Jennifer Laing

If you bought a brand new condo a few years ago and it's time to sell, you now have a very different type of property on your hands. Rather than a "sponsor sale," which you buy directly from the developer, you've got a "resale," which can be less desirable. Some buyers may prefer to skip a place that's got a few years' worth of wear and tear. (Think of the difference between buying a used car and one fresh off the lot.​) That said, you're in a much better position than a couple of years ago, when the market was flooded with sellers and developers looking to unload their condos. 

There are crummy landlords and then there are those that are so bad, they're awarded the dubious distinction of a spot on Public Advocate Letitia James’ Landlord Watchlist, a catalog of building owners with the worst violation records (think lack of heat and hot water, inadequate fire exits, rodents, etc.) in New York City.

As we've noted before, shopping online for home decor has its pros and cons. Now, a whole new class of Internet retailers wants to give you a reason to click by offering quality furnishings at much lower prices than you'd find at a typical home store.

UpCart: The Modern Shopping Cart

Shopping online for home goods is tempting for so many reasons: The merchandise always looks amazing, you get a ton of design ideas at once, it’s less exhausting than schlepping from store to showroom and, best of all, you can do it in your pajamas! But decorating a space via the web has its pitfalls—a sofa that looks burgundy on your computer is fuchsia IRL, a "wooden" console is made of particle board, etc.