“Going back to basics. Families want the basic amenities: doorman, washer and dryer, gym and children’s room. They need storage rooms and bins, they want good closet space. Pet-friendly buildings are a plus. They want buildings without many stairs at the entrance. It used to be that real estate was all about location, location, location, but now I see that people are willing to compromise on location if the building has everything else I mentioned. Low monthly costs are also very important, as families encounter higher expenses as the kids grow.” —Jacky Teplitzky, Executive Vice President, Prudential Douglas Elliman

"New developments are trying again. Many New York City new developments froze when the recession hit due to problems with financing. This year, developers are ready to try again, bringing some projects that have stalled for several years back to the market. Whether buyers will take the bait remains to be seen." — Sarah Polsky, Editor, Curbed NY

“More and more families are choosing to stay in the city. With the economic crisis, we were seeing families looking to move out of the city, to get more bang for their buck in terms of space and good schools. Smaller, starter apartments were more easily sold as many saw the housing bubble burst as an opportunity to enter the market. However, in the last several quarters, we have seen more and more family-sized (two-bedrooms or larger) apartments being sold.” — Sofia Song, Vice President of Research, Streeteasy.com

“Condo and co-op sales volume in New York City was down versus the same period a year earlier, but the median sales price was up. This reflects the increased demand for larger and combined units at the high end of the market. We have also seen an increase in first-time home buyers due to discounted sales prices and low mortgage rates. Recently, we have seen a greater sense of urgency to move forward from buyers concerned with rising interest rates.” —Peter Grabel, Private Mortgage Banker, Luxury Mortgage Corp

“Buyers are looking for open kitchens or are renovating to create an open kitchen. People are looking to expand their entertaining areas and opening their kitchen to the dining area, allowing the host to entertain while cooking. Cooking has also become a part of the entertaining experience.” —Deanna Kory, Senior Vice President, The Corcoran Group

Pictured: An open kitchen at Love Lane Mews in Brooklyn Heights.