the replies - I appreciate everyone taking the time out. however, at this point, I'm asking a slightly difference question than my original question.

Original question is how to get an apostille for a power of attorney to be used overseas (China, specifically). I've read thru all the pointers and understand this is that I need to do:
1. Get the document notarized by a pubic notary;
2. Get the notarized document approved/authenticated by the County Clerk (to verify that the notary public is a properly registered as a "notary public")
3. Then get the document approved/authenticated by the State department (the "apostille")
4. Then get the document authenticated (may not be using the prope word/term here) by the chinese embassy in NYC

My question *now* is: since I live in NJ, do I have to do the entire process in the State of New Jersey (my state of residence), or can I do it in NY?

In other words - does my state of residence dictate where I can do apostille?

If possible, I'd like to do it in NY because I can do the apostille part in person in downtown NYC. If I do it in NJ, I need to mail it in and wait for it to come back. I've read through the NJ and NY government apostille related pages, and nowhere noted whether I could/could not do that - but it's possible that I may have missed it during my research.

I can go ask an attorney about this, but to me this question doesn't seem to warrant going that far. Perhaps I'm wrong???

@Annod - (1) Yes, for the apostille, I need to get it from the Department of State. NY has a location near chinatown, where NJ's is in Trenton)
(2) I've read that part before (your second posting), but my understanding is that "public documents" meant documents such as birth certs, marriage certs, and such - anything issued by the government. Power of Attorney is not specifically mentioned, so that's why I'm not sure if I can do it in NY or not.

I guess in other words, my question is:

Can I notarize and get state authentication of documents in any state, or only in the state that I live in?

Does anyone know?

TIA.

Not everyone has the guts to stomach volatility in the market, although the same can be said of the RE market itself.

Personally, I think there'll be a lot of volatility in the next 6-12 months, and right now is not a good entry point into the market. Hold and wait - be ready to pull the trigger when the opportunity arises.

Quote:

I understand the local bank does it for free.

The problem for me is that I also need to get it authenticated by the state (which then I need to authenticate again at my country's consulate!!!). If I do it in JC, I'll need to mail it in to Trenton (and wait for them to mail it back), whereas if I notarize it in NYC, then I can go to the state office in lower Manhattan in person (and skip all the mailing).

Decisions decisions decisions...

Sort of a separate question: If I live in Jersey City, can I notarize a power of attorney (for a foreign real estate property), can I do it in NYC, or do I have to do it in NJ?

TIA.

And this for $1.9mil???!?!?!? Is it even safe to live in there???

What counts as "extra curriculars"??? I assume sports, music and other "academics" (such as chess) count, but are there others that I'm not thinking of?

Also, does it count if you're taking classes in that subject, or you have to compete? e.g. taking weekly chess classes vs going on chess tournaments???

And are there better "extra curriculars" than others? E.g. sports is better than music??? Tournament is better than plain classes?

Thanks for the link DanL.

I've read the article several times by now - it lists all the available HSs in the area. however, which ones would people recommend? Eg I know McNair is very good, and from the "food fights" that I've heard about, I should probably cross Ferris off my list?

Besides the question below on where to get good prep classes / tutors, can someone also suggest where are good resources to read up on how to prepare, and apply to high schools?

Both my husband and myself are immigrants so we never went through the process ourselves. We feel like there's so much we don't know, would love to know if there are resources (online, books, discussion groups, etc) that we can use to research to get a better understanding of what's going on on prepping, applying, getting financial aid, etc, and how to get an edge (if there's any!!!).

TIA.

Same here - no attorney used for refi.

I think there are real estate agents/brokers that comment on this website from time to time (esp when someone says they're looking for an agent to buy in jC!!!).

Can one of you (or perhaps all of you) chime in and provide some thoughts from your end???

Quote:

That's very true - also, NYC has much better choices for school!!! A lot of my friends who live in NYC has much better public schools where they live, or they can try for those specialty schools. All of them for free.

What do we have in JC that's comparable (except McNair, but that's HS only)???

I currently pay ~$8K on property taxes per year for a condo in downtown, and pay separately for private school for my two children. I can't imagine paying $$17K per year in property taxes (that would be the estimated new rate), and still pay for private school. We just can't afford that.

Ironically, it may be cheaper for us to move across the river!!!

Thanks for the replies so far!!!

I've pm'ed each of you for some additional questions: @Dinger, @JCgurl and @Yorkster. Thanks!

same on montgomery near vvp

Hi everyone - I've finally gotten quotes from 2 vendors and now have some additional questions Hopefully someone can help me:
For non-street facing windows, one contractor quoted me Marvin integrity (which is fiberglass), and another contractor quoted me aluminium windows from Crystal (I believe a windows manufacturer in Queens).

Questions:
1. are fiberglass windows better, or same, as aluminium windows? I'm approaching the windows as long-term investment, and is willing to spend a little more to get a longer piece of mind for something that will last longer;

2. anyone has Marvin Integrity windows? Feedback?

