Need info on moving to NYC (New York, Yonkers: felon, job market, general contractor)

[yollowinwy]

I am a 23 year old male from Jackson, Wyoming. I have lived here my whole life and am ready for a change. I have been a Carpenter for almost four years, so something similar to that for a occupation. I have mostly worked on large custom homes. I want to see what the city life is like. I need help on where to look for work, housing, and still be in or near the city if possible. Any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks

[Rusty_Shackleford]

If contacting a broker in response to an online ad, for instance on craigslist...
how much time usually passes until they're available to show you the apartment(s)? I mean, is it likely they would show me that same day of emailing them, or a few days, or like a week?
Thanks

[Viralmd]

Originally Posted by Rusty_Shackleford

If contacting a broker in response to an online ad, for instance on craigslist...
how much time usually passes until they're available to show you the apartment(s)? I mean, is it likely they would show me that same day of emailing them, or a few days, or like a week?
Thanks

If it's still available they'd get back to you very quickly. Good apartments don't stay available long.

[skinsgirl]

Hey all- first, let me just say that this is a great forum, and its really great that you all take the time to answer all of the questions posted by aspiring New Yorkers.

I am a soon-to-be college graduate (in January 09) with a few job offers lined up in the city, where I'll be making around 35K with a considerable amount of savings I have already. I know this isn't nearly enough to live in Manhattan, so I'm trying to find out what neighborhoods in Brooklyn or Queens (w/roommates) would be best for me. I am in my early-mid 20s and would like to live in a young area that has a good amount of restaurants, bars, stores, etc. From what I gather here, Astoria, LIC, Williamsburg, Park Slope (Maybe I'm a bit young/not-with-child for this neighborhood?), Brooklyn Heights might all be good neighborhoods. I've also looked at Hoboken, though I'm hesitant to rent there because of the apparent (feel free to correct) lack of late-night transportation options going to/from Manhattan. Any additional suggestions or comments/confirmations of the neighborhoods above?

Again, I really appreciate your help!

[neodorian]

I'm curious. I've been reading this and other threads (and I started one as well) but I have been looking around on citi-habitats.com and some other brokerage sites and they are listing some small 1 and 2 BR places in LES and East Village for around $2000/mo. This goes against what everyone here is saying about not being able to find anything over a studio for under $2500. Are the broker sites lowballing as some kind of bait-and-switch or have rentals really plummeted so much in the past month that older estimates are off?

I'm just wondering as my gf and I are thinking of moving in the Spring. We are 31 and 30 years old, no kids, no plans for kids, and a medium sized dog. She will be graduating from Georgetown Law and has a master's and experience in financial aid/higher ed. I've got a BS in Video and Film with a few years working in multimedia and IT-type jobs among other things. We would expect to be grossing at least 100k between us and we would have approximately 10-15k with us when arriving to cover broker's fees and initial costs.

I know there are a hundred of these threads/questions and I have truly been reading them all. It just seems that my research is turning up slightly different numbers. Are these likely dirtbag apartments for that cheap or are people willing to charge less in transitional areas? We've lived in DC and Baltimore which also have both expensive and very dodgy areas so we are used to living in cities where you might have to live on the borderline to get a good deal.

Obviously our first year we would like to keep costs down as we get established so we would put up with a small place off the bat. If you go to citi-habitats and choose LES, East Village, Chelsea, etc. and 1+ BR that allow dogs, there are a decent number of results in the $1800-2100 range. We could probably afford more after a year but there is no point in overestimating our incomes while window shopping. We can always move up but I have no desire to learn 3 months in that it isn't gonna work. I would rather start low and move up to something better in a year or 2.

[Viralmd]

Aha! You didn't mention dogs in your prior post.

That's going to make the price higher. And some buildings that allow dogs have size limits on the dogs.

[neodorian]

Originally Posted by Viralmd

Aha! You didn't mention dogs in your prior post.

That's going to make the price higher. And some buildings that allow dogs have size limits on the dogs.

Well, like I said, I am specifically searching only for places that say they allow dogs. Even so I am finding broker listings for 1BR apartments in the $2k range.

