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Hey everyone-
My husband and I live in Northern VA, just outside of DC and we are thinking of moving to NYC just to get the experience. We have visited NYC a lot and really like downtown neighborhoods but are open to other areas such as UWS. We own our own company and work virtually so jobs aren't an issue and we have a budget up to $2500 for rent, either for studio or 1 BD. Just wanted to get some feedback on what it is really like to live in NYC to get some perspective. We are only looking to stay for about 3-6 mon to see how it goes.
You'll be lucky to get a one bedroom in either the downtown areas or the UWS on that budget. MAYBE a studio...but not necessarily.
I don't really know how to respond to the question of what it's really like to live in NYC. I was born here and have lived here almost my entire life. Is it busy? Yes. Are people rushing all over? Yes. In NYC people walk a LOT. Most Manhattanites don't have cars: parking is too much of a hassle if you don't have a garage, and too expensive to keep in a garage (garages usually start at $400 and go up from there). Not to mention the cost of insurance. And mass transit in NYC is GREAT.
Maybe have a look in Brooklyn. There are some great up-and-coming neighborhoods with great restaurants, nightlife, and shopping. There's also subway transportation to Manhattan. I live in Williamsburg right near the L train and I love it over there! Very young area with lots to do. And you could get a great apartment in most areas in Brooklyn for your price range.
New York housing is definitely expensive, but it seems like some people have an outlandishly high view of how high it really is. Makes me think some people have been living in their current place for a couple decades, hear stories here and there, but haven't shopped around much themselves.
Anyway, you definitely can find one bedrooms and studios on the Upper West Side for less than $2,500 a month. It's not going to be a luxury building, but you can even find places below the west 80s for that price. Just a search of a random Realtor shows 28 listings under that mark. Some of them are probably small, and probably none of them are in luxury doorman buildings. In that search, you'll have to pay a fee too.
I'm just tired of crazies who come up with things like: "OMG you make only $300,000? No way you're living in Manhattan. Try Bed-Stuy."
Good luck in your search. If you're trying to stick with no-fee places, try the list at How To Rent in NYC.com - HOME (http://www.howtorentinnyc.com/review.php - broken link) . You can also look at hopstop.com to see how long it takes to travel to places you want to go from addresses you're looking at.
Last edited by Viralmd; 07-28-2008 at 05:29 PM..
Reason: No real estate promotion - even from non-realtors
New York housing is definitely expensive, but it seems like some people have an outlandishly high view of how high it really is. Makes me think some people have been living in their current place for a couple decades, hear stories here and there, but haven't shopped around much themselves.
Anyway, you definitely can find one bedrooms and studios on the Upper West Side for less than $2,500 a month. It's not going to be a luxury building, but you can even find places below the west 80s for that price. Just a search of a random Realtor shows 28 listings under that mark. Some of them are probably small, and probably none of them are in luxury doorman buildings. In that search, you'll have to pay a fee too.
I'm just tired of crazies who come up with things like: "OMG you make only $300,000? No way you're living in Manhattan. Try Bed-Stuy."
Good luck in your search. If you're trying to stick with no-fee places, try the list at How To Rent in NYC.com - HOME (http://www.howtorentinnyc.com/review.php - broken link) . You can also look at hopstop.com to see how long it takes to travel to places you want to go from addresses you're looking at.
So you're saying you've done a recent apartment search in Manhattan in this price range?
Otherwise, your advice is not any better than the advice the rest of us are giving. We also have access to online tools "The Hunt" column, craigslist listings.
And if you have personally done an apartment search in Manhattan recently, then why not share your personal experience and what you found when you looked instead of giving online tools?
Yes, I completed an apartment search about a month ago. A roommate and I were searching for a place under $2,200 on the Upper West Side, West Harlem, and South Central Harlem. With the UWS, we were mostly looking at one bedrooms, which we would have used as a two-bedroom walkthrough. In West Harlem and South Central Harlem, we looked at true two bedrooms. We ended up leaning toward a true two bedroom, and ended up in South Central Harlem.
