20 years in a garden-floor apartment, upgrading from renter to owner, & more

This week readers visited Brick Underground to learn how a former New Yorker lived in a Brooklyn Heights garden-floor apartment with his family for nearly 20 years—and how it's nothing like living in a basement. He shares the many perks of these dwellings for young families like private outdoor space.

Also of interest: A first-time buyer upgrades from a Long Island City rental to a new condo in Brooklyn Heights.

Here are this week's top five posts:

1) I lived in a Brooklyn Heights garden-floor apartment for nearly 20 years—it's not like living in a basement

2) One year later, renters are ‘frantic’ to return to NYC. Their old apartments are already too expensive

3) From Long Island City to Brooklyn Heights: A renter upgrades to a new condo development

4) Buying spree in Brooklyn and Queens continues to break records

5) The incredible shrinking NYC apartment deal: Why your new lease feels more expensive now