HELP NYC! New question on NYC housing!
 

Looks there was a threat on a similar topic last month. The previous post was looking for an unreasonable deal. I have pulled some information from the continuing posts. I thank everyone that was helpful to that member before and hope that you are willing to help me. I do have some questions for my situation if anyone has time and some information they would like to share.

I am moving to NYC as soon as the end of the year or hopefully the beginning of 2006. Moving from over 16 hours away I do not know much about the area. I understand the pricing will be higher but there are parts of a city that are 'reasonable' to live in and others that are either too expensive, with a high crime rate or are just not worth looking into. This comes with every city so here are my questions.

#1 - What would be the top 5 places to live in NYC that are reasonable to live in? (Say under $1500 for rent a month, nice area and wouldnt kill me to live in?)

#2 - As for the trade off discussed in the earlier threat (Commute to NYC for lower housing), what are the top 5 places to live outside the city? (NYC cities, NJ, etc.)

I will be working in the area of Hamilton Beach and also East Elmhurst to give a frame of reference.

Thank you everyone for your help and advice! I will be checking the site often so if there are any other questions please let me know!

Sorry - my spell checker did not pick up that I meant "Thread" when I mistyped "Threat." Sorry for the mix up. Thanks!

I would live in Park Slope in Brooklyn in a skinny minute.

It's ok, we're NYers and are used to "threats".

I think the key statement you made is working in "East Elmhurst/Hamilton Beach." If my map skills are correct, that looks like they are on opposite ends of Queens with the former being by LaGuardia airport and the latter by Kennedy.

I would suggest that what might help is to know how you plan on commuting. If it's by subway, parts of Brooklyn are reasonable. But, the commute to LaGuardia would require a relatively long subway ride even though the distance isn't that far. Obviously if you're driving, it's less of an issue.

Didn't mean to throw one more issue at you but given the lack of great transit options between the airports and really no train that directly links the parts of Queens, a daily commute could be an issue.

That said, Hoboken, NJ is a great place to live. But, anywhere West of the Hudson River probably doesn't work for your commute.

I just got a new apartment, an entire floor through and a backyard in upper Manhattan for a great deal, so there are deals out there.

If you are working in the city, I would look in Queens and Brooklyn so you aren't commuting long distances. NJ to Queens or Brooklyn is not realistic.

I would check the map of where you will be working and then look at neighborhoods that are fairly close by.

You might check Craig's List for Real Estate in NYC to get some idea of what apartments look like and what kind of local amenties you can expect. You can also get listings there of apartments by owners so you don't have to pay a broker fee.

Hope this helps.

Thank you for the help so far everyone. Wanted to answer some of the questions I got so far.

I am planning on having a car since once a month I will be traveling out of state and will need it. This should help with the commute issue but brings up the parking issue which I will not attack until I find a place.

As for the location - I will be traveling to the areas around the airports. So pretty much in the Queens area as Ryan said. (Hope I got the borough right)

Took a look at some MSL listings and going to check out Craigslist later today.

Thank you so far for the help. I very much appreciate it all! Please let me know any more ideas!

It sounds like you work for an airline or affiliated co. and you're not working in Manhattan, but near the 2 airports. I agree with Ryan, we need to know how you will get to work everyday in order to advise. It actually sounds as though living in Manhattan is NOT the best option for you from a convenience standpoint.

Will you be at one of these locations more than the other? Will you have a car? Here's a subway map

http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/maps/submap.htm

You'll see there isn't a subway stop very close to La Guardia.

If you will have a car and plan to drive and don't want or need the urban scene, you may find some decent places (homes) to rent in Atlantic Beach and Long Beach which are near JFK and have some single professionals. (Would help to know a bit about you and what you're looking for.)

If you want an apartment, Astoria Queens is an "up and coming" area. Look on

nymetro.com/realestate

for overview of various neighborhoods.

Bason on where you will be working living in Manhattan doesn;t make sense - and $1500 wouldn't do it anyway.

You will need a car to commute (there is public transport in those areas - but not quick or frequent) which means you need to find a place that has on-street parking available.

Suggest - for something trendyier but no guarantee on how big or how nice you will get for your budget:

Park Slope
Astoria

or - you want somethng even more suburban you might want to consider Bayside or Douglaston

I will have a vehicle so I will be fine on the commute - won't need to use the Subway on a regular basis.

Looks like the list is as follows so far. Park Slope, Brooklyn - Atlantic Beach, Long Beach, Astoria Queens, Bayside and/or Douglaston. Seems that some did not agree with the Manhatten or Hoboken plan so that may be out. Still is a start so far!

