1) The Wall Street Journal echoes recent reports that the renter's market is over. Vacancy is down, rents have been rising month-to-month, and landlords are saying no to concessions as the market heads into summer. Some say they expect to raise rents 4 to 6 percent in 2011. ['New York Rentals See Demand Return'/WSJ]
2) The Times files an update on the hanging-in-the-balance Admiral's Row, where two buildings were slated for preservation until engineers found that one of the structures might not be stable enough to be saved. One alternative plan: take the building apart and use the pieces for something new. Shelves at the supermarket? ['The Struggle to Preserve the Brooklyn Navy Yard']
3) This week's hunters, after four years in a 350-square-foot "deluxe hallway" of a walk-up in Greenwich Village, weren't too picky, but they still had a few deals fall apart before they ended up in a 1BR co-op in Cobble Hill. They bought the place for $377,000. The first floor location means noises from the entrance and strange vibrations from below, but hey, at least it's not a walk-up. [The Hunt/'A Compatible Apartment, With Charm']
4) One way to get the housing bust to go away: pretend it's not there at all! That's the strategy in Las Vegas, where builders are putting up 1,100 new homes right now, even though there are 9,517 empty houses. Construction's also up in Phoenix, Florida, and other areas hit hard by the recession, and developers are throwing opening parties again for new developments. We're not sure the market's fooled. [After Housing Bust, Builders Dust Off the Boom Machine']
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