Young professional looking for an apartment... Please help! (White Plains, Ossining: section 8, apartment complex)
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I work in Tappan, NY and am dealing with a terrible commute right now from NJ. I'll tell you guys a little about my situation and maybe I can hear some suggestions?
I have a friend that wants to live with me if we can find the right place. So far I've looked in Nyack and really liked the atmosphere. I'm a single 22 year old male and am looking for a safe place that has a fun bar scene and/or a decent population of people in my age group. I work hard and I want to be able to meet new people and go downtown to the occasional happy hour after work... I'm basically looking to enjoy myself in my 20s.
If it doesn't work out with my friend I might have to find a 1 bedroom apartment.
I would like to keep my living expenses under $1000 if possible. (Obviously I'd be paying less if I had a roommate). I've considered searching for a roommate online somehow but I'm very skeptical about it. I also liked the idea of maybe living in an apartment complex that has amenities like a fitness center etc but I have no idea what area to look. People have suggested to look in Tarrytown and white plains. North Jersey is also doable but it seems that they mainly consist of quiet bedroom communities. I've heard of Hackensack being alright but I just don't know where in Hackensack I should be looking.
I would greatly appreciate any help you guys could give me. Also, please let me know where in these towns I should be looking. Thanks again and I hope I came to the right place!
My current neighbors met at a bar in Nyack and really talked up how much fun it was to live there.
I lived in downtown White Plains and thought that was a great area for someone in their 20s. There are several high rise apartments near Mamaroneck Ave which is like "Main Street". There's several bars next to each other and across the street, so it's a good place to go. If you are in the high rise buildings, it's a very short walk / stumble. These buildings also have fitness centers.
The Avalon White Plains website lists the prices, and I think Bank Street Commons does too. Finding a 2 BR for $2,000 or 1BR for $1,000 might not be easy though.
I'd also think about the commute each day over the Tappan Zee. Not only does that add cost and probably traffic, you never know what kind of disruptions might be caused by the new bridge they are building.
Good luck living in downtown White Plains on a "young professional's" salary. Downtown White Plains is not cheap and, if you have a car, you'll be paying $100+/month for parking. I looked at a few places in White Plains and decided it wasn't worth it.
Do you want to be in Rockland or Westchester? What's your combined budget if you have a roommate?
Since you work in Rockland, you might want to look at Ossining in Westchester. Ossining is one of the more affordable towns, and it's close to the TZ for your commute. They're also building an Avalon that will feature "affordable housing". This isn't Section 8, but a different affordable housing program. This would be a worthwhile consideration for you.
Any of the river towns would be worthwhile to look at. They're situated pretty close to 287/TZ bridge and have a young, hipish vibe to them. They lack thriving nightlife, but you really need to be in the city for a good party scene. The nice thing about most of the Westchester towns is you can live within walking distance to Metro North and just take the train down to the city to party. White Plains's nightlife scene is underage kids and the college crowed. I'm not a fan.
You may want to consider Ossining, Tarrytown, Irvington, Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Hastings, in regards to the river towns.
Thank you for the feedback. I don't really mind whether I'm in Rockland or Westchester... The thing is I'll be moving out there without knowing anyone so I don't want to be isolated. Going through the TZ bridge might be a pain but that's a negative I can live with. My budget personally is between $700-1200 and I would imagine with a roommate not more than $2000... even less if possible. I would love to live in a nice high rise building but I don't think it's a good idea until I start making more money. Thank you for the suggestions. I will look into the river towns and hopefully I can find something.
Your solo budget will be tough unless you're okay finding a Craigslist (or similar) type of roommate who's looking to rent a room in their house/apartment.
As mentioned, look into the "affordable housing" offered by the Avalon in Ossining. If you make under a certain income you will qualify.
You'll find it's not cheap to live in any of the NY Metro. Your money may go a litter further here in the 'burbs, but it's by no means a cheap place to live!
I agree with the above, but really think Nyack will end up your best bet. It has, IMO, the best nightlife of the towns in question, AND it will put you on the right side of the river. In Westchester, you'll be paying a premium to be East of the river (where most people prefer to be for their work) but actually inconveniencing yourself in the process. That said, I don't know specifics of the rental market in Nyack...only that it's a relatively fun town.
Of the WC towns, Tarrytown has best nightlife and a good amount of young people. I live in Ossining and will go out there sometimes for a slightly livelier feel. There's not a ton to do, but there is the Music Hall and a few nice bars and restaurants all in a compact and charming little area of Main St. I have friends who rent there and are happy, but I'm also sure they pay more than $1000/month. Maybe with a roommate you could find something.
Ossining itself could be a good bargain. The bar/restaurant scene lags behind the other towns, but it is starting to improve. The village has made it a priority to attract young professionals and develop the downtown a la the Tarrytown model, so you have the new apartment buildings like Avalon and a parallel effort to court restaurants that will serve the new arrivals. I expect with all of the new inventory it will be your best option for 'luxury' at an affordable price.
The Southern river towns I don't think are quite as young as you want and should be more expensive for the most part. There are some nice restaurants though, and as said above, while quiet, the vibe is more similar to Nyack than the scene you'll find in White Plains.
I'm not sure Ossining is the place for the OP. The new Avalon is slightly isolated from the downtown area, so if you live there, you pretty much have to drive to get to anything besides 7-Eleven and gas stations. I'd agree with Tarrytown or perhaps Hastings.
ANM, agree on Avalon. I'd hope more opens on Rt 9 in the immediate area of Avalon, but that would be further down the road (no pun intended). OP might look into it still for the affordable housing program, but the location is not great. I believe there is another development going up that is right in downtown, but not sure when that will be ready (not talking about Harbor Square...that looks WAY off). I think that had some allotment for affordable housing as well.
I have reservations about Ossining for the OP, but based more on location. With a tight budget and a commute to Tappan, he is probably going to be better off in Rockland.
I appreciate all the quick responses - everyone is being very helpful. I said $700-1200 so I had some leftover to put aside. But it seems like it's gonna be hard to save money while living in an apartment these days with just an entry level salary.. although I was hinted at getting a raise soon. After car payments/insurance/student loans etc. I have roughly $2,000 income a month (after taxes) so maybe I should increase my housing budget. The problem is, the friend I wanted to move in with is making less money than me so he has a lower budget. Even though I offered to pay more for the bigger room he wanted to save up for a couple months.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WardEq
I agree with the above, but really think Nyack will end up your best bet. It has, IMO, the best nightlife of the towns in question, AND it will put you on the right side of the river. In Westchester, you'll be paying a premium to be East of the river (where most people prefer to be for their work) but actually inconveniencing yourself in the process. That said, I don't know specifics of the rental market in Nyack...only that it's a relatively fun town.
I agree very much with this. The 1 bedroom apartments I've found around here vary from around $900-2000+. 2 bedrooms 1400-2200+. I guess I just need to decide if I want to commit to paying that much and living on my own.. or if I should wait for one of my friends to be ready to move in with me.
Someone at work suggested Fort Lee to me. It may not have the atmosphere I'm looking for right there but it is very close to the GW bridge and Hoboken.
As others (and myself) have suggested, Nyack will most likely be your best bet. You save time, traffic and money by not commuting over the TZ. There's pretty decent nightlife and food scenes in Nyack as well. You can also hop on a train to NYC if you want.
For rentals, you might want to consult the following websites:
While there's often a fee, a realtor can sometimes be very helpful. I had a realtor find me my first apartment, which I otherwise wouldn't have found on my own. They also tend to have good knowledge on which complexes/management companies/buildings are good and which ones you want to avoid.
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