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Best way to find a place in Manhattan

post #1 of 29
3/24/10 at 1:50am
Thread Starter 
Moving to Manhattan from Los Angeles in May. Looking for a 1 bedroom in Greenwhich or West Village. Will be flying there for 2 days to find and sign a place in mid-April. My budget is around $2300/month, but I would like to get it for under $1900/month if possible. I'm young and single and want to take full advantage of my NYC experience.

What do I need to be aware of?
What do I need to prepare?
What will be the best course of action to find a place in the 2 days I'm in NYC?

thanks for the help!
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post #2 of 29
3/24/10 at 10:32pm
Go to the clubs. Find a boyfriend. Move in. The sore ass wont last long. Ask edmorel for tips.
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post #3 of 29
3/25/10 at 1:00pm
3 choices:

1. Broker- they will take a huge fee but will generally do a lot of the legwork for you (if they are good and you contact them in advance). You will also see a lot of apartments you would not otherwise have access to.

2. Non-broker/non-fee apartments - they exist, but sometimes the rent is a bit more and you will be paying the higher rent for a while, so if you are planning on staying, you will find using a broker can actually be cheaper.

3. Craigslist sublets/etc - probably the best route, but with just a weekend it is no guarantee.

Not sure what $2300 gets you anymore since I left NYC in 2008. I lived pretty much all over downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn and preferred Brooklyn.
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post #4 of 29
3/25/10 at 1:18pm
streeteasy.com
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post #5 of 29
3/25/10 at 1:24pm
If you only have two days, you should use a broker. I wouldn't usually recommend going down this road but you don't have many options with such a tight timeline. Most brokers are no fee these days, but the asking price will be higher than if you found the place on your own. Call a few and have them pack your days looking at apts. I just did this search, it will be very hard to find a true 1br for $2300 or less in these areas. I was lucky to find a good size 1br for $2250 after looking at SEVERAL studios with french doors that were listed as 1br and priced between $2000 and $2400. You should open your search to other areas...namely e.village (even ave a/b), LES if you want the neighborhood feel. If you can stand the lux doorman highrise you should look at 75 west end ave. Its one of most reasonably priced of the lot, $2300 will get you a nice 1br with a gym/pool in the building, but its in the middle of nowhere (although there is a shuttle to Columbus circle).
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post #6 of 29
3/25/10 at 6:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ssnyc View Post
If you only have two days, you should use a broker. I wouldn't usually recommend going down this road but you don't have many options with such a tight timeline. Most brokers are no fee these days, but the asking price will be higher than if you found the place on your own. Call a few and have them pack your days looking at apts. I just did this search, it will be very hard to find a true 1br for $2300 or less in these areas. I was lucky to find a good size 1br for $2250 after looking at SEVERAL studios with french doors that were listed as 1br and priced between $2000 and $2400. You should open your search to other areas...namely e.village (even ave a/b), LES if you want the neighborhood feel. If you can stand the lux doorman highrise you should look at 75 west end ave. Its one of most reasonably priced of the lot, $2300 will get you a nice 1br with a gym/pool in the building, but its in the middle of nowhere (although there is a shuttle to Columbus circle).
many brokers are no fee? where did you get that? if a building is offering 1 month free rent and you show up with a broker, you do not get the free rent, you get your broker's fee paid for. and if there is no such offer, the broker's fee is built into the rent. The broker will get paid either way and it will be through the renter regardless of who cuts him the check. Streeteasy.com has a ton of listing and so does nybits.com.
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post #7 of 29
3/25/10 at 6:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by haganah View Post
and if there is no such offer, the broker's fee is built into the rent.