Looking for a place that is nice, has some things to do, maybe a nightlife, no family here so not too worried about schools and such and would like some place that is nice enough but not breaking me on rent money.

Hope this gives a clearer picture and answers your questions. Defiantely need all the help I can get!

So any refined or new ideas? Let me know! Thanks!

Hi Skipdog21.

Try looking in Forest Hills, Queens.

Good luck. :-)

Ross

I second Forest Hills and Long Beach. If you want to be within walking distance of a nice soft-sanded beach with a boardwalk, Long Beach is great, and it's close to JFK. Parking would be easier than in Queens.

Park Slope Brooklyn = Fantastic but parking problems & very bad commute for you.

Astoria = Not a beautiful area but lots of singles & some nightlife, close to LGA, and you'd be able to zip into Manhattan very easily by subway. BUT parking could be difficult.

All areas mentioned are very safe.

Long Beach is a good choice, but be aware that parking is almost impossible during the summer months (unless you have a garage).

It's unlikely you'll find anything in Manhattan for $1500 unless you want to share AND parking is very expensive. Hoboken and anything in New Jersey is west of Manhattan and you're working east of Manhattan so that doesn't make a lot of sense. (You must look at a map).

Atlantic Beach and Long Beach are really part of Long Island but both are within reasonable distance to JFK and not so bad to LGA.

Douglaston Queens might be a good option too. Floral Park is geographically good but I don't know the area well.

There are MANY apartment buildings and complexes in Queens on and near Queens Blvd. I really suggest you repost your request and put either Queens or housing near LGA and JFK in the title. ;)

Thanks for the help so far. Getting a pretty good list now from everyone responces. Here is what it looks like so far in order

#1 - Long Beach, Queens
#2 - Atlantic Beach, Queens
#3 - Douglaston, Queens
#4 - Astoria, Queens
#5 - Forest Hills, Queens

Looks like no one liked the commute Hoboken, NJ brought. Also Manhatten, NY seemed not to be a favorite due to travel time too. Also Bayside didn't get much of a response so it is getting bump I guess. Along with Park Slope, Brooklyn due to the aforementioned commute problems. If this is all right let me know!

The only fall back seemed to be that the Beach was going to be bad parking during summer months which almost requires a garage. (Thanks for the heads up by the way!)

Any more ideas, hints or clues on houses, apratments, parking, location on a place under $1500 let me know! Thanks!

Just FYI: Long Beach and Atlantic Beach are not in Queens, they are in Nassau County, Long Island (though not far from Queens).

Add Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to your list. ...close to the water with great ethnic food. And where exactly is Hamilton Beach????? There is a Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn but I am not familiar with any such area in Queens... There is, however, a Howard Beach in Queens where you could likely find something within your budget.

FYI, not sure what times you would be commuting, but from Long Beach to LGA you are looking at a 45 minute drive at the least. Long Beach is a great place to live...in addition to the beach (obviously) there is a good nightlife, especially in summer, restaurants, shopping, etc. Atlantic Beach not so much. But unless you are ready for long drives in crazy Long Island traffic, you may want to consider somewhere in Queens that's in the middle of the two airports. If driving doesn't bother you, though, I vote for Long Beach (I live about 10 minutes from there)...

Well, my advice is to tackle the parking issues *at the same time* as finding a new home. Parking might add a significant cost to your monthly expenses. I don't know how much a garage space would be in the areas mentioned but it certainly won't be cheap. In Manhattan, I had a great deal for $300 per month for indoor parking. That's steep! This is, of course, if you cannot find on-street parking. Also note that your car insurance may jump quite substantially when you move to the NYC-area. All things I would consider now, rather than later.

So Long Beach in Nassau would be a 45 min commute. Good to know! Also looks like Atlantic Beach may not be as good of a choice as Long Beach according to CarolynF. So that does narrow me down a little bit. From the amount of reply I have gotten it looks like Brooklyn is out all together just for commuting reasons. Been looking at places at the above listings.

Forest Hills, Douglaston, Astoria, Howard Beach and Long Beach

If this looks good let me know and I put it in stone for now. Thank you for the help so far!

Does anyone know anything about Kew Gardens in Queens? Got a heads up that I might want to look there? Any ideas?

A lot of Forest Hills is really beautiful. I'm not sure of the rents, though. Howard Beach would be on the bottom of that list, if on it at all. Forest Hills, Douglaston and Astoria are all good choices. What type of rental are you looking for? Apartment in a large building, one floor in a house, etc.? That may influence your decision. All of those areas are convenient to mass transit (including Long Island railroad) and major highways. Where are you moving from?

