Topping the list of our most popular stories this week were personal tales of life in the city, including one renter's attempt to clear years of junk from his apartment and a Brooklynite's move to home ownership in the suburbs of Birmingham, Alabama.

Here in full are our five most-read stories of the past seven days:

1. Junk bonds: How losing a massive apartment forced me to face a mountain of stuff I didn't know I had

2. Why I'll never live in the same building as my landlord again

3. From Brooklyn to Birmingham: One Park Sloper's no-regrets move

4. What apartment buyers should know about Spuyten Duyvil

5. 8 ways to avoid roommate scams in NYC