What Am I Missing? (New York, Ridge: where to stay, real estate, for rent)

[Angel and The Dolphin]

I've decided I want to move to NYC. The one thing I keep hearing is "good luck finding a place to live that you can afford". Huh? I went on Craig's List and roommates.com and found plenty of places that look decent for only about twice I pay now for my two bedroom here in Tampa.

Are people overreacting or are the online postings lies? I mean -- it's NYC; I don't expect to find a 500 sq ft. private apt for $1,000 per month or anything; but $1k for a room outside of Manhattan seems reasonable to me.

[Dark of the Moon]

A lot depends on what your salary will be. Many, MANY people in New York pay close to (or more than) 50% of their salaries for rent. Also, not everyone is interested in sharing a space, so a roommate situation isn't always ideal.

If you don't find NYC rents off-putting, then c'mon up!

[BK2Westchester]

Outside of Manhattan you can find studios-1 bedrooms from $950-$1300.

I just vacated an apt in Ridgewood, Queens (2 and 1/2 bedroom- railroad) that I was paying $1075 for. It's now renting for $1250.

never once did i feel unsafe. i never had problems of any kind and my apt was a short walk to the L Train and an even shorter walk to the M Train. 45 minutes door to door to Midtown east.

I actually miss Ridgewood!

[Angel and The Dolphin]

Originally Posted by squeezeboxgal

A lot depends on what your salary will be. Many, MANY people in New York pay close to (or more than) 50% of their salaries for rent. Also, not everyone is interested in sharing a space, so a roommate situation isn't always ideal.

If you don't find NYC rents off-putting, then c'mon up!

Thanks. I'm really not off put. I have a roommate now cuz I like having a roommate and the way I hear people talk I was expecting to only find a crack-house basement room 1 hour outside of the city for $3k a month or something

[page3000]

When I moved to NYC I was surprised that it took a little more effort to find something affordable and in a decent area. I didn't realize that a lot of the listings I was looking at were in bad areas. BTW why do you want to move here? Most of us want out...or have had a taste already..and want to move on to the next bucket of ice cream. haha

[Minus]

Originally Posted by page3000

When I moved to NYC I was surprised that it took a little more effort to find something affordable and in a decent area. I didn't realize that a lot of the listings I was looking at were in bad areas. BTW why do you want to move here? Most of us want out...or have had a taste already..and want to move on to the next bucket of ice cream. haha

"Most of us"? I think you mean "I".

[Angel and The Dolphin]

Originally Posted by page3000

When I moved to NYC I was surprised that it took a little more effort to find something affordable and in a decent area. I didn't realize that a lot of the listings I was looking at were in bad areas. BTW why do you want to move here? Most of us want out...or have had a taste already..and want to move on to the next bucket of ice cream. haha

Tell ya what, we'll trade

I'm a big city kind of guy. I used to live in CT and drove into NY all the time for stuff -- always been a bigger is better sort of person when it comes to living. I felt Boston was too small when I lived there (can you IMAGINE how I feel in Tampa? LOL)

[bmwguydc]

I can definitely relate to how you feel in Tampa. It's fine for a week or two, and then it's just boring. You should be able to find a decent place, though, with a little research. In what locations are you searching? The other thing to be careful of is the real estate speak for certain neighborhoods that are described in glorious terms for the transitional zones that they are in reality. You need not have to spend a fortune, at all, and can find some decent places in good areas such as Riverdale in the Bronx, Forest Hills in Queens, etc.

[page3000]

Originally Posted by Angel and The Dolphin

Tell ya what, we'll trade

I'm a big city kind of guy. I used to live in CT and drove into NY all the time for stuff -- always been a bigger is better sort of person when it comes to living. I felt Boston was too small when I lived there (can you IMAGINE how I feel in Tampa? LOL)

I'll take it!-- While I adapt to pretty much any surrounding (country, trailer park, city life, suburbs....)......a beautiful beach beckons me!

READY SET GO! It's a deal!

[Angel and The Dolphin]

Well, I want to live in the Village in a 3,000 sq foot... just kidding ..lol

I haven't looked all that much yet. I'm pretty familiar with the area in general (know where to stay away from ,etc.) so I'm not concerned. I just had never looked at rents before and was pleasantly surprised to see that I could afford places I saw in Manhattan (though it would be stretching my budget by quite a bit so it's not worth it to me), but most likely I'll find a place outside of the city.

Incidentally, DCGUY, D.C. is the other city on my list.