Now's the time to sell, the best-ever celebrity tenant, fatal fire in Hell's Kitchen luxury high-rise and more

Before you renovate an apartment to fit your taste, you should know it could make for a really tough sale (NYT)

Thinking of renting your apartment to a celebrity tenant? If it’s Axl Rose, it might not be such a bad idea (Vulture)

One dead, one critically injured in 20th floor fire at 42-story luxury condo in Hell's Kitchen (NY Times)

Real estate brokerage  Bond New York now accepts Bitcoin (Yahoo! Finance)

5 ways getting a mortgage will be harder starting Jan. 10 (NY Mag)

If you're a first-time buyer, you might want to consider a hybrid mortgage (The Real Deal)

Did Bloomberg rename your street in his final act as mayor? (WNYC)

Brooklyn slumlord kidnapped outside his office and killed (New York Post; New York Times)

If you’re thinking of selling, now’s a good time, because Manhattan & Brooklyn real estate sales are smoking (NY Mag; CurbedNY)

In fact, NYC real estate broke tons of records, like the most fourth quarter sales in 25 years (Elliman New York Real Estate Market Reports)

One of Harlem's first market-rate condos files $4 million lawsuit over construction defects (The Real Deal)

Yuppies are flocking to Chinatown and driving up rent (Voice of America)

To discourage sublets, condo board charges owners $1,000/month to rent out their apartments (Habitat Magazine)

Developers are casting millionaires aside and focusing on billionaires. But what about the rest of us?  (Observer)