Virginia K. Smith

Q: We saw a sign outside a brownstone for the basement apartment for rent (there was no mention anywhere of a broker's fee). We called the number, and the property manager showed us the apartment about two hours later. We liked the apartment and signed the forms right then and there, at which point he told us we owed him a 15 percent broker's fee. Since he didn't mention the fee up front, and did only a few minutes of work for us, is he really entitled to a 15 percent fee, or can we fight this? 

Portable, custom-designed private islands are a thing you can buy these days (Luxury Listings NYC)

Divvying up inherited property between siblings is as fraught as you'd expect (NYT)

Been eyeing an apartment in Washington Heights or Inwood as an affordable(ish) alternative to the madness of the rest of Manhattan—and Brooklyn now, too? Welp, it may already be too late. While price growth is slowing in the rest of Brooklyn and Manhattan, price growth spiked by 11.9 percent over the past year, according to StreetEasy's July market reports released last week. That's almost twice as fast as the rest of the borough.

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Thinking of re-doing your kitchen? Read this first (Apartment Therapy)

We've said it before, we'll say it again: don't move in with your BF or GF just to save money on rent (Refinery 29)

If you've ever moved to a so-called "emerging" neighborhood in search of cheaper rent, chances are, you could be considered a gentrifier. And while most New Yorkers are plenty comfortable talking about gentrification, we don't know too many people who are especially psyched to self-identify as a gentrifier.