3. anyone heard of Crystal windows? I did some research online, and have not been able to find that many reviews so far, and most are either "ok", or "stay away". Anyone has experience?

4. I'm tending to go with either fiberglass or aluminium, and stay away from Vinyl. Reasons being (1) currently all my windows are aluminium, and I just feel that (2) fiberglass and aluminum are both longer lasting & stronger than vinyl, and hence worth the extra investment up front? Is that correct?

Thanks in advance for any advice / tips.

I've been to Mitsuwa a few times and I love the place!!!

Can the experts suggest what is the best dish (or dishes) to get from each eatery there? There are quite a few, and personally, I don't know that many japanese poeple "in the know" to direct me.

I love the ramen noddles from the little place right by the exit, but that's about what I get everytime because I'm afraid to order from the myriad of other places!!!

TIA!

I had lived in PH (on Morris, by Washington), and now lives downtown (on Montgomery by Grove). PH is nice that it's very quite. However, I find downtown a lot more lively nowadays. I have a large number of restaurants to choose from that are all within a few blocks of walking, and I can always run out to get something quickly if needed - whatever that may be (the koreans delis, the Duane Reade, Choc o pain for bread, wonder begles, keyfood, etc). Whereas in PH it would be a much further trek (or one can go to the few options within PH).

So it really depends on what you're looking for. I like the convenience and the options, so Downtown is my preference.

Quote:

And one should (countries and governments, especially) should also watch what they do in other people's country. they may one day come back and bite you.

Look - let's not pretend that the Western powers are completely innocent in this mess. They created this mess over decades of meddling in the middle east (and all other areas all over the world).

She's paying more in rent and taxes, and also a longer commute (which is not an easy one either).

I don't get that.

that you - will do that!

Does anyone know how much a cab would cost going from Grove PATH to Rich Korpi Ice Rink in Bayonne? Will be going Sunday with 2 kids, and trying to decide whether just to take a cab, or take public transportation (bus 81, or Light Rail - although light rail has a long walk).

Any advice would be appreciated!

Checked it out on my way home - it actually felt smaller than I thought. Perhaps that was because part of it is still walled off, and there were lots of people there.

I have to admit it is pretty cool standing under (or in) the oculus - the design and flow / feel is really nice.

However, once I took a few steps and got back on the usual nyc downtown streets, the oculus felt surreal, and perhaps out of place.

Quote:

Have you notice how narrow are those escalators? One-person width. How do you evacuate the place during rush hour is there's an emergency?

The whole thing is a trap!

I just want to add what a great idea and design is the Hoboken track at WTC - it was such a narrow slit of platform, with barely any stairs leading up to exit (since all the escalators are going going down, never up, on the saturdays I end up on that track).

I mean it's such a great community building experience every time I'm stuck on the platform, waiting for the big crowd to clear via the only staircase up front (yes, this past saturday they closed the other staircase, and all the escalators are going down only). I got to chat up my fellow commuters, even though mostly to curse the smart a** who designed this. I've never chatted so much with other commuters during my commute before (and I've spend many years on the subway!!!)

I'm telling you - all of you need to see beyond the visual design. His biggest achievement is the community building, binding us all together - even though it's via hatred of such stupidity in design.

I mean everyone can see - that Hoboken track is clearly a hazard, right? how do they expect to evacuate people with those tiny stairs in case of an emergency???

We have been summoned for a hearing at the Municipal Court (at 365 Summit Ave) in regards to our sidewalk - which is uneven due to a big tree and it's roots. We were given a deadline initially to get it repaired (by ripping up the sidewalk, then having the city come to trim the root, and then putting back a new sidewalk).

However, we were not able to finish the repair in time due to (1) not enough money to do the work - which has now been collected and is no longer an issue; and (2) weather - we were advised by our contractor that we should not pour/cure cement when it's too cold, so we weren't able to finish the work by end of Jan (original deadline).

So I have two questions and is wondering if someone here can provide some comments / experience:

1. We were given a specific date and time for the court appearance (e.g. 3/1 at 1pm). Does anyone know if the time stated is my actual time to meet with the judge, or if that's the start time for all hearing that day - and therefore my actual time in front of the judge would be anytime between 1pm and end of day that day?

We are planning to go and meet the judge and ask for an extension to the deadline (maybe a month or two when the weather is warm enough) - is this usually granted without penalties?

2. I've seen a lot of uneven sidewalks in JC, and some of them pretty bad (e.g. a big difference in elevation between the 2 adjoining slabs). I've also seen some of these "smoothed over" - some cement / concrete poured over the "gap", and smoothed over so the transition is smooth (like the corner of the sidewalks for the strollers to cross).
Does anyone know if these types of "smooth over" are accepted repairs, or just a temporary fix in the eyes of the city?

Other advice would be much appreciated too!

Quote:

I agree - given all the economic uncertainties, personally I think the real estate will be going down in the next few years / decade potentially. I'm saving up now for a down payment. fingers crossed!!!