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My girlfriend and I will be moving to NY from Chicago at the end of the year. My income will be 50k. Hers will be about 20k.
Here are some factors:
Studio, 1 bedroom, i don't care
I'm looking at spending around 1200 a month for rent
We would like to live in a young area
No Rats or Roaches (Had a terrible apartment here with giant rats stealing my crap)
Very close to trains
Safe - I don't expect doorman safe, but not gangland. Comparable to Wicker Park or Logan Square in Chicago.
SOOO, can anybody help us with our options? We hear Williamsburg is cool, but I imagine that means that the rent prices are going to be crazy. I see some things on the upper west side of Manhattan...How's that?
In general you will not find a studio larger than a 10 x 20 room south of Harlem for anywhere near $1,200 a month. And in Harlem or further North in Manhattan, you will not find anything decent either, although you may find something larger than 10 x20, it won't be $1,200.
With that budget you can also forget about much of the nicer areas in Brooklyn too (so forget about Williamsburg). Depending where you will be working, you should be looking at a large swath of the Bronx, or some areas in way East Brooklyn or Queens. The reality is you should be looking in the Bronx, and you will find plenty of nicely renovated/new spacious one bedrooms in middle class areas. If you want immediate proximity to Manhattan, and a gritty urban landscape, you should take a look at Mott Haven/South Bronx, as that too is in your budget.
My main tool for finding something has been HotPads, since it gives me a nice little overlay. What's the deal with most of these? It looks like there are some around my range, but I guess I can't trust these tools too much. Click for the map Im lookin at
I don't know anything about that site, however I have found much of the advertised deals on websites to be bogus/bait -and -switch, so beware. Nevertheless, you never know..you could find something, but in Manhattan it will no doubt be somewhere you don't want to be.
One thing to remember is that neighborhood descriptions can be misleading in real estate ads. It's not uncommon to try to sell something as the UWS that's actually in a different neighborhood, patrolled by a different police precinct, and with an entirely different demographic mix. $1200 on the UWS, if it's truly on the UWS, sounds like a 1BR share in an apartment, not a true 1BR (and not a top-notch 2BR on the UWS, either). Some roommate services advertise on sites, too, which can also make it appear as though it's a 1BR apartment, but in reality is one room, sharing the rest of the apartment with 1-2 others.
Williamsburg is overpriced because of the cahet of trendiness, and Bushwick is attracting the spill-over, but that neighborhood is a bit grittier, and not as safe. Henna's recommendation of Astoria would definitely fit the bill, though Astoria is less trendy, and more of an old New York neighborhood, which is a good thing. It's stable, close to Manhattan, and reasonable, something that's not always easily found when dealing in NYC real estate.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
I agree with Henna and bmwguydc - Astoria sounds like a good match. It's safe, there are some parts that are getting trendier, and you can probably find something around your budget. It's also really close to Manhattan.
I agree, Astoria should fit your bill, Definitely look at different areas in queens as well- Greenpoint is also worth looking at. Also how far from the city are you willing to go? If you do not mind a 15-20 minute train ride check into forest hills, kew gardens, flushing/bayside and other nice area in queens, its more suburban but you get the best of both- nice living area and not too far into manhattan
Astoria. It fits your budget, has a large-enough young demographic to be readily apparent, and is very convenient to Manhattan.
I agree...I live in Astoria and I love it.
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