Good neighborhool for an Empty Nest couple (New York, Beekman: apartment complexes, renters)
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.
Greetings. I've been lurking on this forum for awhile, but this is my first post. Have learned quite a bit from the posts on here.
My wife and I are in our low-50s and currently live in a suburban area in the south. Due to a job change, we are looking at a move to NYC sometime in the fall of this year. We are researching to see which neighborhoods would be good for a couple like us.
We have never lived in a true urban environment, and want to take advantage of what a city like New York has to offer.
* Our budget for an apartment will be between $3500-$5500/month.
* We definitely want at least 1 br with 1.5 baths, preferably 2br.
* I think a doorman building would be preferable.
* We'd like a neighborhood that has good shopping and restaurants close and is close to the subway.
Not being from the city, how do you find a broker you can trust? I'm assuming using a broker will be the most painless way of finding an apartment.
What questions should I be asking in preparation? I know it seems like a long ways off time-wise, but it is getting closer every day.
Thank you in advance for the information. I'm sure I will be posting other threads as time goes on.
If there is any other information I should include in here about the type of apartment/neighborhood we are looking for, please let me know and I will add it to the list.
Greetings. I've been lurking on this forum for awhile, but this is my first post. Have learned quite a bit from the posts on here.
My wife and I are in our low-50s and currently live in a suburban area in the south. Due to a job change, we are looking at a move to NYC sometime in the fall of this year. We are researching to see which neighborhoods would be good for a couple like us.
We have never lived in a true urban environment, and want to take advantage of what a city like New York has to offer.
* Our budget for an apartment will be between $3500-$5500/month.
* We definitely want at least 1 br with 1.5 baths, preferably 2br.
* I think a doorman building would be preferable.
* We'd like a neighborhood that has good shopping and restaurants close and is close to the subway.
Not being from the city, how do you find a broker you can trust? I'm assuming using a broker will be the most painless way of finding an apartment.
What questions should I be asking in preparation? I know it seems like a long ways off time-wise, but it is getting closer every day.
Thank you in advance for the information. I'm sure I will be posting other threads as time goes on.
If there is any other information I should include in here about the type of apartment/neighborhood we are looking for, please let me know and I will add it to the list.
With the budget you should have some flexibility, where would you be commuting to for work? That might help narrowing down a nice place to live that won't be too far from work.
It is tricky to find a good broker, there are some honest ones but a lot who aren't and the hard part is screening out the multitude to find the one that's going to be a good match. For an apartment the standard commission is one and a half times the monthly rent. If you have trusted friends in the NYC area, the best way to find a broker is through referrals through people you know and trust.
A few bits of advice for apartment hunting in NYC:
1) Most landlords require that you earn 40 times the monthly rent in income and have good credit in order for them to offer you a lease. You will need w2's and your employment offer letter stating your salary in order to apply for an apartment. That's just standard income and income history verification, nothing unusual. Sometimes the broker will perform the credit check on the landlords behalf- that's usually a $60 fee that gets paid when submitting a rental application to a landlord.
2) IF you end up interested in renting an apartment that is in a co-op building, the application process is VERY invasive and you might be asked to submit a lot of personal and financial information to be given the building's coop board for approval and the owner of the apartment will have no say on the coop board's decision. Coop buildings are different from rental buildings, but coops can be very nice places to rent.
3) IF your apartment application is approved, landlords generally require 3 months of rent up front: first, last, and one month security.
4) Apartments in NYC are very small and old compared to other places in the united states even though they're priced high. Please don't be shocked if you're not "wowed" by the apartments available in your price range.
Thanks for the reply. The office I will be working in is going to be in Midtown East. Qualifying financially shouldn't be a problem. The company I am working for is opening a new office in New York and is going to take care of most of the housing expenses for us.
From some of the research we have done, it seems like Murray Hill or Sutton Place would be a good area, just not sure what the neighborhoods would have as far as restaurants/shopping, etc.
