Piling on the incentives for luxury condo buyers, NYC's new green roof laws, & more

By Austin Havens-Bowen | December 20, 2019 - 1:00PM

This week, readers visited Brick Underground for a guide to the best Brooklyn and Manhattan neighborhoods for car owners. While the city is making it increasingly difficult to own a car in the city to ease up congestion, factors like greater on-street parking, parking garages, and lower density allow neighborhoods like the Upper West Side, Windsor Terrace, and Ditmas Park to remain more car-friendly.

Also of interest: Lots of apartment listings use virtually staged images. They are meant to show an apartment's potential—and hide its flaws. Here's what to keep in mind when looking at listings that make use of computer-enhanced pictures.

Here, in full, are this week's top stories.

1) The best Manhattan and Brooklyn neighborhoods for buyers or renters who own a car

2) How to reality check photos of virtually staged apartments for sale and for rent

3) Buying a luxury condo in NYC? Some developers are offering extreme incentives

4) What do buildings need to do to comply with NYC's new green roof laws?

5) Can my landlord keep our security deposit because we put up an illegal wall?

And from this week's sponsors:

Ask Sam: How do I succeed a relative in a rent-stabilized apartment? [sponsored]

The board stopped my renovation with no explanation. I literally have no bathroom. What can I do? [sponsored]

Austin Havens-Bowen

Writer

Austin Havens-Bowen is a writer and reporter. He previously covered local news for the Queens Ledger and The Hunts Point Express in the Bronx. He graduated from Hunter College with a BA in media studies. He rents a one-bedroom apartment in Astoria with his boyfriend and their two cats.

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