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Hey guys. I currently live in downtown Jersey City and my lease is going to be expiring in a few months. Moving to one of the outer boroughs sounds attractive to me and I may seriously consider it if I can find what I'm looking for without breaking the bank.
The question I have is that I used Craig's List to find my current apartment in Jersey City. However, I get the impression from some of the posts I have seen that using Craig's List to find an apartment in actual NYC can be especially dangerous due to increased scams and ripoffs. Now I know how to safe guard myself and use common sense but if someone wants to rip you off they will find a way such as changing the locks (which I have heard happen before) or other underhanded schemes.
Is it generally considered unadvisable to use Craig's List or am I just being paranoid? If it is unadvisable what sites should I use? I know of NYBits and the classifieds in NYTimes and such. What other resources should I be looking at?
I found my Bronx apartment on Craigslist and it worked out just fine - I also looked at a few other apartments listed on CL and they all seemed to be legit; of course, right from the start I avoided anything that sounded too good to be true or that appeared unprofessional. In addition to CL, I searched on Streeteasy and looked at one apartment found on there. Also no problem.
I also found my apt in craigslist. If the ad seems too good to be true then it might be a scam. Another way to find apts is to walk around the neighborhood that you want to live at and look for those apts available signs.
Found two apartments on Craigslist and had no problems with either of them.
The people who get scammed are the ones who believe the "too good to be true" ads... I.E., "Look at this beautiful 2-bedroom in the West Village for $1,700!" If you have a realistic budget for the neighborhood you're looking in and some general common sense, you'll be fine.
It is not dangerous, its just that a lot of apartments posted there either do not exist or are not vacant and you will be offered to view other apartments by the broker.
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