Virginia K. Smith

We'd love to live in a sun-filled brownstone apartment in just about any neighborhood, but Crown Heights also happens to be getting ever more popular with renters. Still, $3,000 a month for a three-bedroom is unusually high for the area, especially for bedrooms that are less than spacious.

Most of us can't think about buying an apartment, let alone a second vacation home, but with bungalows for sale in "the low five figures"? Suddenly this is starting to sound a lot more doable.

Putting together a good-looking living room just comes down to some simple geometry (Apartment Therapy)

Every co-op dweller knows that if you stop paying your maintenance fees, you risk eviction, end of story.

No one wants to live in the middle of a dusty, noisy construction zone, but then, no one who's shelling out for a renovation is dying to drop extra cash relocating while the work gets done, either. Another dilemma to add to the mix? While staying home for a reno gives you a chance to keep an eye on your contractor, some construction experts say the work will go much faster (and save you money) if crews aren't trying to tip toe around a family that's still in residence.