When I called the assessor's office the lady I spoke to said that the site didn't include this information because it was confidential, but she could give me the information for any particular address over the phone.

Otherwise: talk is cheap. don't be offended by it, by motivated to CLOSEI'm willing to bet you're just scared to take that first leap because you think it's a big one.

I'm willing to bet there are more people like me out there than you think, who have the money but not the needed skills to start, who would be willing to partner.

Why not continuing to bet on the horse that's getting you to the finish line and winning the race for you at this time?

I would say, your best bet is to pain the units a modern greige color like Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore.

If I get some more specifics, I can probably advise you a little better, but your best bet may be to go deep into Queens or Brooklyn (near a subway, but making a pretty long commute), south Bronx or Staten Island (which doesn't have a navigable subway to the city (but relatively close if you can take the staten island ferry, which is free).

I agree, small claim court is your best bet to recover your money.

But for myself, I feel it is irresponsible to bet on the further foaming of an already frothy market, and I conclude that only rental-income based models truly justify an investment. 

Your best bet would be to talk to a securities attorney.

If they're paying at the top of the market you can bet they are looking around at all the cheaper places they could move to as soon as their lease is up.