Latest news with #StreetEasy
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Millennial Writes Off 'Terrible' Apartment Listing—Then Realizes Mistake
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. A Brooklyn-based content creator's hunt for an apartment in New York City has gone viral, showcasing how a poor listing may have helped her land what she called the "best worst listing ever." Victoria, an NYC-based lifestyle and food creator in her early 30s who posts under the handle @atyourleisurenyc on YouTube and Instagram, shared her unusual apartment hunting story in a video. The clip, which has amassed over 221,000 views since it was posted on YouTube on June 13, features various shots of Victoria in her apartment. "I still can't believe I found my rent-stabilized one-bedroom apartment with in-unit washer dryer in New York City on StreetEasy with zero competition and here's how," Victoria says in the video. She explains in the video: "My friend sent me the listing, but I almost skipped it. The photos were terrible, the description was super generic, did not mention any amenities, and the rent was out of my budget. But then the broker texted me a video of the apartment and said the listed price was actually $300 too high, which was so sketchy, but I went to go see it anyway." Victoria's viral video comes at a time when millions of Americans are struggling to afford housing. A 2024 report by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University describes an "unprecedented affordability crisis," with nearly half of all renter households in the U.S. considered cost-burdened. About 12.1 million are "severely cost-burdened," meaning they spend over 50% of their income on rent and utilities. 'Exactly What I've Been Looking For' Victoria moved into her Brooklyn apartment in February 2024. Speaking to Newsweek, she explained that the broker's video, which showed the apartment furnished by the previous tenant, offered her a more realistic view of the space than the official listing. "I liked the layout, large windows, and spacious closet of the apartment, and the fact that it had a dishwasher and in-unit laundry and was in an elevator building," she told Newsweek. "I was the only one who saw the apartment on the night that I went, and don't think there were other viewers on other days. The photos on StreetEasy were blurry and unappealing—I found out later that some of the photos weren't even of my actual apartment." The night she viewed it was far from typical. "I showed up for a tour at 6:00 p.m. in the dead of winter only to find that the power was cut and the broker couldn't make it," she recalls in the video. "So I toured the apartment by myself in the dark with my phone flashlight and the broker on speaker phone. I realized even in the dark that I had finally found exactly what I've been looking for." Having viewed several other apartments in Brooklyn that she couldn't see herself living in, "this one had everything I was looking for and was just within my budget," she told Newsweek. Her monthly rent was about $3,200 at move-in, but the building's participation in New York City's 421-a tax abatement program meant it came with a rent-stabilization rider—a rare find in the current market. Although the stabilization clause expires at the end of June, Victoria secured a two-year lease extension at the current rate. Despite the apartment's many perks, not everything was perfect. "Although I hated the floors of the apartment—they were an ugly linoleum yellow tile—I knew I couldn't not sign the lease because of that," she said. "So, I ended up installing peel and stick flooring all throughout my apartment and strategically layering several rugs to cover up the existing floors." Her decision paid off. "Thank God the StreetEasy listing was so bad and scared everyone else off," Victoria says at the end of the video. "It was the best worst listing ever." Screenshots from a viral video on YouTube showing an exterior and interior shot of a rare rent-stabilized one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, New York City. Screenshots from a viral video on YouTube showing an exterior and interior shot of a rare rent-stabilized one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, New York City. @atyourleisurenyc on YouTube and Instagram Do you have a home-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@ and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
New York Post
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
A $900K studio in Carrie Bradshaw's fictional townhouse has sold
A rare unit in Carrie Bradshaw's fictional Gramercy Park townhouse sold for $900,000, according to an eye-catching listing update on StreetEasy. The garden-level studio faces Manhattan's ultra-exclusive Gramercy Park, where entry is restricted to the fortunate few who live around the park's perimeter. Residents of this particular co-op at 3 Gramercy Park West can further flaunt their address as the home of fictional sex columnist Carrie Bradshaw in HBO's 'And Just Like That.' The third season of the buzzy 'Sex and the City' reboot premiered in late May. Viewers were greeted with the ever-fashionable Carrie, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, dashing in and out of her brand new Greek Revival-style pad. 8 Carrie Bradshaw leaves her new apartment at 3 Gramercy Park West in the third season of 'And Just Like That.' justlikethatmax/Instagram 8 The real-life property is a seven-unit co-op with a coveted key to Gramercy Park. Tim Waltman of Evan Joseph Carrie recently made a fresh start with her purchase in the luxurious Gramercy Park brownstone, having ditched her West Village one-bedroom in order to make room for her boyfriend Aidan, played by John Corbett. The recently sold studio on the red brick building's garden floor, accessed by a set of stairs beside the main entrance, has all the pre-war charms one would expect of a Gramercy Park address. But there was one big, Carrie-like catch to the $900,000 sale: There's no kitchen. Carrie's fictional home inside 3 Gramercy Park West is far more spacious than this real-life studio, but neither the character nor the co-op unit can cook a meal. Carrie famously joked in 'Sex and the City' that she only used her oven for sweater storage. This studio did away with the kitchen altogether. 