As every owner knows, carrying costs typically only move in one direction: Up.   Buying into a building with low carrying costs is ideal, so long as the building has put enough money into its own upkeep. This week, Fresh Start Fridays focuses on four...

After reading a few alarming tales of drive-by appraisals in New York City, we asked Manhattan appraisal guru Jonathan Miller for a reality check. Here's what he said: 1. Your paranoia is completely justified:  Very likely, your appraiser has no idea what your place is worth. The...

One luxury building's strike plan (StreetEasy forum) Condo owner turns apartment into sex-party zone (NY Post) Apartment owner posts entire gut renovation estimate online for feedback (StreetEasy forum) Only two apartments find buyers at city auction (Malcolm Carter) Is a condo liable for drycleaning due to water damage?...

"I have an extremely helpful neighbor in my loft building. He markets in New Jersey instead of NYC and gets me food, household cleaners, etc., frequently, saving me energy and money.   If there is a snowstorm, he picks up my  meds or my immediate needs...

A NY Times story today quotes a Manhattan real estate lawyer who says bed bugs are "the deep dark secret of co-ops and condos." We agree. But there's also another deep dark secret surrounding the main topic of the story: bed bug sniffing dogs. The Times™...

Here's something downtown and Midtown developers may want to start writing into their marketing materials. According to 311 records for 2009, the fewest residential noise complaints in Manhattan emanated from the neighborhoods comprising Community Board 5 (Midtown), and Community Board 1, a.k.a. Tribeca, the Financial...

About three years ago, we had a very unfortunate incident happen with a careless nanny in front of the doorman in which my then-three-year-old son™s safety was at stake. As a thank-you to my doorman for basically rescuing my son from the situation and filling...

Too often, neighbors communicate only in elevator soundbites or through bared teeth when something™s wrong.  That™s not exactly the stuff strong social bonds are made of.  A little lobby-side vino is, we think, a better cultivator of neighborliness. It doesn™t have to cost a fortune,...

All vertical villages are not alike--just look at what residents are saying on their buildings™ online bulletin boards. On the West Coast you™ll find more people writing recommendations about restaurants or other lifestyle things. In New York you find more ˜Type A™ postings”more evidence of...

Q.    A co-op board member authorized his children to place a huge charity collection can for Haiti on the doorman's desk in the lobby. I think it's a nice gesture but totally inappropriate especially in a family building--pretty soon we're going to end up...

There's some cool new stuff happening at The Flea this weekend. Regular vendor David Sokosh debuts some old Brooklyn watches, Brooklyn Vintage is returning with a batch of great furniture and, representing North Brooklyn, former Greenpoint men's vintage clothing shop Houndstooth is teaming up...

The BOTD is a no-frills look at interesting structures of all types and from all neighborhoods. There will be old, new, important, forgotten, public, private, good and bad. Whatever strikes our fancy. We hope you enjoy. Address: 1450 Pacific Street, between Brooklyn and Kingston Avenues Type:...

Chef Michael Psilakis, of Kefi and Anthos in Manhattan, just got a liquor license for the space on the corner of North 10th Street and Driggs. According to the New York Post, "The chef has not signed a lease on the space and...

We've heard from a couple of readers that a 14-year-old boy on his way to school at Brooklyn Tech this morning at around 7 a.m. was attacked and slashed in the face with a knife in a unprovoked incident that appears to be a...

Park Slope 17 Park Place Warren Lewis Sunday 3-4:30 $1,775,000 GMAP P*Shark Carroll Gardens 405 Smith Street Manzione RE Sunday 2-4 $1,100,000 GMAP P*Shark Midwood 698 East 22nd Street National Brokerage Sunday 2:30-4:30 $848,000 GMAP P*Shark Crown Heights 1253 Carroll Street Realty on the Greene Sunday 1-3 $755,000 GMAP P*Shark

Comment: Meh. Open House Picks 9/11/09 [Brownstoner] Previous Six Months Later Posts [Brownstoner]

Remember the residential conversion we told you was in store for 25 Washington Street in Dumbo? Well, it's started. Last month the permits were approved for interior demolition and the requisite scaffolding went up shortly thereafter. Perhaps of greater interest, we noticed on the...

"Shoring has been put up, presumably after the fact, to prevent further damage but it looks to me like that corner is about to take a swim in the mud pit next door," writes Tyler King over on the Miller Cicero blog about a...

Despite the protestations of some of its Park Slope neighbors, Berkeley Carroll gained support from the Landmarks Preservation Commission for the redesign of an existing one-story school structure at 181 Lincoln Place. The biggest objection of neighbors has been over the potential noise problems...

"In theory, it should be everything that a progressive urban policy analyst like me would want from a new development. Atlantic Yards would create lots of new housing immediately adjacent to mass transit lines. It would be a mix of residential, commercial, retail, and...

Living with an undersize, outdated kitchen? If so, a sledgehammer may feel like the only solution. But these days you're probably not up for spending the $50,000 or more -- maybe much more -- it would cost to demolish the space and build...

More than 170,000 troubled homeowners are breathing a lasting sigh of relief now that they've received permanent modifications under the Obama administration's foreclosure prevention program.

