Emily Myers

A rush to beat the mansion tax spurs Manhattan apartment purchases.

Some advice on flipping during a down market in NYC: Avoid Manhattan, consider a longer time frame for owning the property before selling, and focus on serving buyers who will pay for the convenience of a turn-key apartment. 

The asking price of this two-bedroom apartment, 76 Battery Ave., #4A, in Dyker Heights came off by $50,000 about four weeks ago and it's now offered at $625,000. That's well below the current median price of $784,000 for similarly sized apartments in the neighborhood.

How do you look for signs of mismanagement in a NYC building? In this episode of the Brick Underground podcast, we dig a bit deeper into building management, how to find out if an apartment you've fallen in love with has fines or violations or if there have been emergency repairs—and whether these are deal breakers for a purchase. With some online research and some visual cues, you can identify how the building is run.

The asking price for this one bedroom, 61 Jane St., #10L, is above the median sales price of $1,175,000 for similar-sized units in the West Village, but the price likely reflects the fact that the unit has been newly remodeled, has an oversized living room, large bedroom, windowed kitchen, and shared roof deck.

The long-vacant Times Plaza Post Office on Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue will soon become an eleven-story condo building.