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What makes a co-op different from a condo, apps to unlock your best NYC life, & more

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By Austin Havens-Bowen  |
November 8, 2019 - 2:00PM

This week, readers visited Brick Underground for a cheat sheet on co-ops and condos. Condos are typically newer and buyers receive a traditional deed as if buying a single-family house, but in NYC, there's a larger inventory of co-ops. While they are more affordable than similarly sized condos—it's trickier to get approved by a co-op board compared to a condo board. 

Also of interest: How you can tell if a basement apartment in NYC is legal. From checking the building's Certificate of Occupancy, looking for exits in each of the bedrooms to having a fully functional bathroom and kitchen, there's many ways that you can ensure a prospective basement apartment is a legal, and safe, dwelling.

Here, in full, are the week's top stories. 

1) What is the difference between a condo and a co-op?

2) The pros and cons of buying a penthouse apartment

3) The apps you need when you live in New York City

4) What's better for buying an apartment in NYC: A 15- or 30-year mortgage?

5) How to tell if a NYC basement apartment is a legal rental

And from this week's sponsors:

Ask Sam: When can tenants legally withhold their rent? [sponsored]

Westchester vs. Connecticut property taxes: What you need to know before buying a home in the suburbs [sponsored]

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Austin Havens-Bowen

Staff Writer

Staff writer Austin Havens-Bowen covers the rental market and answers renters' questions in a column called Realty Bites. He previously reported on local news for the Queens Ledger and The Hunts Point Express in the Bronx. He graduated from Hunter College with a BA in media studies. He rents a one-bedroom apartment in Astoria with his boyfriend and their two cats.

Brick Underground articles occasionally include the expertise of, or information about, advertising partners when relevant to the story. We will never promote an advertiser's product without making the relationship clear to our readers.

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