He Built a House With Doors and Windows That You Can’t Close

Inspired by homes open to their natural settings, an architect designed a house on the Greek island of Corfu with minimal barriers from the “wild landscape.”

Various laws and regulations dictate where people can and can’t light up. Here’s how to make sure they’re enforced.

A Fifth Avenue co-op once owned by Hollywood legends Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward just sold for 40 percent above its asking price following a bidding war. As first reported by the Wall Street Journal, the classic six at 1120 Fifth Avenue sold for roughly $14 million after it was listed for $9,950,000 in December. […]

The post Paul Newman’s Fifth Avenue co-op sells for $4M above asking price first appeared on 6sqft.

The influencer and former collegiate gymnast tried to buy the Manhattan two-bedroom, but instead joined the ranks of high-profile rejects like Madonna and Calvin Klein.

When Laura had the opportunity to relocate from her native São Paulo to NYC and join her boyfriend here, she took the leap. She searched Queens and Manhattan, landing in bustling Inwood. Here is her story as told to Kelly Kreth.

I was born in Pindamonhangaba, which is in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, and raised in Vinhedo. Most recently I was living in São Paulo with my dog Jack in a one bedroom of around 600 square feet. It had two balconies, laundry, free parking, an outdoor pool and a small barbecue area.

The rent in Brazil does not compare to New York City. I used to pay 5,000 Brazilian reais per month, which is about $900. That may not seem like a lot but 5,000 BRL is very expensive for an apartment in Brazil.

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[Editor’s note: Brick Underground’s series The Newcomers features first-person accounts about why a renter or buyer decided to take a chance on NYC.]

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I liked that my place was in a safe location on a dead-end street so it was very calm and quiet even though I lived in a busy part of the city. I disliked that my building was old and the apartment layout was a bit weird: The kitchen was in a corner, so when I cooked I couldn’t see the rest of the apartment and there was no window. As a result I rarely cooked; I ate out every day or ordered in since that was cheaper.

The area has lots of bars and restaurants but everything is very expensive. It is also a business area so on weekends the streets were empty.

I am a data team leader for a financial tech company and my office was about an eight-minute walk from my apartment.

I enjoyed taking my dog to the Ibirapuera Park and taking spin classes at Spin’n Soul, gathering with friends for barbecues (weather in São Paulo is nice all year), going on beach and park outings, and joining my family for Sunday lunch.

Why she decided to move

In May 2024 I was offered a job in our company’s NYC office. I donated all my stuff and sold my car. I only brought a few items, since I was hoping to buy everything I’d need in NYC.

I moved in November and was put in temporary housing in Midtown in a one bedroom with a very nice view of the East River. The building had a good gym.

I started looking on StreetEasy for a rental. I visited 12 apartments in three weeks in Long Island City, Astoria, and on the Upper East Side. But they weren’t close to parks and few of them had in-unit laundry, which was a priority for me.

Wanted: A one bedroom for $3,500

My budget was $3,500 for a one bedroom with in-unit laundry and an elevator. I was fine with Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Queens. I wanted a gym and parking, but neither were a deal-breaker.

The rental process in NYC is quite different from Brazil. There are more available units in NYC but if you don’t make an offer immediately they are gone. I also liked that I could do everything online without using a broker. The process was easy and the background and credit checks were fast.

Where she landed

I ended up in a one bedroom in Inwood with in-unit laundry with a rent at exactly what I was looking to spend. I like that it has an open floor plan, lots of natural light from huge windows in both the living room and bedroom, and great amenities, including a gym, outdoor space with games and a barbecue area, and a co-working space. It has parking for a fee as well.

There are a lot of Latin American restaurants and bars in the neighborhood, and some parts are very busy but other parts are very calm. I like that I am close to nature thanks to Fort Tryon and Inwood Park, have very nice views of the Hudson River. There’s also a very vibrant nightlife scene. 

I bought a car but it is impossible to find street parking on weekends. I also dislike that many streets are dirty. And even though my building has parking, it is quite expensive.

I go to Fort Tryon Park every day with my dog Jack; we love walking around and going to the Sir William’s Dog Run. I also enjoy The Met Cloisters and going to Sunday mass at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Roman Catholic Church.

Food shopping is easier and cheaper here; I enjoy seafood and here it’s very cheap compared to Brazil. 

I take the subway to work now; I’m by the A and E lines and it’s 50 minutes door-to-door.

I have not made new friends yet but it’s because I haven’t tried. I have friends in the area thanks to an exchange program I did about 15 years; I kept in touch with many who now live in NYC and surrounding areas. And my boyfriend is here. He moved from Brazil to NYC before I did so now we are here together. 

I’m enjoying my life in NYC but I am unsure if I will stay.

 

Teachers, police officers, firefighters and other workers live in overcrowded and substandard housing, or even in their cars on the beach.

In and around the coastal town of San Juan del Sur, planned communities offer buyers a range of homes with waterfront views and in ecological reserves.

