Moving to NYC
 

My fiance and I are planning on moving to New York City after we are married in May of 2005. We are 28 yrs old and now work and live in Washington D.C. We love New York City and really want to spend a year or two living there to experience the city and do something different. Does anyone have any advice on where to rent a one-bedroom apt. in New York - we are not sure where we should live but we want to use the subway as transportation. We are now living in D.C. paying $1400 a month so we are use to high cost of living. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

You will have sticker shock. You will have a hard time finding a studio apt at that price. But hopefully you'd be earning more as well. Shouldn't that be the first issue to attack??

Have a look at http://newyork.craigslist.org/ for rental/sublet listings.

Here's another thought. I've discovered Empire Properties. They manage a nice building midtown next to the Michelangelo Hotel and rent fully furnished one bedroom apartments on short term (more that 30 days) starting at about $2300 including everything. I've visited friends in NYC in apartments not nearly so nice for which they were paying nearly double that. They have other similar properties as well. You might want to check something like that out for a month or two while looking for where you really want to be. Apartment hunting in New York could be a most frustrating full time job.

www.empirestateproperties.com

As suggested, rents can run very high for every apartment type. If you want to live in one of the prime areas of the Manhattan, getting a nice place for $1,400 could prove a challenge. Out of curiousity, the cheapest I saw on craigslist was $1,700 and that was all the way over in the far east village on Avenue A. (BTW, be wary and ask about location. I noticed one 1Bdr for $1,000 - the only catch it was in Bed-Stuyvestant, one of the worst crime areas of Brooklyn.)

Some reasonable options to consider outside of Manhattan are Brooklyn Heights; Astoria, Queens; or Hoboken, NJ. All have good public transportation, a neighborhood feel, into Manhattan and rents below "the City."

Hoboken, where I've lived for 9 years (but will be leaving next month) has a large community of young NYC professionals, good transportation to NY via the PATH train, bus or Ferry, numerous restaurants and bars, and 1 bedroom rents within your budget. You can find nice apartments in some of the older walkups or in one of the numerous new buildings that have gone up recently. The place where we will be moving from sits right on the Hudson, comes with a free gym, an outdoor pool, and many apartments with spectacular city views.

Make that "good transportation into Manhattan, a neighborhood feel..)

really ought to proofread my posts.

One word: Brooklyn

Have you seen the apt Peter Parker has in Spiderman 2? That's about what you might get for $1400 ha ha.

I second the Hoboken recommendation, it'll avoid sticker shock and give you a neighborhood feel you might be used to; it's similar to Georgetown.

You may want to find out which area of Manhattan you will be working in. Most people I know prefer to live on the same side as their work place, which makes it easier to commute to work on the subway. If you live cross-town from your work place, it involves more hassle.

But like others have said, your $1400 budget for a 1-BR is unrealistic (well, unless some unfortunate catastrophe happens in NYC and pushes the rent down). You will have a hard time finding even a studio for that price in Manhattan.

To pick a neighborhood, first figure out your budget and what part of town you and your husband/wife end up working, and then pick from what neighborhoods are possible in that group from your particular likes/dislikes (e.g., do you want a very active nightlife in your neighborhod, or would you prefer to have peace and quiet).

As to who to find an apartment, many apartments are listed through brokers. This is the easiest way to find an apartment - especially if you want to come down to the city for a single weekend and find a place - but brokers charge a fee of generally 12-15% of the annual rental charges (i.e. about the cost of a month's rent or a little more as a fee). To avoid paying such a fee, which is particularly painful if you only intend on staying in an apartment for a year or two, you can search the classifieds (either traditional like NY Times or Craig's List) or you can call companies that rent their buildings directly (that is what I have done). Often, these companies have many apartments so you might be able to find something in a single trip. The way I got a listing of these companies was a book called Gabriel's Guide to No Fee apartments, but when I just checked it looks like they may have stopped printing new editions - an old edition should suffice b/c it is unlikely many of the companies have changed in the past year or two, and rents in most neighborhoods are still at or below what they were in 2000/2001 (although condo/coop prices have doubled).

Most apartments are shown for a lease to start in about 45-60 days, so you have plenty of time.

As a very general estimate, in the less trendy neighborhoods (Upper East Side east of 3rd Ave), a 1BR will start at $1750 w/o a doorman, $2100 with a doorman and for more "in" neighborhoods up the starting point to around $2500.

My recommendation would be a) get an accurate idea of the rents in the city and suburbs, b) acquire job offers first to see what your income will be and what you can manage for rent, then c) figure out where to live.

Eventually, you'd have to decide how much space you have to have, and how much of your income you're willing to spend for housing versus how long a commute you're willing to endure every day.

