How does one find apartments to rent in NYC?

Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.4D IF

10/24/2006 08:28:03 PM · #1

So.... I might be transferring to a job in mid-town Manhattan... I will likely not be able to afford to actually live in Manhattan... but I don't know where people live! Or how to find housing! I need to find approximate prices on an apartment (one bedroom/bath is fine), but do I look in Queens? Brooklyn? Hoboken? And do you need a car if you live in any of these nearby cities? I've had a car for half of my life... I mean, how do people transport groceries or other large purchase? ;)

Anyway, any tips or websites would be much appreciated... I'll be googling on my own in the meantime! Thanks so much!

boysetsfire

Canon EOS-5D

10/24/2006 08:36:36 PM · #2

I am no help to you at all but Im as jealous as hell, Ive only been to NY once but I would love to live there for a year.

Good luck

nick

pawdrix

Nikon D700

10/24/2006 08:37:22 PM · #3

Try Craigslist to get an idea of what's out there. You don't need a car in NYC unless you're in a remote area which there aren't many of. I haven't been behind the wheel of a car in 12-15 years.

There are around 8 million New Yorkers. If was driving there would be about 2 million less.

You might want to try Brooklyn or Queens before you look into New Jersey. Jersey's fine but a dash too hard on the commute. Not distance-wise but you're slave to traffic....bridges and tunnels unless you live on the PATH (subway) line.

Hope that helps a bit.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

10/24/2006 08:48:17 PM · #4

That helps a lot, Steve. I appreciate your help! And hey, if I move, I can help you take the Kodak POTD! The office is just a few blocks from Times Square. :)

pineapple

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

10/24/2006 09:01:40 PM · #5

Brooklyn rents are very similar to Manhattan these days. Brooklyn locations such as the Heights, Carroll Gardens, Park Slope, Fort Greene etc are high rent areas. The rental market is very strong at the moment and there is limited availability. Expect to pay $1600 month for a studio and $2500 month for a one bedroom. (I am the manager of a cooperative building in Brooklyn, FYI, so have plenty of inside information on the market). Real estate agents will charge you 15% of the year's rent or up to $3000 commission for a studio. Hope you can really afford to live here.

EssAreDubya

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

10/24/2006 09:08:07 PM · #6

Southern Westchester is an easy commute by train and you can have your car and lower rent.

Sigma 15-30mm f/3.5-4.5 EX Aspherical DG DF for Minolta

10/24/2006 09:19:34 PM · #7

thanks for the added info! andrew, my employer is willing to negotiate the salary based on my needs... so i'm just trying to figure out my needs! :) i appreciate your help... will look into southern westchester, too.

MrEd

Sony DSLR-A100

10/24/2006 09:46:02 PM · #8

Try in Queens. Places like Astoria, Long Island City and Sunnyside are no more than 20 minutes from midtown. You wouldn't need a car there, stores are walking distance in most areas. Though, rents there are creeping higher and higher as people migrate out of the city to save money. I have a friend in the real estate business, maybe he can help find an apartment through a private party. PM me if you like. I'd need to know how much your willing to spend.

lenox114

Nikon D200

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f3.5-5.6G ED VR

10/24/2006 10:05:28 PM · #9

I live in Queens (flushing area), lots of parks and people from all over. A 1 bedroom in this area is around $1200 although I haven't checked in a while but it can't be near $2500. Although the price of fuel is screwing up the per month cost. The areas that Pineapple mentioned are really nice ( I like Carroll Gardens myself) but imho you need lots of money. The same moreso for Long Island City in Queens and the Greenpoint area in Brooklyn. They're building apartments and converting buildings like crazy.

Parking sucks, there is no nice way to say it. If you buy an apartment see if you can buy a parking slot also, it's worth it's weight in gold.

Good luck.

samchad

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

10/24/2006 10:33:03 PM · #10

I live in mid-town. Just moved in to a new place in Hell's Kitchen 2 weeks ago. The brokers I used were //www.manhattanapts.com/ who will at least take you round some places so that you get an idea of what you can get for your money. I must admit I'm paying more rent now than ever in my life, but I can walk to work (Times Square) and 9th avenue is packed with loads of cheap restaurants - so I'm happy. Just waiting for my IKEA delivery so I can put my pc on something higher than the floor!

k4ffy

10/24/2006 10:37:04 PM · #11

Originally posted by annasense:

definitely check out craigslist.org. there are other websites as well that can help you, such as urbanhostess.com and new york times classifieds. be aware that its a very time consuming process (i live in queens currently, used to live in midtown manhattan for 2 years). if you have more money than time, hire a broker, they'll search for an apartment to suit your needs, but this can be expensive as they generally have hefty fees.
as far as cars go, not only are they not needed (i've been in new york about 7 years now), they are entirely impractical and unfeasibly expensive to keep in the city, especially manhattan. prices for a parking spot in midtown are on par with a single bedroom apartment in other parts of the city. to transport groceries you can either use cabs, use your legs, or use a service such as zipcar.com which lets you rent cars by the hour which you can pick up and drop off at different points in the city.
let me know if you need any more advice, as i know firsthand that its a time consuming and annoying process to find residence in this city, though well worth it once you get settled in. feel free to PM me.

