Tips for renting a bed bug free apartment; how not to talk to an appraiser, and more!

A daily tour around the web through the eyes of a NYC vertical dweller:

• Jonathan Miller of Miller Samuel Inc. appraisal firm describes his firm’s encounter with a less-than-easy potential client, whose demands included “[not] want[ing] a 'piece of sh*t' appraisal done by some form filler using any comps that are not larger than his apartment. …We passed on the golden opportunity to work for this person. Who needs to work this badly, even in this economy? – and accept an assignment from a crackpot like this? Good grief. Why can’t we all just get along?” Why not, indeed. (Matrix)
• The New York Daily News takes a smart look at how to determine whether your next rental is infested with bedbugs. “Assessing an apartment’s bedbug status is a peculiar mixture of tactful interviewing, sleuthing and trusting your gut," opines reporter Theresa Braine.   BrickUnderground’s own Teri Rogers, who has spent many itchy hours these past months reporting and writing about the city's bed bug crisis, even makes an appearance: "Rogers recommends assessing the landlord's bedbug IQ by finding out how infestations have been handled, the name of the exterminator, if possible (licensing information and Better Business Bureau listings are online), and whether there is a monitoring program or protocol in place. 'You don’t have to be hysterical,' said Rogers. 'These basic steps are not very time-intensive. Ask the landlord, get the disclosure. Ask a couple of neighbors. And then you have to live your life.’”  (NYDN, BrickUnderground)
• The Real Deal reports that powerhouse developer Extell has lost its appeal in the case involving contract deposits at the Rushmore. The ruling by a three-judge panel upholds a decision by a federal district court judge in May, which ruled that the development entity, CRP/Extell, must release the deposits to 41 buyers at the condo at 80 Riverside Boulevard.” This can't be too pleasing to Extell boss Gary Barnett, described this week by NY Magazine as a fearless lone wolf as long on hubris as he is short on friends among his peers. (TRD, NY Mag)
• The Apthorp sales team quits en masse!  CurbedNY notes: “[A] superbroker can only take so much, and with more Apthorp drama piling up, [Dolly] Lenz and her Apthorp sales team have resigned from the project, citing unpaid commissions.” (CurbedNY)
• September was an interesting month for furniture at the New York Times.  Earlier they covered “Butch” furniture.  Now they are reporting that “[t]he Hearst Corporation, publishers of Esquire magazine, recently introduced the Esquire Home Collection, a line of furniture designed, in the words of the press release, ‘to grace the elegant offices of sophisticated men.’” (NYT)