New York

Before you pack one box in anticipation of your move to a co-op, you want to be sure you know everything about the building itself, whether it’s quirky rules, upcoming construction, or ongoing squabbles. This will go a long way to easing your move-in process. This will give you a sense of the issues facing co-op owners in the building and give you a heads-up about potential problems upon move in—and how they’ve been handled.

You’ve seen those fancy gizmos in suburban sinks—those garbage disposals that suck down each and every coffee ground or lettuce leaf you don’t need, making it next to unnecessary to make countless runs to your building’s refuse bin. But despite all the modern luxuries of living in New York City, garbage disposals are actually pretty rare.

Six years after applying with my partner, I won an apartment in the NYC Affordable Housing Lottery—a unicorn most folks actually know little about.

We Midwesterners are known for our polite ways (except when it comes to… well, pretty much every major sport), but moving to NYC is a different playing field. Truly. This hits on all facets of life – decorating and more – and living here almost a decade (wow, let’s pretend I didn’t say that), I am more than able to speak to the differences of the two. Here we go.

When it comes to elevated dwellings, tree houses will always be in style. The universal adoration for these nature-friendly living spaces is undeniable, and designer Antony Gibbon has once again tapped into that appeal with the creation of Inhabit, a sleek treehouse located near the town of Woodstock, New York. Situated on a tract of forest land, Gibbon’s design was inspired by geometric forms.

It’s been a whirlwind romance for pop star Ariana Grande and SNL’s Pete Davidson. The young couple have only been public with their relationship since late May, and now the two are engaged and reportedly living together. Where, you ask? The luxe Chelsea high-rise designed by none other than Zaha Hadid. TMZ reported Wednesday that the pair have moved into a five bedroom, four and a half bath unit in the new residential building worth $16 million.

It is now the real life home of one lucky Gilmore Girls (or Parenthood) fan.

Fresh off his breakup with model Gigi Hadid, pop star Zayn Malik has scooped up a sweet bachelor pad in SoHo. The 3,597 square foot 4 bedroom, 4 bathroom penthouse loft is located at 63 Greene Street in a former silk warehouse that was built in 1877 and recently converted to condos by AEON Partners.

Sometimes you see a New York apartment so dreamy, so swoon-worthy it deserves to be the impossibly perfect apartment of the protagonist in a romantic comedy. This is one such apartment, so I took the liberty of writing a treatment of one such rom-com. NOHO-MANHATTAN. INTERIOR-EVENING. Rain patters on the expansive skylight in the solarium, creating a cozy atmosphere. The protagonist, LADY WITH GLASSES, is on the ladder of her massive floor to ceiling bookshelf.

Gather round, friends, and let me tell you a tale of the magical, mystical, under $1,000 apartment. You’d think such a unicorn wouldn’t exist on the isle of Manhattan, but lo! thar she gallops, across Central Park to the Upper West Side. But alas, not everything is as wonderful as it seems, and there’s a catch to this sweet deal.

Just like his beloved character in Die Hard, and though he might work in both NYC and LA, actor Bruce Willis says he will “always be an Upper West Side guy” — even if he did just sell his most recent Central Park West home. Just one week after listing his prewar coop at 271 Central Park West for $17.

If you missed out on the recent sale of Grey Gardens, the famous Hamptons estate of Big Edie and Little Edie Beale, you’re in luck. The carriage house is on the market for the first time in 56 years. The five bedroom, four bathroom house sits on 1.1 acres near Georgica Beach and was built in 1896.

There’s nothing funny about Chris Rock’s historic carriage house in Clinton Hill, with its stately period details and swoon-worthy stained glass. And after a few years of renting it out (some say for as high as $15,000 per month since 2013), Rock has finally sold the property he purchased as a newly famous standup comic.

Actor Alexander Skarsgård recently brought home a Golden Globe for his portrayal of abusive husband Perry Wright on HBO’s Big Little Lies. Now, Skarsgård is looking for a potential new mantle—and accompanying new home— to place his award on. The actor’s on-screen persona may call a cushy, modern Monterey mansion home, but Skarsgård’s real life tastes are far more urban—he recently checked out a $4.55 million fixer-upper in Brooklyn.

It looks like James Bond himself may be Skyfall-ing into Brooklyn. Daniel Craig, the dashing Englishman known for his roles in Bond flicks like Spectre and Casino Royale, is rumored to be the new owner of a $6.75 million home in Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill neighborhood along his wife, the equally-as-stunning Rachel Weisz. Naturally, the brownstone, which was built in 1901, previously belonged to another famous Brit: author Martin Amis.