Don't say we didn't warn you.

The national foreclosure rate fell 2% in February from a month earlier, according to an industry report released Thursday, the latest sign that the pace of foreclosures is slowing.

Lots of people, especially those trying to battle high utility bills, believe in energy-efficient homebuilding.

Erin and Robert Smith had no problem handling the $2,000 monthly payment on their home ... until they lost their jobs.

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh is saying adios to the Big Apple and selling his Fifth Avenue penthouse, asking almost $14 million.

Economists have long been predicting commercial real estate could be the next day of reckoning for the financial markets, with a wave of defaults looming as billions of dollars in troubled loans come due in the coming months.

If you've been holding off on a real estate purchase, glimmers of a turnaround in the housing market may have you wondering if it's finally time to make your move.

Situated on the corner of Park Avenue and East 87th Street in New York's Upper East Side, 1055 Park Avenue is an unique ultra-luxurious condominium. This distinctive 12-storey, five-unit building allows its residents to feel right at home while living in the midst of...

Situated at 2280 Frederick Douglass Boulevard, New Harlem Condos embody an impressive mix of elements and styles in an equally diverse setting. With its international flavor, European atmosphere, and distinct architectural design, this upscale Manhattan neighborhood has an unique charm. Turn-of-the-century Romanesque row houses...

Situated in central Harlem, Graceline Court Condominiums (106 West 116th Street) offer graceful living and great views. This 16-storey, 32-unit luxury residence is all about open spaces, glorious sunshine, and spectacular scenery. The spacious layout and high 91/2′ ceilings lend an airy feel and...

Designed by famed architect Emery Roth and modeled after the Duke of Devonshire's royal estate in London, the historic Devonshire House offers classic style as well as contemporary design. This 1928 building in lovely Greenwich Village has been totally modernized to offer luxurious condominium...

One of the best features of Cassa NYC, the luxury hotel/condo at 70 West 45th Street, is the flexibility which it offers to its residents. Designed by TEN Arquitectos, the Mexico City firm headed by Enrique Norten, and the local firm Cetra/Ruddy, the design...

Designed by Robert Scarano and located at 26-26 Jackson Avenue, Vere 26 offers luxurious boutique living in sophisticated style. The exterior of this 11-storey, 43-unit luxury condominium strives to match the amazing New York atmosphere. The exterior of the architectural award-winning Vere features full...

With 316 East 22nd Street, New York, award-winning architect David Howell has brought loft living to a whole new luxurious level. The classic New York loft is contained in a modern and sleek luxury residence. On a quiet, serene, and tree-lined Manhattan block, 316...

Toren, a luxury condominium in the heart of downtown Brooklyn, offers a totally unique luxurious experience. Providing a new angle on modern living, Toren sets the bar much higher for future condo developments. Futuristic and progressive, Toren focuses on pursuing the 'green' ideal in...

One Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn Heights is one great deal that buyers won't want to miss in their search for the perfect home. With current prices being reduced up to 35% and limited rental availability, these luxury condos will be quickly purchased by...

Home owners realize they're at the correct latitude when they discover the luxury condominium, Latitude - Riverdale, NY. Buyers can gain Latitude and at the same time continue to build equity in a lovely home. Living at Latitude ensures a luxurious lifestyle in the...

Both sides negotiating a new completion plan for the World Trade Center site say they're continuing to talk despite a deadline.Developer Larry Silverstein and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement Friday that they are continuing to negotiate.'Following...

Regulators shut down Park Avenue Bank in New York Friday, marking the 28th failure this year of a federally insured bank.The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was appointed receiver of Park Avenue Bank. It had $520.1 million in assets and $494.5 million in deposits as...

Lawyers representing the city, construction firms and more than 10,000 Ground Zero workers agreed to a tentative settlement Thursday that could pay as much as $657.5 million to those who claim to be sickened by the World Trade Center site. The agreement requires approval...

Politicians and union executives gathered in front of trendy retailer Scoop's SoHo outpost Friday morning to announce a new state bill designed to uphold fair wage practices for all New Yorkers.'Wage theft not only hurts hardworking families who are trying to make ends meet...

The 'Lullabuy of Broadway' otherwise known as the Milford Plaza hotel may be taking a longer nap than it had planned.The Times Square property on Eighth Avenue and 45th Street closed on Dec. 12, 2009 for a major renovation that was expected to be...

A federal judge says he will hold a hearing in a week to let people weigh in on a settlement that would pay up to $657 million to people who got sick after toiling in the ruins of the World Trade Center.U.S. District Judge...

Miriam Kreinin Souccar - In a burst of positive news for the art market, New York's two biggest arts fairs, which closed on Sunday, both had a record number of visitors and major sales. The Armory Show, which ran from March 3 through March...

Emily Laermer - Coinciding with the Big East basketball tournament in Madison Square Garden this week, West Virginia University is directing New Yorkers to its Web site using barcodes that most mobile phones with photo and Internet capabilities can read. WVU students wearing shirts...

Real estate developer Shaya Boymelgreen's Web site proclaims his finance business is 'built on a solid foundation.' He might wish to revisit that statement after federal regulators seized LibertyPointe Bank, an institution that he helped start and served as chairman. LibertyPointe late Thursday...

