Teri Karush Rogers

If you’re thinking of selling your apartment, check with the neighbors first.

Besides saving the broker's fee, you will likely be able to charge a small premium starting at around three-percent to an adjacent neighbor who intends to combine spaces, says Julie Friedman, a real estate agent at Bellmarc Realty.

"It has to be a flawless scenario," cautions Friedman. "Not all combinations work—it’s very rare where it actually does fit.”

Tip o' the Brick is a semi-regular spotlight on a great piece of advice in the BrickTalk forum:

A contractor explains how to get a 30% discount on renovation materials:

• Spike in illegal co-op sublets (The Real Deal)
• Soil in the city: The dirt tax (NY Times)
• Charging for bike storage (Cooperator)
• House rules about

There is nothing elegant or charming about an a/c unit jammed into a prewar window.  But the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission prohibits many prewar dwellers from installing thru-wall a/c units into exterior street-facing walls.

Last week's second-quarter real-estate market reports offered few surprises:  Seasonal spring bounce notwithstanding, values in Manhattan slid by as much as 25% over last year, while the number of transactions plummeted by more than half.

This clearly stinks for anyone trying to sell. And declining flip-tax revenues are crimping the bottom line of every building that came to rely on them during the heady boom days.

But look closer and you may discover a quality-of-life dividend or two.