Jennifer Laing

If anyone could use a crash course in minimalist living it’s a space-strapped New Yorker. While not suffering from a lack of room herself (she owns a townhouse, after all!), Anne Hellman, author of the coffee table book Design Brooklyn, has created a chic but sparsely decorated home of her own.

​Looking for a family home? How does a large three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment on East 63rd Street for $995,000 sound? Too good to be true? Well it is, sort of (the monthlies are astronomical, but more on that later), and yet it’s not—which is exactly what caught our eye about this listing.

The city’s residential composting pilot program kicked off in 2013, but residents of its test neighborhoods—including many in those considered to be the most eco-centric in the city, like Park Slope—have been slow to jump on the bandwagon.

Moving apartments is an expensive endeavor, especially when it includes the upfront payment of first and last month’s rent, a broker's fee and a security deposit. Fortunately, you can usually count on getting that deposit back, right? Well, yes, if you and your landlord have behaved according to the law.