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My wife have been looking for quite a while for an affordable 1 bedroom apartment in Long Island. In order to save ourselves some money we've been going through postings on Craigslist by owners, but we either find that the apartments are either kept in bad condition for it's price, or they are quickly gone.
We are starting to consider other alternatives, even if that means to spend some more money. I know hiring a Realtor can be quite pricey, but are they really worth it? Also can anyone recommend any decent apartment communities in a safe and quiet area?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Just in case you are wondering we are hoping to find a place somewhere in between East Meadow to Lindenhurst, in between Eastern Nassau and Western Suffolk counties.
My wife have been looking for quite a while for an affordable 1 bedroom apartment in Long Island. In order to save ourselves some money we've been going through postings on Craigslist by owners, but we either find that the apartments are either kept in bad condition for it's price, or they are quickly gone.
We are starting to consider other alternatives, even if that means to spend some more money. I know hiring a Realtor can be quite pricey, but are they really worth it? Also can anyone recommend any decent apartment communities in a safe and quiet area?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Just in case you are wondering we are hoping to find a place somewhere in between East Meadow to Lindenhurst, in between Eastern Nassau and Western Suffolk counties.
Long Island does not have all that many "apartment communities" - and the ones that do exist, usually charge a hefty amount for rent.
The fee for the rental is usually one month's rent. This gets split between the Listing Broker and the Renting Broker, who then share it with their agents.
On Long Island, most landlords with legal apartments use a RE agent - and why not? The agent fields all the calls, puts the rental on Multiple Listing (sometimes also advertises it locally, in Pennysavers, etc.), interviews prospective tenants and takes care of background checks, etc., thereby saving the landlord time and inconvenience.
You did not state an amount you're willing to pay for rent, but Lindenhurst is actually pretty affordable as rents go on Long Island.
There are PLENTY of apartments that do not use a listing agent. (FWIW Elke is a RE agent)
Just be persistent.
I'm not trying to hide it - says so right below my name
FWIW I pointed out that MOST landlords use an agent, not all. And of those that don't, MANY have illegal apartments. And as an agent, I deal with a lot more rentals than someone who is not - it's the nature of the beast...
I'm not trying to hide it - says so right below my name
FWIW I pointed out that MOST landlords use an agent, not all. And of those that don't, MANY have illegal apartments. And as an agent, I deal with a lot more rentals than someone who is not - it's the nature of the beast...
Alls I'm saying is that there are MANY listings without the ridiculous fees that agents want.
A friend of mine was looking at apts in Astoria, and some listing fees were between 1500-2000 just to the agent, THEN they wanted security, plus first and last month's rent.
If someone does not want to use an agent they are free not to.
Typical rental fee on Long Island is 1 month's rent. In the city the typical fee is 10% of the yearly rental.
Now, my advice to the OP: There is a lot of junky and overpriced apartments out there, listed and not listed, legal and not legal. The good ones go really fast. My advice is to keep doing what you are doing (but expand your search beyond Craigslist) AND contact several local real estate agents who handle rentals (not all do). You may also want to network through your place of worship, job, school or other organizations. The idea is to cas as wide a net as you can. When you find what you are looking for be ready to jump on it.
I don't know if legality of the dwelling matters or not, but I got into an apartment using a realtor, and found out later through personal research it was illegal.
Relocating in from out of state, first shock was the lack of apartment communities on LI, and second shock I had no idea how common these "apartments within private homes" were illegal.
I didn't mind paying the "fee" to the realtor since my company was paying for relocation expenses, but I figured a professional (esp someone who has their own office building!) wouldn't show or represent illegitimate units.
They are not supposed to, but ,alas, many do. Anyone renting a home in a private house should ask to see the permit or contact the town to determine if it is legal.
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