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Hi all, I'm looking at transferring to our office near City Hall in Lower Manhattan. In a perfect world, I'd like to rent a place with 2BR/1.5 bath with additional den/office space, outdoor space (small yard or large-ish terrace), less than an hour commute (via public transportation) door-to-door, for $3000/month before utilities. Open to living anywhere--Brooklyn, Queens, New Jersey, Westchester, etc.--as long as the neighborhood is safe. (Defined as: very low odds of getting mugged if walking the dog, alone, at 8-9pm.)
How much would I have to increase my budget, commute time, or both to get a big enough place in a safe neighborhood with outdoor space?
ETA: It would be me, husband, infant son, 2 cats + medium-sized dog. Schools aren't crucial yet but would be important long-term.
Hoboken? Or Jersey City/Weehawken/ West New York, or the like.
My husband and I live in Hoboken. I work Uptown, and my commute is about 35 minutes with the PATH and one subway. We pay slightly more than your budget, but it's a 1600 sq ft, 2bed/2bath, with an assigned indoor parking spot. In our apartment hunt, we did not see any places with a yard, though we also didn't specify it either. We have a balcony, as well as a public terrace, but some places did have private rooftop type terraces too. Oh and we have 2 cats... we did have a few places not want pets at all, and some limit it to two, but I don't think it should be a terribly huge barrier. Don't know anything about Hoboken schools aside from we will move before we have school-age kids.
I don't think your is an impossible request by any means.
Hoboken/Downtown Jersey is definitely an option, as above.
You could also live in pretty much any of the nice Brooklyn neighborhoods for that price (and added benefit of better schools in some neighborhoods, though I do love Hoboken and JC). Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Park Slope, Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, all are doable on that budget. You could get a garden-level floor-through apartment in a brownstone with a small (child-sized) second bedroom and a garden, possibly private, for around $2500-3000 in any of those neighborhoods (might be a stretch in Brooklyn Heights). Prospect Heights, Greenwood Heights, Fort Greene, etc. are slightly less nice but still pleasant neighborhoods and cheaper than the first five listed, so you could probably get more space there.
Hi all, I'm looking at transferring to our office near City Hall in Lower Manhattan. In a perfect world, I'd like to rent a place with 2BR/1.5 bath with additional den/office space, outdoor space (small yard or large-ish terrace), less than an hour commute (via public transportation) door-to-door, for $3000/month before utilities. Open to living anywhere--Brooklyn, Queens, New Jersey, Westchester, etc.--as long as the neighborhood is safe. (Defined as: very low odds of getting mugged if walking the dog, alone, at 8-9pm.)
How much would I have to increase my budget, commute time, or both to get a big enough place in a safe neighborhood with outdoor space?
ETA: It would be me, husband, infant son, 2 cats + medium-sized dog. Schools aren't crucial yet but would be important long-term.
Historic Downtown section of Jersey City. (Near Exchange Place PATH station.)
I've been avoiding those close-in NJ cities because I don't know them well enough to know which areas are safe, and having grown up in the NJ suburbs farther south, I think of those areas as unsafe. Where is a safe place to live in those cities? Or are they pretty much all good now? I don't know Hoboken/Weehawken/West New York at all, and in Jersey City all I know is Journal Square area (sketchy) and the Waterfront (super-expensive and snooty).
Brooklyn is probably tops of my list at the moment. Is there some secret New York City rental housing website I don't know about? Craigslist doesn't seem to have anything Brooklyn under $3K except Bed-Stuy and Bushwick.
I've been avoiding those close-in NJ cities because I don't know them well enough to know which areas are safe, and having grown up in the NJ suburbs farther south, I think of those areas as unsafe. Where is a safe place to live in those cities? Or are they pretty much all good now? I don't know Hoboken/Weehawken/West New York at all, and in Jersey City all I know is Journal Square area (sketchy) and the Waterfront (super-expensive and snooty).
