This week, many of our readers were relieved to find out that the newly passed New York state budget did not include a proposed annual pied-à-terre tax. It does however, include a revamped version of the "mansion tax." This one-time tax has been scaled for the first time ever, so once you go over $1 million, the bigger the price tag, the more you pay. Readers were also interested in a first quarter market report from Douglas Elliman that saw a steep drop in sales of new development.

Here, in full, are the week's top stories.

1. New York state budget raises the mansion and state transfer tax to fix the MTA

2. Report: New development drags down prices in a 'polarized' Manhattan real estate market

3. No temporary walls allowed: Using curtain room dividers in your NYC apartment

4. How I once turned an illegal Brooklyn roof deck into my garden oasis

5. Why a newly built NYC apartment with a separate dining room is hard to find