Q & A: No ‘Functioning Kitchen’
By: Jay Romano
March 1st, 2013
Q. We are thinking about buying an apartment. But its kitchen has only a refrigerator; there are no cabinets, stove, counters or even a sink, just the plumbing for one. Would this be a problem for banks, and if so, what’s the minimum amount of kitchen equipment needed?
A. Rosemary Liuzzo Mohamed, a Manhattan real estate lawyer, says that each lender has its own requirements, but that most traditional loans require a “functioning kitchen.” By that definition, the space would need cabinetry, some sort of countertop, a functioning sink, hookups for the stove, the stove itself, and a refrigerator.
“It should be noted that special loans exist, like renovation loans, which would not require a functioning kitchen,” Mrs. Liuzzo Mohamed said.
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