Teri Karush Rogers

If you're contemplating buying, renting or selling an apartment besieged by street noise, remember that not all noise pollution is created equal: Very high and very low-frequency sounds like screeching sirens and rumbling garbage trucks will be harder to block by replacing or soundproofing your windows.

"Diminishing the sound of talking from the street will be easier than a stereo with a deep bass," says Leon Geoxavier of Rand Engineering & Architecture. 

Great question, and one that we've been wondering about ourselves. A telling indicator appears in a Real Deal article on how scam-weary renters are turning to closed communities like Facebook to find apartments and/or reputable brokers.

This comment from a frustrated broker suggests that a lot fewer renters are cruising Craigslist these days.

When it comes to co-op and condo buildings of a certain size, on-premises gyms confer no wine cellar/screening room/private dining club bragging rights. But the absence of a gym--well, that's not just embarrassing. It could knock $15,000 off your apartment's resale value, according to an article in the May issue of The Cooperator.

The story pins the blame on the usual suspect: Amenity-laden newer condos that have raised the bar on basic services.

Real New Yorkers know that the real signs of impending summer have little to do with the calendar or the temperature, such as.....