[EdK]

can any of you new yorkers tell me where is the best places to find an apartment int he city, like online sites(besides craigslist), newspapers or whatever. thanks

[Luna]

I just went through all of this.... it's really hell finding an apartment.


Where are you looking, though.

I just got an incredibly personable sales agent... he charges very little! Only the first months rent... as opposed to 15%.

But of course, my apartment is way uptown.

Ifyou'd like more info... PM me.

[pamelaz]

Where at in NY are you looking? I might have some contacts for you.

[EdK]

anywhere except for the very north and south tips like lower manhattan, inwood etc...

[MJCouture]

The Corcoran group has a pretty good website (corcoran.com). Even though it is mostly high end stuff, there are apartments in every price range. When I was looking for a place thats where I searched and they always seemed to have good options.

[purechris]

I was thinking of posting something about this yesterday.

I started hunting this past week and was wondering if any of my fellow NY TFSpotters had any tip offs in their neighborhoods....more specifically, East Village and LES

[faust]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJCouture The Corcoran group has a pretty good website (corcoran.com). Even though it is mostly high end stuff, there are apartments in every price range. When I was looking for a place thats where I searched and they always seemed to have good options.

Corcoran is either for people who have too much money on their hands or for those who like to get raped.

EdK are you looking to rent or to buy? If to buy, I would hold off - we are in a real estate BUBBLE.

But you are probably looking to rent. It's extremely hard - you get what you pay for, unless you know somebody who knows somebody. There is really no such thing as an up-and-coming area in Manhattan, so expect to pay close to $2000 a month for anything livable...

[EdK]

im looking to rent faust, and my maximum is very very low at about 1200 a month but i would still like to get a place somewhere in the city. can you recommend a realtor?

is markdavid any good?

[Luna]

I pay 975 for a 1br/2 room studio... only it's in inwood...

honestly i'd rather pay less and get more space than pay 3000/mo dollars for a studio in midtown.

i don't really understand what's so horrible about inwood. there's two huge parks right near me.. subway's everywhere.. gwb is very close... you can even have a car.. plenty of street parking/garages... plenty of supermarkets, it's quiet... its' a family neighborhood.

i know of a duplex that will be going for 1300-1400/mo.. i only know of that because i used to live there.. my lease is up at the end of july for that one...

[emma peel]

village voice online and craigslist are the way to go... although everything is tied up with brokers these days. best to isolate a few neighborhoods you like and concentrate on seeing as much as you can there and screwing all the rest, cause there's always a great deal available if you really hunt. but it's all about brooklyn baby!

[EdK]

yea im seriously considering brooklyn, the apt you get for the price you pay seems great. however i dont kno jack about the area, what part of brooklyn is the best for easy access to the city?

[emma peel]

i love boerum hill/cobble hill, but i'm partial cause i've lived here on and off for several years. it's the area tracked in jonathan lethem's books motherless brooklyn and fortress of solitude. tree lines streets, lots of boutiques and restaurants around atlantic and smith sts. and lots of trains nearby. ft. greene is nice, a little further out. if you want a fairly ugly area with nice amenities but really only one train (L), williamsburg is cool, but has gotten pretty pricey for what you get.

[faust]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EdK yea im seriously considering brooklyn, the apt you get for the price you pay seems great. however i dont kno jack about the area, what part of brooklyn is the best for easy access to the city?

i think your best bet is cobble hill, like emma pointed out. boerum hill is nice in itself also, but it's too close to bad areas for my taste. brooklyn heights is the closest to manhattan - it's beautiful, but sedated and pricey. park slope is hopping, but i don't think it's worth the money, because it is still a 20minute ride to manhattan. i am a 10 min. drive from park slope and i pay 2 times less for double the space. williamsburg is good if you don't mind overpaying for living in a slum. it's very close to the city, but from what I've heard the L train is phantom at late night (the cab ride from manhattan won't be expensive though).

I think for $1200 you might get a small place of your own in cobble hill or williamsburg - shoot for that. Definitely do craigslist and village voice (http://www.villagevoice.com) first - even though both are infected with realtors posing as owners.

why are you moving to new york?

[softgrey]

i have to disagree with faust about corcoran...
i got my apt through them and it was a very good deal and a good experience...
found it advertised in the nytimes...

[Theory]

Another vote in favor of Corcoran. My sister got her apartment through them and they were nothing but the best, they don't only cater to yuppies and have a surprising amount of well priced inventory (less than 700k/$2500 a month) available in good areas. They really help simplify the process if that's your goal and their access is amongst the best.

For renting, a good area to look into would be the Upper East Side (obviously east of Park, preferrably east of Third). A ton of college students flood this area when they move to the city for their first jobs because the rents are very reasonable because the area is dead for the most part (although bars are on First Ave) and its kinda a stretch from the subway. A lot of these places won't advertise, especially the gigantic rentals like Normandie Towers in the east 90s. Hit the pavement and ask the doormen, etc. You should easily be able to find a 1 bedroom for under $2000, and a two bedroom would only enhance your savings. Murray Hill and the area around the Queens Midtown Tunnel used to also be cheap, but its gone up as well. I live on the Upper West Side and while I love it (I have two kids, one on the way), it is cost prohibitive.

As far as Brooklyn, Ft Greene is OK but you can get real sketchy in some parts, and the prices have gone through the roof as gentrification has really set in, even parts of Bed-Stuy are starting to charge more. I'd stick with Craiglist and browse areas and try to learn of openings via word of mouth. If you don't have to be in a certain area, you will do better. Obviously you can live in Harlem or Wash Heights for less, but I imagine many here will steer you clear of there.......