The NY Daily News published 5 tips for finding a NYC apartment and their tips are quite useful for the first time buyer or a purchaser who hasn’t been in the market for a while.
In general, invetory across all levels are low and prices have risen substantially in the last few years so competition can be stiff as evidenced by crowded open houses and bidding wars for prime properties.
The NY Daily News article gives you the basic tips of being ready to purchase when you see something you like and having all of your paper work in order like pre-approval and financial documents. It also gives the tip of being open to new areas where the competition might be a little less.
6 additional tips (previous post)
Brick Underground buyer’s guide