Have you looked at the NY Times web site real estate section? It has numerous profiles of neighborhoods - which might help give you an idea of the flavor of some of these places - some are mostly mid/high-rise areas, some more two-family houses or smaller buildings.

Also - there are some areas that are more young people and singles - versus primarily family areas.

You can also search for specific apartment info (just to get a feeling for the market- there are certainly other ways sto search once you have decided on a neighborhood).

I would also eliminate Howard Beach from your list - it is (in)famous for a series of racial attacks - as well as in a quite inconvenient location. There are much better choices.

Also - I would get a good map of Queens - which may help you decide on areas with reasonable transport/routes to where you'll be going.

Howard Beach has subsequently been removed from the list. Thanks for the heads up.

As for the location. Wouldn't mind a place that was either singles, family or such. More interested in saving money and having to drive/subway to go out at night verses paying more to live a block or two away from the action. Does that make sense?

Will also make sure to pick up the NY Times and check out the real estate section as suggested! Thanks!

As previously asked, and simply out of curiosity -- where are you moving from?

You can get the whole real estate section on-line - NYTimes.com - it's free- you just need to register - with much more detail and info than any print issue.

skipdog, there are several posters on the NYC forum on tripadvisor.com that live in Queens. You might want to consider posting your questions over there as well. I would use a title that highlights working at JFK and LGA. Here's the URL

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum..._New_York.html

I lived in Forest Hills as a kid and it's still a nice area - a quick subway ride into the "city" (Manhattan) and an easy drive to East Elmhurst and Hamilton Beach. Hey, what can be bad about a neighborhood that brought us the Ramones and Captain Kangaroo???

I have friends still living in the area and you can probably get by on $1500.

Kew Gardens is also nice - it's just east of Forest Hills and they're both more or less the same. Rego Park which is to the west of Forest Hills is also worth checking out.

Forest Hills is a great and safe location. They have good shops and restaurants. Convenient subway commute to the city and easy access to highways for commute to work. You should be able to find a 1 bedroom apartment for $1500.

Hello! I would agree that Hoboken should be crossed off your list- it's a great area, and an easy commute to the city by mass transit. But if you're planning to drive, you just never know what the tunnels will be like on a given day, and it's probably more headache than it's worth.

Forest Hills is indeed a great area- my husband and I are in the process of moving there, so I'm a bit biased :) $1500 is definitely possible, though the closer you get to Austin Street (the main "trendy" area) the more expensive things will be. But it's an entirely walkable neighborhood, so you're fine.

Kew Gardens is also nice...it's less expensive, I think generally because the subway doesn't reach all parts of it. However, there is an easy bus, and since you'll be driving to work it's definitely worth looking at. Both Forest Hills and Kew Gardens are well-named: they are very green areas, for the most part.

We spent the summer in "South Park Slope' (Windsor Terrace to many) and found that parking was not a problem. Rents are less expensive as you go below 9th Street in Park Slope, so you might consider that. As with any apartment, you'll need to go and look at it, because New York can differ drastically from block to block.

Good luck!

I am a longtime Queens resident even though I do not live there now. I am also a landlord. So i'll give you some ideas of rent....

1. Jackson Heights. (76 st 34 ave) You can almost waly to LGA from here. The drive to Kennedy is also quick. There is plenty of reasonably safe parking. What are you driving? I rent a pre-war 2 bedroom for 1300. I rent another for 1400. I also rent a first floor 1 bedrrom with a parking spot in the driveway and a backyard for 1150. You can find a large studio for 800 here. I truly believe this neighborhood has the best restaurants in the city because all of them are run by new arrivals into the US. This neighborhood is a virtual United Nations. Everbody gets along without any racial trouble. There is very little crime here and Manhattan is a 15 minute subway ride away.

2. College Point. (25 rd c p blvd) From here you can see and walk to LGA. There are gobs and gobs of free street parking that is very safe. I rent a 3 bedroom for 1450, and another for 1500. The first floor small one bedroom is only 700.

3. Woodside (56 st 31 ave). This is a great neighborhood with plenty of street parking that is reasonable safe. I rent a 3 bedrrom for 1400 and another for 1500. The first floor here is 900. These 3 br apartments are almost 2000 sqft. From here you have a 10 minute drive to LGA and a 30 minute drive to JFK.

4. Whitestone (25 av f l blvd) 3 bedroom for 1300, another for 1500. The first floow one bedroom is 700. There are gobs and gobs and gobs of very safe on street parking. You can easily find a one bedroom for 700 or even less.