James Comtois - The Stuyvesant Town/Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association is finalizing plans to retain investment banking firm Moelis & Company as its exclusive financial advisor. This move marks the next step in the Tenants Association's plan to seek a tenant-sponsored restructuring plan after...

What's a little rain to a serious hunter? If you're out and about in the New York City real estate market this weekend, let us know what you're seeing out there: crowd sizes, market conditions, great or gruesome finds, and,...

Time for this week's open house roundup from your friends at Curbed Marketplace. More where this came from in our Open House Calendars. And a reminder: sales listings are only $25 this month. Sunday Sales 265 Riverside Drive, 1BR,...

Visit 12 of NYC's most desirable developments Saturday & Sunday, March 13-14, 11am-5pm Complete Event Guide [Corcoran Sunshine]

Click the image above to view the full photogallery. This week's top stories: Liveblogging the Barclays Center Groundbreaking!, Illegal Conversion Boots Tenants from 1182 Broadway, Another New Luxury Rental Tower Opens Its Doors, Theater Guru Wants Out of Soho's Celeb-Friendly...

NOLITA-The boarded-up 244 Elizabeth is waiting on its rehab by the city and conversion to low-income co-ops, but a tipster says don't hold your breath: "Called the name on the permits at the city's office about if this is ever...

[A view of Brooklyn's Washington Avenue, by Curbed Photo Pool/Cran Burry] , Credit problems push back Times Square hotel redesign [Crain's] , A retrospective on a Bowery restaurant-turned-flophouse-turned-hotel [NYT] , Manhattan House gets a fancypants rooftop spa [Luxist] ,...

"Downtown Brooklyn? Are you kidding me?? Have any of you guys actually BEEN there at night? It's probably the most depressing places in the city. It feels like Hartford, CT on the weekend. Yes, Brownstone Brooklyn proper is much nicer...

Click the image above to view the full photogallery. Aside from the promise of a few fishes down below and some legal eagles up top, pinning down prospective tenants at the new 11 Times Square office tower has proven to...

"The Philip Johnson Glass House is on Twitter! We may be Mid-Century but we're modern too." [Twitter/@PJGlassHouse]

This on-the-market 1BR, 1BA at Dumbo's 100 Jay Street (ask: $679,000) has the most detailed for sale by owner website we've ever seen, but that's not what makes it deserving of Funky Friday status. It's also the only apartment...

There are a lot of exciting things coming out in the next few weeks - here are my top 3: 1. Like it? Hate it? The iPad which drew a ton of rumors and speculation is ready to make it's debut. The 1st commercial aired...

I have nothing to say. I have heard this over and over again, not just by real estate agents “ but by many people who are trepidacious about getting involved in Twitter. To many, Twitter has become more useful as a way to tap into...

Yesterday, the 'IE6 funeral' took place in Denver. This is what appeared on the funeral site: Internet Explorer Six, resident of the interwebs for over 8 years, died the morning of March 1, 2010 in Mountain View, California, as a result ...

Yesterday I was pleasantly surprised to find an email newsletter from - TWITTER! I guess it shouldn't surprise me - but at first I was a bit surprised that the company that made '140 characters' a household name, decided to get a message out...

One of the topics people ask me frequently about is social media - and specifically they ask me for how to make the best use of their time. Anyone who has dived into social media knows that it is not 'free' - it takes...

Problem: When someone in the real estate industry goes job-hunting, it can be difficult to navigate through all the listings posted on Monster, Career Builder or some of the other online job boards posting up. In addition, when an employer or real estate brokerage is...

Since I came to Inman News - one of my big goals was to hit the coveted 10,000 follower mark on Twitter. As we came closer and closer, we thought it would be fun to have a contest. We decided that the Inman News...

In the last few weeks or so, I have noticed an incredible amount of GOOD content coming down the pipeline. Like you, I subscribe to blogs, RSS feeds, Twitter lists, etc. But what has grabbed my attention lately has been my Facebook feed. Anyone...

I'm sure none of our loyal FOREM member commit any of these ‘blunders' - but just in case… I figured it would be fun to do a little post about it today. Feel free to pass this onto anyone not following the rules!' Top...

Planomatic recently released PhotoPlan Mobile 1.0 Beta - the first mobile interactive floor plan presentation optimized for the iPhone in the virtual media industry. iPhone users now have the ability to interact with real estate listings' floor plans from any point on earth with...

NEW YORK CITY-Industry veteran Rick Singer has joined forces with Kuwait-based Al Mal Investment to provide local operators with capital partners.

NEW YORK CITY-SL Green and other competitors for the 328,000-square-foot Queens racino make it known that they’re interested now that the winning bid has been scratched.

NEW YORK CITY-The US arm of an Indian media conglomerate has taken space at 1 Penn Plaza, highlighting this week's wrap-up of deals.

NEW YORK CITY-At Thursday’s groundbreaking for the Barclays Center arena, Mayor Bloomberg announced a further commitment to affordable housing by Forest City Ratner.

NEW YORK CITY-A federal judge ruled that the city has offered ‘compelling evidence’ that it owns the rights to the name Tavern on the Green.