8 The garden-level studio is accessed by a stairway to the right of the main entrance. Tim Waltman of Evan Joseph 8 In addition to park views, the studio boasts neat pocket shutters, high ceilings, wide plank floors and four closets. Tim Waltman of Evan Joseph 8 While the next owner will have to install a new kitchen, the studio's bathroom is ready to go. Tim Waltman of Evan Joseph Core broker Emily Beare, who represented the sellers, told The Post that the studio's $900,000 sales price reflected the missing amenity. The sellers, identified in city records as Kathryn and Milos Brajovic, bought the studio unit for the exact same price in early 2020. The family also owns a larger parlor-floor unit just above the studio. Milos Brajovic co-founded the Dallas-based studio Lantern Entertainment, formed from a 2018 acquisition of the Weinstein Company, which included control of famous films like 'Django Unchained' and 'Silver Linings Playbook.' The sellers had plans to connect their two units, Beare said, but ultimately reversed course. They decided to part with the studio, but not before tearing out the kitchen. 'He was either going to put a kitchen back in, or the new owner could do it on their own,' Beare said. 'That's why it's sold at the same price.' 8 Carrie, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, upgraded from her one-bedroom pad to a massive Gramercy Park apartment. Craig Blankenhorn/Max 8 The 'AJLT' fashionista purchased the pad to make room for her life with boyfriend Aidan. Craig Blankenhorn/Max Considering the prime location, however, Beare called the $900,000 price tag 'a very good price for a studio without a kitchen.' The studio boasts pre-war bones and classic proportions, with neat pocket shutters and high ceilings. The floors were recently upgraded to wide-plank wood, according to Beare. 'It wasn't an easy decision [to sell], because these types of properties don't come up very often,' Beare said. 'They're really special.' The buyer, whose identity could not be determined, closed on the studio last week for $900,000, Beare confirmed. 'The first time they came, they just loved it,' she said. 8 Carrie's fictional home at 3 Gramercy Park West is far more spacious than the $900,000 studio that just sold there. AP The unit garnered a lot of interest, Beare said. 'And Just Like That' understandably came up in most conversations. The address, however, lacks the real-life drama of Carrie's fictional Perry Street brownstone apartment, the owner of which is famously fighting off photo-hungry 'SATC' fans who have climbed up the private stoop for Instagram moments for years. Less foot traffic and the presence of a gate outside the 179-year-old Gramercy Park building prevents that kind of friction, Beare said, but the spot is still popular. 'We always see people coming and taking pictures, but you don't have crowds,' she said. While the apartment lacks a kitchen, the new owner can still indulge their inner Carrie with an impressive four closets, allowing for maximum Manolo Blahniks.
Business Times
13-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
New York real estate industry appeals broker-fee case ruling
[NEW YORK] Real estate groups are challenging a ruling by a federal judge that allowed New York City to begin enforcing a new law requiring landlords, rather than their tenants, to pay fees for hiring listing brokers. US District Judge Ronnie Abrams on Tuesday (Jun10) denied a request by the Real Estate Board of New York, the New York State Association of Realtors and others to pause the law while their lawsuit proceeds. The ruling was another setback for the industry's legal fight against the measure, which went into effect on Wednesday (Jun 11). The groups on Thursday filed an appeal of Abrams' decision to the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The City Council adopted the measure in November to end the longstanding practice of tenants being forced to pay costs incurred by landlords to hire the brokers who list their properties, which can add thousands of dollars to housing costs. The real estate industry argued the new law branded brokers as villains and would force landlords to raise rents to cover the costs of hiring them. New York City renters who settle on apartments that have broker fees pay an average of almost US$13,000 to secure the keys to a property, which frequently includes thousands of dollars in fees for brokers hired by landlords to secure tenants, according to an analysis by StreetEasy released last year. Roughly 40 per cent to 50 per cent of listings on StreetEasy have required lease signers to pay the commissions of agents hired by their new landlords, which have typically ranged from one month's rent to 15 per cent of the annual bill. The Real Estate Board contends that the law, known as Fairness in Apartment Rental Expenses Act, or FARE Act, interferes with exclusive agreements that landlords sign with brokers to list their properties and find tenants, in violation of the Constitution's bar against state laws impairing private contracts. It also argues the law violates the free-speech rights of landlords and brokers who publish real estate listings and then seek to receive compensation from tenants for the cost of the listing service. The industry's lawsuit alleges that the law will make rent-stabilised apartments too costly to operate and force landlords to raise rents to cover the cost of broker fees. The industry says tenants usually pay less over the life of a lease when commissions are paid separately, and that some are already refusing to pay broker fees even though the law hasn't taken effect yet. A state-approved broker-fee ban was briefly in place in February 2020, just before the first Covid lockdown brought the rental market to a near halt. By the time renter demand began rising the next year, a court had struck down the state law and brokers were eager to capitalise on what quickly became a very competitive market where prices have continued to rise. The law could dramatically change the dynamics of the city's highly competitive rental market, where prices have soared since pandemic restrictions began easing in 2021. The median cost of new Manhattan leases was US$4,571 in May, reaching another all-time high, according to appraiser Miller Samuel and Douglas Elliman. Prices have also set records in the outer boroughs. BLOOMBERG
