Hunters Point South Housing Lottery (Accord, Hope: donate, therapy, receipt)

[croquemme]

One good thing I will say is that the apartments have a lot of electrical outlets, which definitely helps when it comes to creating a usable layout. There's no feeling of, "oh, so the tv can only go on that wall," etc.

[lichopefull]

Originally Posted by danseurderrick

The only rule that matters here is that the household CANNOT be comprised ENTIRELY of full-time students, so as long as your partner is not a full-time student I think you'll be fine. The change in income bracket doesn't matter, so long as there are units left in those price ranges. The only thing we know for certain is "sold out" is low income 1-bedrooms.

Fingers crossed for you!

THANKS!!! I am freaking out and not the most patient person in the world which makes it even more stressful! I just re-read the email I was sent and it says I should schedule an interview. I thought they called to do so. It's weird because I spoke to them a couple of times about my situation and they asked for all of my partners paperwork but no mention of an interview appointment. I think I may need to call them back and ask to schedule one but I am afraid I am going to annoy them.

[HPS_Resident]

Originally Posted by lichopefull

THANKS!!! I am freaking out and not the most patient person in the world which makes it even more stressful! I just re-read the email I was sent and it says I should schedule an interview. I thought they called to do so. It's weird because I spoke to them a couple of times about my situation and they asked for all of my partners paperwork but no mention of an interview appointment. I think I may need to call them back and ask to schedule one but I am afraid I am going to annoy them.

Yeah - I got an email asking for paperwork and then a letter telling me to schedule an interview. Once you submit the paperwork, they'll actually be in touch with you. It's confusing - I think it's probably a template letter that they haven't updated since they've since changed the process a bit.


The Related agents are great and very professional. They should be contacting you within a week or two after you submit your paperwork. It only took them 3 days to contact me for my interview/apartment viewing and then I signed my lease three days later.

[Divina50]

Originally Posted by croquemme

I got to see my unit today and am slightly panicking about how small it seemed--especially the bedroom. The "walk-in" closet is a weird shape, and barely bigger than a regular closet. And I'm not sure if we'll be able to fit our queen-size bed in there; or if we do, we might not have space to walk around it. Time to go buy all new furniture, I guess. Because I can totally afford that. *sigh*

It seems you have a bedroom, count yourself lucky. I was not given a choice and was assigned a small studio and the living/bedroom space is so small I cannot fit a bed and a couch. I'll have to slowly buy new furniture pieces. When they first called me for my first interview the guy insisted that my best option was to put myself on the waiting list for a one bedroom because the studios were small and I qualified for a one bedroom. Now I know what he was talking about. Even so, I am very happy I have a place to live I can afford.

The amenities and the view are not important to me. I'm glad I'm not ending up in a shelter. Every apt I saw for rent were illegal basements that were nothing but fire traps. Others had no kitchen. Agents did not want to work with me because I make less than two thousand a month. I can't wait to move in after Sept.1. This was my first lottery and I know how lucky I was to have been chosen.

[CuriousAndConfusedHPSGuy]

Originally Posted by aml1026

Our move in date is December 18th.

I had posted this a month ago or so:

Here is our time table:
1. We were first contacted on July 7th asking for all of our paperwork (tax returns, pay stubs, letter of employment, w2s, credit authorization, id.)
2. We emailed everything on July 9th.
3. Less than a week later we received a phone call from our listing agent (who is awesome btw!) confirming that we were pre-approved and could come in for an interview/ see units. We had to bring additional paperwork (assets etc...)
4. We went in for our "interview" on July 18th. Upon arriving we had more applications to fill out. We met with our listing agent who basically told us that we were already selected and they would like to offer us an apartment in Commons. He presented two floor plans preselected for us to choose from. Since we will be on a higher floor (32), our exact unit won't be ready for a few months so we toured the model unit on the 6th floor. Our listing agent said, once the unit is complete we can view it prior to move in.
I recorded a quick video of the 1 bedroom model unit: [vimeo]134237446[/vimeo]
[vimeo]134237446[/vimeo]
https://vimeo.com/134237446
5. Now we wait. We will not get our lease until the unit is complete. At that point HPSL will need updated finances to make sure our income hasn't changed. Once we clear that step, we will move in mid-December!

Here are some observations:
1. The apartments look much larger in person than in the photos will you find online (Tour Hunters Point South's Amenity-Packed Affordable Rentals - Renters Week 2015 - Curbed NY)
2. The finishes are incredible, high end and very stylish.
3. Keep in mind, the layouts you'll find online are samples. Not all apartments are the same. You might view one place with a slightly larger kitchen or living room. It all depends where in the building it is located.
4. We met other people who were signing their leases for lower floors. So people are definitely moving into the building.
5. The amenities fee is super cheap $200/year!!