NEW YORK CITY-In the tristate region and around the US, a rise in exports will boost industrial space demand, says a Colliers/FSW report.

NEW YORK CITY-A construction company's argument that a foreclosure action cannot proceed because the lender may have received TARP funds failed to persuade a Brooklyn judge

NEW YORK CITY-Control of planning, construction and operation of the 85-acre waterfront park, along with nearby development, passes to a new city-controlled entity

NEW YORK CITY-Construction union members and political leaders alike called on the Port Authority and Silverstein Properties to resolve their differences and ‘build it now.’

NEW YORK CITY-The REIT is interested in the retail potential of the 61,000-square-foot building, reports the New York Post.

Did you hear that? Just now? The screaming sound? That was me, sorry. I kind of lost it a little bit, Earl Weaver style, after losing a 700-word post on smart meters and submetering that probably would have been the best thing you read all day/week. Well,...

For awhile, Slate was satisfied just to be one of the more consistently engaging/occasionally enraging sites on the Internet -- well, satisfied to be that and to run dazzling features from one of the finest young writers of his generation. But in recent years,...

Friday afternoon: it is happening as I type this. At the office from which I'm writing this post, my co-workers are celebrating Friday afternoon by enjoying Cuban food from a nearby spot (spoiler alert: the consensus is that plantains are delicious); I am celebrating it by...

There are hardcore real estate heads out there, probably, who are very aware of German commercial real estate company Jamestown Properties. All I can do is salute those people. For me, the Jamestown Properties of the world -- which the New York Times identifies as...

New York City is full of green buildings large and smallish that opt not to pursue LEED (or other) certification for various reasons. But no un-certified green building in NYC has the pedigree of 700 Broadway. George Post's 19th-century classical revival beauty in the East Village...

To say that Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal "rolls through Red Hook, Carroll Gardens and Park Slope" is inaccurate. It doesn't even loll, really. The Gowanus Canal just sort of sprawls, slack and flat and brown and grease-slicked and awash in pesticides, PCBs and metals, across...

Regular gbNYC readers are familiar with our complicated relationship with Mayor Bloomberg. Yes, the diminuitive orange squillionaire is perhaps a bit too eager to put the brakes on progress at the behest of NYC's mega-developers, but Bloomberg has also contributed mightily to New York City...

Ah, The Hamptons: decadent and expensive and and materialistic and full of nightmarish reality show types screaming wine-breath 'I'm not here to make friends'-type stuff at each other over sodden $40 lunches. And yet also... The Hamptons: beautiful and still comparatively unspoiled in parts and...

Local banks still exist, but are increasingly the sort of thing grandparents talk about walking past on their way uphill to school (and then again, on the uphill home) back in the old days. The tellers knew your name, the locations were convenient, there...

The ins and outs of green building and green real estate are not the hardest things in the world to learn, and my byline on this blog is a testament to that. I am, professionally, more or less a sportswriter, but simply by reading...

The year ends with mortgage rates just over 5%, according to mortgage giant Freddie Mac [[FRE]]. According to Freddie™s weekly survey, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 5.14% with an average 0.7 point for the week ending Dec. 31. The rate is up from last...

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) removed the 1% origination fee cap on loans insured by the Federal Housing Agency (FHA), according a mortgagee letter sent out this week. HUD made the change to remain consistent with the Real Estate Settlement Procedures...

The end of the year is upon us - and what a year it's been! Here's a look at the top 5 most-read stories from HW this year. A Game of Credit Cost Smoke and Mirrors at Wells Fargo? Paul Jackson, April 9, 2009 This story about...

Home prices in the UK climbed 5.9% in 2009, according to a report from the Nationwide Building Society. The average price of a home in the UK landed at £162,103 ($257,105) to end the year with an 8.9% rebound from their lowest point in February...

The U.S. taxpayer now owns a majority interest in GMAC Financial Services, which this week received a capital infusion of $3.79bn from the US Treasury Department. The latest government-led effort to bolster GMAC's capital base comes as part of a year-end effort to close...

Jeremy McCarty is the CEO and chief valuation strategist of Roseville, Calif.-based Valligent. Formerly known as EAS, Valligent operates in the areas of national residential valuation and collateral risk management solutions, including appraisal review, proprietary valuation, loan pool reconciliation tie-out services, and appraisal underwriting....

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) said this week it will adopt the Nationwide Licensing System (NMLS) for license applications and renewals beginning Jan. 4, 2010. Loan originators in Illinois will also begin transitioning onto the NMLS for their new individual licensing...

A recent set of research focusing on 2010 strategies for investors of agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS) by analysts at Barclays Capital finds that credit availability for mortgage originations may increase in the next six to 12 months. However, the situation will remain tight in the...

Mortgage software developers are rushing updates onto the market to meet Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) compliance requirements before the New Year, when changes to RESPA come into effect. Avista Solutions finalized a system update to its loan origination software (LOS) for RESPA compliance...

The number of pre-foreclosure filings in California, which include notices of default and notices of trustee sales, dropped across several counties in November, according to statistics from Default Research, which tracks the notices. The hard-hit Los Angeles County had a 10% decline from last month...

