[NYC ppl] need advice on getting an apartment (2024)

I have graduated from college and now I'm moving from Austin to NYC to work in the financial district. I will be doing six weeks of training in London starting early September, after which we start work immediately, having just one weekend off.

I'm primarily trying to determine when should I go looking for an apartment. My options seem to be:

• Rent an apartment in late August starting immediately, which would cost $2250+ to own over 6 weeks. I would be competing with NYU students who are looking for similar cheap apartments for the fall semester starting in September.
• Sign a lease on an apartment in August that begins when I get back from London. This would be great, but I don't think it's easy to find properties that far in advance (6-10 weeks) in the NYC market. Am I wrong?
• Stay in a hotel while I'm working until I get an apartment. However, I would not have much time to search and this could be expensive as well.

I'm hoping to get an apartment in Manhattan, preferably in Chelsea and as close as possible to 14th street and 8th avenue so that I can take the 2/3 train downtown. I currently live by myself in a 250 sqft studio, and I'm looking for something similar or smaller. I don't have any debt and have plenty of cash, so I'm looking at paying up to $1500 per month for rent plus utilities, though $1400 would be great.

I know that the best solution is probably to "stay with a friend" or get my employer to help me. However, I don't have any friends in NYC and my employer suggested either getting an apartment beforehand or staying with a friend. Also, most of my soon-to-be coworkers are staying with a friend, so I can't leech off of them.

Any recommendations from NYC ppl about this timing question or stories about how you found your apartment would be helpful

250 sq ft studio

how in the f*ck

padmapper will help

padmapper.com

also, 250 sq ft rofl

this is my place before i moved in. i'm standing against the wall so there's nothing behind me. the doors are a closet, a bathroom, and the kitchen. but this would be a rather large apartment in manhattan for my price range. i have a queen bed, a couch, and a desk.

holy f*ck dude

you could go to a university and live in a dorm for the price you're probably paying for that, and you'd have more room.

Tribalbob said:

holy f*ck dude

you could go to a university and live in a dorm for the price you're probably paying for that, and you'd have more room.

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yea O.K.

mjoe said:

I have graduated from college and now I'm moving from Austin to NYC to work in the financial district. I will be doing six weeks of training in London starting early September, after which we start work immediately, having just one weekend off.

I'm primarily trying to determine when should I go looking for an apartment. My options seem to be:

• Rent an apartment in late August starting immediately, which would cost $2250+ to own over 6 weeks. I would be competing with NYU students who are looking for similar cheap apartments for the fall semester starting in September.
• Sign a lease on an apartment in August that begins when I get back from London. This would be great, but I don't think it's easy to find properties that far in advance (6-10 weeks) in the NYC market. Am I wrong?
• Stay in a hotel while I'm working until I get an apartment. However, I would not have much time to search and this could be expensive as well.

I'm hoping to get an apartment in Manhattan, preferably in Chelsea and as close as possible to 14th street and 8th avenue so that I can take the 2/3 train downtown. I currently live by myself in a 250 sqft studio, and I'm looking for something similar or smaller. I don't have any debt and have plenty of cash, so I'm looking at paying up to $1500 per month for rent plus utilities, though $1400 would be great.

I know that the best solution is probably to "stay with a friend" or get my employer to help me. However, I don't have any friends in NYC and my employer suggested either getting an apartment beforehand or staying with a friend. Also, most of my soon-to-be coworkers are staying with a friend, so I can't leech off of them.

Any recommendations from NYC ppl about this timing question or stories about how you found your apartment would be helpful

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it's going to be hard to live in that area by yourself for that much..

why do you want to live in chelsea anyways? kind of sucks there unless you're clubbing 24/7

it's really not that hard finding an apt in august, and if you are trying for chelsea, you won't really be competing with NYU kids

i did go to a university.. and i pay $565 per month. a single room in the dorms starts at about $11,000 per year, not including the summer.

Chelsea mostly because it is more realistic to find a place, but my favorite neighborhood is the west village after visiting pretty much every part of manhattan, as well as some of brooklyn and queens. What I like about being near 14th st/8th avenue is that I'm near the high line, restaurants, shops, and then i have an easy 10 minute commute to work or any place downtown, and a 20 min ride to central park.

I previously lived at 34th street and 8th avenue and liked having easy access both uptown and downtown, so this would just be like moving downtown one stop on the express train.

What other neighborhoods do you recommend which would fit into my price range?

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/abo/1787170132.html

mjoe said:

i did go to a university.. and i pay $565 per month. a single room in the dorms starts at about $11,000 per year, not including the summer.

Chelsea mostly because it is more realistic to find a place, but my favorite neighborhood is the west village after visiting pretty much every part of manhattan, as well as some of brooklyn and queens. What I like about being near 14th st/8th avenue is that I'm near the high line, restaurants, shops, and then i have an easy 10 minute commute to work or any place downtown, and a 20 min ride to central park.

I previously lived at 34th street and 8th avenue and liked having easy access both uptown and downtown, so this would just be like moving downtown one stop on the express train.

What other neighborhoods do you recommend which would fit into my price range?

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east vill/LES. although this will probably be the toughest areas to find places in August because of NYU kids, but if you can spend a good week visiting places, you might find something you like.

just as fun as west vill, but a lot cheaper. why would you want access to uptown?

and find a roommate.. or do you have problems living with other people?

where downtown do you work?

I've found a website that looks promising, MLX. It has verified apartments, some with a fee and some no-fee. Here's an example of a place that would work well for me:

MLX search : properties - New York City

I like the east village quite a bit, so I will be looking there as well. My main complaint with it is just that there aren't many subways in the area, so I would have to be on the west side of the east village. This is a good place in a good location in the east village:

http://www.mlx.com/nyc/manhattan/east-5th-Street/rentals/&aptid=491951

I guess access to uptown mostly for central park. I run ever other day so I prefer to have access to a good running place. Sometimes I used the reservoir trail in central park, and other times I used the battery park promenade.

I live in the financial district now. I actually enjoy it. I walk 3 minutes to work every day and 'commute' on the weekends. My apartment is ~1000 SF and share it with 2 friends (although it was just 2 of us for a while). It's quiet, safe, convenient and relatively cheap considering the quality of the residences and amenities.

They even wrote about me in the NYT haha. See: Luxury Wall Street Rentals May Win Rent Protection - NYTimes.com

huh.. all of you guys live here too?

dooster, fin dist sucks for everything after like 6pm though

i work down there, sorriest collection of bars/restaurants of any neighborhood in the city

I agree that things shut down late night but I don't go out during the week b/c of work anyway. If I do end up going out, Stone St is actually pretty fun in the warm weather and I'm not far at all from Tribecca.

It takes be all of 15 minutes (tops) to get to the W Village, Soho, LES.

Nofeerentals.com:New York City rental apartments NO FEE nyc apartment rental apt is good.

i think if you start looking now you will be fine.