$1400 would not get a studio apt in any good neighborhood in NYC last summer.
More like $3000. will get you a 1 bedroom.
I think the Brooklyn idea is a good one.
I really recommend online apt hunting using Century 21, William May, Gotham, just look at as much as you can online and get an idea of what you need and what you will be able to afford.
Good luck, it is tough but I think worth it :)

I was surprised by the low rent of $1400 in DC. Am wondering where the apt. is.

If you are moving to NY for only a year or two, primarily to get the NY experience, then I have to respectfully disagree with the Hoboken suggestion. Hoboken is a lovely small town - very young, cute, lots of bars and restaurants, with easy access to the city, but it is not the same as living in the city.

I think vacationdreamer's points are very good (although I think that many of the smaller buildings are shown for lease in 15-30 days, so you actually have even more time). Renting an apartment in Manhattan is exhausting - plan to spend thousands in brokers fees or hours and hours on foot.

While I really doubt that you will find anything in the $1400 range, you may find something in the $1800-2000 range (no doorman, no elevator). Cheaper neighborhoods include:

The Yorkville area of the Upper East Side (above 70th, east of Lex) - very young, preppy, has a neighborhood feel, a great place to start in NY but not trendy, far from downtown, a little homogenous...

The LES - trendier, some great spaces, but can be very far from the subway, still a bit gritty in some places...

Hell's Kitchen - centrally located on the West side, up and coming, but some of the apts aren't that great...

Throw out the conventional financial wisdom that you shouldn't spend more than a quarter of your income on rent. It may not be fiscally sound, but you are only young once...

I know many of the responses (mine included) are a bit negative, but let me also say: for all the headache, and the stress, and the pain that it causes, living in NY is totally worth it.

We live in Washington Heights, and have a 4 bedroom apartment, in a rennovated building so there are deals that can be had in the city. WE are right off the A train and it's a quick ride to midtown.

It does depend on what you are looking for and your budget. You also might think about buying since the real estate prices have come down a bit in the city. That way you are actually investing and your rent money is not going down a hole.

If you need more info let us know.

I would start out on the job front. I think you will find salaries in NY may be quite different from what they are in DC - and you will probably be able to afford more than you think. Also, young people in Manhattan - to live in an even reasaonable neighborhood -get used to sacrificing a lot of other things to pay for a decent apartment.

If you look at NYTimes.com the real estate section this will give you a quick overview of what types of apartments are avaialble where. I second the idea of not living in Jersey or Brooklyn - after all if the purpose is to experience the City you really need to be n the middle of it. One thing you might look for is a sublet in a co-op - sometimes the rents for those are limited by board regulations - and if you can find one may be a little more reasonable. (For perspective I live in a middle class buidling on the UPW and to sublet a 1-bedroom here is $2500 minimum - the market rate would be $3000 plus).

I forgot to add that I agreed with sacrificing and living in Manhattan rather than Hoboken - I have many friends in Hoboken, and it is nice and actually has a lot of nightlife, but it is not NYC.

For the record, I pay about $2100 for a pretty good size 1BR in a doorman/high rise building in the Yorkville area, close to shopping and a nice park. The downsides are that the area is not trendy and I am fairly far from the subway. For the most part, being close to the subway = $$$

Also, when looking at NY salaries, don't forget to add in the painful NYC income tax, which can just about double your state income tax bill (don't know what DC's tax situation is like).

I strolled through the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn last thursday night and noticed a gentrifying of the area; lots of renovated buildings, yuppies pushing strollers, etc...
Is this a phenomenon happening in a lot of areas because of high rents right in the city?

One other thought that hasn't been mentioned: you will need a considerable amount of cash just to get into an apartment in NYC. You will need to put up the first month's rent, you will also need a deposit in the amount of at least one month's rent, and, if you use a broker, you will need that 12-15% previously mentioned for their fee. Most of this (except maybe the broker's fee) will require a certified check, so you will need the cash in hand. In addition, most landlords require that your income exceed several times the annual rent. This means that if you don't meet the criteria, you will need someone to co-sign ASAP in order to get the apt.

Again, not to be negative, just warning you about the realities. As someone who has moved to NYC from elsewhere twice (don't ask!), I am always amazed at the cash outlay required upfront.

I have also found that it is very difficult to find an apt without using a broker. They handle a significant percentage of the apartments on the market and can definitely make your search easier -- especially if you are coming from outside the city. Just be sure to ask for recommendations because some are less scrupulous than others.

Good luck to you!

http://www.corcoran.com/

Even if you don't use this company, their site is good for browsing and getting ideas of what and where you can afford. Good luck~

Most have said you want to live in the city, and that's entirely at your discretion. I know people who live in Brooklyn, Queens and NJ who get into work in the city faster than some who live in the city. Like someone else said, I would get the job first, then judge where to live based on that.