5. Howard Beach. I don't own anything there but I know that this is cheaper than all 4 of the previous neighborhoods. From there you can take a 5 minute bus ride to JFK and a 30 minute drive to LGA with plenty of street parking around.

Here are places where I wouldn't live given where you work and your budget. They may be great areas but they are not for you given that....

1. Manhattan Prices out of this world, lousy commute, noisy, and no place to keep your car.

2. Hoboken You'd have to pay income tax to 2 states (NY and NJ). You'd rack up plenty of tolls. The commute is really lousy, total triffic. The prices are silly and there is no on-street parking.

3. The Bronx - Many areas are very good. Some are downright horrible. The good areas are dominated by the 5 Queens neightborhoods because of a quicker and cheaper (no tolls) commute. The 5 neightborhoods that I mentioned will cause you to never have to pay a toll to go to work. Also if you hang out in Manhattan use the 59th street bridge. It is free. I probably saved 10,000 by using it for my driving career.

4. Brooklyn Heights / Park Slope / Carrol Gardens - Overpriced Hype, little parking and a lousy commute to your work. These areas are for people with plenty money OR people with no car who work in Manhattan.

5. Fort Greene / Brownsville / Boerum Hill These are dangerous neighborhoods even though they are being gentrified. Do not leave your car on the streets there. They also have a lousy commute to where you are going. As long as the City Housing Projects are there these areas will be rough.

6. Corona (Queens) This is one of the few areas of ineer Queens that is considered tough. It is very cheap and very convenient to LGA but the crime rate is high there. Also there is little parking and the area is noisy. You can do better than this.

Good luck

I too lived in Queens for a long time.
Not sure why Howard Beach would be off the list but Long Beach would be on. It can take FOREVER to get in and out of Long Beach, especially in the summer months. Not many options for roads out of there. Forest Hills is very urban, but certainly convenient and Austin Street has held its charm for a long time.

On a separate note, I'd be interested in speaking with the "regulator" directly about some of the listings you had. I'm headed back home to Queens after living on L.I. for the past 8 years. Need to start looking.

I agree with poster above; as I mentioned a while back, Howard Beach is a very nice, safe neighborhood. Yes there have been a few, very few, publicized crimes there, but that should not deter you from the area. I would put it back on your list, as well as Jackson Heights and many of the other areas in Queens recently mentioned. By the way, I would still like to know the location of "Hamilton Beach" Queens.

you can find an apt. in Manhattan for under $1500 - you just have to do your research - I just looked on Corcoran.com and craiglist.com and found a handful of apts. One on Sutton place to boot! (Skipdog - this may not be your cup of tea - but a very nice part of town!)

It's true Corcoran does have several studios for $1500 or under. Most are in Harlem - which can be pleasant or somewhat gritty - depending on the exact location. These look like they're all in brownstone walk-ups.

There is also one in Inwood - which is kind of suspicious since it gives absolutely no info on the building.

I can;t figure out the one on Sutton place - it's a studio - but not that tiny - although a bad layout - perhaps there's something I'm missing. The trouble is this is a VERY expensive area - you can't really park your car on the street (garage will be about $400 per month) and everything nearby will be pricy - market, delis, cleaners etc.

Still - if you're willing to give up space and add to your commute it looks like there might be some options in Manhattan.

Have had many good responses to this thread about housing options in the NYC area. As stated above it looks like most agree that the Queens area would be best for me. So given that here is what my list has come to been at this time. (In alphabetical order)

- Astoria
- Bayside
- College Point
- Douglaston
- Forest Hills
- Howard Beach
- Jackson Heights
- Kew Gardens
- Whiteside
- Woodside

From everyones reviews, which I have been tracking, looks like each of the above listed areas should be good, safe, nice places to leave with an easy commute in Queens, for reasonable rent, good space and easy on-street parking for my vehicle.

Let me know if anyone has any more places, comments or suggestions about the list so far! Thanks for your help!

FYI, it's WhiteSTONE not WhiteSIDE.

Some of these areas (perhaps all) have some streets/sections that are better than others. The neighborhood may be generally "safe" but some streets better than others. I just bring this up b/c as you start looking you really need to be aware that some sections are ok and some not.

I would also say not all these areas have easy on street parking. How do you plan to proceed? I hope you're going to start visiting places and not take something sight unseen.

Don't worry about that. I plan on visiting every place I am interested in getting. Nothing left un-inspected no matter what the hardship. Will need parking though one way or another reguardless of where I live. Going to start looking hopefully in the next two weeks.

To freedom05.....I realize that this deviates from a travel discussion but you can email me at [email protected]

I do not have any openings now but I have an extensive knowledge of most of Queens real estate, parking, commuting, shopping, etc...