I am planning to move to NYC this fall ( start of August) and have a couple of queries regarding renting apartments.
The areas that I am looking at are East Village,Lower East Side,Tribecca, any other that is 15-20 min walk from NYU Stern. I am searching for a 1BR/ alcove studio and while browsing the listings I have come across several apartments that range from 1700-2300 ( which is the fag end of my budget). These listings are from NakedApartments, UberCampus and Zillow.
My Queries:
Is my budget reasonable for a decent 1 BR?
(I currently live in a 3BR and understand that its not something that I may have ever in NYC. However, I would like the space to be decently laid out. The Bedroom can be a Queen Size one.)
What are the major red flags that I should look for?
Are Agents really worth it? ( Ocassionally I have found out that some 2100 + fee listings are better than 2400 no fee listings). How much of an advantage will an agent give me in searching for a correct place?
I will have around 12 days to move in before school starts. Do you beleive this time will be sufficient?
If you go uptown to Yorkville and look in midrise elevator/laundry buildings, you may find 1-bedroom for 2300. Downtown – I’d say only studios are realistic, (or very VERY small 5th floor walk up 1-bed).
Try MBD Properties for East village. I know somebody who got a decent rent (albeit 2 years ago) with them, but they charge a large fee.
I think there are enough free resources out there that if you just put in the work, you can get by without an agent. Your budget is very low for a one bedroom and I think it will be better suited for a low end studio on less desirable Streets, like very far east in East Village. Your budget is insufficient for Tribeca, but consider doubling it and you’ll find something at the upper end of the range.
So according to you, are thelistings on the websites I mentioned false or have significant disadvantages ? For e.g. There are around 50 listings for 1 BR under 2300 on NakedApartments.com . Are all these false?
Can you post one or two listings that you have seen? Given that median rent for 1 bedroom apartments in Manhattan is around $3k (and likely more expensive in the areas you mentioned), a cheaper unit might come with some compromises or lack some features of other apartments.
As I mentioned in a previous post, the further out East (or West) you go, the less expensive. Traversing across a bunch of avenues not only takes you pretty far from the NYU campus if that is where you want to be, but it is a pain in the butt from a public transportation standpoint.
I know everyone has a budget but personally I would get the location right and live in a smaller apartment if I had to. These are all decent apartments and reasonable prices, if you like the East Village. For me, I like to live in neighborhoods that have much more of a residential feel and easy access to subways, so those would be Tribeca, Gramercy Park, or Brooklyn Heights. But, those neighborhoods would almost certainly require you to stretch your budget.
Since it’s furnished, it could be a coop owner subletting his/her own apartment. In which case you’ll need a coop board approval (takes a month at best) and pay some additional coop fees.
Yes, that’s insufficient for what is perhaps the most expensive part of the city (other than perhaps neighboring SoHo). You could get more expensive by going to 5th avenue, or Park Avenue,
in the OP’s target aras, the East Village sounds the most doable. I wouldn’t expect too much of agents, but they can be useful if you aren’t actually here to do the legwork. If you have a friend in town that you can crash with and can come a few weeks earlier, you might do better just running around after craigslist ads and see what you find.
My girlfriend manages a brownstone building on he upper east side near the Whitney Museum (also one of the most expensive parts of town). One bedrooms go for around $3700 per month. There are some studios that go for $2500-$3500 depending on the view. People complain about the prices, but all the rooms are filled.
If you are willing to have a roommate and live in a sketchier-but-gentrifying part of town, things are better. When I was unemployed and splitting up with my then-girlfriend, I found a place with roommates near Harlem that was still rent stabilized. It was a huge pre-war apartment, such that having a roommate doesn’t feel cramped at all, and my share of the rent was $800, which included utilities and internet. I found it on Craigslist after searching maybe 10-15 other listings. To be honest, it’s such a deal that I still haven’t given up that place, though in practice I spend most nights at my girlfriend’s these days.
Another option is to be in high 20 low 30s streets around 8th or 9 Ave where rent is relatively cheaper and bike to NYU. It’s also an easy subway ride to WV to go out.
