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So I've recently got the want to move. I've done this in the past. Moving out of the country to a place I've never been. I'm currently living in Santa barbara California. A 27 year old male hairstylist. It's grown old for me and I want change. I have one friend in NY and she lives in Astoria and said she loves it, great commute to the city and cheaper rent (the rent in Astoria from what I've researched is comparable to Santa Barbara)
So the reason for the post if just to kinda reach out to other locals or people who know the area who wouldn't mind giving me some information about a 1st time move to the city. I won't have a job and I'll have a couple thousand saved. Would look for a serving job or retail while also working at a salon.
The whole idea is scary but exciting and I feel like I'm at a point where it's now or never. It's going to be hard.
So done ranting. I'll take any advise from anyone. Good or bad. Or maybe a helpful hand into the city. Haha. Thanks all!
NYC has got plenty stylist supplies, so have you researched the job market first? Last I heard is that the homeless shelters here are over crowded with a lot of failed and miserable out of towners with poor planning prior to moving up here.
I've done some research with jobs. But moving out there as a stylist is be starting over. I'll take a look at the homeless shelters and see what they have to offer
Rent for a studio in Astoria is probably gonna run you $1400, and you'll need to come up with $4200 just to move in. You also won't be offered a lease without an appropriate amount of steady provable income and great credit. Not to discourage you but it's a bad idea.
I moved here last March with a well-paying job lined up, $10,000 in savings, and a friend that was letting me stay as long as I wanted rent free. It was still a nail-biter getting an apartment, and I was just able to buy a bed and a couch last month.
I'll vouch for what others say about rent, even in Astoria (which has become popular and is now a desirable neighborhood with 20 something's priced out of Manhattan and Williamsburg) you'll need a decent amount of savings move here and carry you through until you find a job that actually pays for you to get roommates and put down a security deposit for a good apt in a reasonable area. If you have family or close friends who know how difficult it is to secure a well paying job and decent apartment that would be a alright but if you have neither of those it might be a nail biting first few months.
There are however rooms you can rent from people on Craigslist without needing a lease or coming up with 40x times the monthly rent but you need to be very careful on CL- lot's of scam artists and nutballs on there. There's also people who will take advantage of out of state renters not familiar with neighborhoods and may try to tack on additional "fees" or charge more than what the standard rent is. Why not do a test run instead? Maybe take a week or 2 to travel here to explore neighborhoods and get a feel for the city and day to day COL, try to network and make connections? Exploring the city will give you some great 1st hand info you can't really get from on the internet. That way you can see if NYC is the change in environment you're truly seeking.
I'll vouch for what others say about rent, even in Astoria (which has become popular and is now a desirable neighborhood with 20 something's priced out of Manhattan and Williamsburg) you'll need a decent amount of savings move here and carry you through until you find a job that actually pays for you to get roommates and put down a security deposit for a good apt in a reasonable area. If you have family or close friends who know how difficult it is to secure a well paying job and decent apartment that would be a alright but if you have neither of those it might be a nail biting first few months.
There are however rooms you can rent from people on Craigslist without needing a lease or coming up with 40x times the monthly rent but you need to be very careful on CL- lot's of scam artists and nutballs on there. There's also people who will take advantage of out of state renters not familiar with neighborhoods and may try to tack on additional "fees" or charge more than what the standard rent is. Why not do a test run instead? Maybe take a week or 2 to travel here to explore neighborhoods and get a feel for the city and day to day COL, try to network and make connections? Exploring the city will give you some great 1st hand info you can't really get from on the internet. That way you can see if NYC is the change in environment you're truly seeking.
I guess I was hoping to find a room in someone else's place by yeah clist can be a little sketchy. I'm hoping my friend will have some info on places. Getting a deposit for my own place seems a little out of my reach but getting a room is more reasonable. Getting a job would be my top priority as well. Guess I just need to weight things out and also check out the areas before making such a big move.
Move from paradise to the freezing cold, overpopulated concrete jungle of nyc where no one cares about anyone at all and everything is extra cramped; wow.
Good luck. I hope you have family and can go back to California if you need to.
I guess I was hoping to find a room in someone else's place by yeah clist can be a little sketchy. I'm hoping my friend will have some info on places. Getting a deposit for my own place seems a little out of my reach but getting a room is more reasonable. Getting a job would be my top priority as well. Guess I just need to weight things out and also check out the areas before making such a big move.
There used to be some local Astoria websites like Astorians.com and Why Leave Astoria. I am not sure if they are all still active. They both used to and still might have classifieds/rooms for rent sections.
btw even roommate ads often say the potential roommate has to be employed. I think this is especially true in more desirable areas like Astoria. If you have trouble getting in somewhere, you might have to look in some less popular areas like Elmhurst or Maspeth (for example). Some "less desirable" areas are not necessarily unsafe, they may just be more unattractive, further from the train and other interesting amenities like cool bars.
Astoria is a HOT place to be and in recent years, the rents have only skyrocketed their because of how trendy it has gotten. A 3 bedroom in Astoria can almost hit the 3K mark a month which is insane. I think you should make the move. I'm sure you can find something for around 1400.00 a month for a 1 bedroom. Also try Sunnyside which is 2 stops away. Just as trendy as Astoria but not as crowded.
I'm shocked Astoria rent hasn't dropped since the bed bug massacre at Ditmars this summer.
I tried to move to Astoria but all the sleazy realtors showed me a bunch of dumps and the one that was decent was 2K and 2K is not worth a 1 bedroom in a non door man building, no gym, and no doorman.
Make sure to ask all the right questions which are:
Is the unit rent stablized?
Has the building had a history of bed bugs?
Has this unit had a history of bed bugs?
Please provide me with a renters lease rider confirming the buildings history as it relates to bed bugs.
Is the majority of the tenants in the building working professionals?
The last thing you want is to live in a building with low budget neighbors who have been there for 5 decades and only pay $360.00 a month in rent. Those are not healthy dynamics when you're paying the going rate.
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