Advice:
1. While it's a lot of paperwork, it's not THAT much. The payoff is completely worth it! Get your things organized and sent to your listing agent ASAP. Don't stall. We got our stuff sent in 2 days after we were emailed.
2. Be 100% truthful. Everything is looked into and double checked. You will only ruin your chances if you lie about your finances.
3. Be patient. We decided to wait for a later move in date because we wanted to be on a higher floor.
4. If you are teetering between two income brackets, suck it up and go with the higher bracket. Especially if you think you'll be making more money in the near future. It would be such a shame to get to your pre-move in financial check only to be denied because your income went up by $500! It totally happens.

We feel so incredibly fortunate and lucky to have made it this far. I wish everyone the best of luck! I'm more than glad to answer any other questions about our process. I hope this post helps and I hope to see you in the winter

Excellent description!

Have one follow up question, after you chose your floor plan, was there anything you signed or were you just verbally told that this is your place (assuming that when it came time to re-certify pre-move in your finance were still in-line) and given a copy of the floor plan and that's it?

[croquemme]

Originally Posted by Divina50

It seems you have a bedroom, count yourself lucky. I was not given a choice and was assigned a small studio and the living/bedroom space is so small I cannot fit a bed and a couch. I'll have to slowly buy new furniture pieces. When they first called me for my first interview the guy insisted that my best option was to put myself on the waiting list for a one bedroom because the studios were small and I qualified for a one bedroom. Now I know what he was talking about. Even so, I am very happy I have a place to live I can afford.

The amenities and the view are not important to me. I'm glad I'm not ending up in a shelter. Every apt I saw for rent were illegal basements that were nothing but fire traps. Others had no kitchen. Agents did not want to work with me because I make less than two thousand a month. I can't wait to move in after Sept.1. This was my first lottery and I know how lucky I was to have been chosen.

I wouldn't envy me too much if I were you... I'm going to be living in a one-bedroom with another person. It's probably fewer square feet per person that way than living alone in a studio.

Sounds like winning this lottery was a wonderful stroke of luck for you. Congrats!

[LICCAT]

Originally Posted by Divina50

It seems you have a bedroom, count yourself lucky. I was not given a choice and was assigned a small studio and the living/bedroom space is so small I cannot fit a bed and a couch. I'll have to slowly buy new furniture pieces. When they first called me for my first interview the guy insisted that my best option was to put myself on the waiting list for a one bedroom because the studios were small and I qualified for a one bedroom. Now I know what he was talking about. Even so, I am very happy I have a place to live I can afford.

The amenities and the view are not important to me. I'm glad I'm not ending up in a shelter. Every apt I saw for rent were illegal basements that were nothing but fire traps. Others had no kitchen. Agents did not want to work with me because I make less than two thousand a month. I can't wait to move in after Sept.1. This was my first lottery and I know how lucky I was to have been chosen.

You made the right choice. You could have been waiting years before a one bedroom opens up at HPS in your income bracket. I find moving in first I made better furniture decisions and really knew what worked instead of buying before the move.

In your studio with the walk in closet do you also have the smaller linen closet.

[aml1026]

Originally Posted by CuriousAndConfusedHPSGuy

Excellent description!

Have one follow up question, after you chose your floor plan, was there anything you signed or were you just verbally told that this is your place (assuming that when it came time to re-certify pre-move in your finance were still in-line) and given a copy of the floor plan and that's it?

Yes, after we choose the floor plan we were told that the apartment is reserved for us. We did not sign any type of lease or documents saying the unit was ours. The apartment you select is basically reserved for you. In November we will view the unit and verify our income is still within 85K-154K. Our listing agent told us as long as nothing changes the unit is ours.

This process is different for the low incomes units. Applicants need to receive final approval from both the city and the management company.

Bottom line, it seems like income is the most important thing. As long as you are in the same price bracket as when you first got selected, the unit is yours.

Where in the process are you?

[GiaWin1]

Hello everyone. I've just received an email for the mod/mid income. How long after should I expect the ball to get rolling. I sent in the requested documents via email. Also, has anyone moved into 3 bedroom yet? We're on the higher end and would love to hear how the apartments are. Thank you!

[GiaWin1]

Originally Posted by aml1026

Yes, after we choose the floor plan we were told that the apartment is reserved for us. We did not sign any type of lease or documents saying the unit was ours. The apartment you select is basically reserved for you. In November we will view the unit and verify our income is still within 85K-154K. Our listing agent told us as long as nothing changes the unit is ours.

This process is different for the low incomes units. Applicants need to receive final approval from both the city and the management company.

Bottom line, it seems like income is the most important thing. As long as you are in the same price bracket as when you first got selected, the unit is yours.

Where in the process are you?

Did they check credit score? Is there a min for mod income?