On that note, if you chose to live right outside of Manhattan, but within a 30 min commute or less, (and cheaper rent for a bigger space) consider the following areas:
Brooklyn: Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, Prospect Park, Williamsburg, Metrotech
Queens: Astoria, Sunnyside, Long Island City
New Jersey: Hoboken, Weehawken and I'm sure others can come up with more.

I was born and raised in Brooklyn, but now live on Long Island, so if you need help with those areas, let me know. but Craigslist.org is a great source to get an idea.

Thank you everyone so much for your thoughts. You have helped us out alot. Let me just make sure I have this straight... (depending on where we get jobs) to look for an apartment in the city we should look into:

Upper East Side east of 3rd Ave
The Yorkville area of the Upper East Side (above 70th, east of Lex)
The LES
Hell's Kitchen
Washington Heights

And outside of the city we should look into:
Brooklyn Heights; Astoria, Queens; or Hoboken

Is this right? I really hope it all works out for us if we do really decide to move NYC. But the job will definitley be the first to figure out.

I have a friend who lives near Williamsburg in Brooklyn and just loves it. She can get into Manhattan in less than 30 min. Sometimes she rides her bike! Her one-bedroom apartment is nice and spacious, and she pays around $1300, I believe.

Just a clarification - the UES east of 3rd and Yorkville are the same thing. (The area used to be filled with predominantly German immigrants, but is now populated with young post college grads and couples with babies.)

Also, if the two of you would consider getting a room within a larger apt it might be sustantially cheaper. We rented a GORGEOUS 4 bedroom apt on 94th and 3rd for less than $4000... (of course you will have to work out with your roommates a fair split as there will be two of you.)

Also, don't get freaked out by the prices in the NY Times. I don't know a single person my age (25) who has ever rented through them - tends to be more high end stuff. Can't speak highly enough about Craigslist - it involves a lot of legwork, but you can often avoid a broker's fee. Search the Village Voice for no fee apts too.

The areas you've identified in your list in Manhattan tend to be the more affordable ones. Yorkville is part of the upper east side east of 3rd. No one mentioned the Battery Park area. It was devastated in the 9/11 attack and many left. I'm not up on what's happening down there, but that may also be a more affordable area.

I really think getting jobs should come first. Not only will you know where you're working to identify locations for living, but having an employer to vouch for your income will be helpful if not necessary. If you feel you have to move to the city in order to look for work, I'd rent a short term furnished apt. first that won't require so much aggro. Something like what Patrick mentioned, a few months sublet, or there are some apt/hotels.

If you're in management areas, your prospective employers might even pay some relocation expenses.

Good luck.

mitchdesj, yes, the gentrifcation you observed is constantly taking place because of high rents.

Battery Park City isn't all that cheap and I think would be too boring for someone trying to explore the city for a year or two. Brooklyn Heights is just as expensive as Manhattan.

The list you have now represent very different neighborhoods:
Yorkville - very developed, with lots of supermarkets/shopping/restaruants, not very diverse, some distance to subway but once on the subway a short ride down but walkable to many things.

The LES /Hell's Kitchen - Quickly developing/transforming neighborhoods. Good restaurants and bars mixed in.

Washington Heights - Don't know a lot about it expect passing through, but wouldn't be my first choice for someone wanting to be in the city for a year or two.

Park Slope in Brooklyn is a nice, interesting neighborhood. Astoria has some good deals and great Greek food. Hoboken has really good nightlife. In Brooklyn, might want to also look into DUMBO and Williamsburg.

As you can see, there are a lot of NYC neighborhoods, and to get it down to a manageable few, you need to first figure out your budget - how much per month and how much money you'll have to fork over when you sign the lease - and then think about your preferences once you figure out what neighborhoods you can afford.

And don;t forget the upper west side - if you get a small walk-up the apartments can be quite affordable. And IMHO much more typical of NY than the upper east side - much more diverse - in every possible way - and interesting - not dominated by brokers, arbitragers and wanna bes (not to denigrate the UES - I did live there for a few years - but it tends to be very homogenous).

Also, was not suggesting that you use the NYTimes to get an apartment - there are much better ways to find economical places as noted above - but it does give some perspective to people from out of town - so they're ready to make a decision when they see something realistic.

Sorry NYTrav, I didn't mean to imply that the NY Times was a bad idea - just wanted to reassure lw that there are cheaper opportunities out there.

I agree that the UWS also might be a good choice, depending on where lw ends up working. It's gotten ridiculously expensive overall, but you can still stumble upon some great bargains (admittedly with no elevator or doorman) and it probably does have more "character" than the UES.

What is IMHO - nytraveler? Not sure what you mean - I will defintley look into the UWS.

imho = in my humble opinion