Affordable housing near Columbia U Medical Center (Amsterdam, Inwood: real estate, sublet)

[ehcw]

Hello,

I will be moving to NYC to take on a job at Columbia University Medical Center. I will be be getting paid around $45K before tax. What would be a great affordable area to live that is safe and has good transit?
I will be living by myself and do most of the cooking at home to try cut the expense to minimal, but will I survive?

I have looked at upper areas of Washington Heights and to Innwood. Are these good places to look? I am told to stay on the west side of Broadway in Washington Heights, does that still apply in Hudson Heights and Innwood? Is $1500-$1700 a reasonable expectation for a studio or 1br apartment?

I have entered the lottery for campus housing, but I wouldn't count on that to happen any time soon.

I am also moving in from Canada so I cannot actually see the neighbourhood personally, what are the most reputable renting websites that I can search for rentals.

Thanks!!

[BrightRabbit]

If you can manage it, try to locate within close walking distance to one of the "Express" subway stops up there. Check your MTA maps to identify them.

For example, at 168th and Broadway - the exact location of that medical center - you can get any of these subway lines: Express A, the regular C, or a Local 1.

It's a big advantage to enter that station, then can choose to speed by Express to Columbus Circle (59th), Times Square(42nd), and beyond, whenever you want to have some time away from work to play. Whereas, if you locate around 160th St. close to Broadway or Riverside Drive, that's fine -- and there are some affordable big old apt buildings there. You'll walk 10 minutes to work from there, however, you are more tied to the slowpoke Local 1 subway line at your homebase. Or, if you homebase around Amsterdam/162nd area, your closest choice is the C. These other lines are not the end of the world, just slower to leave the neighborhood when you want to.

I lived around 160/Riverside last year, and generally agree that west of Broadway felt better. I looked at two comparable 2-BR apts for my family, each 2 blocks from B'way. The one west-of-B'way cost $200 more per month, which I decided to pay to enjoy the parks/walkways/biketrails along the Hudson River, views of GW bridge, very refreshing to see. Plus it had a better-looking lobby, in better repair. If I were doing it all again, I'd shoot for closer to the 168 St. station, however, than the 160 which only had the 1 subway.

The neighborhood around there is largely Dominican, so expect some loud radio noise, summertime street dancing, Spanish spoken in stores, groups of guys hanging outdoors to smoke (everything) on the front sidewalks of their own highrise buildings. I had a good year there, with no problems coming home late at night.

Learn a few Spanish social greetings, just to be friendlier to neighbors in elevators and with area shopkeepers. You'll enjoy the community more by being friendly at the "how's the weather" level; you don't have to be bilingual as in Canada.

TRY to get an apt on the "not-street" or "back side" of a building. Although you'll still hear the radios from back-apt windows, at least you don't hear all the street noise from car traffic. Higher up, the better. It matters if you have to sleep for a medical shift.

So put a circle around all the Express stops up there and aim for proximity to them. When you contact a broker, say what you want according to those Express stops, might focus your search.

After living there a short while, I began to also use some of the buslines, but the M-4 or M-5 right on Broadway are kind of unpredictable and slow. There are a few other buslines in that neighborhood, helpful to working at the hospital, such as one along Fort Washington Drive, that are helpful in a pinch sometimes to fill in. CHeck your MTA buslines for that.

I dont' know about up in Inwood or Hudson Heights, sorry, if that west-of-B'way rule still applies. Others here might know.

"neighbourhood" -- oh, Canada!

PS, I know your goal is to live alone, but it's mighty hard to do all this from out-of-town without having ever seen the neighborhood! You might do it in chunks: try to legally sublet one bedroom of some student leaving their lease in a shared apartment (there are websites with names like "roommate finder" or padmapper, plus Craigslist but use good judgment). Just hope to finish out their lease and stay as a share for a few months. Meanwhile you look for your own apartment, with feet on the ground.

If that doesn't appeal, can you schedule just a weekend in now to walk the neighborhood? You'll know much better how to talk by phone with a broker; might be worth the investment to travel in and be a more knowledgable renter.

[BrightRabbit]

Originally Posted by ehcw

I am told to stay on the west side of Broadway in Washington Heights, does that still apply in Hudson Heights and Innwood? Is $1500-$1700 a reasonable expectation for a studio or 1br apartment?

Probably an accurate pricerange, but I recommend you research many current rentals on sites like StreetEasy or Trulia, using photos of interiors and the streetscape viewing function. Plug in the neighborhood (spell it Inwood not Innwood), a price-range, and apartment type. Keep watching what comes up until you begin to see a large selection of places that look livable to you. That's "the market." Avoid generalities in the text ads. For example: "near all public transpo and shopping" is meaningless. "2 short blocks from the A or C" is real. Find the address on a map, use GoogleMaps to sweep around to view both sides of the street, then move the light-circle to "drive" neighboring streets.

