By Eric Berman, REALTOR® | The Eric Berman Team at Compass
 

TL;DR:

Most of the paperwork is straightforward and your attorney handles it. Three things are worth gathering yourself, and two are specific to Manhasset. Find out which village or town building department governs your address and ask what's on file, since the area spans several jurisdictions and each keeps its own records. Locate your survey, which matters more here because village setback and lot coverage rules affect what's permitted. And assemble an improvement list with years attached, which does more for a buyer's confidence than anything else you can produce.

Start With the Right Building Department

Manhasset isn't one jurisdiction. Munsey Park, Plandome, Plandome Heights, Plandome Manor, Flower Hill, and North Hills are incorporated villages with their own building departments, and the rest of the area falls under the Town of North Hempstead. Which office holds your property's records depends on your address.

That matters because sellers sometimes call the wrong one, come away believing the record is clean, and discover otherwise when the buyer's attorney orders municipal searches after contracts are signed. Confirm which office governs your address, then ask that office what's on file for the property.

What you're looking for is whether every addition, dormer, deck, finished basement, or converted space has a permit and a final sign-off. Anything open typically takes six to ten weeks to resolve, which is manageable before listing and a problem during a transaction. The treatment of permit issues covers how they get closed out.

About the Certificate of Occupancy

Worth clearing up, because it causes unnecessary alarm: not every older home has a certificate of occupancy, and that isn't necessarily a defect. Many Long Island homes predate the requirement and never had one.

What matters is the record for work done since. If an addition was built with a permit and signed off, there should be a certificate covering it. Where work was done without a permit, or a permit was opened and never closed, that's what needs resolving. Where no record exists at all, a Letter of No Objection from the governing municipality is a common route — it confirms the municipality has no objection to the property's existing use, which is different from a certificate, and worth having your attorney explain for your specific property.

The Survey

A survey shows lot boundaries, the position of structures, and easements. Buyers' lenders and title companies frequently want a current one, and in Manhasset it matters more than it might elsewhere.

Village setback, lot coverage, and height rules vary, and a structure that sits closer to a boundary than the village permits — a deck, a shed, an addition, a pool — is the kind of thing a survey reveals. It's better to know before listing than to have it surface during the buyer's due diligence. If you have an older survey, it's still useful as a starting point, and your attorney can advise whether a new one is needed.

The Improvement List

This is the document that does the most work and the one sellers least often have.

A one-page list of meaningful improvements with the year each was completed, and whether it was permitted: roof, heating, electrical service, windows, kitchen or bath work, additions, finished spaces. Keep the receipts and permits behind it where you can.

It serves three purposes at once. Buyers of an older home are estimating what they'll spend after closing, and a documented roof from 2019 removes guesswork they'd otherwise price conservatively. An appraiser can't see the age of a boiler and works better with the facts in front of them — the appraisal preparation post covers that. And capital improvements raise your cost basis and reduce the tax on your gain, which matters at Manhasset prices where gain often exceeds the federal exclusion. The tax implications post explains how.

One sequencing note: find these before you clear anything out, because filing cabinets tend to go early.

What Your Attorney Handles

Most of the rest sits with counsel, which is why engaging one before listing rather than after an offer is worth doing.

Your attorney obtains a copy of the deed if you can't find yours, orders an early title search, and clears what it turns up — old mortgages or home equity lines that were paid off but never formally discharged are common, as is a deed still listing a spouse who has died. They'll also request your mortgage payoff statement at the right time, prepare and negotiate the contract, and handle the transfer tax filing at closing. The case for engaging counsel early covers the role.

You'll also complete the Property Condition Disclosure Statement with your attorney — 56 questions, mandatory since March 2024, with no option to give the buyer a credit instead. The disclosure post covers how to fill it out.

