The Best Neighborhoods for Pie in NYC
New York has always been a pizza pie town, but we'd wager that our actual pies are hot-hot-hot, too. That deliciousness spans from the appeltaarts of early Dutch colonizers to the Oprah-approved key lime pie at Little Pie Company in Midtown. Fork in hand, our trusted sources tasted their way through the Big Apple to figure out the best neighborhoods for pie in NYC - just in time for Thanksgiving. It reminds us of that Seinfeld episode when Frank Costanza said, "You want a piece of me?" In this case, the answer is unequivocally yes. Maybe two pieces.Table of Contents6 Best Neighborhoods for Pie in NYCMorningside Heights, ManhattanA 1961 institution, The Hungarian Pastry Shop tends to buzz with sugar and caffeine addicts at all hours. "It was a weekday afternoon when I went in and it was packed," recalls Erin Jean Whitney, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson with the Bohemia Realty Group and StreetEasy Expert, who recently stopped in. "You couldn’t sit down!" Whitney recommends the pumpkin cheesecake. "It was soooo good, and the people were super, super nice."In short: They've more than earned their galaxy of five star reviews and legions of regular customers, many of whom stop in from nearby Columbia University. Harlem and Morningside Heights Homes Under $850K On StreetEasy Article continues below East Harlem 207 East 120th Street $650,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 South Harlem 162 Lenox Avenue $339,900 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Central Harlem 30 Macombs Place $289,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Morningside Heights 535 West 110th Street $749,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Central Harlem 224 Bradhurst Avenue $374,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 East Harlem 342 East 119th Street $550,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 East Harlem 109 East 100th Street $450,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Central Harlem 29 West 138th Street $610,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 East Harlem 1810 Third Avenue $590,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 East Harlem 342 East 100th Street $399,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 East Harlem 2279 Third Avenue $649,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Central Harlem 66 West 138th Street $385,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Harlem, ManhattanFurther uptown, Lee Lee's Baked Goods also opened in the swinging '60s - 1965, to be precise. "I had actually been in before, but I didn't realize what a legendary place this was," Whitney says. "You walk up to it and not only is it cute, but it actually has a screen door, like a front porch. And the bell rings when you walk inside." Owned by Alvin Lee Smalls, the bakery is famous for its rugelach, but its apple pie also has us salivating. Just from looking at the baked goods on offer, "you know that they are special and they're going to taste good and won't let you down," Whitney says. For pie delivery, she recommends Fancy Pies, which delivers daily in all five boroughs. Current fall flavors include Southern Bourbon pecan, creamy Jamaican spice pumpkin, and Nana's Alabama Apple. "They’re just really artsy…I don’t have enough good words to say."Gowanus, BrooklynThe backstory behind Four & Twenty Blackbirds bakery reads like a movie: two sisters move to New York City from a small farm in Hecla, South Dakota (population: 193), open a pie shop together, and eventually go viral - selling thousands and thousands of cookbooks and garnering even more fans for their toothsome and unexpected pie flavors, which include salted caramel apple and brown butter pumpkin. They've certainly given a sometimes industrial-feeling Gowanus some small town charm (true to their roots, nice touches abound; you can even add a hand-written note to your pie delivery order for $3). Gowanus Homes Under $1M On StreetEasy Article continues below Gowanus 183A 13th Street $799,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Gowanus 500 Fourth Avenue $595,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Gowanus 183A 13th Street $825,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Gowanus 251 Seventh Street $725,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Gowanus 554 Fourth Avenue $750,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Gowanus 161 12th Street $599,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 0.5 Gowanus 183A 13th Street $795,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Gowanus 229 Ninth Street $800,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Gowanus 183A 13th Street $950,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Lower East