Thinking of Moving to NYC (New York, Beacon: real estate, apartments, rentals)

[mos]

Here's the quick rundown: I've got two kids (10 years and 2 months) and a wife who doesn't currently work. We'd like to get a 4br apartment (or 3br with a tiny office), with in-unit washer and dryer hookups. --I'm not even sure that's possible in the entire city, but that's why I'm here, right?

1) Budget:
I'll start off making $95k/year. I would be comfortable with an apartment up to $2500, I think.

2) Where is your job located?
W 27th, between 6th and 7th ave

3) Living circumstances
Single income family of four.

4) Space requirements
3br, + one office (or 4br)
in-unit washer and dryer hookups

5) Neighborhood amenities
walking distance to a subway entrance
walking distance to a grocer
preferably less than 30 minutes to get to the office

6) Other interests/ General
quiet neighborhood, I guess

Is this at all possible? Is it advisable to even attempt the move? It's always been my dream to live in New York City, and if it can be done, I'll work to make it ...work.

Edit: I'll definitely be using a broker to find our apartment. I'm posting here to find out if a broker is going to have a chance at finding what I want, and if not, what I should expect instead.

(Go Yankees)

[Viralmd]

Originally Posted by mos

Here's the quick rundown: I've got two kids (10 years and 2 months) and a wife who doesn't currently work. We'd like to get a 4br apartment (or 3br with a tiny office), with in-unit washer and dryer hookups. --I'm not even sure that's possible in the entire city, but that's why I'm here, right?

1) Budget:
I'll start off making $95k/year. I would be comfortable with an apartment up to $2500, I think.

2) Where is your job located?
W 27th, between 6th and 7th ave

3) Living circumstances
Single income family of four.

4) Space requirements
3br, + one office (or 4br)
in-unit washer and dryer hookups

5) Neighborhood amenities
walking distance to a subway entrance
walking distance to a grocer
preferably less than 30 minutes to get to the office

6) Other interests/ General
quiet neighborhood, I guess

Is this at all possible? Is it advisable to even attempt the move? It's always been my dream to live in New York City, and if it can be done, I'll work to make it ...work.

Edit: I'll definitely be using a broker to find our apartment. I'm posting here to find out if a broker is going to have a chance at finding what I want, and if not, what I should expect instead.

(Go Yankees)

There is NO WAY you're going to get a 4 BR apartment for the price you're seeking. In Manhattan nice studios go for $2500/month. And in the areas you're seeking, within a 30 minute commute, it's not much better. Most apartments do not permit washers/dryers.

And what about schools? You need to choose neighborhoods carefully - there are some decent elementary schools, but middle schools and high schools (except for Stuyvesant, Bronx Science and Hunter, which have admission by competitive exam) are very dicey. Private schools START at $20,000/year for kindergarten and high school is $30,000/year. Homes/apartments in areas with good elementary schools are MUCH more expensive (to either rent or buy). And if you have a dog, that also makes an apartment more expensive and there are often size limits on the dog.

In your present situation, I frankly don't think it's feasible. Take a look at the NY Times online real estate listings to see what rents are.

[mos]

Ok, what kind of price should I expect, then? The number of bedrooms is fixed, but I can probably be flexible about the washer/dryer thing. I have a copy of the Daily News with some places that sounded interesting for roughly $2500, but of course had no pictures. Craigslist also has quite a few listings that I thought would be in my price range, but after browsing this forum I've seen lots of warnings against CL scams.

Also, I don't have a dog (just two cats).

I'll start looking at the NY Times site.

[Minus]

Originally Posted by Viralmd

You need to choose neighborhoods carefully - there are some decent elementary schools, but middle schools and high schools (except for Stuyvesant, Bronx Science and Hunter, which have admission by competitive exam) are very dicey.

I don't know. I see that thrown around a lot, but there's more than 3 decent public high schools in the city. You can add Brooklyn Tech to the list of entrance exam schools. I think Murry Bergtraum and Beacon are decent, aren't they? There are also some decent ones in Queens, and I'm sure there's some in the other boroughs, too...

[Rachael84]

To get into the top public high schools in the city, you have to be extremely intelligent. My fiance teaches at Flushing HS, and has had kids apply to those schools you mentioned. They had 99 and 100 Averages and still didn't get in. Really only the smartest kids in the city get into them.

[Viralmd]

For a 4 Bedroom apartment within 30 minutes' commute of West 27th St. ...I'd say probably $5000 - 6000 for starters and up from there. IF you can find one. But that's not taking into account the school issue. A good index of rents, as I've cited before, are the NY Times real estate listings for rentals online.

[Moderate Guy]

the outer areas of Eastern Queens. You'll need a bus plus subway and a car for non-work activities. Look for a house as opposed to an apartment.

Living in Queens can be great and you have access to your Manhattan job, etc.

[Viralmd]

But he wanted no more than 30 minutes commute...

[Moderate Guy]

I overlooked that criterion/requirement.

OP will have to adjust in some of the requirements

[bmwguydc]

That will be a tall order, the 4BRs, but one of the best bets might be to check into Riverdale.

You're roughly 30 minutes from Midtown, so you'd have a slightly longer commute. The only sticking point is the walking commute to the subway, since much of Riverdale is geographically separated from the subway as it's situated on a ridge in the Northwest Bronx. North Riverdale, the part that touches Broadway, offers walking proximity to the subway, but Central Riverdale, Northwestern Riverdale (by Mount St. Vincent), and Spuyten Duyvil do not. It would be a rather long walk from these areas to the subway, so most people who use the subway opt to take the city bus down the hill to the subway in Kingsbridge. There are also express buses that go to Manhattan, east side, west side, and Wall St. express. MetroNorth and Hudson Railink service the neighborhood as well, allowing for a quick commute to Grand Central Terminal.

At your budget to a little over $3500, you are in range of some of the apartments that exist in multi-family homes. There will not be many at this price point, but they do exist, and it's not just an urban legend. You will likely be looking at a two or three family structure, not a large building with full amenities, since those tend to cost a bit more. One caveat to remember, is that if you are shown something in walking distance to the subway, and you are not way up on Broadway in the 250s, you are in Kingsbridge, which has a different character, and a different school district. Literally, you are "down the hill" as Riverdaleians refer to that area, not in any terms of derision, but it's not the same neighborhood and some do try to list properties as being in Riverdale that are very close in Kingsbridge.

There are good elementary schools in Riverdale, and I have heard good things about the Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy by the Whitehall and the library that is a middle and high school.

I forgot about the washer/dryer, so I am adding it now. It's not uncommon to find in Riverdale, especially in the multi-family homes, but there are washer/dryers that are compact and portable, should a dedicated connection not exist. A friend has one of these and it hooks to the sink when you use it, and it's a combination unit, and they roll it away for storage after it's needed. While not as convenient as a dedicated connection, it does easily allow for an in-unit washer/dryer.