Sometimes you just get tired of what your current city has to offer in terms of homes for sale. Lorne Park, Rosedale, The Beaches, you've lived in them all, and now you want a change of pace. You want a big city atmosphere, lots of hustle and bustle, endless entertainment possibilities, and of course, top notch real estate to suit your huge budget. Where do you go? Why, New York City, of course! NYC has one of America's busiest and most successful real estate markets. If you want in, our guide is a great way to get familiar.

How much will it cost you, you ask? Well brace yourself, because it's not cheap. Selling your Mississauga, Ontario real estate will probably only net you a down payment on a NYC property. The average listing price for a home in New York City is currently sitting at just over 2 million dollars. Middling sales prices have dropped, however, to around $980,000 because of the recession and mortgage crisis, so if you're thinking of buying, you may never get an opportunity like this again. Remember though, that the cost of living in the city is also high, 77 points above the national average, so make sure you've got the income to support yourself here.

While you may have been able to afford one of the smaller New Condos Toronto up in Canada, there are few single homes here, especially in Manhattan, because of the extremely high population density, so to secure one you're looking at an investment in the high hundreds of thousands or millions. The predominant style of home in Manhattan is the apartment, which most people rent rather than buy. Those who do purchase generally choose a condo.

Those looking for the type of house that characterizes homes for sale in Oshawa are better advised to look elsewhere, perhaps in Upstate New York or New Jersey. Homes in New York City are much more likely to be row or town houses than they are to be detached, though you can find some very old detached homes in the city center and more homes built after the war in the outlying boroughs.

New York City has five boroughs, or districts, which each contain dozens of neighborhoods. Which one you live in depends on your lifestyle and how much you got from your house for sale in Arlington. Manhattan is the densest and most expensive, the entertainment and finance center of the city. The Bronx is the poorest, though it is rebounding. Brooklyn is ethnic, artsy, and popular with buyers while Queens is large and more suburban. Staten Island is sparser, quieter, and more suburban than any of the others.