Lucy Cohen Blatter

New Yorkers may have a lot of pet peeves, but scaffolding (known in the business as "sidewalk sheds") has to be rather high up on that list.

That's because scaffolding has seemingly been everywhere for the past few years, turning sidewalks into mazes and tunnels, blocking off light, hurting businesses whose facades are obstructed by it,  and creating potential safety hazards. 

It's not often we come across a NYC apartment on the market for less than $200,000, especially not one that has access to pools and tennis courts. But this $179,000 alcove studio co-op in the Riverdale section of the Bronx ticks off all those boxes.

This weekend's New York Times real estate section featured a story about the importance (and economic payoff) of hiring a professional stager. But the Times focused on homes selling for upwards of a million. So, what about an apartment that's less than a million? Is it still worth it to hire a stager in that case? Or having any staging done at all?

We think we're going to get through this cold and snowy weekend by daydreaming about long summer days. And wouldn't it be lovely to know you were going to be spending those days in this newly rebuilt three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath house in Atlantic Beach?

In some ways, it's a rent-regulated tenant's dream to get bought out of their lease by the landlord for lots of money.  But it's also plenty beneficial to the landlords doing the buyout, since it can open up the gates to market-rate rents and sales. 

It's safe to assume that this $2,995 three-bedroom brownstone apartment would fetch a significantly higher monthly rent if it were across the park in Park Slope. But Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, though located right near Prospect Park, doesn't quite have the same cachet.

The apartment is on the second/top floor of a townhouse and has a washer and dryer in the unit. The kitchen has a dishwasher,  and there's even a den. Pets are not allowed.