The Wheel Estate Cam: Episode 15read more

Borrowers see median monthly savings of about $519read more

Commentary: Counting the (mortgage) secondsread more

Countrywide will have exclusive license for at least 25 yearsread more

Tech Tool Shedread more

P.M. EDITION: Inman News Headlinesread more

Realtors group opposes hike in minimum downpaymentsread more

Realtor Notebookread more

RealtyTrac: Filings expected to remain at high levelread more

Surveys: Referrals top list, pay-per-click ads rank lowread more

[click to open] Friday Morning March 12, 2010 7:00 AM to 8:30 AM [TOMORROW] Usually I post something AFTER I speak, but since I was invited to 'guest co-host' (in title only since I'll have no idea what I am doing) Bloomberg Surveillance tomorrow, I thought...

Absorption defined for the purposes of this chart as: Number of months to sell all listing inventory at the annualized pace of sales activity. The release of pent-up demand in late 2009 greatly improved the absorption picture for re-sale property in Manhattan. Not much...

I recently had the good fortune of getting to know the founder and owner of LINK Boston, Debra Taylor Blair. Her firm built and operates the MLS system in Boston. She also provides invaluable information to the public and the real estate...

[click to open report] Trulia released its Price Reduction Report for March 2010 and press release The report suggests that sellers are being more realistic when pricing their homes. Over the past year, the rate of price decline began to ease and actually stabilize in...

[click to expand] President Obama announced his intent to appoint several individuals to serve on the Recovery Independent Advisory Panel. One of them is Edward Tufte who has been my inspiration to look at the housing market with data in different ways. He's...

The Obama administration has come up with a radically aggressive plan to reduce foreclosure activity which has remained alarmingly high. The key ingredient is to encourage lenders/services to allow more short sales - selling the home for less than the amount of the...

It's time to share my Three Cents Worth on Curbed, at the intersection of neighborhood and real estate. Three Cents Worth: Reading the Tea Leaves of Listing Inventory This week I thought I™d try to compare the listing inventory trend in the first two...

[click to open report] Zillow has been one of the most visible and talked about AVMs (Automated Valuation Models) in the US and enjoyed considerable press during the housing boom. Of course they have always been at the mercy of the quality of public...

Source: NY Times [click to expand] Floyd Norris' Off The Charts column 'Banks Out of the Woods? Maybe Not' had some sobering news from the FDIC. $1 of $8 in outstanding 1-family mortgage loans is to a troubled borrower. 40% of 1-family residential construction loans delinquent or...

Note to readers - Matrix was hacked and we moved to a new host. Lost some of the graphics as a result - will get back on track shortly. [click to expand] The Wall Street bonus pool rose 17% and average bonus per person rose...

Owners of bad loans are increasingly making deals with borrowers to avoid a foreclosure. Lawmakers are more accepting of these solutions even if they mean the borrower loses the home. Foreclosure - Loan - Business - Real estate - United States

Hundreds of thousands of homeowners are in limbo waiting to find out if they will be accepted for the Obama administration's foreclosure prevention program. Mortgage - Presidency of Barack Obama - United States - President - Business

Swelling ranks of homeowners who are seriously delinquent but haven't yet lost their homes may soon lead to a new round of foreclosures. Foreclosure - Real estate - Business - RealtyTrac - United States

RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday that the number of U.S. households facing foreclosure in February grew 6 percent from the year-ago level, the smallest annual increase in four years.

Mortgage rates held below the 5 percent threshold for the second straight week, a report said Thursday, weeks before a government program that has been keeping rates low is scheduled to expire.

Jobs in Washington D.C. are growing quickly, and in 2008 the city produced more in goods and services than almost anywhere in the country. Washington DC - Weather - Recession - United States - Washington

The number of buyers who agreed to purchase a home fell sharply in January, a sign that demand for housing is sinking this winter as stormy weather slammed Eastern states. Business - Construction and Maintenance - Residential Housing - Real estate - Thomson Reuters

Professional success often requires some degree of sacrifice. Surprisingly, one of those sacrifices might include moving to the outskirts of some big cities. Forbes - Business - United States - Business and Economy - Business Services

The government is giving homeowners another year to refinance their loans under a little-used program designed to help borrowers whose homes have plummeted in value. Loan - Refinancing - Government - Mortgage - United States

Construction spending fell for a third straight month, pulled down by a slump in private nonresidential spending and weak public construction, a government report showed. Public school - Business - Construction and Maintenance - Consulting - Economic

New York hasn’t had a big earthquake in 126 years, and history suggests that we’re likely to have one every century or two. That said, we’re in little danger of a Chile-level megaquake—but it’s also true that the city’s buildings are vulnerable during even...

The past year’s price dip allowed these longtime renters to become owners.

Put your carpenter on commission!

The star has set his sights on Central Park West.

When showings go horribly wrong.

With new developments pulling in a younger, hipper crowd, Hell’s Kitchen now belies its name. Two neighbors enumerate the amenities.

Fourth-quarter numbers reveal six neighborhoods where prices maybe, just maybe, have bottomed out.

How Stuy Town became an oasis for Manhattan?s new middle class.

