Teri Karush Rogers

This may help you feel less awkward about handing your kids' playdates giant Ziplocs for their backpacks and coats: "I'm calling for a full on war against bedbugs starting in the public school system," Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer tells the Daily News in a story noting that bed bug cases in NYC public schools have nearly tripled to 336 in the first two months of this year versus 135 this time last year. 

At the New York Real Estate Expo on Friday, NY Magazine real estate columnist Jhoanna Robledo asked a panel of real estate types including StreetEasy.com research director Sofia Song, Upper West Side broker Klara Madlin (who flinched as she recalled trying to sell real estate in 1981 when interest rates were 20%), and yours truly whether it is really possible to time the market.

The general consensus: You only know you’ve hit the peak or the bottom when you can see it in your rear view mirror.

Taking a cue from Madison Avenue and condo developers, some existing co-ops and condos formerly known as mere street addresses are in the market for upscale names like Hardenbrook House and The Sterling, according to the November issue of Habitat Magazine.  Slightly less contentious than remodeling the lobby and cheaper than a roof deck, the right name may not only improve marketability, it can also “give even a tenement an individual personality and make its dwellers feel less like cogs in numbered boxes,” says the article (not yet online).

Secondhand smoke is harmful all right--to resale values.

Is a gym/playroom/roofdeck/media room/pool really worth it? The commenters on StreetEasy offer up two philosophies for sorting the diamonds from the marketing fluff. 

"The useful amenities stand the test of time," says one.  "I would be suspicious of a unique amenity offered by one or two buildings (dog spas, wine storage, spinning room)." 

Test #2? Whether you personally will use the amenities.

Even if you are fortunate enough to live in a building that permits washer-dryers in apartments, there’s a better-than-even chance you will not be allowed to vent the dryer to the outdoors. But how well does a ventless dryer work? Over on StreetEasy, the ventless dryer crowd says not bad at all provided you don’t overstuff the machine, keep the lint filter very clean and the door to your laundry area propped open while the machine is on.  Preferred brands?