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Basically just wondering if anyone has any feedback on RDNY.com or similar sites that you'd recommend for someone moving from out of state needing to line up appointments over a couple of day period. I'd like to avoid paying a broker fee if possible and can schedule my own appointments during my apartment hunting trip if it means saving a month's rent or more.
RDNY.com charges a small fee (~$169 for 60 days) for full access to their listings (you can browse without being a paid member but no access to the address or landlord's contact info) and all the listings are no fee and supposedly verified. It seems that they have a ton of listings in my price range too.
Just looking for feedback if you've used their service or any other similar sites that you'd recommend. I've heard Craigslist can be pretty hit or miss with a lot of scams/brokers/bait & switch, etc. Is it really that bad?
What are my best options in your opinion? Should I also make appointments with a broker and ask to see listings that are no more than a 1-month fee? I guess I could cover all my bases that way by spending a day with a broker and spending a day looking at appointments I've lined up on my own. Ideally, I'll be looking at apartments in the East Village but possibly UES as a backup. My budget is tight at $1500-1800 (max) for a studio and I know I'll probably get more for my money in the UES (East of Lex). Do brokers specialize in certain neighborhoods only? How would I go about finding a good one? Thoughts? Ugh - not an easy city to move to from out of state!
jkozlow3, I work with RDNY.com! We have an excellent inventory of studios (and larger) on the Upper East Side. In fact, at the moment, we have 87 studios up to $1800. Most are rent stabilized.
RDNY.com has been in business 16 years now and has served thousands of renters successfully. It is 100% legitimate and I'll make sure you have a good experience using our listings. Monday is a huge day for updating and the inventory on the Upper East Side is particularly good right now. The inventory gets tighter as we get into Spring. Come aboard and contact me if you need any help. Thanks. Larry
You can set up appointments with listings by owner from Craig's List. Call them or email in advance for an appointment. Also most of them do not show apartments on weekends. We met with 2 brokers (moved from FL and came for 3 days to find an apartment). The one on the UES showed us "no fee" apartments where we did have to pay the fee, but we got a free month in return at the end of the lease. She also tried convincing us that the fee apartments were better, that we weren't going to get anything better than what she was showing us, etc. The one in FiDi showed us actual no fee buildings where the landlord paid the fee directly and the apartments were much nicer so we chose one he showed us.
Most brokers do specialize in one nieghborhood only. And they'll tell you that neighborhood is the best one to live in. You will have a lot more options outside of Manhattan in that price range unless you're willing to go above 96th street.
You can set up appointments with listings by owner from Craig's List. Call them or email in advance for an appointment. Also most of them do not show apartments on weekends. We met with 2 brokers (moved from FL and came for 3 days to find an apartment). The one on the UES showed us "no fee" apartments where we did have to pay the fee, but we got a free month in return at the end of the lease. She also tried convincing us that the fee apartments were better, that we weren't going to get anything better than what she was showing us, etc. The one in FiDi showed us actual no fee buildings where the landlord paid the fee directly and the apartments were much nicer so we chose one he showed us.
Most brokers do specialize in one nieghborhood only. And they'll tell you that neighborhood is the best one to live in. You will have a lot more options outside of Manhattan in that price range unless you're willing to go above 96th street.
I disagree that brokers don't show on weekends. Most people work and cannot take a day off. I saw apartments last Saturday.
I used RDNY and would suggest it. Be prepared to be competing against brokers and to sometimes put in an application for an apartment that someone else beat you to. In the end though the amount of listings provided and the rate that it was updated was well worth the couple hundred bucks you pay in order to save thousands. Do RDNY.
P.S. I am not affiliated with RDNY whatsoever. I just used it with great success when I was moving from Louisiana to here.
This is the first review i've ever made time to write about anything… but I will copy into as many sites as I can.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE. RDNY IS A TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY. Despite what you might be told, you will not get your money back unless you cancel IMMEDIATELY. This service was completely mis-sold to me as a risk-free option, which it is not. I was told I would get my money back if I did not find somewhere after 2 months. The apartments offered were terrible, but I waited anyway in case something better came up. It didn't and I was told I should have cancelled on the first day to get my money back! I strongly believe you WILL NOT find your home here, Craigslist is far better – or a broker if you can afford. Though admittedly, I learned my lesson – ALWAYS read the damned sneaky terms and conditions (even when they are not pointed out to you).
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