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Reports on the plan of United States Senators Charles E. Grassley and Max Baucus to make changes in the tax breaks on historic houses. Restrictions the value of easements; Increase in fines; Creation of new fines for people overvaluing properties; Tax breaks for homeowners who maintain their facades and donate easements to nonprofit preservation groups.

Claims that a deal even with a signed contract and a deposit in escrow is sometimes not a deal in Harlem, New York. Emergence of Harlem as a housing market; Considerations in buying and selling apartments and houses.

Reports that rising prices provided enough money for the owner of a building in Park Avenue in New York City to sell it and make a profit, and provide cash buyouts for tenants. Tenants' protection by rent control and rent stabilization laws; History of the building; Restoration of the building.

Reports that a real estate developer, Surtsey Realty Co, that won a battle with neighbors over the height of an apartment building in New York City has given in in the face of continuing opposition.

Reports on the increase in house construction activity in New York City. Community opposition to construction and effort of the Bloomberg administration to limit some development; Number of building permits issued in 2003 compared to figures through July 2004; Ranking of the boroughs based on construction activity.

Provides corrections to a front-page chart published in the July 18, 2004 issue of "The New York Times" about changes in regional home values over decades.

Reports on the sale of the Sea Park East state-owned housing complex in Coney Island, New York by its developers, Empire State Development Corp. for private developers who would renovate the complex. Market value; Details about the complex's construction; Renovation plans; Finance for the renovation and maintenance.

Provides corrections to a picture printed with the Hunt column in the July 18, 2004 issue of "The New York Times" about Don and Sande Middleberg's search for an apartment in Manhattan, New York.

Describes trends in house buying and ownership in Upper West Side, New York city relating the personal experiences of retired public school teacher, Dorothy Gordon. Living conditions; Emphasis on how she used her house as a source of income by renting them; Rent prices; Reasons for selling the house; Trends in the real estate business.

Provides some insights into the real estate business in the U.S. Importance of skills and training in real estate financing and development; Courses of study offered in the industry; Importance of job experience and learning from experts for developers to succeed in the business.

Focuses on trends and developments in the real estate market in New York in 2004. Real estate pricing; Financial considerations; Investment options; Problems encountered by real estate developers; Effects of the economic conditions.

Focuses on the evolution house and garden tours in New York City. Emergence of brownstone restoration; Role of house tours as an opportunity for homeowners to raise money for a good cause, highlight history and architecture and show off an extravagant renovation or a backyard garden.

Reports on the result of an audit of building plans conducted by the New York Department of Buildings on the GreeneHouse condominium. Opposition of Fort Greene residents to the condominium's height and design; Issue of zoning provision.

This article describes a dispute between real estate broker Dolly Lenz and the developer of a building on Park Avenue in New York City. Lenz has been fired by the developer DCD America for failing to bring in any prospective buyers during the term of her contract. Lenz continues to advertise the building on her Web site even though the developer has hired Stribling & Associates to sell the property.

The article states that an apartment in New York City owned by the Kress family is for sale. The duplex apartment was bought by Samuel H. Kress, founder of the S. H. Kress & Co. variety stores. The Kress family has put the apartment on the market to a select group of brokers. The art collection of the Kress family is discussed.

This article discusses statistics for the last quarter of 2006 from the large real estate brokerage firms of New York City. The data indicates that prices fell slightly and that the pace of sales was strong with the backlog of unsold apartments falling. Analysts have concluded that the Manhattan real estate market seems to have escaped the worst of the real estate market excesses.

This article discusses real estate in New York City during November of 2006. Apartments in a New York City building designed by architect Rosario Candela have been priced at $10.5 or more, but the article notes that few buyers have signed contracts for apartments in the building. The article speculates as to why the apartments have not sold.

The article reports on the plans of architectural historian Jean-Louis Bourgeois to create a museum dedicated to exploring how water impacts human life and experience. Towards this purpose, he purchased a $2.2 million historic home in New York City. The home is located on Weehawken Street and faces West Street and the Hudson River. Details of the building and the prospective museum and are highlighted.

