For Buyers, Many Roadblocks

For Buyers, Many Roadblocks
By CHRISTINE HAUGHNEY

From left; Robert Stolarik for The New York Times, Michael Falco for The New York Times, Rob Bennett for The New York Times
Julie Chan, left, must sell her house in New Hope, Pa., to get the mortgage she wants. Juan Matiz and Sarah Mosele Matiz, center, said sellers would not accept their bids until they sold their Manhattan studio. Michael Clemente, right, had a hard time getting a mortgage because he had a short credit history.
People are eager to buy in Manhattan, but are finding they must have near-perfect credit and much more cash on hand to satisfy lenders and co-op boards.

Q & A: Ask an Expert About Getting Mortgages
.Big Deal
Main Street Pauses
By JOSH BARBANEL
On the co-op and condo-lined streets of Manhattan real estate was on everyone’s mind, as always, last week, but the nature of the conversation had changed.
.Living In | Elmont, L.I.
You Couldn’t Call It a One-Horse Town
By MARCELLE S. FISCHLER
Elmont, best known for the 430-acre Belmont Park racetrack, is diverse and has mostly owner-occupied and neatly kept Capes, ranches, raised ranches and colonials.

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.Streetscapes | 63 Nassau Street
Cast-Iron Builder, Iron-Clad Renown
By CHRISTOPHER GRAY
The building at 63 Nassau Street is one of the few surviving architectural works of the cast-iron pioneer James Bogardus, a building designated a Landmark last year.