I can't believe I still haven't found an apartment. (P.S.--Help) (Ridge: real estate, sublets)
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No kidding, folks. I really thought I would have nailed something down by now. But I keep hitting dead-ends or being sent on wild goose chases. Parkchester turned me down because I took a year off for a leave of absence, and they need a recent pay stub for my current place of employment. A leave of absence does not mean I quit or was jobless. They won't accept the pay stubs for the bonus pay I received during my leave of absence. Bureaucratic nonsense.
Today, I discovered that an apartment ad I responded to was a part of the old bait-and-switch routine leading me to a broker.
I made an appointment with a realtor (Tryax) that I've worked with before. In fact, I lived in one of their apartments in Harlem for about five years. There were no agents there, and the Bronx apartments the receptionist sent me to were in neighborhoods that could best be described as dicey.
I've responded to several craigslist ads, via email and the telephone, and very few renters have gotten back to me.
Luckily, a friend of mine is letting me stay with him and his room-mate while I continue to look. At this slow rate, I may wind up paying him rent at the end of the month.
How can I speed up this process? How can I stop realtors and brokers from wasting my time? What are some of the usual pitfalls, and how can I avoid them? Is it worth it hiring a broker--at 15% of a year's rent, for goodness sake?
Bottom line: If you had one week to find an apartment (at about $950 to $1,000), what would you do? I actually have a bit longer, but I have been at this for about nine days. How long does it take?
No kidding, folks. I really thought I would have nailed something down by now. But I keep hitting dead-ends or being sent on wild goose chases. Parkchester turned me down because I took a year off for a leave of absence, and they need a recent pay stub for my current place of employment. A leave of absence does not mean I quit or was jobless. They won't accept the pay stubs for the bonus pay I received during my leave of absence. Bureaucratic nonsense.
Today, I discovered that an apartment ad I responded to was a part of the old bait-and-switch routine leading me to a broker.
I made an appointment with a realtor (Tryax) that I've worked with before. In fact, I lived in one of their apartments in Harlem for about five years. There were no agents there, and the Bronx apartments the receptionist sent me to were in neighborhoods that could best be described as dicey.
I've responded to several craigslist ads, via email and the telephone, and very few renters have gotten back to me.
Luckily, a friend of mine is letting me stay with him and his room-mate while I continue to look. At this slow rate, I may wind up paying him rent at the end of the month.
How can I speed up this process? How can I stop realtors and brokers from wasting my time? What are some of the usual pitfalls, and how can I avoid them? Is it worth it hiring a broker--at 15% of a year's rent, for goodness sake?
Bottom line: If you had one week to find an apartment (at about $950 to $1,000), what would you do? I actually have a bit longer, but I have been at this for about nine days. How long does it take?
At a $1,000 per month rent, you should make a minimum 40K a year to qualify for the apartment. You must provide your most recent income tax returns, 4 most recent pay stubs and bank statements.
If you are able to provide those documentations, then I see no reason why you would be denied an apartment other than you having a poor credit score or criminal history.
Do you have $12,000(= 1 year rent) in your savings/checking accounts? Maybe you can prove(most recent banking statement) that you are a low risk by having the whole year in rent. How is your credit? If good and you have a lot in savings then many landlords in good neighborhoods should accept you. Do not offer to pay the entire year in rent though. Merely prove to them that you are able to pay your rent. Explain your situation up front as well, don't waste your and their time if they won't approve you right off the bat because lack of current paystubs.
At a $1,000 per month rent, you should make a minimum 40K a year to qualify for the apartment. You must provide your most recent income tax returns, 4 most recent pay stubs and bank statements.
If you are able to provide those documentations, then I see no reason why you would be denied an apartment other than you having a poor credit score or criminal history.
I make a minimum of $55,721. Last year, $41,000. I am well aware of the other requirements, but, again, Parkchester was not interested in the pay stubs for the jobs I had in Wisconsin this past year, during my leave of absence. They were only interested in the pay stubs for my current place of employment. Sounds like the whole leave of absence thing has you confused as well.
I have a good credit score, and I most certainly do not have a criminal record.
In any case, your response gives me hope. I will persevere.
Do you have $12,000(= 1 year rent) in your savings/checking accounts? Maybe you can prove(most recent banking statement) that you are a low risk by having the whole year in rent. How is your credit? If good and you have a lot in savings then many landlords in good neighborhoods should accept you. Do not offer to pay the entire year in rent though. Merely prove to them that you are able to pay your rent. Explain your situation up front as well, don't waste your and their time if they won't approve you right off the bat because lack of current paystubs.
Good Luck
My credit score is good, but I definitely do not have a year of savings in my bank account. Parkchester did suggest this as well.
I like this idea of bringing up the issue of the pay stubs and the leave of absence up front--to save both parties time and effort.
Thanks, victorfox. The more the merrier. I had it narrowed down to Parkchester, Pelham Parkway, and Sunnyside (possibly Woodside and Jackson Heights). If there are more affordable--yet decent--neighborhoods, I would love to expand and thus speed up my search.
Put yourself in the position of the landlord. Are you at present
working, right now? If not, I would not even talk to you unless you
wanted to put a years rent in my hands. Leave of absence could mean
anything in spite of the pay stubs. Parkchester is big enough to have a constant string of
renters who do not pay and have to be evicted which takes time and
money. I trust you and believe you but they cannot afford to and have
many years of experience that I don't have. I've been gone awhile from
the area and also find it hard to believe you're having this much
trouble. The folks here have given you good suggestions. Good luck!
My husband and I are in a similar boat as we are moving out there without "jobs" (I do freelance work, we both are actors--the reason for the move, and we are restaurant workers (of which all of our friends and associates tell us out there, there is an abundance of work)). We also DO have a lot of money saved up, however what I would recommend is looking for a sublet. We really lucked out and got a beautiful furnished one for 8 months, so that will give us plenty of time to get settled and acclimated, as well as see if that neighborhood is for us or look elsewhere. Subletting often takes a lot of the crazy requirements asked for by brokers and real estate agents out of the picture. In fact, very often none or very little of that is needed. Do be careful, of course, of scams but since you are already there (as opposed to us who are still across the country for another month), you should easily be able to avoid problems. There are a lot of longer terms sublets on craigslist and I find the scams are pretty obviously so.
I think this is very common (subletting) when people first move here. In fact the woman will be renting from said we are pretty lucky because when she first moved to NY years ago she moved from sublet to sublet for the first 1-2 years.
Thanks, victorfox. The more the merrier. I had it narrowed down to Parkchester, Pelham Parkway, and Sunnyside (possibly Woodside and Jackson Heights). If there are more affordable--yet decent--neighborhoods, I would love to expand and thus speed up my search.
Add Inwood to that list and parts of Astoria(further from the subway) as well. Bay Ridge may be too far for you though.
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