StreetEasy has searchable listings and user forums geared towards sales rather than rentals. For $15/month you can get sold prices of coops, condos and townhouses. A must have if you are trying to determine what the “correct” selling price should be.

Trulia  has searchable listings and interesting neighborhood stats.

The New York Times website  has articles and searchable listings.

PropertyShark.com  provides you with comprehensive and detailed data including zoning, permits (Department of Building information), property tax information etc.

Curbed NY  is a cross between commentary and gossip, it is a good place to get a feel for New York real estate and learn about new developments and conversions. Tongue-in-cheek

The BrickUnderground gives practical advice, with current prices and advice on rental apartment living.

Hotpads A search tool with thousands of apartment listings plotted on a map.

NabeWise ranks neighborhoods based on various characteristics.

If you have certain neighborhoods in mind, for rentals,  sites like Naked Apartments and RentHop  provide search tools to narrow preferences

Navigating the waters of Manhattan real estate is not for the faint of heart.  It takes stamina and persistence to find just what you want at a price you can afford.  Educating yourself is a great first step.

 Adapted from a New York Times article by Joseph Plambeck

I’ve always wondered why buildings where named as they are…This building, at 305 East 72nd Street, New York, NY 10021 was named after the book- 84, Charing Cross Road-.  Here’s what the plaque says:

Charing Cross House

From her many years’ correspondence with Marks & Co.,  Booksellers, of London Helene Hanff (1916-1997) created 84, Charing Cross Road the little book beloved around the world and a timeless bridge of the seas uniting people who love New York and London and Literature

…I decided the time had come to get me a real apartment with real furniture, and in my right ,mind and shaking all over I went around to the construction site of a new building going up over on 2nd Avenue and signed a lease on a 2 1/2 (“bed-sitter”) apartment that isn’t even there yet…I want to live like a lady even if it means putting off England till it’s paid for…

 Oh, the new address: AFTER September 1, 305 East 72nd St.,New York, NY 21

Here’s the linkto a YouTube excerpt from the Film about two friends (Anthony Hopkins & Anne Bancroft) who had never met, based on Helene Hanff’s book.

Manhattan Market Report Q2 2009

Miller Samuel, an independent appraisal firm,  and Prudential Douglas Elliman real estate today released the Manhattan Market Overview. The report tracks the 1532 sales of coop and condo apartments that closed in the second quarter of 2009 and compares the data to first quarter sales of this year as well as the same quarter sales of 2008 thus adjusting for seasonality.

In addition, the  report separates and compares median sale prices of resale properties ($725,000) with the median sale prices of new developments ($1,069,162). This is important because new developments represent the state of mind of buyers who signed contracts up to 18 months ago. Other stats include:

• Listing inventory grew a modest 8.7% over the same period last year but fell 10.2%  from the prior quarter. This reflects the restrained release of “shadow” inventory, which include new development units at or near completion not currently offered for sale, and “casual sellers” opting to wait until market conditions improve before listing their properties.
• There were 50.3% fewer sales in the second quarter as compared to the same period last year as weaker economic conditions and more difficulties for many to obtain a mortgage made it more difficult to buy an apartment.
• The average amount of time to sell and apartment is now 162 days. Twenty seven days longer than the same period last year as raising inventory creates increased competition among sellers.
• The listing discount, which is the difference in price between the last asking price and the selling price, was 7.8% was down from 12.4% in the first quarter of this year but up from 3.6% in the prior year quarter.
• Both studio and 1 bedroom coop apartments saw no change in median sales prices from the prior quarter at $365,000 and $580,000 respectively.
• Two bedroom coop apartments had a decline of 4.4% to $1, 075, 000.
• Both 3 and 4 bedroom coop apartments declined by 41.8% to $1,995,000 and 53% to $4,200,000 respectively
• The overall median sale price a Manhattan condo fell below $1,000,000 for the first time since the first quarter of 2007.

Other reports published today include Corcoran and Property Shark, Brown Harris Stevens and Street Easy.

Other commentary supplied by The Huffington Post,  The New York Observer, ForexYard, CNNMoney and The New York Times