After Sandy slammed Staten Island, Joseph Del Villar threw every dollar he had into reopening his business, Boulevard Cleaners. Between his personal savings and help from his family, he was able to raise the $100,000 needed to install new washing machines, drywall and pumps.

Now he’s tapped out. Business is running at 50% below pre-storm levels and, after skipping two payments on his house, he has started getting calls from his mortgage company threatening foreclosure. Government assistance would certainly be welcome, but mostly what’s available are loans, and debt is the last thing Mr. Del Villar needs more of.

“I can’t afford to pay what I owe right now,” he said. “What would I do with another loan?”

Mr. Del Villar’s misery is shared by thousands of entrepreneurs throughout the city. It helps explain why fewer than 300 companies have been approved for disaster-recovery loans, even though City Hall estimates that more than 13,000 businesses were affected by Sandy.

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Thank You For Visiting The Blog Of  The Staten Island Board of REALTORS® (SIBOR)

The Staten Island Board of REALTORS® (SIBOR) is the largest not-for-profit trade association in Staten Island, N.Y.

SIBOR exists to enhance the ability and opportunity of its members to conduct their business successfully and ethically; and to promote the preservation of the public’s right to own, transfer and use real property.

Comprised of over 1,600 members, SIBOR serves real estate agents, brokers and affiliated professionals throughout the borough and surrounding areas.

SIBOR is the provider of the Staten Island Multiple Listing Service Inc. (SIMLS), which works as a clearinghouse through which more than 250 local real estate firms exchange information on properties they have listed for sale. Together, its members participate in over 3,000 real estate transactions every year.

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