[Dark of the Moon]

Originally Posted by neodorian

I'm curious. I've been reading this and other threads (and I started one as well) but I have been looking around on citi-habitats.com and some other brokerage sites and they are listing some small 1 and 2 BR places in LES and East Village for around $2000/mo. This goes against what everyone here is saying about not being able to find anything over a studio for under $2500. Are the broker sites lowballing as some kind of bait-and-switch or have rentals really plummeted so much in the past month that older estimates are off?

I'm just wondering as my gf and I are thinking of moving in the Spring. We are 31 and 30 years old, no kids, no plans for kids, and a medium sized dog. She will be graduating from Georgetown Law and has a master's and experience in financial aid/higher ed. I've got a BS in Video and Film with a few years working in multimedia and IT-type jobs among other things. We would expect to be grossing at least 100k between us and we would have approximately 10-15k with us when arriving to cover broker's fees and initial costs.

I know there are a hundred of these threads/questions and I have truly been reading them all. It just seems that my research is turning up slightly different numbers. Are these likely dirtbag apartments for that cheap or are people willing to charge less in transitional areas? We've lived in DC and Baltimore which also have both expensive and very dodgy areas so we are used to living in cities where you might have to live on the borderline to get a good deal.

Obviously our first year we would like to keep costs down as we get established so we would put up with a small place off the bat. If you go to citi-habitats and choose LES, East Village, Chelsea, etc. and 1+ BR that allow dogs, there are a decent number of results in the $1800-2100 range. We could probably afford more after a year but there is no point in overestimating our incomes while window shopping. We can always move up but I have no desire to learn 3 months in that it isn't gonna work. I would rather start low and move up to something better in a year or 2.

It's not true that you can't find an apartment under $2,000 in Manhattan. In fact, my last apartment was a (small) one bedroom, in Inwood, that was $1,100/month. However, these apartments are -- as you guessed -- typically either in poor condition or in less-desirable neighborhoods (or both). A *really nice* apartment in a *good neighborhood* for less than $2,000? Not likely.

Only you can tell if you'll be comfortable in any particular area. Have you been to the city yet to scope out different areas? Make sure you walk around any neighborhood you're interested in, both during the day and at night, and see how it feels. If you're used to "borderline" areas, then you'll probably be fine on the LES.

Best of luck to you!

[neodorian]

Thanks for the tips. Looking on many sites (craigslist in for-rent-by-owner, citi-habitats, nytimes, etc.) I've been searching for 1BR places that allow dogs and are limited at $2200. I can imagine that a lot of them look better in the pics than they really are but like I said, I'm relatively young, used to living frugally, and not afraid to live someplace that hasn't been completely gentrified if it means a good deal. I've found things on the UWS (even some below 100 or so), and in the LES and east Village.

I've been to the city as I only live in the DC/Baltimore area and I come up to hang out usually a couple of times a year. I will be up in a couple of weeks for Xmas shopping and general touristy crap with my girlfriend so I will probably be keeping an eye out for neighborhoods although google street view helps a lot with that from the comfort of my chair here.

[bmwguydc]

Originally Posted by neodorian

Thanks for the tips. Looking on many sites (craigslist in for-rent-by-owner, citi-habitats, nytimes, etc.) I've been searching for 1BR places that allow dogs and are limited at $2200. I can imagine that a lot of them look better in the pics than they really are but like I said, I'm relatively young, used to living frugally, and not afraid to live someplace that hasn't been completely gentrified if it means a good deal. I've found things on the UWS (even some below 100 or so), and in the LES and east Village.

I've been to the city as I only live in the DC/Baltimore area and I come up to hang out usually a couple of times a year. I will be up in a couple of weeks for Xmas shopping and general touristy crap with my girlfriend so I will probably be keeping an eye out for neighborhoods although google street view helps a lot with that from the comfort of my chair here.

Some do look better in pictures, and some are perfectly fine, though they are fifth floor walk-ups. That does tend to keep the rent lower, but you do get the benefit of some exercise. Just be sure to get those bag caddies to carry multiple shopping bags with ease up all the stairs. Larger, elevator buildings, even without the "luxury" descriptor attached to the building will tend to be more expensive.