A look inside Orson Welles' Madison Avenue townhouse.

It took eight months, but writer-comedian Dick Cavett has finally settled into the Central Park West co-op he bought for $4.2 million in May.

Manhattan CENTRAL PARK SOUTH $1,950,000 1 Central Park South One-bedroom, one-bath condo, 782 square feet, with dining room, open kitchen with Viking and Miele appliances and stone counters, marble bath, washer/dryer, central AC and garden views; Plaza conversion features doorman, garage, garden, roof deck and hotel services...

Fashion mogul Elie Tahari, who runs his $500 million eponymous company, and his wife, Rory, are quietly trying to sell more than $70 million worth of property. And we hear that the 10-year marriage between the couple, who are 20 years apart, could be...

I really do have it all, Ramona Singer says happily. I have a great husband, a wonderful daughter and such a pretty home. But Singer, one of The Real Housewives of New York City (which had its Season 3 premiere last Thursday on Bravo), has...

Rajni Narasi and John Cryan had spent a blissful year together and were growing more confident with every passing day that this could be it. So, Narasi, a petite, brunette lawyer, and Cryan, a tall, handsome financial consultant, made the ultimate commitment. No, not marriage....

With flexible hours and a lot of independence, working from home can be a great luxury, especially when your home office is comfortable and efficient. Here are five simple steps you can take to make your office the most productive space in your house. *...

Vornado Realty Trust is swooping in to buy the landmarked 510 Fifth Avenue. Sources say the real estate investment trust led by Steven Roth and Michael Fascitelli is trying to work out a deal for the five-story jewel box on the southwest...

Call it the 2-cent turn around. According to Ken McCarthy, Cushman & Wakefield's New York-area research chief, the average Manhattan office building asking rent increased in February by 2 cents per square foot over the month before. Before you laugh, know that...

It doesn’t take much to trip up these days and the problem may be a more demanding Fannie Mae.

Preservation fights can be notably fierce in Old Hill, Conn., a town known for its ponds.

The apartment of Delphi and Norman Harrington seems to exist in both the present and the past.

Are the outlines of an ambitious swing-set-and-slide area lifting sales at One Brooklyn Bridge Park?

Johnny Krause and Reba Frankel were happy to find a three-bedroom in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, for $342,000.

Broadway north of 96th Street was once a vibrant but shabby area and before that it was farmland.

A high credit score won’t necessarily insulate borrowers from the home-foreclosure crisis, according to a new study from FICO.

Mr. Katz is the chief executive and principal owner of Sherwood Equities Inc., which has developed and manages more than $3 billion in commercial real estate.

The Town of Oxford has declared an 11-month moratorium on applications for affordable-housing developments.

New legislation in Northport requires that plans to demolish or renovate houses a century or more in age be vetted by an architectural review board.

This research paper focusing on the hotel industry indicates that although delighted customers have generally positively views of brands, a satisfied customer will more likely take action supportive of loyalty marketing constructs (i.e., actually book a return trip) because they have an emotional connection...

This research paper focuses on the influence of word of mouth (WOM) on customers' perception of service. It's axiomatic that negative WOM can significantly impact brand reputation. Studying the effect of WOM on such perceptions, though, is another matter. And the research article delves...

This research paper on CRM strategies used by RBC Royal Bank of Canada (Bahamas), analyzes whether the bank successfully applied the four P's of CRM (planning, people, process, and platform). It's well established that financial success is tied to a well executed CRM strategy...

According to this MIT Technology Review article, agile groups with fluid ideation and development team dynamics routinely create more innovative products. Yet commercialization of an innovative product is another matter. Successful monetization of a product requires a disciplined approach towards continuous systems and process...

This blog article on 'controlled serendipity' spurred me to conduct a little content curating of my own, resulting in this gem of a research paper that documents how the BBC utilizes Linked Data technologies to make it easier for BBC users to navigate its...

Donald Glascoff's (left) Park Avenue Bank has been shut down with its deposits sold to Valley National Bank, headed by Gerald Lipkin (right)Federal and state regulators have shut down the Park Avenue Bank and sold its deposits to Valley National Bank, marking the second...

From left: 34 East 74th Street and 308 Mott Street The priciest Manhattan home to hit the market this week is a six-bedroom, four-bathroom townhouse on the Upper East Side at 34 East 74th Street according to Streeteasy.com. The 6,216-square-foot house is on the market...

The Riverton Houses and Larry GluckThe new owners of the rent-stabilized Riverton Houses in Harlem that sold at auction yesterday will have to pay a hefty transfer tax of just under $4 million after they take title to the property in the next couple...

The Department of Buildings said it will grant Big Apple Testing an opportunity to discuss the rejection of its license renewal, following a ruling earlier this month by a New York State Supreme Court judge. New York Supreme Court Judge Alice Schlesinger ruled that...

From the March issue: After steamrolling across the city, the condo boom headed to Harlem, promising high-end buildings in a neighborhood more known for historic brownstones. Many of those condos are now hitting the market during the bust, and developers are doing more than...