This article describes how people are benefitting from New York City's HomeWorks program where the city helps, through subsidies, homebuyers to purchase city properties at below-market prices. Lovelyn Gwinn bought a place in Harlem in an area of drug-dealing and rat infestation. Now that the property has been renovated and others are buying and fixing up property in the area, the value of Gwinn's property has soared. Program participants agree to reside in the property for at least 6 years.

This article reports on the residential real estate market in New York City in mid 2006. Home sales faltered briefly at the beginning of the year but had rebounded by the Summer. Despite the fact that there were thousands of condominium apartments on the market and many developments under construction or in the planning stage, real estate agents claimed that there were more than enough buyers to sustain the market.

The article focuses on the Herald Towers apartment building in Manhattan. According to the author, the project is caught up in a legal struggle between the owners of the building and the sponsor firm that was contracted to covert the building into condominiums. Details related to the case of David Yoon are reviewed. Yoon signed a contract and put down a deposit for an apartment in the building and was unable to back out of the contract after prices were cut.

The article discusses the numerous pending condominium conversion projects in Manhattan which, according to the New York State attorney general's office, involve more than 7,000 condominium units. The impact these projects are having on rental apartment supply, rent price, and tenants is examined. The new landlords are evicting current market-rate tenants and offering very small discounts to rent-stabilized tenants. The legal questions raised by this issue are considered.

This article reports on the efforts by landlords in New York City to evict tenants from apartments for which they pay rents far below the market rate in 2006. Tenants in New York are protected against evictions in many cases, but not if the landlord has applied for and received permission to demolish the building. Tenants contend that demolition means the physical knocking down of the building. Landlord and city real estate officials define demolition as a substantial renovation of the building in question, an interpretation of the term they contend confers the right to evict.

This article discusses the rising popularity of fireplaces as an amenity in the real estate market. After the introduction of central heating fireplaces were traditionally only placed in penthouse apartments, where the flue only need to run a short distance to the roof. The popularity of fireplaces however, has new builders and restorers of buildings planning flues as high as 10 stories. Gas and electric fireplaces have become popular to use in urban housing because of easier maintainence.

The article looks at the reversal of a decision by the New York City Department of Finance to cut property taxes on many rental, condominium, and small co-op buildings. The tax reductions were introduced by Finance Commissioner Martha E. Stark in an attempt to make the tax system more fair. However, budget officials worried about lost revenue and city lawyers concerned about legal challenges from other taxpayers opposed the tax cuts.

This article discusses Richard Shiu, who has converted a brownstone in Harlem, New York, to a condominium. Shiu's condo is an indicator of the rapid growth in the condo conversion market in Harlem, which allows buyers to get comparable housing to Manhattan brownstones for a fraction of the price. Developers like the RoseTree Development Company are converting the condominiums to attract a new wave of homeowner to Harlem.

This article reports that many New York City homeowners have seen their property tax bills cut, even as property values in the city climb to all time highs. In some cases reductions have been as great as fifty percent. The reductions have been in the most expensive neighborhoods of the city, primarily in Manhattan below 110th Street. The city's Department of Finance is responsible for the remaking of the property tax system.

Reports that homeowners in New York City will have to contend with a sharp and unexpected rise in property tax rates required by state law. Review of how tax rates for one-, two-, and three-family houses will be increased by 4.3 percent in the second-largest increase in tax rates in 14 years; Discussion of how the increased tax rates reflect the rising home values across the metropolitan area and the country; Comments on the issue from Seymour Schwartz, president of the Briarwood Civic Association in central Queens.

Focuses on Keith Boykin, a writer and former aide to President Bill Clinton. His decision to begin a new life in Harlem, in search of affordable rent and connections to his African-American roots; His four frustrating years of living in an apartment that was plunged into foreclosure and then taken over by the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development; How mortgage scandals and shady mortgage brokers continuer to tear at the fabric of life in Harlem and other New York City areas.

