Craigslist Okay? (real estate, apartments, rental)

[Sutpen]

Hey all. I may be moving to NYC in 3-4 months. If I do, I'm almost certainly going to have to share an apartment, and I've been looking a little bit on craigslist to see what I can expect when I'm more ready to commit to something. I've lurked a little on this forum and I've seen some skepticism toward using craigslist for housing. Question is: what do you all think of craigslist as a resource for finding a roommate? There's some pretty obvious BS (ie: "@@@$125 HUGE APT IN BKLYN!!@@@"), but a lot of the stuff looks legit to me. Secondary question: What's the best alternative to craigslist for this sort of thing? Local classifieds?

I guess while I'm asking questions I might as well quickly add one more: the non-roommate rental section on craigslist looks a lot more questionable. On the off-chance I get a job that pays well enough to enable me to rent on my own, what's a good place to look for real estate in NYC, other than craigslist?

Thanks in advance.

[Henna]

In many cases apartments are best obtained through brokers, and yes, you will pay a fee. There are lots of brokers who work locally only - so if you know the neighborhood you want to move to, then you go to a local broker who will show you what's available. For instance, in Astoria, Queens, there is a local online forum with threads about brokers and many of the ones people are talking about are local Astoria brokers.

Some brokers do advertise on craiglist so if you like the sound of the ads they are placing, then give the broker a call and see how they sound. The nature of the business is kind of shady so unfortunately there are some (many) bad apples.

In terms of finding roommate situations on craigslist - listed to your instincts, do your research, and don't fall for something that seems too good to be true (although sometimes people do have very cheap rent-stabilized apartments that they are seeking roommates for and by law there are laws prohibiting them from overcharging roommates. If they break those laws and are reported, they can lose their lease.)

[UpsonDowns]

I think Craig's is a good source, you just have to be smart about it.

[adm1985]

How do people feel about those "subscription" sites? You pay a one time (150-200) fee and they "guarantee it's legit", have no brokers fees, have updated maps/pictures, blah blah. I hear mixed reactions from my NYC area friends. rent-direct.com is one of these sites I've been checking out- you might want to look into it. Anyone have any experience with these sites?

[UpsonDowns]

Waste of money. Check the Better Business Bureau.