Can tenants have it both ways?

Some demand the freedom of renting and the stability of ownership

Anh-Thu Nguyen and her two roommates don’t want to leave their apartment. Why would they? Although it won’t appear in Architectural Digest, it’s perfectly livable, it’s on the most prestigious street in Brooklyn’s nicest neighborhood, and it’s cheap.

Not only are they right across the street from 526-acre Prospect Park, the Olmsted and Vaux–designed jewel of the borough, but they have been paying low rent in a building that, if renovated, could command a lot more...