1) With two daughters, this week's hunt couple, Stacy and Kyle, figure it's high time to move out of their one bedroom, which they've outfitted with a dividing wall and murphy bed. After backing out of the unit they'd gone into contract for at Linden78 they rent a two bedroom on Riverside Boulevard and get hunting. Out-of-town friends who just don't get it think they should be looking for a bigger place than they are, but Kyle has one of the more compelling arguments for sticking with a small apartment in recent memory. "Why would I buy an extra bedroom for the possibility of my mother or in-laws staying there?" he asks. Point, Kyle. (Stacy's mom, apparently, does not got it going on.) They settle on a 1,300-square-foot two bedroom co-op in Lincoln Towers. Kyle declares it "more than enough [space to never have to see my in-laws again.]" [The Hunt/'Folding Up the Murphy Bed for Good']
2) As sites like Streeteasy and Curbed Marketplace continue to grow, the classic open house is becoming more and more obsolete. But don't tell that to the sellers, who are still more than willing to allow strangers to traipse through their apartments if it makes them feel like their brokers are actually doing something. And many brokers, for their part, still swear by the open house. The ever-devious Barbara Corcoran maintains that, "Nothing turns a buyer on more than another buyer looking very serious about buying the apartment they like." (And nothing turns Bar—nah, never mind.) One Times reporter put that theory to the test, and turned herself into an Open House Weekend Warrior, with some humorous results. [What I Did Last Weekend]
3) High-end real estate developers had to put many of their plans on hold during the housing crisis. But now, after a few excruciating years of waiting, they're back to building and selling high-end real estate, many of them using the very plans they were forced to table. Phew! That was a close one, high-end real estate developers. For a minute, you almost weren't the most outrageously wealthy people. The article includes some exemplary wordplay from Jonathan Miller (ex. "a rolling loan gathers no loss.") [Big Deal/'The Rewards of Patience']