1. Lack of credit stymies Milford Plaza renovation effort [Crain™s] 2. Bronx girl imperiled by collapsed roof, other hazardous conditions in city-run apartment [NYDN] 3. Revisiting 104-106 Bowery six years later [NYT]4. Crane removal begins at Beekman Tower construction site [LMCCC] 5. Seacaucus police...

"Fraud is an ever present risk," said attorney and certified fraud examiner Kenneth Citarella in this Habitat Magazine video. He and accountant Mindy Eisenberg Stark, also a certified fraud examiner, outlined ways that co-op and condominium boards can become victims of fraud and some...

The Real Deal is looking for your feedback on market-related issues. To read a story about the CBRE app, click here. Please comment below. If you have questions you'd like posted, please e-mail news@therealdeal.com.

While the residential market has been sagging in and around the greater New York City, there are six Long Island neighborhoods where home prices have stayed rock solid through the financial downturn, according the Newsday. The North Shore™s Port Jefferson, Holbrook in central Suffolk...

Investment banking group Moelis & Company is set to become a financial advisor to the Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village Tenants Association, according to Crain™s, throughout the complex™s coming restructuring plan. The move is being made in an effort to ensure than the...

The long awaited design for 56 Leonard Street in Tribeca by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron has been revealed....

Who said the credit crunch would stem the flow of design driven condo development? Here we take a look at...

The conversion of the 5-story building at 15 Union Square West into 36 condominium apartments has revealed an 1870 cast...

Urban planners might want to make a case study out of the area just north of Madison Square Park in...

This strikingly tall and narrow 60-story condo tower is to be known as One Madison Park and will smartly have...

If only the most well located new condo projects are getting financing in the credit crunch, then Related's Superior Ink...

One Jackson Square at 122 Greenwich Avenue in Manhattan's West Village fills a long vacant lot just below 14th Street....

Another week, another "avant garde" condo in Manhattan -- this time from the developers who made the first leap in...

The Lucida - 151 East 85th Street The Brompton - 205 East 85th Street Two new condo apartment houses offer...

Last week, one of our Trulia team members received a great testimonial from Chris Keller, agent in San Diego, CA. Here are some neat things Chris had to say about our NEW! Local Ads product: 'I started using [a competitor's advertisement] about 1 month ago. I...

photo credit: jackenhack Today Trulia announced a new all-time low for national home price reduction levels since the company started tracking in April 2009, with 19 percent of listings currently on the market in the United States as of March 1, 2010 experiencing at least one price cut. This represents a...

WOOT! It's been an awesome week for Trulia! Starting on Monday and ending today with a bang, Trulia received lots of love from Barbara Corcoran on NBC's Today Show. Check out these sweet deals around the country. Thanks for having us Barb! Minneapolis, MN 3512 Portland...

When one sells, they all sell. This week, it's the ladies who are hitting the market hard to offload their multi-million dollar mansions. We're seeing American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi, Christina Aguilera, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Scarlett Johansson all list their homes for less than...

Last week, I had a great conversation on Local Ads with Joseph Hewey, agent in Dallas, TX. Joseph has been a Local Ads subscriber for a little over a month and he's had HUGE success! Check out his testimonial below: Our conversation went something like...

photo credit: woodleywonderworks Today we announced that 21 percent of homes currently on the market in the United States as of February 1, 2010 have experienced at least one price cut. This represents the second straight month of home price reductions at this level,...

Please join us for our 1st Trulia Local Ads webinar this Thursday February 11 at 10am PT / 1pm EST. Space is limited so please register today. Related PostsLock up your local market! Introducing Trulia Local AdsShine your spotlight everywhereFirst Local Ads testimonial -...

Watch CBS News Videos Online According to CBS: American retailers report that home sales are up, but sellers aren't getting the amounts they used to. Ben Tracy reports on the housing market for the CBS News series 'Where America Stands.' Trulia CEO Pete Flint says- The...

Trulia hosted a Real Estate State of the Union conference call today that revealed results from a recent survey on consumer sentiment with regard to how President Obama has handled the housing crisis in his first year in office. Also discussed are the most...

photo credit: hiddedevries On Tuesday January 26th 2010, Trulia's CEO Pete Flint will be hosting an industry call discussing how President Obama did in his first year in regards to turning around the housing crisis. Pete will be joined by real estate experts and...

A: When I was in elementary school I knew that math was my strongest subject. I recall one teacher that would challenge our class in an exercise she called 'Mental Math', a contest me and a few of my close friends at the time...

A: I need to get away from real estate for a moment. Taking a look at the VIX nearing 52-week lows makes me wonder about complacency and how cheap it is right now to buy some volatility? Maybe some puts? Anyway, when the VIX...

A: This is a topic I touched on a few times here, and is an old story that gets replayed every 10-12 months or so. Just how 'off' is Manhattan square footage? To be honest, its way off but I think this marketplace has...

A: Lets have some fun here and take some guesses as to what to expect when the Manhattan Q1-2010 report is released in about 4 weeks. One thing is for sure, the SALES aspect of the report will likely show a surge over the...

The FDIC banking profile for the fourth quarter came out yesterday. The following are highlights of the report with my comments. I continue to closely monitor the banking system because while the acute phase of the crisis is long over with, debt...

