Andrew Ragusa
Licensed Real Estate Broker · Serving Long Island & Queens
Inherited • Vacant • Estate • Out-of-State
Some Long Island propertiesdon't sell the ordinary way.
Some houses need a lot more than a price, a listing and an open house. They need someone to sort out what has to happen first, and then actually make it happen. That's the part I do.
What "complicated" means
A house that needs more than a sign in the yard.
Some sales take real coordination. The house may need work before it goes on the market, or it may not — a lot of owners have never been told the difference.
I help figure out what needs to be done, what doesn't, what's worth spending money on, who needs to be brought in, and how it all gets scheduled.
Junk removal, cleanouts, cleaning, painters, contractors, repairs, pest control, landscaping, changing locks, securing an empty house, getting quotes, letting people in, checking the work, sending you photos — whatever that particular property needs.
I'm not the agent who walks through, hands you a list and says call me when the house is ready. I'm there while it's happening.
Inherited property
Inherited homes come in every condition. Some need a full cleanout, cleaning, paint, repairs, pest control and landscaping before they're ready. Some are fine to sell exactly as they sit. Sometimes all of those things are needed, sometimes none of them are, and sometimes it's only a few. My job is to help you figure out which one you're dealing with — and then handle the work if there is any.
Estate properties
Losing someone is hard enough without also becoming responsible for maintaining, cleaning out, repairing and preparing a house. Your attorney handles the legal side — I'm not an attorney and I don't give legal advice. Once the property can move forward, I can take the house off your plate: cleanouts, repairs, locks, landscaping, contractors, getting it to market and through the sale.
Vacant homes
Whether you're selling today or not, the first priority is making sure the house is secure, maintained and being watched. Leaks, heating failures, a freeze in January, pests, storm damage, overgrown landscaping — these get expensive when nobody notices them for a few months. I can keep an eye on the property and coordinate problems as they come up.
Houses that need work first
Deferred maintenance, mechanical problems, years of belongings still inside. I'll tell you what actually needs to be done, what doesn't, what's probably worth spending money on and what isn't. Then I get quotes, meet the contractors and stay on top of the work.
Out-of-state owners
You shouldn't have to fly to New York every time a contractor needs access or a quote needs to be signed off on. I can be your boots on the ground here — meeting people at the house, checking on work, sending photos and video, and keeping you in the loop by text, phone or video call.
You don't need to know what you want to do yet.
Selling right now isn't automatically the right answer. You might sell as-is, do some repairs first, rent it, or hold onto it for a while and sell later.
What I can do is put numbers behind those options — what it's worth today, what it could be worth with the right work, roughly what that work costs, what it rents for, what it costs you every month to keep it, and what you'd net at closing.
It's hard to make a good decision without knowing what you're committing to financially. Once the numbers are in front of you, the decision usually makes itself.
Who you're calling
Andrew Ragusa
Licensed Real Estate Broker · Serving Long Island & QueensBroker / Owner, REMI Realty
11+ years in real estate · 135+ homes sold
I started flipping houses around 2018. The part I liked most was never the paperwork — it was walking a house, figuring out what it needed, working through the construction, watching it come back together and then bringing it to market.
After a while it occurred to me that the same experience is useful to families who need a property fixed up or cleaned out and sold, but have no interest in running that project themselves. That's how I ended up doing this work almost exclusively.
I honestly enjoy this part of real estate. And you speak with me — not an assistant or a rotating team. If a property isn't ready to sell, I'll tell you that too.
How it actually works
“You make the big decisions. I handle the day-to-day.”
Once you've approved the plan and the budget, I take it from there. I talk to the contractors, let them in, stop by while the work is going on, check the progress and send you photos and video. Text, phone, video call — whatever's easiest for you.
If something unexpected comes up, you hear it from me, and any meaningful change in cost is your call, not mine.
You're not going to be chasing contractors. I am. That's the whole reason I'm here.
On spending money
I'm not trying to talk you into renovating.
Plenty of houses should go to market as they are. When work does make sense, this is the order I think about it in.
First
Function and safety
Active leaks, electrical hazards, heat that doesn't work, hot water problems, real mechanical issues. Anything a buyer will treat as a major defect matters more than cosmetics.
Second
Condition and presentation
Depending on the house: cleanout, a deep clean, pest control, landscaping, paint, minor repairs. Usually modest money, usually worth it.
Rarely
Anything beyond that
I'm generally not going to tell you to rip out kitchens and bathrooms just to make the house look newer. In most cases, I'd rather leave those choices to the next owner.
“We're trying to get it into good enough condition to sell for top dollar — not renovate it into somebody else's dream house.”
Contractors
You're never required to use mine.
I have people I've used across a lot of properties — cleanout crews, cleaners, painters, general contractors, pest control, landscapers. Because they get repeat work, their pricing tends to be competitive.
That said, if you want another quote, want to use a contractor your cousin recommended, or found someone yourself, that's completely fine. I'll meet them at the house, give them access, help get the quote and coordinate with them if you pick them.
I work with whoever you decide. Either way, I'm your boots on the ground.
What working together looks like
First
A conversation
Twenty minutes on the phone. What the property is, who's involved, and what's in the way. No presentation and no listing agreement.
Then
Numbers on your options
As-is value, what it could be worth with the right work, rough contractor costs, holding costs, selling costs, and rental value if that's on the table. Real numbers so you can compare.
If it fits
I handle the day-to-day
Cleanouts, repairs, contractors, access, updates, listing and sale. You approve the plan and the budget. I chase everything else.
In their words
Reviews from past clients
Tell me about the property.I'll get back to you personally.
You don't need to have everything figured out before contacting me. If you're not sure what it's worth, whether to fix anything, whether to sell as-is, or whether to sell at all — that's a normal place to start. So is an estate that's still being sorted out, a house that hasn't been cleaned out, or an owner who lives a thousand miles away.