Requesting assistance with moving to NYC (New Rochelle, Gates: real estate, sublets, apartments)

[howabout_nyc]

Hi all

I am really hoping someone on here can help us out finding a place in nyc!
So I am starting a job at Montefiore in Bronx and my wife will be working either in upper west side or upper east side depending what job she ends up getting. From reading around, I feel that either Riverdale or Norwood would be decent options for us. They both offer good access to public transportation and seem relatively safe. My wife will be working 2-4 days a week so she is willing to make the longer commute if we ended up in Norwood. Are there any other communities we should consider? Our budget is < $2500, of course lower the better. We will have one car with us, so one of us will drive and the other can use the public transportation if needed. We also have a dog, and seem that limits our scope of search, as we would like to feel safe if we have to let the dog out past 11PM or so.

From surfing online, I am still unable to figure out best way of finding an apartment to rent. There are sparse postings on craigslist and half of them seem pretty shady or zillow/trulia/sublets/etc. Are there any other resources that I am missing? Would I need to find a broker of some sort? I didn't realize that these brokers come with a hefty fee until I did more research on this! We are limited on time though, we only have 4 days that we can spend in mid April to actually be in the city to look. We are hoping to have one signed while we are up there and be able to move by beginning of June. Will we be able to find 'for rent' signs walking about? We are moving from north carolina so making an extra trip will be quite difficult. Any assistance or guidance would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks all!

[Cida]

I think Craigslist is still the most popular avenue for situations like yours. Four days isn't much, though. You might want to consider taking a sublet for a month or two to give you a chance to look around.

[roberto10]

You might also want to consider custom search services for people looking to rent an apartment without paying a broker fee. They search multiple databases and contact the property managers and landlords to validate the apartments and make sure that there is no broker fee involved. Such services cost around $50-$100 which is considerably cheaper than paying a broker or the value of your time spent searching on your own. www.renterst.com is one of the better services.

[Enzan]

Hey I'm actually from the Bronx. You're right about Riverdale, it's generally known to be a safe area. Depending on the area you're in though will affect the transportation, you would almost always have to take a bus anywhere because the trains don't go that far. You definitely can find some for rent signs on buildings but they're few and far between. You may also want to consider slightly north like the Mt. Vernon, New Rochelle or Pelham area. It would be like a 12-15 minute drive for you and those places have the metro north train which go all the way to midtown Manhattan.

[fmatthew5876]

Originally Posted by howabout_nyc

Hi all

I am really hoping someone on here can help us out finding a place in nyc!
So I am starting a job at Montefiore in Bronx and my wife will be working either in upper west side or upper east side depending what job she ends up getting. From reading around, I feel that either Riverdale or Norwood would be decent options for us.

I've been living in Norwood since August.

Norwood has the best commute scenario. You can walk to work and your wife can either take the D (express rush hours) and then B to the UWS or the 4 to the UES. It also gives you good east/west access for non work stuff in the city.

Riverdale will be managable for her on the UWS because she can take the 1 train or a bus. The 1 train is local so she would probably not need to transfer in the UWS but it will take longer getting there. The rush hour express D train in Norwood would probably be faster. Getting to the UES from riverdale will be long. You can also get to Montefiore pretty quickly by bus or drive.

They both offer good access to public transportation and seem relatively safe.

I think Norwood wins hands down in train transportation. You have the 4, D, and metro north available. Riverdale only has the 1 train which is local all the way to south ferry. Norwood will also be more affordable than riverdale.

The 2 options are very different lifestyle wise. Riverdale is mostly white and Norwood is mostly hispanic. Norwood is also on average a much lower income neighborhood so you should have a little more street smarts. If you look at Norwood stay away from Gates / Knox place (anywhere north of mosholu, west of jerome) and also Tracey Towers.

Are there any other communities we should consider?

Also look at Bedford Park, directly south of Norwood. Basically everything north of Bedford Park Blvd.

Woodlawn is directly north and its a very safe irish neighborhood. The commute for your wife would be tough unless she can use metro north to grand central. You would just walk down Jerome Ave or take a bus.

You can also take a look at the South Bronx. It's more expensive than Norwood/BP/Mosholu area but there is a lot happening and could be a great real estate investment if you're buying.

Washington Heights (my favorite neighborhood) / Inwood / Hamilton Heights / Harlem - commute for you will be longer

From surfing online, I am still unable to figure out best way of finding an apartment to rent. There are sparse postings on craigslist and half of them seem pretty shady or zillow/trulia/sublets/etc. Are there any other resources that I am missing? Would I need to find a broker of some sort?

Use every real estate site available. When you are looking to close a deal soon, check them every day for updates. Use craigslist for the Bronx and upper manhattan. When you know what neighborhood you want to live in go to the local real estate offices run by people who know their neighborhood well and have the connections.

I would suggest doing airbnb for a month in the neighborhood of choice and putting most of your stuff in storage. This will give you time to figure out if you really like the neighborhood and also give you the time to find a really good apartment.

[howabout_nyc]

Thank you so much for the insightful info!
From reading around, we feel that Norwood or Woodlawn may be best fit for us as far as transportation/convenience/safety concerns go. I tried reaching out to the brokers that I found on-line but none of them panned out to be that helpful.
Would I have better luck if I were to find realtors within a given neighborhood to secure housing with short notice?

Thank you!

[fmatthew5876]

Yes go in person and walk the main commercial strips to find realtors. Especially for woodlawn.