The StreetEasy team gathers in Union Square Park, not far from our offices on 5th Avenue.

As you know, StreetEasy has been around for a few years — eight years, to be exact. In that time, real estate consumers and voyeurs have come to rely on us to deliver clear and unfettered listings for the New York market and be the go-to place to find rentals and for-sale listings, research buildings or list a home for sale. It’s where data and information on market trends gets pumped out monthly. It’s also where — for better or for worse — discussions on New York City real estate take place. We’ve taken our role to heart, knowing that a lot of what we do has helped pave the way for greater transparency for everyone looking to rent, buy, sell or peruse New York real estate. And we thank you for relying on us to do that.

Today, we’re excited to be adding another layer to the site – the StreetEasy Blog, which will consist of three main categories: StreetSmarts, where our fabulous data and analytics team, led by Data Scientist Alan Lightfeldt, will serve up fascinating articles on New York City real estate trends and data; NYC Living, which will offer coverage on the wild and wacky world of New York City real estate and StreetEasy News, where we will share information about our product updates and apps, as well as information for New York City’s real estate professionals.

And, given what we all know about New York City real estate, maybe we should be a little less excited and a little more daunted. Consider the following:

• Most of New York City residents are renters than owners (70% vs. 30%, respectively)
• The current median rent price in Manhattan is $3,195, which is 106% higher than the U.S. median rent of $1,550.
• The current median sales price in Manhattan is $890,000 as compared to the rest of the country whose median sales price is $217,800 — a difference of 308.63%
• Where persons-per-square mile is 27,012 compared to 87.4 for the rest of the nation
• Where 8,405,837 residents compete for homes in a city where the rental vacancy rate is 3.12 percent.

Exactly — it’s a wild market! The five-borough mass from the Bronx to Staten Island, Brooklyn to Queens with Manhattan at its jam-packed core is as complicated and maddening as it is wondrous in all ways, but perhaps even more so when it comes to where people live, and how they make those real estate deals and decisions.

And now comes the fun part. This blog.

With some seasoned writers and former agents on our staff, alongside our research team and savvy New York residents who work in our offices, the StreetEasy Blog is going to address issues head-on. We’re going to invite you to be part of it, too. We hope it will be a dynamic forum where the conversation never stops.

Not only will we use the blog to amplify the data and listings that already exist on StreetEasy, but we’re heading out into the streets to bring to life the stories about what it’s like to rent, buy, sell and live in New York. Sometimes pretty, sometimes not.

At StreetEasy, our aim has always been clear: To help take the mystery and sting out of home renting and home shopping by providing data and information about homes, neighborhoods and boroughs where you want to live. That hasn’t changed. We just hope to make StreetEasy an even better place to come for all things related to New York City real estate.

Hope to see you around StreetEasy and maybe we’ll even bump into you on the streets of NY.