Update 12/6/17: the house is still on the market. Earlier this month, we reported that an Upper East Side townhouse where Michael Jackson once lived had hit the market for a pop royalty sized price tag of $39 million. If the rumors are true, this pedigreed pad has some new owners—Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman. Australian gossip magazine Woman’s Day reports that a source close to the Tennessee-based A-listers says Keith bought the property because Nicole wants to do theater.

Here’s a thriller of a real estate listing—this Upper East Side mansion is the former home of the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. Currently owned by billionaire Marc Lasry, the hedge fund manager bought the E 74th Street property back in 2001 for $11 million, according to the New York Post. Before modern billionaires, though, the manse has served as home for quite the illustrious list of residents.

Honestly, the closest we want to come to living in a real-life scary house is having a haunted mansion-inspired bathroom. For that reason, we’ll gladly leave this supposedly spooked out Staten Island manse listing to a less skittish bidder. Just in time for Halloween, this nightmare-inducing abode known as the Kreischer Mansion is up for sale for $2 million, plus $1,233 in monthly taxes (additional costs include: nerves of steel and an affinity for ghosts who may or may not be friendly).

This old house on the Upper West Side has been restored to some of its original glory, thanks to OG home renovation show host Bob Vila and his son Chris — who are now selling one of the brownstone’s five condos for $2.5 million. Built in 1909 by John C. Umberfield and designed by architect George Walgrove, the historic townhouse at 21 West 75th Street inspired many episodes of the This Old House show.

If you’ve ever wanted to peek inside the home of Katie Couric, today’s the day. The news anchor’s Upper East Side home is on the market for $8.25 million. The sale comes after Couric and husband, financier John Molner, bought a full floor, five bedroom place about 20 blocks south for north of $12 million, according to 6sqft.

If the real estate gossip is to be believed, abbreviated power couple J-Rod is closing in on their new pad. The superstar actress and singer and former baseball player have been seen peeking around one (particularly tall) residential building. The New York Post’s Page Six reported that JLo and A-Rod have visited units at Midtown property 432 Park Avenue four times thus far.

Size isn’t everything. This small East Village one-bedroom makes it easy to overlook the square footage and focus instead on all the bewitching details like the marble fireplace, wide plank wood floors and skylight windows. We haven’t even gotten to the private terrace on the roof yet which the realtor suggests could be described by Ralph Waldo Emerson as “A secret nook in a pleasant land.” 111 East 10th St.

Whether you know them better from Full House or their fashion labels, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have been trendsetters since childhood. The twin sisters have shared a lot over the years, including a TV role, a media empire, and even this West Village penthouse. According to Curbed, the Olsens bought the property, located at One Morton Square, when the building was under construction in 2009 for $7.2 million and then sold it shortly after in 2010 for $7.

Seems like Bey and Jay are crazy in love with a new house. The mega stars closed on a property last month in Bel Air, but they’ve got their East coast pad on lock now, too. The music moguls also spent $25.925 million in July for this sprawling East Hampton manse, as spotted on 6sqft. Dubbed Pond House, the 12,000 square foot home is located on over two acres by Georgica Pond and next to a 17 acre meadow preserve (read: tons of privacy).

North of New York City, hidden in the tony bedroom communities of Westchester County, sits this perfectly preserved portal to upper class Victorian life on the Hudson River — and now you can rent it for a mere $10,000 a week. If Martha’s Vineyard’s famed rosy-hued Victorian campground cottage is known as The Wooden Valentine, then this Hudson River home must be the 19th century version of a Jumbotron proposal.

Despite having just renovated the place, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski are selling off their Park Slope townhouse that they bought in 2016—for a cool $8 million. The Wall Street Journal reported today that the couple is selling the Park Slope pad because they’re constantly traveling for work. “We’ve been nomads for a while now, but that’s the nature of the business,” Krasinski told WSJ.

When you think of what makes a quintessential New York City apartment—one with a lot of character and charm—you probably picture a pre-war apartment (even if you don’t realize it). Built between the 1880s and 1939 in both Manhattan—the highest concentration is in the Upper West Side, though you can find them pretty much all throughout the borough—and some areas of Brooklyn, pre-war buildings were made with a lot of personality.