Focuses on the West Village Houses project in New York City. History behind the housing project; Efforts of tenant activists to save the project; Dissent among the tenant-activists due in part to the fact that some are now property owners; Excerpts from a tenants' Web discussion group, suggesting displeasure among some.

Discusses controversy over the management of the Future Condominium, a modern apartment tower on East 32nd Street in New York City. Profile of resident Avital Shimshowitz, who was denied a chance to run for the building's board of managers; How the incident highlights the tension in apartment buildings in the city, where some older residents are resentful of newer tenants; Consideration of disputes within other apartment and condominium communities.

Reports on increases in real property tax in New York City. Homeowners' reactions to the tax increases; Residential properties affected by the tax increases.

Examines the difficulties of landowners of evicting tenants who doesn't pay their rents in New York City. Facts and information of the case of amateur landlady Berryl Fox against ex-professional football player Peter Hall and his wife for delaying and evading every attempt of Fox to get their overdue rents; Contention of Fox that the Halls have a long history of such legal problems including a fraudulent multi-million dollar investment schemes; Legal actions made by Fox against the Halls.

Reports on the use of art as the latest amenity of the building in New York City. Efficacy of art in marketing programs; Statement of the chairwoman of the Sunshine Group, Louise M. Sunshine on how to use the space of the building; Assessment on the cost of putting art in the building.

Looks into complaints on mortgage fraud in New York City. Role of housing boom on the prevalence of fraud in housing; Observation of the occurrence of abusive and predatory lending practices and phony appraisals to prospective home owners; Increase in the number of complaints about mortgage fraud received by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Investigation of the allegations of abusive practices by appraisers in the state. INSET: Tips for Preventing Foreclosures, by Josh Barbanel..

Features the Parkchester apartment complex in Bronx. Prices of the apartment; Number of apartments; Struggle of the sponsor of the condo conversion Harry B. Helmsley on the number of vacant apartments.

Reports on a spate of proposed zoning changes focusing on neighborhoods around the five boroughs of New York. Seven projects to preserve and transform the city; History of the zoning system of New York; Conversion of manufacturing zones to offices and residential use; Back-office space along waterfront in New Jersey; Concept of contextual zoning; Down-zoning of low-rise neighborhoods.

Focuses on the investment in low-price housing in New York City. Benefits of the zoning provision for real estate developers; Concept of the inclusionary zoning; Solution to the city's problem of gentrification.

Highlights trends in the rental market, drawn from an analysis of the New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey which was carried out in the spring of 2002. Growth of the New York City housing market between 1999 and 2002; Pace of apartment deregulation in the most desirable neighborhoods of Manhattan; Increase in market rentals in much of the city, especially Brooklyn and Queens.

Reports that homeowners in New York City will receive revised tax bills that will raise taxes on one- to three-family homes an additional 2.8 percent. View that this may become a political issue for New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg because of a property tax increase that went into effect in January 2003; Estimated percentage of all tax increases for homeowners in New York City; Details of the state law, which prompted the tax adjustments.

EDWARD T. STEIN may end up as a minuscule footnote in New York financial history, because he had the misfortune, or perhaps the good fortune, of seeing his multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme unravel in the shadow of the much larger machinations of Bernard L. Madoff. Mr. Stein was an investment adviser based in Roslyn, N.Y., on Long Island. Last year, with his scheme -- to pay investors with money raised from other investors -- running out of money, Mr. Stein was under pressure to close on a $1.6 million one-bedroom apartment at a new glass and steel condominium at 170 East End Avenue on the Upper East Side. So, according to a federal complaint, he used funds wired in by one of his clients to pay for the 1,335-square-foot condominium. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