However, as far as the one bedrooms on the UWS go. We saw several for less than $2,200 between 96th and 79th and between Broadway and Columbus. Most were in old walk-ups that had nice detailing on the entryways but didn't have doormen or anything like that. They were newly renovated and clean with not the nicest finishes (oak strip flooring instead of hardwood) but new appliances. Size varied...I think the smallest was maybe 300 square feet and there was a surprisingly large one at 500 sq ft. All had separate kitchens.
As far as dealing with Realtors and craigslist goes...many craigslist postings are inaccurate. The rents, fees, location, etc aren't correct. For Realtors, you quickly start to get a handle on Realtors' sites that are accurate and those that aren't. As you guys know, Realtors like to get you on their list with an alluring but inaccurate post, and then they call you up to tell you about apartments they DO have, but are too expensive or aren't in the right location. In my dealings with Realtors, it was about 75% of listings accurate, 20% almost accurate, and 5% not at all accurate.
I posted the tools, because I spent a lot of time on the search and found them to be the most useful, especially hopstop in gauging what the commute to work was going to be like. The landlord list is also the most comprehensive no-fee landlord list that I've seen that didn't charge you to get it. I also found the board useful, and that's why I'm here. I bet a lot of people who only have a few posts were recent apartment hunters who found the board during the search and now want to contribute.
Anyway, thanks and sorry for not being more detailed in the original post.
Yes, I completed an apartment search about a month ago. A roommate and I were searching for a place under $2,200 on the Upper West Side, West Harlem, and South Central Harlem. With the UWS, we were mostly looking at one bedrooms, which we would have used as a two-bedroom walkthrough. In West Harlem and South Central Harlem, we looked at true two bedrooms. We ended up leaning toward a true two bedroom, and ended up in South Central Harlem.
However, as far as the one bedrooms on the UWS go. We saw several for less than $2,200 between 96th and 79th and between Broadway and Columbus. Most were in old walk-ups that had nice detailing on the entryways but didn't have doormen or anything like that. They were newly renovated and clean with not the nicest finishes (oak strip flooring instead of hardwood) but new appliances. Size varied...I think the smallest was maybe 300 square feet and there was a surprisingly large one at 500 sq ft. All had separate kitchens.
As far as dealing with Realtors and craigslist goes...many craigslist postings are inaccurate. The rents, fees, location, etc aren't correct. For Realtors, you quickly start to get a handle on Realtors' sites that are accurate and those that aren't. As you guys know, Realtors like to get you on their list with an alluring but inaccurate post, and then they call you up to tell you about apartments they DO have, but are too expensive or aren't in the right location. In my dealings with Realtors, it was about 75% of listings accurate, 20% almost accurate, and 5% not at all accurate.
I posted the tools, because I spent a lot of time on the search and found them to be the most useful, especially hopstop in gauging what the commute to work was going to be like. The landlord list is also the most comprehensive no-fee landlord list that I've seen that didn't charge you to get it. I also found the board useful, and that's why I'm here. I bet a lot of people who only have a few posts were recent apartment hunters who found the board during the search and now want to contribute.
Anyway, thanks and sorry for not being more detailed in the original post.
thanks for the info. I do think someone like you who has done a real search can be more helpful than those of us who have not had to do a search but are instead relying on what we've heard or what we know our friends are paying in various neighborhoods.
Thanks for your great advice, esp. about the inaccurate listings. I've been looking on Craigslist and on some real estate sites and I've seen a lot of listings around our price range. And we aren't looking for a penthouse...we understand that we will be looking at something small. Besides, if we end up doing this, we plan on making the most of our time in the city. It will be quite the experience but well worth it. Thanks again.
You’re going to pay a premium for something short term (a lot of people make money that way). Renting an apartment is NYC is such as hassle it's not worth the effort for three to six months. You're probably looking for something furnished as well. What you want is a sublet. I'd try sublet.com.
For $2200 a month. No thanks. This is why I'm getting out here at the end of the year.
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