A: Whether you question the sustainability of it or not, you can't deny that some well priced properties out there are receiving multiple offers in the past 4-6 weeks or so. However, that doesn't mean each will end in a bidding war! In fact...

It™s been touted as a consumer-empowering trend, a revolution, a win for buyers and a loss for agents ¦ VOWs “ Virtual Office Websites. It all started with a lawsuit in which the Department of Justice sued the National Association of Realtors in...

A: I'll try to get right to the point here for you guys. I continue to see Pending Sales stay at healthy levels after a short adjustment down from the surge we saw in contracts signed starting around mid 2009. My data shows Manhattan...

A: Okay okay, so I teased you a bit. But this is the first real sign that the era of exit strategy has officially begun. Sure you could have argued that it began earlier with the expiration of some emergency credit facilities, but this...

Christine Toes here. I saw Noah's post a few days ago citing that the market had really picked up lately. Here is what I have seen in my own business: 201 E 28th, large one bed co-op with outdoor space/views, asking $799K on...

As a real estate agent I get asked this questions a number of times a week.  I could answer that question in a number of ways.  I could say the market is down, compared to 2 years ago.  I could also reply with the...

If you're like most home buyers, there's an 87% chance that you started looking for a home on the web, according the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). And according to the National Association of My Personal Experience, there's a high probability that you're...

When negotiating to purchase a home, understanding what your ‘levers' are can be a significant advantage to winning a the deal. Most people believe that price is the only bargaining chip when purchasing a home.  Although this may be true in most cases, it does...

I recently released a calculator for sellers to calculate their closing costs when selling their home.  I did not realize it was going to be so popular.  In fact, I have already received some suggestions on how to make it better. Hey, I listen. What...

I've written various posts on this topic before, but it's so important I thought I would write another one. I'm a huge believer in the term 'managing expectations'.  Being in the business of providing a service, too often we tend to assume that the client...

PMI stands for Private Mortgage Insurance.  When someone takes out a mortgage for more than 80% of the home's value an additional premium, or penalty depending on how you look at it, must be paid to protect the lenders against default.  (a contributing factor...

Real estate agents, yes, we are a funny bunch!  Our creativity levels range from complete plagiarism to the absolute head-scratcher.  Most of us real estate agents did not go to school for marketing or advertising.  Attempting to make a compelling and memorable offer like...

With stuff like this I rather not make up my own interpretation, or worse, paraphrase.  That's why I copied and pasted directly from the Realtor.org website.  I get no credit for this, but I thought I share it with you because I think this...

As you may already know-or not know, I'm always trying to figure out how to help clients and future clients with their real estate needs.  Helpful Realtor® it almost sounds like an oxymoron (two opposites put together), but what the heck.  Here's another FREE...

I remember the time when I was looking for a home, before I became a Realtor®.  I only wished for one thing: to have access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) like my Realtor® did.  If only I could get in there and...

The home shopping season is fast approaching and with over 4 million homes for sale, Zillow is a great place to start house hunting. This morning, real estate guru Barbara Corcoran appeared on the Today show to showcase just a sampling of the real estate...

The Harper Family home in Lake City, GA, received an Extreme Home Makeover in January 2005. Last year, we reported the Harper's avoided foreclosure for a second time. Their financial woes stemmed from a $450,000 loan they took against their home to start a...

American pro tennis player Andy Roddick, known for his blistering serves (he has the fastest serve on record at 155 mph) and his inability to solve his rival, Roger Federer, is selling his Austin, TX home for $4 million. It's the same home where...

Former tennis champion Pete Sampras and his wife, actress/model Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, have listed their enormous Thousand Oaks, CA home for $25 million.  Sampras'  home has over 16,000 square feet of living space, which includes 13,000 sq ft in the main house, plus a 1,200...

A question from Bay City, MI, asked by chummydog in Zillow Advice is: What does 'house in redemption' mean? Do you know? P.S. Real estate agent Mike Emery received the 'Best Answer' vote.

We're still feeling some Oscar® fever, so allow us to indulge with yet another home owned by an Academy Award nominee - Glenn Close. Yes, we still have vivid memories of her role as deranged stalker Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction and were curious...

Attention Seattle-area real estate professionals: We're hosting two Zillow education events this week, one on Thursday in Bellevue and one on Friday in Seattle. Thursday, March 11, 8:30 am - 10 am, Hyatt Regency Bellevue. Friday, March 12, 8:30 am - 10 am, Seattle Public Library. Come...

Mortgage rates for 30-year fixed mortgages declined this week, with the current rate borrowers were quoted on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace at 4.76%, down from 4.80% at this time last week. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate fluctuated between 4.76 and 4.82 during the past week. Additionally,...

Consistent with trends that materialized in December, home value change continued to weaken in many markets around the country during January.  Nationally, while the annualized appreciation rate continued to improve -“ increasing from -5.5% in December to -4.8% in January “- home values declined...

The Florida home of former professional tennis sensation Jennifer Capriati is on the market for $2.1 million; it was first listed in 2008 for $2.35 million. Located in Wesley Chapel, about 40 minutes outside of Tampa, Capriati's home is part of the Saddlebrook Resort community,...