Rachel O'Brien

Mar 11, 2025 | newsday.com | Rachel O'Brien

When Katina Cokinos and Jonathan Faraci started planning their lives together two years ago, the first thing they wanted to do was to find a place to live. Faraci, who works in finance, had to commute on weekdays to Grand Central Station, so living near the train was "a nonnegotiable." After they ruled out buying a house in Long Island's competitive, high-priced market, they began searching for a rental. They looked in Ronkonkoma, but the LIRR commute was 85 minutes — longer than Faraci preferred.

Jan 6, 2025 | newsday.com | Rachel O'Brien

Video Player is loading. Current Time 0:00Duration 0:00Remaining Time -0:00Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. While searching in 2019 for a three-bedroom house in Suffolk County, Jonathan Recinos said he saw "decent homes" within his $325,000 budget. But once the pandemic hit, in-person tours paused, and by the time he got back into the market in 2022, he found himself priced out.

Jul 15, 2024 | newsday.com | Rachel O'Brien

Two homebuyers put in an offer on a four-bedroom house a few blocks from a scenic bay on the South Shore. They were drawn to the beautifully renovated kitchen and bathrooms, a new roof and siding, new paver walkway and hardwood floors, for the asking price of $600,000.

Apr 22, 2024 | newsday.com | Rachel O'Brien

Homebuyers' wish lists have always included updated and open kitchens, new bathrooms and large, organized storage spaces. But in the last few years — especially since the pandemic kept people home for months or years — the demand for an outdoor living space with a personal touch has grown. "I'm seeing people investing in their yards in ways they didn't before," said Keller Williams agent Gina Padro, reflecting on her 28 years in the industry.

Jan 22, 2024 | newsday.com | Rachel O'Brien

For more than two decades, Justin and Christine Ripley called Chicago home. They met while attending Wheaton College in Illinois, Christine coming from her hometown of Smithtown, Justin from New Berlin, a Milwaukee suburb. But last year, the couple, both 42, decided to make the move to Long Island. "We were living in the city and dealing with city things like rats in the alley, and there was crime," said Justin, a partner at a large global executive search firm.