From the November issue: When headlines center on chateaus-in- the-sky luxury real estate, the lower-end rental market often falls out of focus. The Real Deal analyzed On-Line Residential exclusive listings data as of Oct. 8 and found that there were fewer rental listings priced under $2,000 in Manhattan than there were in the extra-expensive $15,000-a-month-and-up bracket. But that lower bracket isn’t completely endangered, said Keller Williams NYC salesperson David Berman. “I think you’re always going to see some of that kind of stock available,” said Berman, citing rent stabilization as a key factor in that sector keeping its piece of the pie.



Furthermore, an analysis of Street Easy data revealed that the Upper East Side had the highest inventory of rental apartments of any type for $2,000 a month or under. “The Upper East Side offers more value because it has more turnover,” said Kevin Daly, an agent at Prince Real Estate. The neighborhood best known as the fortress of the wealthy also holds a relatively large number of comparatively affordable apartments, usually occupied by young people who stay fewer than three years, Daly said. You’ll still have to hunt for these units: An MNS report found that studios there had an average rent of $2,748 in buildings with doormen and $2,150 in buildings without.