The Upper East Side might be right up your alley. Very easy commute to Midtown East, good neighborhood feel, beautiful apartments in your price range. I'm not a big fan of the two neighborhoods you mention - they seem anodyne to me in comparison to other places - but I suppose some people like them.
Along with the question, I guess comes the idea of what type of place to rent. Are the large rental buildings from a place like Rockrose, Equity, Solow, etc, better than what might be in a condo building? What would be the pros/cons of a large rental firm vs something from a smaller organization or a private landlord?
I've looked quite a bit at Nakedapartments. Are the apartments listed there from some of these type of rental firms or more independent?
Thanks for the reply. The office I will be working in is going to be in Midtown East. Qualifying financially shouldn't be a problem. The company I am working for is opening a new office in New York and is going to take care of most of the housing expenses for us.
From some of the research we have done, it seems like Murray Hill or Sutton Place would be a good area, just not sure what the neighborhoods would have as far as restaurants/shopping, etc.
You may want to add Gramercy Park to your list of places to check out. It's a very lovely area with a short commute to midtown east. IF you happen to stumble across an apartment in a building around the perimeter of Gramercy park, you might be able to get a key to the park (it's for residents only, not open to the public).
Murray Hill is a bit younger, more the post college set, except for the historic district and a condo building. The UES, Sutton/Beekman, and the UWS are probably better options. What type of housing do you want, high rise/smaller building?
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
Along with the question, I guess comes the idea of what type of place to rent. Are the large rental buildings from a place like Rockrose, Equity, Solow, etc, better than what might be in a condo building? What would be the pros/cons of a large rental firm vs something from a smaller organization or a private landlord?
I've looked quite a bit at Nakedapartments. Are the apartments listed there from some of these type of rental firms or more independent?
There are definitely some differences between buildings owned by a rental company versus individual condo units.
Large rental buildings will be well maintained, but not as well as a condo building.
A condo building houses owners, while a rental building houses renters. Owners take better care of their properties than rental buildings do.
This is not to say that high-end rentals aren't nice.
The problem is that a condo owner might need to take back his apartment at some point. People usually rent their units because they can't sell them, or they're going to be away for an extended period of time and are better off collecting rent than leaving it empty. So if the owner needs to move back in, or sells the unit to a buyer you're going to run into challenges getting your lease renewed.
Meanwhile a rental building will probably renew your lease as long as you're in good standing because they would never need it for their own personal use.
Also, while condos are better maintained, rental buildings can have better or faster maintenance because they have handymen on payroll. IT might take longer for a condo owner to arrange for a handyman to take care of whatever problem you have.
High rise vs smaller building: I think we would like something more of a high rise. I think having a view of the city would be amazing. We have lived in regular apartment complexes before, but nothing like what would be in Manhattan.
We currently live in a single family home of about 2300 sq ft. I know that we are going to shrink that down to less than half, and we have done that before.
I think being in a large building on a fairly high floor with nice views would be amazing.
Gramercy is an area we have looked at some. I was wondering about the park whether access was given to renters as well as owners?
High rise vs smaller building: I think we would like something more of a high rise. I think having a view of the city would be amazing. We have lived in regular apartment complexes before, but nothing like what would be in Manhattan.
We currently live in a single family home of about 2300 sq ft. I know that we are going to shrink that down to less than half, and we have done that before.
I think being in a large building on a fairly high floor with nice views would be amazing.
Gramercy is an area we have looked at some. I was wondering about the park whether access was given to renters as well as owners?
I'm not 100% sure, but you would have to be in one of the buildings that border the park specifically. Details are fuzzy because it was a long time ago but I think I knew of someone who renting there who was able to check out a key from the doorman whenever she wanted to enjoy the park. I would certainly ask the management company about this if you happen to find an apartment with that location. Even if you can't get access to the park it's such a nice neighborhood. My only concern is being to close to the washington irving high school- that can get a little noisy and boisterous because of the students. But anywhere else is very beautiful and charming. It's also very close to union square and flatiron.
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.
