Virginia K. Smith

Your first foray into the New York real estate market can, to put it mildly, be something of a rude awakening. "I tell people it's like the grief process," says broker Gus Waite, managing director of Daniel Baum & Co's Manhattan office. "First, denial—no one can believe the sizes and prices. Then come anger and depression, followed by bargaining, and eventually, acceptance."

Huge news in the world of affordable housing: thanks to a recent ruling, scores of New Yorkers may soon find that their market-rate apartments should legally be rent-stabilized, says Sam Himmelstein, a lawyer who represents residential and commercial tenants and tenant associations.

As we recover from the holidays and gear up for an exciting new year, we're taking this week to revisit our biggest—and favorite—stories of the past year, covering everything from roommate (and landlord) negotiations to the biggest myths of NYC real estate. Stick around and catch up on some required reading, and check back here next week for our 2016 real estate market predictions, and much, much more. 

Now that the gift-opening rush has passed and, if you're anything like us, everyone's squarely in the throes of a holiday food coma, there's no time like the present to collectively zone out in front of some holiday viewing. Naturally, our recommendations all have one thing in common besides being set at the holidays: New York apartments.