23, SWF Relocating--California to NYC

[tpk-nyc]

These days it's very hard it find a studio in Manhattan south of 100th Street for less than $1,700. Keep in mind that even if you have a broker, apartments in that range, while expensive for you, are very small potatoes for them and you're not going to get his or her undivided attention.

It's very hard to do anything in New York while you're based out of town (unless you have a huge budget or a corporate relocation office behind you). Lost of people, especially recent grads, try to get a job or an apartment before they move. Unfortunately most employers and landlords don't take these people seriously. Partly because there is a high risk of applicant backing/flaking out and partly because the market is so competitive that they don't need to expend the extra energy.

As you don't have job it'll be even harder to find an apartment.

Regarding practical advice: I have found three roommates with apartments with through Craigslist. They have each been perfectly fine living situations (if not the best apartments, but that was more a problem with my budget than with Craigslist or the roommates). Having a roommate in Manhattan is the norm and there are plenty of normal people looking for a roommate. Trust your instinct; if a person seems like a psycho, her or she probably is. Just be polite and move on to the next option.

Most apartment transactions in New York occur very quickly and at the last minute. It has never taken me more than a week to find a roommate and the move-in has always been within a couple of days. Once again, the market is so competitive that no one needs to plan ahead.

I would recommend finding a place to stay for three to four weeks. Move with only the barest necessities, you don't want to be encumbered with furniture, etc, right away. Use those three weeks to look for a medium- to long-term roommate situation (say, six months to a year). Use that year to explore the city and figure out where you want to live and, more importantly, where you could live. After you've been here for a while you may find that wouldn't mind living in Astoria or that you're willing to live with a roommate if it's in a cool neighborhood.

Living in New York (even for the rich) is all about compromise.

[jax78]

^ Great post!!!

I found my old roomies on Craigslist, very quickly, and I loved them and the apt. It worked out great, and it's worth it, and the norm for NY.

Also, I agree about maybe trying to find a place to sublet first so that you can really look around once you're here. Good luck!!

[tpk-nyc]

By the way, the people I know who have done what you're trying to do did it through a property management company and not a broker. A friend of mine moved into Trump Tower (of all places) straight out of college because her mother insisted that she have an apartment before she moved (and her mother was willing to pay for it). Management companies know which apartments will be available (because the lease has not been renewed) long before the brokers get the information and it's easier for them to plan ahead. The problem is that this is easiest to do in very high-end buildings and will likely be expensive.

[juniper009]

thanks everyone, I really appreciate the posts. I guess I have to be more trusting with Craigslist.

[Henna]

I think the roommate ads on craigslist are FAR more trustworthy than the broker and apartment-no-fee ads.

I also think you will need to rely heavily on intuition when reading the roommate ads and when meeting people. However, you should also do some research on how to make a written agreement that is very clear-cut and lays out options about giving notice to leave, having guests over, etc. You definitely want to make sure you are on the same page as any potential roommates and also try to anticipate any difficult situations.

[Biskit]

Just move to somewhere like Astoria or Williamsburg. For 1500, you can have a brand new construction, wood floor, 800 sq foot studio with a balcony and modern stainless steel appliances very easily. You can get a 1 bedroom easily for that amount as well. You don't have to live in Manhattan to experience NYC. In fact I live closer to Midtown than my friends in the east village - 10 min vs 30 min. Living in Astoria or Williamsburg feels just as urban and New York as living in these trendy Manhattan neighborhoods. There's really no reason to live in Manhattan unless you're pulling in 500K plus. Personally, even if I was making that kind of money i'd still live in big condo in Astoria with a balcony view of Manhattan and just cab it anytime I was too lazy to take the train. A cab is only $20 bucks from Midtown so if you're out late on the weekends you can still get home for cheap, it costs the same to cab it downtown so there's really no convenience issue.

[DesiArnez6]

The following Mitchell Lamas Have Open waiting Lists (From the nyc.gov website)

Apartments - NYC Affordable Housing Resource Center

Get on waiting lists NOW while you can!!!

Heres what I found, open waiting list Mitchell Lama developments in Manhattan below Harlem Area:

Clinton Towers 790 11th Ave. New York, NY 10019
^Managing Agent and Address: P&L Management PO Box 9, Rte 22 Brewster, NY 10509

INDEPENDENCE HOUSE 176 West 94 Street NY, NY 10025
^ Managing Agent and Address: Leebar Management Corp. 51 E. 42nd St., Suite 516 NY, NY 10017

TANYA TOWERS 620 E 13 Street NY, NY 10009
^ Managing Agent and Address: A.A.A. Management, 6th Floor NY, NY 10012

These are GREAT Apartment Hunting tips with really good links. Put togeher by the City of New York
Apartment Hunting Tips - NYC Affordable Housing Resource Center

^ I found the Classifieds in the many Newspapers (most of which are online) to be MUCH more Useful than Brokers, AND you avoid their fees! The above link has a list of popular newspapers to check!

[DesiArnez6]

Heres a list of HUD subsidized apartments, you'll have to sort through on google maps to see which part of the boro they're located

Subsidized Apartment Search - HUD

NYCHA has TONS of beautiful apartments some are in really good areas in Manhattan, but get on the waiting list ASAP
New York City Housing Authority

They also ^ Offer Section 8 (If you qualify)

And I think HPD offers Section 8?

I couldn't find any lottery housing in the areas of Manhattan that you specified.

Even if you use craigslist first or get a roommate, I HIGHLY Recommend getting yourself on MANY Housing waiting Lists. Even if it takes a few years, you'll absolutely thank yourself for doing it once your name comes up and you get a great apartment for a great price often with rent restrictions!