The borough saw 3,837 closed sales in the third quarter, a dramatic 30 percent increase from 2,952 in the same period of last year, according to a market report released by Miller Samuel.
On the other end the average price of a Manhattan apartment in the third quarter was $1.43 million, a 0.7 percent decline from $1.44 million in the same quarter of last year, according to Miller Samuel’s report. The median price, meanwhile, dropped 2 percent year-over-year to $872,000, …
by Riccardo Ravasini 
After the final ballot has been counted in next month’s election, New York City will have a new mayor for the first time since 2002. Whoever wins will get the keys to the city and to one of the most valuable homes in New York — Gracie Mansion, the official mayor’s residence at East End Avenue and 88th Street.
Here are some facts about this historic building.
A different building on approximately the same site was commandeered by George Washington …
by Riccardo Ravasini 
According to a recent poll from Ipsos MORI, which surveyed more than 18,000 in 24 countries, New York ranks as the world’s favorite city. London was number two followed by Paris at number three. Not only is the city the world’s favorite, but it is the fifth-best place to live. The second-best place to visit and the absolute best city in which to do business, the poll said.
The tourism industry in New York has never been healthier. Last year, …
by Riccardo Ravasini 
Neil Patrick Harris, Tony Awards host and “How I Met Your Mother” star, his fiance David Burtka, and the duo’s two-year-old twins are moving into a $3.6 million townhouse in Harlem.
Harris and family recently purchased the 8,000-square-foot, five-story, five-bedroom home, located at 2036 Fifth Avenue. The property includes two terraces, a backyard and a chef’s kitchen.
The duo’s previous home was in Harlem as well.
by Riccardo Ravasini 
In the past, open houses were sleepy, unhurried Sunday afternoon affairs, offering brokers and their clients plenty of time to explore for-sale apartments. Often, they’d have the place to themselves. During the course of the sales process, it was not uncommon for the listing broker to host three or four separate open houses.
But that’s changed dramatically in the face of the city’s inventory shortage. There were 4,795 available Manhattan homes on the market in the second …
by Riccardo Ravasini 
In recent months, New York City has surged ahead of its biggest global rivals, London and Tokyo, with more dollar volume in real estate investment than any other city in the world.
And it may soon get even easier for foreign investors to buy a piece of the Big Apple: the proposed Real Estate Investment and Jobs Act of 2013, which is currently being pushed by several members of Congress including Queens’ Congressman Joseph Crowley, would allow …
by Riccardo Ravasini