Spy cams catch unethical brokers on LI, rising rents discourage NYC renters, & more

By Austin Havens-Bowen | November 22, 2019 - 12:00PM

This week, readers learned about a three-year investigation that yielded hundreds of hours of secretly-recorded interactions with real estate agents on Long Island. The agents treated non-white undercover house hunters very differently, including steering them away from predominately white neighborhoods, which is illegal under the Fair Housing Act.

Readers also visited Brick Underground to learn about alternatives to marble and granite for kitchen renovations. Thanks to advances to in technology, there's a wide range of durable and attractive materials on the market that you might not be aware of.

Here, in full, are this week's top stories.

1) How Long Island’s real estate firms steer minority buyers away from white neighborhoods

2) Astoria vs. Forest Hills: Which neighborhood is for you?

3) 6 great alternatives to marble and granite for your NYC kitchen renovation: Quartz, quartzite, porcelain, soapstone, & more

4) With few deals to be found, NYC renters are staying put

5) My co-op board interview: The tables were turned because I had an exit strategy

And from this week's sponsors:

Brooklyn brownstone renovators share their best tips for working with a design-build firm [sponsored]

How can our apartment building fight a contractor's lien? [sponsored]

Austin Havens-Bowen

Writer

Austin Havens-Bowen is a writer and reporter. He previously covered local news for the Queens Ledger and The Hunts Point Express in the Bronx. He graduated from Hunter College with a BA in media studies. He rents a one-bedroom apartment in Astoria with his boyfriend and their two cats.

SEE MORE BY Austin Havens-Bowen »

Brick Underground articles occasionally include the expertise of, or information about, advertising partners when relevant to the story. We will never promote an advertiser's product without making the relationship clear to our readers.