Side, ManhattanAmid the Queen Anne-style former tenements and Gothic revival churches of the Lower East Side, "Clinton Street baking company is one of my favorites!" says Ante I. Jakic, Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker with The Belvedere Advisors Team at Compass, Townhouse and Luxury Condo Expert, and StreetEasy Expert. "It has the best pumpkin pie I have ever tried." Whitney also loves Petee's Pie Company, on Delancey Street. "This is my favorite cherry pie," she says. "Nice and sour! It is just the right amount of tart; people over-sweeten pies too much. The magic of a cherry pie is really in that nice tart taste." Lower East Side and East Village Homes Under $1M On StreetEasy Article continues below East Village 630 East 14th Street $399,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 East Village 633 East 11th Street $450,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 East Village 399 East 8th Street $787,500 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Lower East Side 477 Fdr $895,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Lower East Side 504 Grand Street $650,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 East Village 141 East 3rd Street $795,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Lower East Side 550 Grand Street $850,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Lower East Side 237 Eldridge Street $550,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Lower East Side 453 F D R Drive $825,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 East Village 212 East 13th Street $699,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 East Village 172 East 4th Street $895,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 East Village 305 East Fourth Street $925,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 East Village, ManhattanStrolling the East Village can sometimes feel like entering Gilmore Girls' Stars Hollow, thanks to towering elm trees and storybook architecture at every turn. And it tastes like it, too. "Another great [bakery] is Veniero’s," Jakic says. "It's a [130] year old pastry shop, and every single pie and cake I have ever had there has been to die for." The icon has been family run by five generations since it opened its doors in 1894, and they've been baking up heaven in their basement bake shop from the beginning. (The cheesecake is particularly divine and yes, they ship nationwide.)Upper West Side, ManhattanWhitney stops in at Silver Moon Bakery for their bread, but you'd be wise to check out their pies, too: currently on-offer is a highly Instagrammable Harvest Plum Tart that looks a bit like an unfurling rose, as well as an apple tart where slivers of Granny Smith slices gracefully rest atop a frangipane filling. Upper West Side Homes Under $1M On StreetEasy Article continues below Lincoln Square 142 West End Avenue $450,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Lincoln Square 18 West 70th Street $750,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Upper West Side 127 West 79th Street $850,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Upper West Side 146 West 80th Street $685,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Upper West Side 126 West 96th Street $359,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Lincoln Square 1 West 67th Street $875,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Lincoln Square 10 West 66th Street $985,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Upper West Side 140 Riverside Drive $600,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Lincoln Square 165 West 66th Street $695,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Lincoln Square 180 West End Avenue $545,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Lincoln Square 45 West 67th Street $849,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Upper West Side 123 West 86th Street $425,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 "Their bread is so killer, but they have a number of fruit tarts that are super fun and colorful to add to any table display," she says. "For the holidays, they will be debuting chocolate mousse, pecan pumpkin and apple pie." Even though we haven't tasted them yet, you can bet that we'll be waiting at their door…because in pie we crust. Much like our pie, buying a home in NYC is unlike anywhere else. Chat with our licensed StreetEasy Concierge for a free consultation to get prepared.GET STARTED StreetEasy is an assumed name of Zillow, Inc. which has a real estate brokerage license in all 50 states and D.C. See real estate licenses. StreetEasy does not intend to interfere with any agency agreement you may have with a real estate professional or solicit your business if you are already under contract to purchase or sell property.
The Best NYC Neighborhoods for Halloween Lovers and Ghost Seekers Alike
When a sleek, gleaming tower appears to sprout from the earth every week in New York City, it's easy to forget that this is in many ways a ghost town - quite literally. Centuries of New Yorkers have lived (and died) here, from the earliest indigenous Algonquians to the 17th century Dutch fur traders that deemed these parts Nieuw Amsterdam.We rounded up the best NYC neighborhoods for Halloween, whether you want to just indulge in some innocent family fun (pumpkin photo shoots are as required in October as pie is on Thanksgiving) or ride a broomstick to the ghosts and goblins of our cringe-inducing past. "Before I had a kid, I didn’t really care about Halloween, but after having my daughter we find the neighborhoods that have brownstones and stoops," says Julia Joseph Romero, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson for Cantor & Pecorella, Inc. and a StreetEasy Expert. "They are really fun for Halloween because oftentimes the owners of those houses will decorate their stoop, sit out and hand out candy." Here, the most boo-tiful spots that make up the best NYC neighborhoods for Halloween.Table of Contents6 Frightful-Yet-Delightful NYC Halloween NeighborhoodsGreenwood Heights, BrooklynIf you always (ahem) creep it real, you can't NOT visit Green-Wood - a sprawling 478-acre cemetery set on the site of a 1776 Revolutionary War battle. Edging Greenwood Heights, this is one of the best NYC neighborhoods for Halloween because it's every bit as eerie as it is legendary, with the graves of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and Leonard Bernstein on the premises. But we'd wager that one of the most important graves here is one that reminds us war is ghastly for all ages: the final resting place of 12-year-old Clarence David McKenzie, a drummer who became the first Brooklyn resident to die in the Civil War. He enlisted against his mother's wishes, innocently telling her: "I am only a little boy - they will not want to shoot me." Colorful foliage at the historic Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.The adjacent Greenwood Heights neighborhood is expectedly chockablock with history, including many prewar apartments. Greenwood Homes Under $1M On StreetEasy Article continues below Greenwood 249 19th Street $899,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1.5 Greenwood 805 Fifth Avenue $655,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Greenwood 194 30th Street $879,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1.5 Greenwood 664 Fourth Avenue $498,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Greenwood 316 22nd Street $999,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 Greenwood 316 22nd Street $899,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 Greenwood 135A 28th Street $638,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 Upper East Side, Manhattan"One of my favorite streets at Halloween is 76th between Fifth and Madison," says Jacqueline Clair, an Upper East Side based photographer that documents Halloween charm on her much-loved Instagram account. "There are several houses on the block that are gorgeous at any time of year, and lucky for us, they also go all out for spooky season. One of the houses (which I think is actually a school) does decorations all the way up their steps and they even include animatronic figures chattering and cackling - which kids seem to love!" Another of Clair's favorites this time of year is 70th Street, between Lexington and Park. "A few of the houses decorate, but the star of the block is this one house that every year has what I can only describe as the most chic of Halloween decorations. One year they did black and white painted pumpkins that were truly unforgettable. Their decor is often somewhat understated, yet elaborate and unique-always something you won't see at any other house." We're under their spell! Upper East Side Homes Under $1M On StreetEasy Article continues below Lenox Hill 233 East 69th Street $725,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Lenox Hill 520 East 76th Street $950,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 Lenox Hill 530 East 76th Street $995,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1.5 Upper East Side 144 East 84th Street $500,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Yorkville 345 East 93rd Street $625,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Lenox Hill 340 East 74th Street $725,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Lenox Hill 207 East 74th Street $750,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Yorkville 1619 Third Avenue $549,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Yorkville 531 East 84th Street $699,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Lenox Hill 169 East 69th Street $849,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1.5 Lenox Hill 201 East 77th Street $750,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Lenox Hill 520 East 72nd Street $425,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Ellis Island: Battery Park, ManhattanYou could call it Eerie Island. You just might get "the creeps" the minute you step foot in Ellis Island's circa 1900 structures, which processed upwards of 12 million immigrants in the shadow of Lady Liberty between 1892 to 1954. Whether you're wandering the vaulted ceiling registry room or taking in the stacks of baggage that your tired, your poor, your huddled masses once schlepped to NYC, the aura of ghosts feels like it is everywhere. Historic stairwell at Ellis Island in New York City.If you really want to have a bone-chilling experience, book a hard hat tour of the former Ellis Island hospital, which once housed people suffering from everything from the flu to tuberculosis and which lays in a state of eerie disrepair, including broken windows at every turn. Back on mainland Manhattan, tony Battery Park City, too, is one of the best NYC neighborhoods for Halloween, because it's among the "oldest": it took its name in the 17th century when you would find a “battery” of protective cannons fronting the water. Battery Park City Homes Under $1M On StreetEasy Article continues below Battery Park City 377 Rector Place $799,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Battery Park City 377 Rector Place $599,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Battery Park City 350 Albany Street $695,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Battery Park City 2 South End Avenue $429,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Battery Park City 250 South End Avenue $675,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Battery Park City 20 River Terrace $667,250 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Battery Park City 20 River Terrace $616,250 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Battery Park City 20 River Terrace $695,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Battery Park City 2 South End Avenue $650,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Battery Park City 20 River Terrace $920,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Battery Park City 21 South End Avenue $995,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1.5 Battery Park City 225 Rector Place $670,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Roosevelt Island, ManhattanBefore Roosevelt Island became a New York secret enclave for gleaming glass-walled apartments, it was renowned for something else: an 1834 mental health hospital (or what previous generations might have called a lunatic asylum), a smallpox hospital that treated 7,000 patients a year (and buried hundreds), and a science lab that reportedly performed menacing and dangerous experiments on unwitting patients. Ruins of the Smallpox Hospital on Roosevelt Island.When she voluntarily stayed in the asylum in 1887, enterprising female journalist Nellie Bly deemed it a "human rat trap…easy to get in, but once there it is impossible to get out." Now, it's one of the best NYC neighborhoods for Halloween - and a great place for a truly hair-raising tour of the ruins. Roosevelt Island Homes Under $750K On StreetEasy Article continues below Roosevelt Island 575 Main Street $689,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Roosevelt Island 531 Main Street $670,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1.5 Roosevelt Island 531 Main Street $550,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1.5 Roosevelt Island 531 Main Street $475,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1.5 Roosevelt Island 531 Main Street $660,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1.5 Roosevelt Island 575 Main Street $685,136 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Roosevelt Island 595 Main Street $595,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Greenwich Village, ManhattanThe Village Halloween Parade in Manhattan.Greenwich Village is already a legend, but the Village Halloween Parade? That, darlings, is iconic. Heidi Klum herself would stand in awe of the costumes dreamt up by revelers at this annual “carnival,” which has been turning heads since 1974. The theme for the 2023 event, which also happens to be the 50th annual parade here: Upside/Down, Inside/Out. To take in the free parade on time, you'll want to arrive by 7 p.m. - and wearing an extravagant homemade costume to proudly roam the surrounding leafy neighborhood in, natch. Greenwich Village Homes Under $1M On StreetEasy Article continues below Greenwich Village 24 Fifth Avenue $825,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Greenwich Village 184 Thompson Street $765,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Greenwich Village 67 East 11th Street $875,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Greenwich Village 250 Mercer Street $725,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Greenwich Village 175 West 13th Street $579,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Greenwich Village 211 Thompson Street $499,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Greenwich Village 250 Mercer Street $650,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Greenwich Village 60 East 9th Street $500,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Greenwich Village 93 Mac Dougal Street $995,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Greenwich Village 35 East 10th Street $999,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Greenwich Village 101 West 12th Street $695,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Greenwich Village 39 East 12th Street $799,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Fordham and Knightsbridge, The BronxYou can kill two birds with one creepy, crawly stone in The Bronx, where blood-curdling history makes the area one of the best NYC neighborhoods for Halloween. For one thing, Poe - yes, Edgar Allen Poe - author of eternally spine tingling poems like "The Raven" and "Annabel Lee," lived in a rented circa 1812 cottage in Fordham that is perfectly preserved and open for tours today. (That he lived there with his cousin he married at age 13 who died in the house, well - we won't dwell on that.) Bronx Homes Under $750K On StreetEasy Article continues below Concourse 828 Gerard Avenue $260,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Spuyten Duyvil 3530 Henry Hudson Parkway $425,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Schuylerville 3321 Bruckner Boulevard $219,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Fordham 2830 Briggs Avenue $120,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Spuyten Duyvil 2500 Johnson Avenue $335,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Concourse 1020 Grand Concourse $650,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 3 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1.5 Throgs Neck 235 Swinton Avenue $729,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 3 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 Spuyten Duyvil 735 Kappock Street $429,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 Riverdale 3725 Henry Hudson Parkway West $245,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Soundview 124 Neptune Lane $325,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 Riverdale 3333 Henry Hudson Parkway $425,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. Studio | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 Parkchester 1480 Theriot Avenue $209,000 beds@1.5x Created with Sketch. 2 | bath@1.5x Created with Sketch. 1 For further dips into petrifying waters, head north to Van Cortlandt Park, an enormous 1,146-acre spread founded in 1888 where a reported 40 indigenous people (largely of the Mohican, Wappinger, and Munsee tribes) were massacred by British Loyalist forces during the Revolutionary War. When you're in the park, don't miss stopping by the Van Cortlandt House Museum, a circa 1748 structure where the Van Cortlandt family enslaved people for three generations, from 1698 to 1823 - and where paranormal activity is reportedly a frequent occurrence. A black-and-white photo of the Van Cortlandt House Museum, also known as the Frederick Van Cortlandt Mansion.What can we say - ghouls just want to have fun! Browse Frighteningly Good Deals On StreetEasy
85% of NYC Rental Agents Say They're Impacted by the Housing Shortage
Here are the solutions they support.Key TakeawaysThe affordability crisis in NYC is significantly affecting rental agents, with 85% reporting that the housing shortage has an impact on their business.Many agents spend over 10 hours marketing a single rental listing, and report the time (66%) and financial cost (60%) it takes to market units with no guarantee of payment as top pain points.Agents support a variety of solutions to improve NYC's housing crisis, including builder incentives, converting commercial buildings, and renter assistance.Agents also broadly support renter-friendly practices, including independent representation, signing written agreements, and ensuring renters have access to all available inventory.The NYC rental market is competitive - for renters and agents. And with ongoing rental affordability challenges and limited inventory, it's getting even tougher.Just how much is the housing crisis affecting rental agents, and what would solve some of the common problems renters and agents face? A StreetEasy survey recently posed these questions to more than 400 NYC agents who've represented a renter or landlord in the last five years. In this article, we'll explore what they told us, including how limited rental inventory is impacting their work, the biggest challenges they're currently facing, and the changes they believe will make the greatest impact on the NYC market.Table of ContentsNYC rental agents' jobs are being impacted by the affordability crisisAgents work hard - but aren't consistently paid for their workAgents believe transparency and access benefits renters and agentsAgents support giving renters more options to pay upfront costs and build creditThe policy measures agents most believe will help New York's housing affordability crisisHow StreetEasy is helping address the affordability crisis for renters, landlords, and agentsMethodologyNYC rental agents' jobs are being impacted by the affordability crisisMedian asking rents in NYC hit record highs this year, reaching $3,800 in August 2024. These high rents are primarily due to low inventory. In 2023, just 1.4% of NYC rentals were vacant - a historic low for the city. While inventory has been slowly rising recently, the shortage is still putting an enormous strain on the market, impacting many renters and agents.According to our survey, 85% of agents say the shortage has impacted their business. Only 16% say the shortage hasn’t impacted them at all.Agents work hard - but aren't consistently paid for their workFor most agents, marketing rental listings is a time-consuming task - and there's often no guarantee of a commission. More than half (56%) of NYC agents reported spending over 10 hours marketing a rental listing for a landlord. Dig a little deeper, and you'll find that the largest percentage of agents (29%) said they spend between five and 10 hours marketing a single listing, while 24% said they spent 11 to 15 hours, and 19% said 16 to 19 hours. For 14% of agents, rental marketing takes over 20 hours, while another 15% said they spend less than five hours.Time-consuming marketing can become even more challenging for agents when working on open listings, where landlords work with multiple agents to rent out an apartment. A commission is only paid to the agent who successfully finds a renter for the listing, denying compensation to other agents who marketed the rental unit.Around two-thirds (70%) of agents have worked on an open listing at some point. Some of the issues they face are the time (66%) and financial cost (60%) it takes to market units with no guarantee of payment, lack of insight from landlords around current and upcoming apartment vacancies (66%), and getting paid on time by landlords (49%).Competition with other agents is another common pain point with open listings. Agents find it challenging to compete to win a listing (64%) or even access the apartment for a showing (61%).A vast majority of agents (91%) have faced at least three of the problems described above when working on an open listing. When asked if they were compensated fairly for their time invested in these units, 68% of agents agreed, while 32% disagreed.Agents believe transparency and access benefits renters and agentsThere's no denying that NYC's rental market needs improvements to be more equitable and accessible. When asked what actions are most beneficial to renters and agents, agents put actions that increase transparency, access and consumer choice at the top of the list.For example, 79% said a renter's agent not also representing the landlord is in renters' best interest, while 70% said independent representation benefits agents, too. Another 75% said a written agreement outlining an agent's compensation and rental services is beneficial to renters, while 65% said the same of agents. Most agents (70%) said renters would benefit from having access to all available rental listings on the market, while 54% said this would benefit agents too. Lastly, 69% believe renters being able to choose whether they work with an agent is helpful for renters, while 52% believe this helps agents as well.Agents support giving renters more options to pay upfront costs and build creditRenters face substantial financial hurdles when moving into an apartment, like paying the first month's rent, a security deposit, and often a broker fee upfront. All told, the average NYC renter spends over $10,400 in upfront costs - a 7.1% jump from 2019. Since the median NYC household income is $74,694, that means the typical renter has to pay 14% of their yearly income when signing a new lease. To alleviate some of this burden, 76% of agents say renters would benefit from payment plans to help them pay upfront costs in installments. Most agents (68%) believe renters would also benefit from the ability to negotiate the broker fee paid to an agent, and 67% say the same of allowing renters to build credit while paying rent.The policy measures agents most believe will help New York's housing affordability crisisAgents say NYC needs to provide more support for builders, landlords, and renters to ease the housing shortage and high cost of renting. However, agents vary widely in which solutions they view as most important for alleviating New York's housing crisis.When asked what are the top three measures that would help improve the affordability crisis, agents most often pointed to tax incentives for builders and developers to encourage constructing more housing (53%), increasing government-sponsored renter assistance such as housing vouchers (48%), repurposing commercial buildings for residential use (46%), and more government programs to support landlords with maintenance and repairs (46%).How StreetEasy is helping address the affordability crisis for renters, landlords, and agentsAt StreetEasy and Zillow, we're committed to creating a more equitable housing market for New Yorkers and supporting the agents who serve them. We're working to help address the city's affordability crisis by advocating for comprehensive legislation, with the goal of increasing access, transparency, and affordability. That includes supporting zoning regulations to increase the housing supply, as well as policy changes to combat housing discrimination. Crucially, we're also supporting legislation to reshape the current broker fee model. This includes measures to lower upfront costs for renters by requiring the hiring party to pay the broker fee, and to ensure agents are paid for their work by having written agreements in place with the hiring party.Other advocacy efforts include partnering with fair housing organizations such as the Fair Housing Justice Center, Enterprise Community Partners, and the Center for NYC Neighborhoods (CNYCN), as well as industry groups like the New York State Association of Realtors (NYSAR), Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors (HGAR), and Long Island Board of Realtors (LIBOR) to push for resources and legislation to combat housing discrimination statewide.StreetEasy and Zillow are open and enthusiastic about working together with agents and landlords to create a better system for all. Interested in partnering with us on our efforts to address NYC housing affordability? Fill out this brief form. MethodologyThese analyses use data from Zillow Group Population Science's July 2024 New York Agent Survey. Residential agents who lived in New York state, whose majority of listings are in the NYC metro area, and have represented either a renter or landlord in the last 5 years were eligible for participation. The survey included 445 agents.To achieve representativeness of rental agents (agents that have represented renters, landlords, or both) in New York, we weighted the sample using the U.S. Census Bureau 2022 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC) using age, race/ethnicity, education, and income. In the American Community Survey, "agents" were defined as (1) adults (2) in the labor force who (3) have a positive (personal) income and (4) have a primary occupation classified as "real estate brokers and sales agents."StreetEasy is an assumed name of Zillow, Inc. which has a real estate brokerage license in all 50 states and D.C. See real estate licenses. StreetEasy does not intend to interfere with any agency agreement you may have with a real estate professional or solicit your business if you are already under contract to purchase or sell property. All data for uncited sources in this presentation has been sourced from Zillow data and/or surveys. Copyright © 2024 by Zillow, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
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