New York Real Estate: A Case Study

It’s no secret that New York real estate is cutthroat. Prices are astronomical and finding an affordable, livable space is nearly impossible. To further analyze the intricacies of the New York housing market, we spoke to an expert who brought to our attention a notable case study — pigeons.

Have you ever seen a pigeon nest? Odds are, you haven’t. Where do these ever-present avians rest their tiny heads after a long day of roughing it in the streets of New York? Luckily, our analyst has seen a pigeon nest. Here’s what she has to say about it and what it means for broader real estate market trends.

“It was the worst bird’s nest I’ve ever seen. First of all, the location was far from ideal. It was just in the crevice of a random rock, not close to a single subway stop or pizza place.” We’ve all heard the saying “location, location, location,” and it seems as though even pigeons fall into the trap of renting a unit in a horrible part of town, with little difference in rental prices.

“Secondly,” our analyst continued, “the nest looked like absolute shit. Just a couple of twigs and some stray feathers. Really pitiful. And yet it still seemed as though the adult pigeon on the nest was territorial over this dump.” Even in the best of neighborhoods, some rental units are practically unlivable, and pigeons are apparently not immune to this housing phenomenon.

Worst of all, our expert reported that she even saw three baby pigeons living in the decrepit nest she saw. A small, unkempt nest in the side of a dumb rock, that is barely large enough for one adult pigeon, is where those three poor hatchlings are expected to grow up.

The housing market is hard to navigate for most New Yorkers, and this case study proves that the trends don’t stop at apartments meant for humans.

Our analyst unfortunately did not have much advice on how to bring relief to the masses looking for habitable units. However, she did leave us with this:

“And the baby pigeons were ugly as fuck.”