yep. Even with "no fee" apartments, offer to pay the broker's fee and you'll see rent fall considerably. You'll break even after one year, stay for more than one and you'll save money with the lower rent.
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post #8 of 29
3/25/10 at 7:35pm
Thread Starter 
thanks for the help guys. I'm going to try and line up a few apartments in the two days I'm there. What are the things I should bring with me so that I can sign for a place?
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post #9 of 29
3/25/10 at 7:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by racknac View Post
thanks for the help guys. I'm going to try and line up a few apartments in the two days I'm there. What are the things I should bring with me so that I can sign for a place?
2 paystubs 2 recent bank statements letter of employment tax info (maybe) reference numbers and or letter from previous landlord If you like it, they'll ask you for a certified check for first month and for security. look at 110 horatio, there are 2 buildings there. No fee. Modern/doorman. By water in west village but a 10 minute walk to the train station. Should be 1 month free rent also. If you need a broker, I recommend Keith Burkhardt (google him) but it's up to you.
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post #10 of 29
3/25/10 at 9:17pm
This
Quote:
Originally Posted by ssnyc View Post
...but the asking price will be higher than if you found the place on your own.
Equals
Quote:
Originally Posted by haganah View Post
if a building is offering 1 month free rent and you show up with a broker, you do not get the free rent, you get your broker's fee paid for. and if there is no such offer, the broker's fee is built into the rent. The broker will get paid either way and it will be through the renter regardless of who cuts him the check.
I didn't think the details were necessary, but I should have used quotes around "no fee."
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post #11 of 29
3/26/10 at 12:54pm
I've had a lot of luck with Craigslist. $2300 can get you a decent real 1BR in the WV and a pretty nice one in GV. And for the two days you're staying here, if you don't know anyone in town to stay with, stay in a hostel or cheap hotel. Two days is enough to find a place if you start looking and make appts to see them all day, both days. There are quite a few places available right now all over manhattan, especially below 14th. As far as what you'll need, that varies. Some people require 40X monthly, 3X deposit, etc, so be prepared for that bullshit. Search CL and call the numbers listed and ask what they require. Also, realize that many places are looking to get a deal quick, so when negotiating, try and get 1st month free or something like that. It can effectively bring your annual rent cost down a few hundred a month. (just for reference, I just got a sick 3000 sq ft loft in china town/LES for $6k with two friends and got the first month free).
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post #12 of 29
3/26/10 at 7:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ashokn225 View Post
$2300 can get you a decent real 1BR in the WV and a pretty nice one in GV. And for the two days you're staying here, if you don't know anyone in town to stay with, stay in a hostel or cheap hotel. Two days is enough to find a place if you start looking and make appts to see them all day, both days. There are quite a few places available right now all over manhattan, especially below 14th. As far as what you'll need, that varies. Some people require 40X monthly, 3X deposit, etc, so be prepared for that bullshit. Search CL and call the numbers listed and ask what they require. Also, realize that many places are looking to get a deal quick, so when negotiating, try and get 1st month free or something like that. It can effectively bring your annual rent cost down a few hundred a month. (just for reference, I just got a sick 3000 sq ft loft in china town/LES for $6k with two friends and got the first month free).
Craigslist is full of scams. If the listings are real, they'll be posted and collected in streeteasy. If they are no fee, they will be listed in nybits.com most likely too. Not only will they try and scam you on craigslist but they will intentionally try to show you something that is no fee that you could find on your own and collect the fee from you. And what you said about 2300 for a decent real 1 bedroom is pure rubbish unless your definition of "decent" and "real" has truly been altered from the original. And btw, negotiating on first month's free rent is an OK incentive but I recommend trying to negotiate your rent down - the following year his rent will now effectively shoot up because he bought into the whole "1 free month" deal.
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post #13 of 29
3/26/10 at 7:51pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by haganah View Post
Craigslist is full of scams. If the listings are real, they'll be posted and collected in streeteasy. If they are no fee, they will be listed in nybits.com most likely too. Not only will they try and scam you on craigslist but they will intentionally try to show you something that is no fee that you could find on your own and collect the fee from you.

And what you said about 2300 for a decent real 1 bedroom is pure rubbish unless your definition of "decent" and "real" has truly been altered from the original.

And btw, negotiating on first month's free rent is an OK incentive but I recommend trying to negotiate your rent down - the following year his rent will now effectively shoot up because he bought into the whole "1 free month" deal.

=( Are you saying i wont be able to find a decent 1bedroom for 2300? I would honestly like to spend below 2000... looked at a few places on Streeteasy and saw a few promising ones near NYU.
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post #14 of 29
3/26/10 at 9:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by racknac View Post
=( Are you saying i wont be able to find a decent 1bedroom for 2300? I would honestly like to spend below 2000... looked at a few places on Streeteasy and saw a few promising ones near NYU.
west village is different from greenwich village or areas by nyu. Remember that there really is no hidden gem in NYC and the the listings are done with great skill in terms of using the english language and also photography. The problem is people take what would be a studio in any other city, cut that baby up into 5 pieces and call it a 2 bedroom. And of course you'll never use the kitchen because you know, nobody in ny uses the kitchen. And it's OK if the bathroom is a dive because you're never home anyway, it's NY. You would have better luck with that price outside of the west village. Ask people on streeteasy for advice. There is a listing on no fee rental buildings that people post on there from time to time. Check nybits.com and http://www.urbansherpany.com/ also.
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post #15 of 29
3/27/10 at 1:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wallcloud View Post
Go to the clubs. Find a boyfriend. Move in. The sore ass wont last long. Ask edmorel for tips.

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