The best, worst, and most baffling stories of the year in real estate

By BrickUnderground | December 15, 2015 - 8:59AM

It's that time of year, when we look back at some of the best, worst and most baffling NYC real estate-related stories of 2015 (okay, Pizza Rat isn't exactly real estate-related, but how could we leave the little guy off a NYC "best of" list?).

Below, BrickUnderground's second annual list of yearbook-style superlatives:

Biggest potential splurge of the year (a.k.a. most expensive NYC home on the market): A three-townhouse home asking $120 million

Worst way to stir up interest in a (not actually) "new" borough: That "Bronx is Burning" party thrown by developers.

Toughest nut to crack: De Blasio's rezoning plan

Saddest example of the more things change, the more they stay the same: Number of homeless New Yorkers rises in 2015

Best way to make your current apartment feel like it's not that small: Tour the just-opened Bloomberg-approved Carmel Place microapartments (formerly known as My Micro NY).

Most dearly departed app: Hopstop (hello, Embark!)

Best news for lazy New Yorkers: It's becoming increasingly unnecessary to ever leave your home.

Best way to keep your college lifestyle going: Ultra-expensive common co-living apartments

Best rodent celebrity turn since Ratatouille: Pizza Rat

Biggest win for affordable housing: The rent freeze (on one year-leases for rent stabilized tenants)

Biggest new source of NYC living anxiety: The East Village building explosion (followed by bricks falling from a high rise)

Next biggest fear: A cat-related gas explosion

Most likely to be dubbed the next Bed-Stuy/Bushwick/Williamsburg: SoBro (aka South Bronx)

Most baffling pet ban: Ferrets (but they're so cute...)

Longest will-they-won't-they mystery: Will the Fed raise interest rates?

Biggest etiquette question of the year: To talk or not to talk to the other people in your cab share (eg. Uber Pool, Via, Lyft Line)

Real estate company trying hardest to kiss up to New Yorkers: Airbnb

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Most overly trend-pieced neighborhood: Bed-Stuy

Fakest neighborhood name: SoCro (that's South Crown Heights to those of you who don't know, which is everyone)

Topic that never seems to be out of the news, but is still so very important and relevant: Gentrification (see fake neighborhood names above)

Most popular real estate journalism trend: data maps (seriously, they're everywhere!)

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