Brooklyn’s median sales price continued to flirt with the $1 million mark amid rising sales in the second quarter.

Both the median and average sales prices in the borough reached new highs for the second consecutive quarter according to the latest editions of the Elliman Report, which covers co-op, condo, and one-to-three family house sales for Brooklyn and Queens.

The median sales price in Brooklyn rose half a percent in the second quarter to $995,000 from $990,000 in the second quarter of 2024. It was unchanged from the first quarter.

When the mansion tax kicks in

While many properties sell for $1 million or higher in Brooklyn, if the median price hits that threshold, it means a lot more Brooklyn buyers are facing an additional cost.

That’s because the mansion tax kicks in when you buy a New York City apartment or single-family house for $1 million or more, no matter the size of the property.

The fee starts at 1 percent of the sales price and rises in increments to 4.15 percent on sales of $25 million-plus.

Brooklyn sales increased for the third time, rising 0.5 percent in the second quarter. Listings were up annually for the fifth time, also climbing by 0.5 percent, as per the Elliman Report.

The ‘days on market’ debate

Days on market were down 13.8 percent annually for Brooklyn—a sign that properties are selling faster. For individual properties, days on market can signal whether a listing is fresh or stale and buyers will often adjust their offers accordingly.

That metric is part of a major debate over private listings spurred by Compass’s new, three-phase strategy for sellers. The strategy begins with listing properties privately and doesn’t show days on market to buyers to level the playing field for sellers, a Compass company spokesperson previously told Brick.

The problem with this strategy is that “a seller may accept an offer and not realize only three people saw the listing and the buyer didn’t know how long the property has on the market so they feel like they overpaid or undersold,” said Jonathan Miller, president and CEO of appraisal firm Miller Samuel and author of the Elliman Report. 

Queens listings plunge but prices rise

A significant drop in listings helped drive prices to new highs in Queens, even though sales fell in the second quarter, according to the Elliman Report.

The average sales price hit a new high, rising 4.5 percent to $771,441. The median sales price increased 4.1 percent to $714,383.

Sales were down by 7.1 percent compared to the year-ago quarter and listings were down by a significant 30 percent.

A premium for one- to three-family houses in Queens

In his firm’s Brooklyn sales market report, Brown Harris Stevens chief economist Gregory Heym noted that “fewer new development closings lowered the average prices in Downtown Brooklyn.”

For the firm’s Queens sales market report, Heym said the average price of a one- to three-family home crossed the $1 million mark for the first time at a record $1,013,558. (The Elliman Report, which primarily relies on ACRIS, said it rose to $978,998.)

A tumultuous geopolitical period

The second quarter was a tumultuous geopolitical period marked by President Donald Trump’s new tariffs, which hurt the stock market in early April, and the U.S. bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites.

“Brooklyn’s real estate market started the second quarter with solid momentum, but as economic and political uncertainty grew, activity naturally began to cool,” said Michael Sorrentino, senior vice president and general sales manager for New York at The Corcoran Group, which also released a second quarter sales market report for Brooklyn.

“Even with fewer new development sales and tighter inventory, Brooklyn’s average price held near historic highs, underscoring the market’s resilience,” Sorrentino said.

Brooklyn co-ops ‘performed the best’

Compass also released second quarter market reports for Brooklyn and Queens, noting that sales of “co-ops interestingly performed the best, although they have the lowest market share [in Brooklyn], seeing 12.5 percent more sales at notably higher median and average prices than this time last year.”

Condos in Queens “fared the best with a 20.3 percent year-over-year jump in closings,” Compass said.

New development sales drop

Brooklyn’s new development market faced a slowdown in activity during the second quarter, as both sales and signed contracts fell amid a 10.2 percent drop in new listings, according to SERHANT’s second quarter sales market reports for Brooklyn and Long Island City.

“Activity tapered off as the market moved closer to summer and deeper into the season, aligning with economic volatility and heightened global uncertainty,” said Cory Napier, director of research.

The report said that total new development inventory climbed 15.1 percent year over year, driven by older sponsor units remaining on the market.

The Long Island City’s condo market saw an increase in sales and contract activity amid falling prices, as per SERHANT.

 

Set in the heart of Bovina Center — a hamlet known for its agricultural history and quiet creative energy — this multi-structure compound spans more than 57 acres stretched over four parcels on both sides of Main Street. The offering includes a fully renovated five-bedroom inn, a two-bedroom carriage house, a historic storefront with commercial potential, and a restored dairy processing facility.

The layout supports a range of uses, from hospitality and retail to food production or agri-tourism. Additional structures include original barns, dry storage buildings, and a new bridge over the Brush Brook that connects both sides of the property. With scale, infrastructure, and location, this is a flexible setup for a business-minded buyer or a team with a shared vision.

The post Historic Farm Compound with Inn, Creamery & Storefront in Bovina Center, NY appeared first on ESCAPE BROOKLYN.