Hindustan Times
13-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
New York real estate industry appeals broker-fee case ruling
(Bloomberg) -- Real estate groups are challenging a ruling by a federal judge that allowed New York City to begin enforcing a new law requiring landlords, rather than their tenants, to pay fees for hiring listing brokers. US District Judge Ronnie Abrams on June 10 denied a request by the Real Estate Board of New York, the New York State Association of Realtors and others to pause the law while their lawsuit proceeds. The ruling was another setback for the industry's legal fight against the measure, which went into effect on June 11. The groups on June 12 filed an appeal of Abrams' decision to the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The City Council adopted the measure in November to end the longstanding practice of tenants being forced to pay costs incurred by landlords to hire the brokers who list their properties, which can add thousands of dollars to housing costs. The real estate industry argued the new law branded brokers as villains and would force landlords to raise rents to cover the costs of hiring them. New York City renters who settle on apartments that have broker fees pay an average of almost $13,000 to secure the keys to a property, which frequently includes thousands of dollars in fees for brokers hired by landlords to secure tenants, according to an analysis by StreetEasy released last year. Roughly 40% to 50% of listings on StreetEasy have required lease signers to pay the commissions of agents hired by their new landlords, which have typically ranged from one month's rent to 15% of the annual bill. The Real Estate Board contends that the law, known as Fairness in Apartment Rental Expenses Act, or FARE Act, interferes with exclusive agreements that landlords sign with brokers to list their properties and find tenants, in violation of the Constitution's bar against state laws impairing private contracts. It also argues the law violates the free-speech rights of landlords and brokers who publish real estate listings and then seek to receive compensation from tenants for the cost of the listing service. The industry's lawsuit alleges that the law will make rent-stabilized apartments too costly to operate and force landlords to raise rents to cover the cost of broker fees. The industry says tenants usually pay less over the life of a lease when commissions are paid separately, and that some are already refusing to pay broker fees even though the law hasn't taken effect yet. The law could dramatically change the dynamics of the city's highly competitive rental market, where prices have soared since pandemic restrictions began easing in 2021. The median cost of new Manhattan leases was $4,571 in May, reaching another all-time high, according to appraiser Miller Samuel Inc. and Douglas Elliman. Prices have also set records in the outer boroughs. The case is Real Estate Board of New York v City of New York, 24-CV-9678, US District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan). -More stories like this are available on ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Renters Face Sneaky Price Hikes in New York City
New York City renters know when it's time to find an apartment, it's always going to be an expensive venture. Even with a new broker-fee ban, it looks like renting will still be a costly option. The Fairness in Apartment Rental Expenses Act (FARE Act) went into effect on June 11 and does not allow a landlord's real estate agent to charge a fee to the tenants which was often 12-15 percent of the annual rent. That law will greatly reduce the costs for people to move into an apartment, but Bloomberg is pointing out how landlords are trying to find other ways to pass the costs onto their tenants by rolling it into their rent. On average, it costs a person $12,942 to move into a new apartment with a security deposit, first month's rent, and the dreaded broker fees, per StreetEasy. Now, that price is expected to average $7,537, it is a significant relief for those hoping to reside in one of the five boroughs. Still, the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) pushed back on the bill, and they are sending a warning to renters. "New Yorkers will soon realize the negative impacts of the FARE Act when listings become scarce, and rents rise. We will continue to litigate this case as well as explore our avenues for appeal," REBNY President James Whelan said, per ABC7 New York, in court after a judge denied their attempt to stop the FARE Act. History disagrees with REBNY though. Apartments with a broker's fee had "an average increase in rent around 5.3% compared to the rest of the market, which saw an increase of 4.6%, according to StreetEasy Senior Economist Kenny Lee. REBNY will continue to appeal the judge's ruling, but people are celebrating the financial relief in the housing sector. Living in New York City has always come with a premium price, but the FARE Act will make a Face Sneaky Price Hikes in New York City first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 12, 2025
