Welcome to It Happened One Weekend, our weekly roundup of The New York Times real estate section...
1) Today in Urban Farming
The "newest" New York housing trend upon which The Times sets its sights? People keeping farm animals in their backyards. Chickens! Bees! Rabbits! Check out all these weirdos! (And whatever happened to good old fashioned pigeons?) Of course, urban farming is the gift that keeps on giving for The New York Times, considering they've published the same article over and over again. ["Heard on the Street: E-I-E-I-O"; photo by Marie Viljoen/Curbed Photo Pool]
2) Every "The Hunt" column begins with the Hunters describing the apartment they want, and ends with them rationalizing whatever they came away with. This is The Hunt: Dreams vs. Reality
The Hunters: A guy looking to buy in Manhattan
Price
Dream: $750,000
Reality: $575,000
Neighborhood
Dream: "Near Central Park"
Reality: Harlem
Amenities
Dream: 2BR condo, pet-friendly, sunny
Reality: 2BR, top-floor, sunny
Summary
This weekend's Hunter is a guy looking to move out of his Long Island City rental, claiming that the neighborhood "lacked the right kind of energy for a single gay guy." He decided to look for two-bedroom condos "near Central Park," first looking on the Upper East Side, then settling on Harlem. He specifically sought sunny apartments in pet-friendly buildings, since he has two adorable dogs. He soon found an ideal, top-floor two-bedroom on St. Nicholas Avenue, paying $575,000 after negotiations. However, after signing the contract, he learned of a change in the building's pet-policy, requiring him to pay a pet rent of $250/month. [The Hunt/"Lively Surroundings for Man and Beasts"]