Leah Hochbaum Rosner

Love swimming laps, but unsure if you can afford a place with an on-site pool? In this week’s Buy Curious, guest broker Dominic Paolillo of Compass helps you find a home where you can start your day with the breaststroke.

THE WISH LIST:

Like so many New Yorkers, you may have chosen to go the roommate route to help soften the bite of our sky-high rents. Sometimes, it turns into the start of a beautiful friendship. Or a miserable oil-and-water living situation. Here's how to kick out your roommate without resorting to all-out warfare:

Selling an apartment without publicizing it (called an “off-market” or “whisper” listing) may seem seedy, but it’s actually perfectly legal. Sellers like whisper listings because they rarely have to host open houses. Buyers like them because they offer the opportunity to get a place without having to deal with a bidding war. But what are some other pluses and minuses to selling a unit without ever officially listing it?

THE PROS:

Unfortunately it's not just all the packing that makes moving so stressful; sometimes you need to worry about moving company scams that might keep your belongings from ever arriving at your new home (or make it crazy pricey to get them there).

With rents as high as they are in NYC, a roommate or two (or even three or four) may be a must post-college (and beyond) if you want to be able to afford even a semi-decent place. But do you know how to play well with others? Here are some tips for how to manage an apartment search with roomies: