#nyc-real-estate

#nyc-real-estate

But horrible décor is no longer something many buyers know how to shrug off - or are willing to, now that luxury pricing's come to even the lowest-end apartments. In most parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn, where $1 million gets you a one-, maybe a two-bedroom, and often one with an awkward layout or unfortunate view, staging has gone from a rare practice deployed mainly at new developments and super-high-end homes to something even many rental brokers consider de rigueur.

For under a million dollars, one can find all sorts of housing configurations: park- and subway-adjacent studios, one-bedrooms hidden in carriage houses or former shoe factories, and even the occasional true two-bedroom. We're combing the market for particularly spacious, nicely renovated, or otherwise worth-a-look apartments at various six-digit price points. This week, a one-bedroom in Williamsburg with strong Marfa vibes and a top-floor corner unit right off Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights.

New York City continues to draw buyers, whether it's for a chic loft in SoHo or a classic townhouse on the Upper East Side. In July 2025, the median sale price rose to $900,000, up 4.7% year-over-year, while the median days on market fell to 52. Some home features in New York that have been trending up include a fireplace, having a great view, an in-unit washer and dryer, storage, and a roof deck.

According to Theiss' research, the Brooklyn-to-Staten Island migration came from just four neighborhoods - Sunset Park, Bensonhurst, Borough Park and Bay Ridge - and was most likely fueled by a disparity in real estate prices. Redfin's data showed that Brooklyn's median home sale price hovered at $850,000 in the first five months of 2025, while the average Staten Island home fetched approximately $712,000 during the same span.