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Would you rather...have a two-bathroom apartment or a one-bathroom with a washer-dryer?

Mayra David — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:57:00 +0000

In this week's edition of "Would You Rather" we asked New Yorkers if they'd be willing to give up a bathroom for a washer-dryer. And the answers were nearly unanimous: Yes!

Ask an Expert: Should I buy an apartment with a renter in place?

Teri Karush Rogers — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:55:00 +0000

Q. Is there any downside to buying an apartment with a renter in place, beyond waiting until the lease expires? Should I expect a discount off of the sales price and if so, how much?

A. Much of the answer depends on whether you plan to live in the apartment yourself or rent it out as an investment, as well as on what type of tenant is currently in place, say our experts.

The StreetEasy Hot Dozen: 12 rentals that may or may not be available by the time you read this

Alex Hughes — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:11:00 +0000

A brand new kitchen isn't the only nice thing about this no-fee three-bedroom apartment (or is it really a two-bedroom) at 150 West 84th Street and Amsterdam Avenue listed for $3,715/month.

In a city where there are so many foodies, it's surprising how hard it can be to find a usable kitchen. But three of the apartment on this week's Hot Dozen--the 12 rental apartments Streeteasy.com visitors clicked on most often over the past seven days--boast kitchens that have been newly renovated and are well-suited for some actual cooking... even if they're small.

BrickUnderground's 6-step guide to renting a NYC apartment with roommates

Teri Karush Rogers & Marjorie Cohen — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:58:00 +0000

Temporary walls like this one make it easy to configure an apartment into a roommate-friendly space--if your landlord allows it.

New York City's famously tight and expensive rental market is gearing up for its annual summer frenzy, when thousands of brand-new renters join the perennial crowd of natives hunting for an affordable rental.

One of the best ways to ensure a fruitful search in a city with a vacancy rate of around 1% is to go forth and multiply the number of occupants--and the amount of rent--you can plunk down on an apartment.

The Open House Scorecard: Seventieth Heaven

Sara Alessi — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:38:00 +0000

This $1.695m three-bedroom, two-bathroom co-op on East 70th in Lenox Hill is a corner unit with a private terrace overlooking a tree-lined residential block.

Apartments in the East and West 70s drew a lot of attention this week, with a trio of apartments there making this edition of the Open House Scorecard--the 10 open houses those perusing StreetEasy this weekend saved to their open-house calendars more often than any others.

Here are the 7 most likely reasons you'll get rejected by a co-op board

Marjorie Cohen — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:37:51 +0000

Boards are omnipotent--almost. They can turn you down for just about any reason as long as it doesn’t violate the city’s Human Rights Law, which prohibits rejections for reason of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, citizenship, occupation or on the basis of how many children you have.

Last week Union Square's Zeckendorf Towers became the largest NYC condo to totally ban smoking. Now what?

Lucy Cohen Blatter — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:10:53 +0000

Condo owners in the 29-story Zeckendorf Towers in Union Square voted overwhelmingly to ban smoking throughout the complex.

Time to add a new smoke-free building to our list of non-smoking NYC rentals, co-ops and condos: Union Square's 647-unit Zeckendorf Towers has become New York City's largest smoke-free condo.

A timeline for breaking even on your apartment purchase, Tribeca building bans low-income renters from gym, and more

Sara Alessi — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:15:37 +0000

Ever wonder how long you need to live in your co-op or condo to break even? 6.1 years on average--but it depends on your 'hood (The Real Deal)
Qualifying for affordable housing doesn’t mean you qualify to use the gym in a TriBeCa building (Tribeca Citizen)
read more

No-Fee Apartment of the Week: $4,920 two-bedroom in Clinton

Lucy Cohen Blatter — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:18:00 +0000

This over 1,000-square-foot two-bedroom at 560 West 43rd Street has generously sized rooms. The listing even says it's convertible into a three-bedroom.

This over 1,000-square-foot two-bedroom at 560 West 43rd Street is ideal for theater nuts.

South Harlem to Midtown East: Moving for a great elementary school

Jessica as told to Marjorie Cohen — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:58:35 +0000

Why would I want to move from a reasonably priced two-bedroom apartment in South Harlem, upstairs from my best friend and her family, overlooking Morningside Park and across the street from a recently built playground?

There was only one reason and it was a powerful one: the opportunity to live across the street from PS 59, one of the best elementary schools in NYC (recently relocated to a state of the art building on 57th between Second and Third Avenues), where my daughter will go to kindergarten.