Also type in the address on this website's and NYPD's Crime Map chart to gain perspective. While no place will be crime-free, you will see some differences east and west of Broadway per block. I think just use it as general guidance for overall patterns. Keep in mind that many reported property crimes there concern street drug trades. "Felony assault" includes reported domestic violence spilled out onto the street, sadly. And so when folks tell you, "mind your own business and you'll be fine" I did find that true during my one year there. Walk with confidence and be alert to your surroundings, always. You'll get much more space for your money in these neighborhoods than most anywhere else in Manhattan these days, but you need to be street-awake.

It's good you're open to either a studio or 1-BR. You pay for that bedroom door privacy!

Cooking more from home is also smart. In Upper Manhattan where you're looking, there are still many independent well-priced tiny fresh fruit, vegetable, meat and fish markets run by immigrant families who bring in better quality produce than chain stores. For pantry staples, pay less at the chainstore supermarkets.

I'm excited for you to work there, because you might even find affordable apt within walking distance. It'd be great to avoid buying the one-month MTA subway pass ($112/month now, but check as it's changing) as most working people must do. Instead, just buy a few single-pass rides ($2.50 oneway) as needed, to play or even shop other neighborhoods in down-time. That'll help you with your close budget, and might put you in Washington Heights before Inwood, for example. Just keep crunching those numbers.

In-building basement laundry room, which still costs per use, will save you much time and some money, when compared to neighborhood laundromats. It all adds up.

[ehcw]

Thank you BrightRabbit!

These are very helpful tips!

I do plan on coming a couple weeks before my appointment starts to do some apartment hunting. Checking the NYPD crime map is an excellent idea, didn't think of that. haha.

I am still looking around at the moment to do as much research as possible as current work forbid me from heading down too early. I might have to do a week of airbnb and move in right away...

But thank you for your help!

[Henna]

Originally Posted by ehcw

Hello,

I will be moving to NYC to take on a job at Columbia University Medical Center. I will be be getting paid around $45K before tax. What would be a great affordable area to live that is safe and has good transit?
I will be living by myself and do most of the cooking at home to try cut the expense to minimal, but will I survive?

I have looked at upper areas of Washington Heights and to Innwood. Are these good places to look? I am told to stay on the west side of Broadway in Washington Heights, does that still apply in Hudson Heights and Innwood? Is $1500-$1700 a reasonable expectation for a studio or 1br apartment?

I have entered the lottery for campus housing, but I wouldn't count on that to happen any time soon.

I am also moving in from Canada so I cannot actually see the neighbourhood personally, what are the most reputable renting websites that I can search for rentals.

Thanks!!

Most landlords are going to require that you make 40x the monthly rent. So on a 45K income, your max rent would be $1125, which is extremely difficult to find. Even if you feel you can afford $1500 or $1700 the landlord may disagree. Try Googling "40x rent rule" to learn more about it.

Because of your low salary, I suggest going into a roommate situation. You should put the word out to your future colleagues to see if you can find anyone with an opening in their apartment. This will also cut down on all your other expenses since you can share internet, utilities, and home furnishings.

[q41apartments]

You can get a gigantic 1 bedroom for under $1,500.00 a month in Harlem. When the area is not that safe, rent always drop by a large amount. It's sorta an even exchange in the event you get attacked to even itself out price wise.

[Harlem resident]

You can get a one-bedroom apartment in Harlem for around $2,200 a month.
Is this outside your budget ? There are very few cheaper and there is always a very good reason, usually the poor conditions of the apartment in question.

In any case, I would look in what you called the "upper areas" of Washington Heights, west of Broadway. I agree that sharing is a good idea, and there you will at least have a large apartment to share.

[ehcw]

Thank you,

Yes I am aware of the 40x rent rule and was quite worried about that. I am currently looking into room-mate situation too.

I personally don't mind a bit longer commute to CUMC. What do you guys think about commute from Queens or Fort Lee? Do people do that?

Thanks.

[MisterStereoman]

I had good luck with a real estate office, but that was ages ago. They might be able to pair you up with a landlord who will take less than 40x or whatever it is, providing you have other good qualities/numbers. But downside is you might have to spend 15% of the annual rent to the realtor. So in that case you'd need to save up a bit of money, on top of the security + first month's rent.
The west of Broadway rule is largely true. Quieter, wealthier, safer. Hudson Hts, by the way, is entirely west of Broadway. If you stay close to Ft Washington Av, you have the M4 bus as well as the A/1 trains to get you to work easily, as well you could save money by walking.

[KB4]

Have you ever lived in the US before and do you have credit history here? This is something that most landlords look at. If you don't have credit history, they might ask you to put down a larger security deposit or prepay several months of rent.