BrickUnderground

You'll be forgiven for thinking you've stepped into a classic Noel Coward comedy if you visit this full-floor two-bedroom, two-bath—two separate apartments being sold as a combination by Brown Harris Stevens for $1.495 million—in Murray Hill: It's got an elegant, throwback charm that many New York City apartments sadly no longer have, their period details jettisoned for all that's new and sometimes bland.

1. Tipping the building staff: BrickUnderground's 2015 guide

2. Doormen speak: What's a good holiday tip, the best cash alternatives, the best times to tip, and more

A two-bedroom for less than a million that doesn't require a gut renovation is increasingly becoming a rare sighting in inventory-starved Manhattan, especially in prime areas. And ones asking $750,000 or less? Even more challenging. But this weekend, buyers have options to check out:

West Village townhouses almost always are pretty, but they can run the gamut of small to grand. This six-bedroom home is practically palatial, measuring over 9,200 square feet and a generous 28 feet wide; its interiors are appropriately sumptuous, too, with high ceilings, detailed moldings, and ebonized floors. 

The living room is gifted with an entrance-making stairway and and not one but two fireplaces. The parlor floor also has two terraces.

We've given you the deep dive for all things tipping, but here's a quick primer for how to approach this season of giving, whether you're in a building that's known for great service, or are wrestling with the decision on how much—if at all—to tip your super who never seems to be available when apartment snafus strike. 

In today's edition of "things don't belong in listing photos": teenagers, creepers, and sexually suggestive windows.

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