Those who can't stand to hear the echo in a 90-square-foot apartment, seek cozier refuge in even smaller confines. Back in April we met architect Luke Clark Tyler, who lives in a 78-square-foot apartment in Hell's Kitchen, after spending two years in a 96-square-foot apartment. Now we have video evidence of his digs and his monthly rent: Tyler says he couldn't find a place with roommates in his budget in the neighborhood, so he pays $800 a month to live in a space that doubles as his home office. Curbed reports that he pays $750, but Tyler doesn't mince words in the video. more ›

The big real estate brokerages released their 2008 4th quarter reports, and here's how the NY Times put it: "For those New Yorkers who wondered what the Manhattan real estate market might be like without the ever-rising bonuses of Wall Street’s elite, the answer is now emerging: an abrupt decline in transactions, tottering prices and buyers who are still looking but unwilling to sign a contract. " more ›

Somehow, in spite of the faltering economy, brokerage firms say second quarter apartment sale prices were about the same or maybe even slightly higher than in the first quarter--though sales were down 22% versus 2007's second quarter. The NY Times noticed, "Strong luxury sales and faltering studio sales had the perverse effect of catapulting the median price — the price of the apartment exactly in the middle of all sale prices — to a record. It was close to or slightly above $1 million..." Brokers are also cautiously optimistic that the NYC real estate market won't fall as they have in other parts of the country. more ›

Manhattan real estate sales set a record in the fourth quarter of 2007, with residential sales averaging out to be $1.4 million (according to data from Prudential Douglas Elliman), an increase of 17.6% over 2006's fourth quarter. However impressive that statistic is, the growth was primarily driven by super high-end sales of at least $10 million. more ›