Lucy Cohen Blatter

You've heard it before: Credit is "tight" and getting a mortgage isn't as easy as it once was. Most NYC real estate talking heads have used the phrase before, referencing it as a reason rents are up and housing inventory is down across the country—and not just in our fair city. So, yes, banks are hesitant to lend to just anyone, and are putting lots of hurdles. (Read about the six surprising roadblocks that can mess with your application.) But after years of hearing this, is there any relief in sight?

If you've ever wanted to live on prime Park Avenue, now might be your chance. This well-renovated studio at 1036 Park Avenue between 85th and 86th streets has a $475,000 price tag that'll appeal to those of us not firmly ensconced in the one percent.

Conventional wisdom says that buyers don't respond well to listings without photos, but we're thinking in the case of these sellers, it might have been better to leave them out altogether.

This particular batch of questionable listings, as always, comes courtesy of Andy Donaldson, the man behind the Terrible Real Estate Agent Photographs blog and book, complete with Donaldson's oh-so-apt commentary.

For those of you in the market to buy a two-bedroom, here's some good news: Now's the time of year that NYC sellers seriously want to offload their apartments—they're the so-called "motivated sellers"—before the holiday slump starts. Sometimes that means they'll even offer discounts, especially if the apartment's been on the market for a while. Below, five two-bedroom apartments across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx that have seen serious discounts in the last few weeks.

In NYC, plenty of rental buildings are so big you'll never meet your "landlord" (a.k.a. large management company that cashes your check). But in the case of renting from a small landlord, things can be a little trickier.