Jennifer Laing

As anyone who has ever apartment hunted in New York City knows, finding a rental in our fair city is no picnic—and made worse by the bad apples among the real estate brokers out there. Thrillist sought to find out if their rep for shady business practices  is deserved  by interviewing a licensed  rental broker. His answer: in a word, yes! Here, a sampling of his observations:

As far as gardening goes, growing herbs is about as easy as it gets—except in New York City where even finding an available windowsill to hold a pot is a challenge. Enter the Herb Grower, which holds four planters and attaches to the wall.

If you're on a budget and can get behind the motto “good things come in small packages,” this ground floor studio at 519 East 81st Street, listed for $219,000, may be for you. The price tag is significantly lower than similar studios in the neighborhood, which have sold for $359,562 on average in the last 90 days, according to 

Condo boards have long wielded access to amenities as a weapon against owners who don't pay their common charges. Fall behind on the monthly bill? Say goodbye to the gym, pool, laundry and so on. But it seems that boards didn't necessarily have a legal basis for taking this step—until a recent state court ruling, Habitat Magazine reports. 

Can’t afford a Brooklyn home? Well, you can always start smaller—say, by buying a Brooklyn-based blog. As luck would have it, Greenpointers, a popular local resource for everything Greenpoint, just happens to be for sale.