Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yeah lots of apartments are no-fee outside of Manhattan. Look around in the neighborhood you are planning on moving to. Usually you will find some flyers in the neighborhood advertising apartments for rent. Call up some of those numbers and see if you can take a look at places. Also check out the ethnic newspapers, depending on where you will be living. In the classified sections of these papers you can often finda lot of no-fee apartments for rent.
LOL Kort, give me a break dude. Did I ever once argue or whine that it should be done the way it is back home - if you read my post I recognize the way 'the game' is currently played, I'm just looking for ways around it. I still think it is an outdated way of doing things based on today's technology and stand by that, but that observation does not sway my reality of the current situation.
Despite what you might think, the "fast, rude" and no room for "people slow on the uptake" probably doesn't scare many people moving to the city - that attitude is precisely why people move there.
Oh, and as for moving outside of Manhattan, that's not going to be an option as I'll work in Midtown and long hours at that - no way I'm commuting in/out every day.
Hopefully I'll get a feel of the various neighborhoods while i'm in town for 3 weeks, but subletting for a month definitely sounds like the smart way to go about things if I don't find something I'm completely satisfied with while i'm there.
If your looking to rent in Manhattan you pretty much have to come to grips with paying a broker fee. Unfortunately that's just the way it goes in Manhattan. It is very rare to see someone get an apartment in Manhattan, even in less desirable manhattan areas, without a broker fee. I'm with you 100% on that it's not practical and outdated.
Steve - here is a suggestion. There are lots of new luxury towers going up that have on-site leasing offices. Make and appointment or drop by. No broker necessary.
I have a friend who lives in a new lux building on 96th street. It's like living in a hotel, with tons of on-site services: concierge, health club, pool, party rooms, roof deck, kids playroom, even a conference room.
You'll find them in Hell's Kitchen, The Upper East Side, Long Island City, New Jersey and the Financial District. They take out big ads in the NY Times (print and online).
Has anyone had any luck with Rent-Direct.com or similar websites?
I don't know them but be wary, there are many scam artists who will try and sell you lists of available apartments, run away from anyone who wants money up front or tries to sell you any kind of a list, they are all scams
that's NY lesson 2 for you, never give anyone money up front, if it sounds cheap there's probably a reason, if you start to view everyone you encounter as a scam artist you'll be on the way to being a NYer.
Yeah it sucks to live like that, but that's the way it is
unfortunately, i have to agree with kort677. nyc housing is its own thing, and you will either learn or get burned. welcome to jew york city, my friend. because you are in dallas, it's going to be damn near impossible for you to do the leg work you need to do to not get screwed. so, you might just have to suck down the fact that you will get screwed your first year. pay the hook-nosed, scumbag broker his fee, but ask around about the neighborhood and make sure you get a nice place. it sounds like you have enough scratch to get a good joint. after a year, you'll be savvy and able to move out of that screw-job joint and get another place. sure, some people have stories about how they found a dream place under ideal conditions right from the get go. but, it's about as likely as finding your dream career job under ideal conditions right out of undergraduate school. does it ever happen? sure. does it happen often? (emphatic) NO. sorry i don't have better news for you.
I moved from NYC to Texas a few months ago. Like other posters said..forget about what is done anywhere else. NYC is totally different. It is possible to find a no fee apartment but it is very hard. Apartments in NYC go very, very`fast. It is nothing like Texas. You can't really look around, wait a few days and think about it or the apartment you want will be gone. Paying a brokers fee sucks but, unfortunately, it is common practice.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
no fee apartments
