Our readers have been gobbling up stories about staging no-nos, rent stabilization's history, and the inner workings of landlords' minds. Below, the top five most popular stories of the week here on Brick Underground.

1. Why do some New York City landlords leave apartments empty?

2. Please don't try and sell your home with photos like these, we beg of you

3. Here's how much it costs to gut renovate a 1,000-square-foot 2-bedroom, 2-bath UWS co-op (sponsored)

4. Staten Island's Todt Hill neighborhood is as close to suburbia as it gets in the city

5. 4 major milestones that led to the rent-stabilization laws we have today