Leigh Kamping-Carder

File this under problems that could be worse: suburban family members lavishing you with home decor gifts, despite your closet-sized apartment. Sweet? Yes. Practical? No, especially considering how individualized a person’s taste can be.

A few years ago, I stood on the roof my six-story walk-up in Gowanus, a Time Warner Cable guy at my side, who pointed to a box attached to a pole three backyards away, wires sprouting from its surface like unkempt hairs.

Wondering why you're seeing so many apocalyptic headlines about the cost of a home in NYC? This week marked the official release of the fourth-quarter market reports, each one analyzing Manhattan’s apartment sales in October, November and December, and prompting news outlets to crow about the record prices that closed out 2014.

For New Yorkers who’ve struggled to buy an apartment this past year, there may be a glimmer of hope for 2015. More new condos are coming on the market, bringing with them the promise of lower prices and greater choice, the New York Times reports.