SCIENTISTS haven't given much thought to the question of whether real estate marketing skills are acquired or inherited, but Louise Sunshine seems to think the quick sale of a family home on the 36th floor at One Beacon Court may provide a clue. Ms. Sunshine has long been recognized as a pioneering real estate marketer, who helped transform the selling of high-end Manhattan apartments from a commodity measured in square feet into a status symbol marketed more like jewelry or artwork. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

IT seems fitting that Shayne McQuade, who makes a living selling backpacks and bags that generate solar power, should have a place in the sun: a garden with 1,650 square feet of space. But his new garden will be in the middle of Greenwich Village, with views of the Empire State Building, rather than in the Gobi Desert or on the Appalachian Trail. And it will be planted 14 stories in the air, at the doorstep of his new home in the base of a turreted rooftop tower designed in 1928 by Emery Roth to hide a wooden water tank at the Devonshire House, on East 10th Street and University Place. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

GARRY KASPAROV, the retired world chess champion, is a master of strategy and logical thinking, and he has begun to apply those skills to the New York real estate market. Last week, Mr. Kasparov, who makes his home in Moscow, bought a penthouse with his wife, Daria, for $3.4 million at the Harrison, a new condominium designed by Robert A. M. Stern at 205 West 76th Street, off Amsterdam Avenue. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

THE downtown market has the largest inventory of unsold luxury properties in Manhattan, but brokers say deals are being done on some of the most talked-about places in some of the most sought-after neighborhoods. Palazzo Chupi, five condominiums that the artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel built atop a former stable at 360 West 11th Street, has been the scene of considerable activity lately. Mr. Schnabel, who also has a studio in the building, has suffered through a year of embarrassing accounts of unsuccessful price cuts in the real estate blogs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

NOW is the season to cut prices, and not just on wide-screen TVs, towels and cameras. On the Upper East Side last week, Sotheby's International Realty sent luxury brokers an e-mail blast showing a voluptuous wood-paneled living room, a fire in the hearth and a treetop-level view of Central Park. The apartment was described in delicate blue print as the ''epitome of elegance and refinement.'' [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

AFTER years of legal wrangling, Princess Firyal of Jordan has gained control of the huge duplex apartment owned by the late Lionel Pincus, the financier, on the 30th and 31st floors of the Pierre Hotel, facing Central Park at East 61st Street. Mr. Pincus died on Oct. 10 at age 78, and an agreement ending a lawsuit filed by Mr. Pincus's two sons against the princess over control of the apartment court was filed on Oct. 15. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

MUCH has been said about buyers at glassy new condominiums who signed contracts when the sun was shining on the market but demanded their deposits back when the weather turned. Many filed applications with the state attorney general's office to get their refunds back, or filed lawsuits. Now a developer of a new condominium in SoHo is declaring victory over reluctant buyers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

PITY the long-suffering brokers of luxury Manhattan real estate. They endured a lonely spell, waiting for the phone to ring. Few properties sold and few buyers were even looking. Now with the Wall Street bonus season about to begin, they are suffering again, they say, but this time because of a drought in inventory. After a bump-up in sales over the last few months, brokers say, more wealthy buyers have come back to the table, looking for fabulous apartments at a bargain. But there are precious few listings. ''I have clients who feel this is the time to buy,'' said Felise Gross, a broker at Brown Harris Stevens, ''but there is very little prime property to show them.'' [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

THROUGHOUT the real estate boom, one commercial property after another in the West Village was sold and transformed into an expensive condominium or house. At the same time, Danta C. Raso and Ricard de La Rosa went about their business, Pro Piano, supplying German-made Steinway pianos to concert pianists out of an office and warehouse on a cobblestone section of Jane Street, just off Washington Street. They began their business in 1969 on the West Coast in what they once described on their Web site as the ''post-hippie San Francisco era when many young people were struggling to justify their new-found intellectual beliefs'' and deal with ''the pragmatic realities of day-to-day survival.'' They got their start supplying rental instruments to the likes of Crosby, Stills and Nash, and Keith Jarrett. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]