Two Things Specific to the Price Point

Nearly every Manhasset sale crosses one million dollars, which brings the Mansion Tax into play. It's paid by the buyer in cash at closing rather than by you, but it affects their available funds and often where offers land relative to round numbers. The after-acceptance post covers how it shapes a transaction.

And if you've already moved out of New York, an estimated nonresident payment of 8.82 percent of net gain is due at closing on Form IT-2663 — a prepayment rather than an additional tax, but it reduces your wire. Raise it with a CPA before setting a closing date.

A Worked Example

Consider a composite case — a Manhasset colonial with a rear addition from the early 2000s and a pool.

The seller called the Town of North Hempstead and was told nothing was open. The property was actually in one of the villages, which had a permit for the addition that had never been closed out. His attorney caught it before listing; resolving it took about seven weeks.

The survey, thirty years old, showed the pool sitting closer to the rear boundary than expected. The village confirmed it had been permitted at the time, which settled the question, but it would have been an awkward discovery during a buyer's due diligence.

He also put together the improvement list: roof 2018, boiler 2020, electrical service upgraded 2015, windows 2011, plus the addition. His CPA used the receipts to reduce the taxable gain, and the appraiser had the dates in hand.

Where to Start

Confirm which village or town governs your address and ask that office what's on file. Find your survey. Go through the paperwork and build the improvement list before clearing anything out. Engage an attorney to run a title search and check the deed. Then let them handle the rest. For a starting read on value, try a quiet look at current figures.

The Honest Bottom Line

The document list for a Manhasset sale isn't long, and your attorney handles most of it. What's worth your own attention is the permit record — from the right office, which isn't obvious here — the survey, and the improvement list.

Those three prevent most of what delays a closing, and all three are easier to sort out before listing than during a transaction. For anyone working through a specific property, with no pressure attached, that conversation is available whenever the timing suits.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Permit requirements, certificate practices, and village rules vary by jurisdiction. Consult the governing building department, a licensed New York real estate attorney, and a CPA about your circumstances.

FAQs

Which building department has my Manhasset home's records?

It depends on your address. Munsey Park, Plandome, Plandome Heights, Plandome Manor, Flower Hill, and North Hills are incorporated villages with their own building departments, and the rest of the area falls under the Town of North Hempstead. Confirm which one governs your property before asking about permits — checking the wrong office can make a record look clean when it isn't, and the buyer's attorney will search the right one after contracts are signed.

Do I need a certificate of occupancy to sell an older home?

Not necessarily. Many older Long Island homes predate the requirement and never had one, which isn't a defect in itself. What matters is the record for work done since — whether additions, decks, or finished spaces were permitted and signed off. Where work was done without a permit or a permit was never closed, that needs resolving. Where no record exists, a Letter of No Objection from the municipality is a common route.

Do I need a new survey to sell my home?

Buyers' lenders and title companies often want a current one, and in Manhasset it's worth having for another reason: village setback, lot coverage, and height rules vary, and a survey reveals whether a deck, shed, pool, or addition sits closer to a boundary than the village permits. An older survey is still a useful starting point, and your attorney can advise whether a new one is needed.

What document helps buyers most?

A one-page list of improvements with the year each was completed and whether it was permitted — roof, heating, electrical, windows, and any additions. Buyers of older homes are estimating what they'll spend after closing, and documented dates remove guesswork they'd otherwise price conservatively. The same list helps at the appraisal and, with the receipts behind it, reduces your taxable gain.

What if I can't find my deed?

Your attorney can obtain a copy from the county clerk's office, and it's routine. More useful than hunting for it yourself is having the attorney run an early title search, which turns up the issues that actually cause delays — an old mortgage or home equity line paid off but never formally discharged, or a deed still listing a spouse who has died.

By Eric Berman, REALTOR® | The Eric Berman Team at Compass

Eric Berman | Long Island & Queens Associate Broker | Compass
1468 Northern Blvd, Manhasset, NY 11030
(917) 225-8596 | eric@ericbermanre.com | theericbermanteam.com