Virginia K. Smith

A duplex in a townhouse--with a backyard!--for $3,500 a month is a steal by Manhattan standards, especially when you take into account the building's back story. Built in 1899, it was purportedly once owned by a mobster and featured in a Katharine Hepburn movie. Even so, West 160th Street can feel like Siberia to some, and the kitchen (along with some of the decor) is in sore need of an update.

Texting with your landlord: a do or a don't? (Zillow)

Got a condo or co-op in a flood zone? Get your facts straight on federal flood insurance (Habitat Magazine)

Looking for a new place to call home and have a $1.5 million budget to work with? Check out our roundup of homes on the market in all five boroughs, whether you're looking for an upscale condo in the West Village, an old-school Upper East Side co-op, a massive Bed-Stuy multi-family, or even a Staten Island house with its own in-ground pool.