nyc

My other question was deleted so I'm adding it again. How rude of fodors???

Anyhow, I'm looking for an apartment in Manhattan. I would like to know if it is possible to do this without a real estate agent? If so, any good websites that are worthwhile? If an agent is necessary, any good companies in NYC?

Second question....
I understand that Manhattan is divided into several areas. Some of the ones I've seen noted are lower east side, downtown, and upper west side. Could somebody please tell me a bit about each of these areas in general? Do they differ from each other? And is one area more cheaper than another, or safer than another? Is one area more of a residential area or more of a nightlife area?

Please advise.

Cheers.

shell

I've moved in and out of Manhattan several times. If you could provide more information, we could narrow this down a lot. For instance, I've paid between 834 and 3400 for one bedroom apartments -- is there a price range you need to stick to? Also, if you are a runner (or own a dog), the park (Central) will be important to you and you may want to look for a neighborhood uptown (upper east side, upper west side) Will you need to be close to school or your office? If so, do you know where it's located? Brokers are expensive (15-17% of your annual rent is the fee) but usually have access to places you can't get into on your own. I am happy to help, but a little more information on your desires might be helpful. The good news is that you have lots of options!

My personal and very biased review of some of the neighborhoods:

Upper East Side: museums, park, lots of high-rise residential buildings, frequently thought of as the old money district, which is absurd, because there is old money everywhere in NYC

Upper West Side: museums, park, thought to be more charming because of the high density of brownstones

Midtown: More business than residential, but convenient to everything

SoHo: Funky, cool, boutique-y, clubs

Greenwich Village: music, no high-rises, charm and quiet, even, on some of these streets

East Village and Alphabet City: young, chic, great clubs

There are lots of other neighborhoods of which I'm sure others can educate you on.

Good luck with your search. Personally, I'd get the broker if you have the cash. You will need first month's rent, an equal security deposit and the broker's fee in cash if you decide to go that route. Look in villagevoice.com for names of brokers. There are hundreds. Good luck

nyc

Dear Shell,

Thanks for those tips or suggestions to think about. Here is some more information.....

I'm not sure if I'm being reasonable about my rent requirements. I prefer something between $1000-$1200 roughly, including utilities. I am single so am concerned about being in a relatively safe area. I also want to be closeby to public transportation. For my job, I will be travelling all day between different homes and offices all around Manhattan via bus/train so a central location would be best. I also want an apartment that is close by to a grocery store and is just in a very convenient area. I love to bike ride and go for walks so an area near a park is nice but not necessary! If I can save money on the broker fee then that is something I really would like to do especially since I've been unemployed for almost 6 months now! Otherwise, I'd prefer to use a cheap broker. Oh yeah, and I'm not really into night clubs or night life.

Anything else I can tell you?

Anything I ought to be careful about when signing a contract with a landlord?

Do landlords negotiate a rent with the broker or is it fixed?

I'd really appreciate any suggestions you have for me.

Cheers!

Mary

somebody, please help with nyc's second question. I'm interested also about why its better to use a broker, and if you want to save the brokers fee, where is the best place to look for advertised apartments in Manhattan? Thanks.

shell

Hi NYC,

Shell here again.

Yes, you can definitely find a place in the price range you listed. You need to know that you will not be living like royalty for that, though.

How familiar are you with the city? I ask because you can generally find apartments in each of the price ranges in every neighborhood. You will never be more than a few blocks from a grocery, CVS, Blockbuster, etc., so don't worry about that.

Again, Village Voice is the best resource for apartment leads. Read the ads. The website also has an awesome search feature. There will be "flat-fee" brokers, which might be what you want in your price range. There will also be "no fee" listings that you should call on. Beware. Shopping for an apartment in NY is tough work, even when working at a higher budget. You will make appointments that will never be kept by the landlord/broker. Overall, it is generally an unpleasant experience.

There are numerous landlord/tenant rights websites that you should familiarize yourself with. I suspect the lease you get will be pretty standard; read it and ask questions about anything you don't understand. Bad landlord stories are legendary in NY (so are bad tenant stories come to think of it), but "do unto others" and you should be fine. Tneancy law generally favors the tenants in NYC.

In the price range you seek, there will be much competition for the good apartments, so the price won't be very negotiable, especially since it will be rent-stabilized (probably -- again, read about this somewhere on the web.)Terms, however, are something you will have better luck negotiating, i.e. pets, length of lease, etc.

If safety is your concern -- and it is for most everyone new to the city -- I'd recommend looking at the upper east/west side or the grammercy park area. Safety, generally, is your responsibility. You need to be smart and aware no matter what neighborhood you end up in.

Honestly, if you've never lived in the city, I recommend getting a short-term sublease so you can familiarize yourself with your wants and needs once you are there, living and loving it in real-time. Again, there is a search feature for this on villagevoice.com. Start there. All of your questions will be answered...

Good luck.

