BrickUnderground

1. Is Astoria over? A local mulls over the changes her neighborhood has seen

2. What I learned from losing my apartment in a fire: An Upper West Sider shares her hard-earned lessons

Whether you agree that Astoria is over or not, there's no arguing its increasing popularity. Below, sellers hosting open houses this weekend for those considering planting roots. For good measure, we've thrown in a few options in neighboring Jackson Heights, too, in case you want to keep your options open. 

On its name alone, Waverly Place in the West Village is a street that evokes visions of quaint, old New York. This $8.75 million townhouse (represented by townhouse experts at Leslie J. Garfield) has a brick facade that transports you immediately to the past, and charming details that townhouse lovers look for—crown moldings, hardwood floors, fireplaces, chair railings, and plenty of woodwork. 

Oftentimes scrolling through real estate listings pictures makes us feel depressed about our current living situation. But not these.

This week's batch of odd listings photos comes—as usual—courtesy of Andy Donaldson, the man behind the Terrible Real Estate Agent Photographs blog and book, complete with Donaldson's own commentary.

1. 2016 market forecast: Is this the year New York returns to sanity?

2. The history behind Grand Concourse, the "Champs-Élysées of the Bronx"

3. Can the landlord kick my sick father out of his rent-stabilized apartment?