Brooklyn is probably tops of my list at the moment. Is there some secret New York City rental housing website I don't know about? Craigslist doesn't seem to have anything Brooklyn under $3K except Bed-Stuy and Bushwick.
I work near Exchange Place in Jersey City. It's directly across from the World Trade Center. I used to work in the WTC on the west side of the north tower, and back in the 80s when you looked across the river, you saw rundown warehouses and dilapidated, scary-looking buildings. That's all gone now. It's beautiful here and there are lovely condos and apartments, some with pools. Lots of people walking their dogs. Very quiet on weekends. Newport Mall close by. And a three-and-a-half minute train ride to WTC. And a killer view.
Hoboken is good if you are a young person who likes to party. Exchange Place/Newport area is quieter, more professional types.
If you are looking for something more suburbanish, why not Rutherford? Last stop on the Bergen County line, nice little downtown.
I've been avoiding those close-in NJ cities because I don't know them well enough to know which areas are safe, and having grown up in the NJ suburbs farther south, I think of those areas as unsafe. Where is a safe place to live in those cities? Or are they pretty much all good now? I don't know Hoboken/Weehawken/West New York at all, and in Jersey City all I know is Journal Square area (sketchy) and the Waterfront (super-expensive and snooty).
Brooklyn is probably tops of my list at the moment. Is there some secret New York City rental housing website I don't know about? Craigslist doesn't seem to have anything Brooklyn under $3K except Bed-Stuy and Bushwick.
Yes,there is a secret website that all of the hipsters use to find all the incredible deals in Brooklyn.
I've been avoiding those close-in NJ cities because I don't know them well enough to know which areas are safe, and having grown up in the NJ suburbs farther south, I think of those areas as unsafe. Where is a safe place to live in those cities? Or are they pretty much all good now? I don't know Hoboken/Weehawken/West New York at all, and in Jersey City all I know is Journal Square area (sketchy) and the Waterfront (super-expensive and snooty).
Brooklyn is probably tops of my list at the moment. Is there some secret New York City rental housing website I don't know about? Craigslist doesn't seem to have anything Brooklyn under $3K except Bed-Stuy and Bushwick.
I always see stuff on Craigslist that matches what you're looking for. There's also Naked Apartments, or you could also try a broker. If you're interested in going the broker route I can highly recommend someone who works in the nicer areas of Brooklyn that were suggested by previous poster - Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, etc. Of those options I think Carroll Gardens would be your best bet. Brooklyn Heights would also be a great fit - but you'd likely need to increase your budget slightly. If budget were no concern, I'd say Brooklyn Heights hands down.
Yes,there is a secret website that all of the hipsters use to find all the incredible deals in Brooklyn.
I knew it!
No, seriously. There are some cities where Craigslist is the best website to find a rental house, and some where it isn't. Is there something better for NYC?
I've been avoiding those close-in NJ cities because I don't know them well enough to know which areas are safe, and having grown up in the NJ suburbs farther south, I think of those areas as unsafe. Where is a safe place to live in those cities? Or are they pretty much all good now? I don't know Hoboken/Weehawken/West New York at all, and in Jersey City all I know is Journal Square area (sketchy) and the Waterfront (super-expensive and snooty).
Anywhere in Hoboken is safe. Anywhere on the waterfront in Jersey City is safe (don't why you'd think it's snooty or super-expensive--it's neither, cheaper than both Hoboken and inner Brooklyn and at the least not more snooty than either). Guide for Jersey City is to look at I-78 and the location on a map. If it's east of I-78, it's safe. Journal Square is also safe, just very ugly, but I understand the desire not to live there. Parts of southern Jersey City are not safe. Anywhere below (east of) the Palisades in Weehawken or West New York is safe; above the Palisades in Weehawken is safe but it's all large houses rather than any apartments. Would not live in West New York above the Palisades given other options, though I wouldn't call it particularly unsafe.
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Brooklyn is probably tops of my list at the moment. Is there some secret New York City rental housing website I don't know about? Craigslist doesn't seem to have anything Brooklyn under $3K except Bed-Stuy and Bushwick.
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