Photologist

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

10/24/2006 10:45:41 PM · #12

When I moved there, I just grabbed a neighborhood paper, walked around and visited many apartments. I came across a few that weren't in the paper, but had signs out. One of those "unlisted" apartments is what I ended up renting (upper East Side, 77th between York and the river). I lived there almost three years before moving out to California.

I recommend everyone live in Manhattan at least one year. After that, no matter what you do the rest of your life, you will never be surprised! I've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. Snow covered Central Park, 5th Avenue at Christmas, Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, purse snatching, bums peeing on the sidewalk and living in cardboard boxes, and burglaries.

I've seen it all!

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 24-85mm f2.8-4.0D

10/25/2006 07:32:56 PM · #13

thanks everyone! :) i'll be up there visiting in a few weeks... you've really given me some great tips!

Nikolai1024

Nikon D300

10/25/2006 07:42:17 PM · #14

I'm deep in Brooklyn. However it takes me 45-60min to get to work downtown Manhattan. Rents are crazy high but try take time and look thurally. You may get something crappy but cheap just to start then move up. If you interested in Brooklyn I'll be happy to give some local real estate phone numbers. They can give you better idea of the prices.

Good luck

Nick

MrEd

Sony DSLR-A100

Sigma 15-30mm f/3.5-4.5 EX Aspherical DG DF for Minolta

10/25/2006 08:13:31 PM · #15

Just spoke to my friend in real estate in NY. He said most rents in Queens are 1000-1200 for a 1/br, 1/bath. If you don't mind travelling a bit it can drop to 900-1000. He did suggest that buying a co-op might be a better idea. You'll end up paying the same in monthly payments, but in the end, it's yours. PM me if you need more info.

pineapple

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

10/25/2006 08:33:10 PM · #16

Buying a coop at the time the market might well go south would not be a wise idea for a newcomer.... Hasn't anyone mentioned the market for rentals is red hot because the market for sales is cooling even in NYC's 5 boroughs (even if that cooling is a little bit slower than in other places around the country).

10/26/2006 07:15:53 PM · #17

How is safety in the other buroughs, like Queens and Brooklyn? I have a dog that I'm sure would need to go out a couple of times a day, maybe even at night on an occasion or two. Dogs are like that. :)

This is really helpful. Eddi, I should know more in the next week, but I may be PM'ing you for more info. Those rents sound more manageable... buying a co-op right now I don't think would be an option (although I admit I know NOTHING about it), but I'm thinking I should just rent for the first year until I learn the market a little better. :)

Nikolai, do you ride the subway to work?

Thanks again.

Oh, and would I need a car if I lived in Queens or Brooklyn?

Message edited by author 2006-10-26 19:30:16.

Sigma 15-30mm f/3.5-4.5 EX Aspherical DG DF for Minolta

10/26/2006 09:54:37 PM · #18

bump. :)

MrEd

Sony DSLR-A100

10/26/2006 11:52:30 PM · #19

Originally posted by pineapple:

True enough. But, NY is NY, in the long run, you won't lose. Real estate prices have dropped BECAUSE of the retal market being hot, as well as interest rates rising. Another year, maybe a bit more, you won't be able to find anything (affordable) to buy. But, apartments will be a dime a dozen (outside Manhattan).

Added:You shouldn't need a car. Those prices are for within walking distance to subway/express bus/shopping.

Message edited by author 2006-10-26 23:54:27.

10/27/2006 11:59:05 AM · #20

Thanks, Eddi! :)

th3ph17

Canon EOS-20D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

10/27/2006 12:12:25 PM · #21

a good friend of mine pays abou 2300 for a former commercial space on the lower east side. Studio apt. sized. He prefers it over commuting from brooklyn, and as a visitor it definately was much easier to get around from.

He used an apartment broker to find his last 2 apartments.

if you have a Dog, that is going to complicate things for sure.

10/27/2006 04:19:48 PM · #22

there is a

. :)

ryanwhere

12/07/2006 01:19:27 PM · #23

Hey guys... here's my input if anyone cares =]

my girlfriend and i just moved to nyc (not in the same apartment) and we followed two different apartment finding paths. i went the broker route and was able to get a new york city apartment through The Real Estate Group NY. these guys were very helpful in working with my budget and getting me in, as the approval process SUCKS. they took care of all that for me though, i just provided the paper work. my deal: $1,500/month studio in the east village (elevator building, balcony, newly remodeled). awesome deal, awesome neighborhood. i freakin love it.

now the girlfriend, who's an artist like most of you are... she can not afford high monthly rents or take on a long term lease. she ended up finding a large place in tribeca for $800/month with no lease requirement, only 30 days notice before moving out on craigs list. the downside (to me anyway) is that she has 5 other roommates and the place is a bit shoddy (no A/C, no windows in her room, only 1 bathroom and not much privacy). but she lives with a photographer, a stylist, a music producer and a few fashion students... she loves it.

so the moral here is, you can find a place in manhattan (tribeca is a very good location) for a relatively low price ($800). it just takes some hunting. if you're still looking for a place, feel free to send me a message. my girlfriends apartment seems to have an almost rotating door and rooms always seem to be available.