How New is New?

How does Corcoran qualify an apartment to be listed under "Newest Properties" on its website?

I haven't figured their system out. Are the apartments listed as a "newest property" for a specified amount of time? Or are the parameters more fluid? I'd think Corcoran would want there to be a lot of new apartments popping onto the market all the time.

It's good business for buyers and sellers to feel there's a lot of action. Usually in Manhattan and in desirable Brooklyn neighborhoods, there is a lot of movement.

But last week, Corcoran listed about 575 new properties. I've seen as many as 700 or 800 new properties. Often, every single apartment in a new development is listed separately. That skews any analysis of the amount of listings. Today there are only 423.

There are 511 Open Houses listed on this Memorial Day weekend. A lot for a holiday weekend? Does the ratio of New Properties to Open Houses mean anything?

Trying to find an apartment gem, I scan the new listings trying to match my minimum square footage (750) with my maximum price (around 500K, more or less depending on monthly fees).

The only match I find is an 1000 square foot, two bedroom condo in Kensington, a neighborhood south of Brooklyn's Park Slope. But the open house was today, not tomorrow.

No loss, really, since we visit these apartments only on the web and in our imaginations. Also, we must not forget--our money is imprisoned.