Jerry

nyc: $1000-$1200 will not get much in Manhattan. At best it will buy a small studio apartment in an older walk-up building, most likely in a marginal area. With your current budget, you would do much better in areas like Brooklyn or Queens. Also keep in mind that few apartments will include utilities, regardless of how much you pay. One possibility for a deal at the present time might be an apartment near ground zero. If you are not opposed to living in that area, over the next year or two there are deals to be had. If you have plenty of time, you can find something without a broker, but if you are unfamiliar with the city and need something fast, a broker is highly recommendable. Lots of luck.

steve

Apartment rental prices have dropped approximately 20% since 9/11, alot more near ground zero. Jerry is right stating that it will be very difficult for you to find something less than $1200 in a good neighborhood in Manhattan. You may be able to find something in the borderline neighborhoods like the east 90's, or west 90's, or alpahbet city (east village). Near ground zero can also be a good option. Everything is negotiable these days. Being unemployed will also limit your access to good apartments. You may have to offer a large security deposit to ease a Landlord's concerns. Regarding a broker, it really comes down to an issue of time and energy. If you don't mind spending some time learning about neighborhoods and running around looking at lots of apartments, many of them not at all like what seemed described in the advertisements, go ahead. You can find an apartment without a broker in Manhattan. These days you can call Landlords directly and unlike the past seven years (when the market was hot) they will probably take your calls. There are books that sell Landlords phone numbers and addresses, or as you check out certain neighborhoods you will be able to get this information from supers, etc. Read the lease carefully. If anything of consequence was promised to you be sure it's in writing in the lease. Lastly, it is possible that in a few months if the market keeps dropping you will have greater success finding something in your range. For that reason, if you find something now, I would sign as short a term lease as possible. Good luck.

nyc

Hello.

Thanks for those suggestions. I was wondering if anybody can describe some of the general areas for me....i.e. east side, west side, downtown, alphabet city, etc. Please?

Steve, you mentioned that east village and alphabet city are 'borderline'. Do you mean borderline as in borderline okay, or do you mean on the border of Manhattan?

Also, what is east village like? I'm very unfamiliar with these areas and am not sure where to start for some basic descriptions or information. I'd appreciate any advice.

Perhaps, somebody could help me tell me roughly between which streets east side, west side, east village, etc. these places are in. E.g. between 1st to 25th ave etc.

Between what streets is Ground Zero? I'm not too thrilled about being in that area really?!

Thanks again for all the help. NYC

dirk

nyc:

You really need to go there and get a feel for the neighborhoods yourself. Or read up on it on your own. Every Barnes and Noble has the "Moving to New York" guide. Every tourist guide also has descriptions of the neighborhoods. (It sounds like you've never been.) Again, as the others pointed out, in your price range and without a job, you are going to need to be flexible.

carole

When my husband and I first moved to the city from Boston we sublet for 6 months so we could learn about the city and decide which area we wanted to settle in. It worked very well for us. You can often get good deals on sublets (and perhaps can negotiate on price). One no-fee site that I have found very useful is craigslist.com - new listings are added every day.

Good luck.

kate

I just moved out of the East Village so I can tell you about that neighborhood..
It is a very young,hip area that is not for everyone.Most likely the kind of apartment you will find there is a walk up (old tenement) apartment that has hopefully been remodeled.I just moved from a 400 sq. foot remodeled tenement and I left a rent of $1350/ mo- no utilities included except heat/hot water.Your price range seems low to me for anything decent even in the East Village.I had lived there for 8 yrs and it was a rent stabilized building which means the rent only went up 2% per year.
I know when I left they charged at least $1500 for the apt and they rented it in 1 hour..I kept it really nice and the broker said that certainly helped them rent it so fast.
My experience 8 yrs ago when I was looking to rent in NYC was horrific.I tried to look for 5 months without using a broker(I lived in NJ and worked in NY so I went every day on my lunch hour and then after work to look at apartments)it was impossible.The problem is that when you went to these open houses or saw something in the paper with a no broker heading ..there were 30 other people there wanting the same apt. The bottom line was they take the highest salaried person with the best credit ..So if you don't have a lot of money you aren't going to get an apt. I have many friends who tried this also and they had the same outcome as I did..I broke down and went to a broker and the first apt he showed me I took and lived there for 8 yrs.
Back to the neighborhood..It is a great place to live ..many restuarants (most of them really cheap for NYC), close to Soho,NOlita,West Village(all very cool-great shopping).Tons of bars, clubs, great little streets with cute shops, Tompkins Square Park is there...Trains are not that close but a ten minute easy walk gets you to Broadway where the trains are. I absolutely loved living there and if I could have bought a place there for a reasonable price I would have but no such luck.But I will stress that it is not for everyone..It is a very bohemian kind of neighbohood..The residents consist mostly of artists,writers,musicians,dotcommers,students,youn g hip professionals,young families and then the long time residents..mostly minorities who remember when the neighborhood was not so young and hip.
I do agree with the above posters..you must come to NYC and spend time in these neighborhoods and see what you like..If you don't you may end up living somewhere that really does not agree with you.NYC has so many options you would be cheating yourself by taking anyone's opinion but your own..what may be heaven for one may be hell for another...Good luck!!!

ted

I agree with the others who suggested subletting. This may be the only way you find something in Manhattan without a job. I had a great job, big savings account and still had trouble finding a broker whjo made me a priority. So unless you have a wad of cash in the bank (and maybe you do; we don't know), a broker might not want to dedicate their time to you.

The sublet business in NY is huge. Check Village Voice. It is filled with people taking overseas assignments and people who have finally found a rent-stabilized apt and don't want to lose it. You will probably deal directly with the current occupant and it will be less of a transaction. They will be glad to have found someone to sublet and will be more eager to consider your situation.

Elizabeth

You're getting great advice. Esp.--read a book or two about the neighborhoods.

When you have located a nieghborhood you want to try for, one thing to do is walk along the Avenues (not Streets) in that neighborhood and step into laundromats. Most have bulletin boards (at least downtown they do) where people advertise short-term sublets.

Also the bulletin board at the Open Center in soho advertises sublets.

I think a roommate situation may be what you find in your price range, if you want to be in Manhattan.