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And be prepared to give many a pound here in NYC in setting up shop.
Good luck and a warm welcome.
Many thanks, man. What other up-front costs should we know about, aside from the "usual" moving expenses (deposits, moving costs, utility initiations)? I'll add "agent fees" to my spreadsheet under the "cover charge" column.
Totally off-topic, but I know you're on the UWS where we'll be...if I want to set up my office north of us, toward or in Harlem, would that make sense or is that dangerously stupid?
Totally off-topic, but I know you're on the UWS where we'll be...if I want to set up my office north of us, toward or in Harlem, would that make sense or is that dangerously stupid?
Hey zdg, why would it be possibly dangerously stupid?
Hey zdg, why would it be possibly dangerously stupid?
I have no idea; that's why I asked.
It looks like I can office for a billionth of the cost around 120th (vs downtown) and since I don't see clients in my office, I don't exactly need a 'sexy' address. I guess I'm asking if that's all you're losing (sexy address) or if it's the sort of thing where officing up there is a nice way to ensure my server will be gone some Monday morning.
The price difference just seemed so extreme ($400 vs $3600 for the exact same amount of space and amenities).
One thing to consider with agents is that they do not replace your own investigations, which are usually better than what they are allowed to say by law or by what they are willing to say. It should not be a problem if you're dealing with a professional, but I would still do my own investigation of the building, neighborhood, school, etc. and not rely solely on the agent.
You should not encounter too many problems, however, dealing with a healthy rental budget, but many things are relative and nobody can accurately replicate your own opinions. It's not going to be a case of the building being "safe," only to find it populated with those whose source of income to support the Escalade lifestyle is questionable, but it could be a case of something being described as "quiet" or "spacious" that will fail to meet expectations.
Approach the rental the same way you would a purchase, to the point where you measure closets, cabinets, and appliances (some are scaled-down) to accurately represent what is in the apartment itself, and then do a through exploration of the neighborhood to see if everything is liveable for you. Can you walk from the grocery store with packages, or will they deliver? Is the walk tolerable to get to the store? Does the local store meet your needs and have enough in the way of produce and specialty foods? Are there enough restaurants and variety in offerings in close enough proximity? The restaurants are generally not a problem on the UWS, unless one has very specific requirements. Are you permitted under the lease to give a key to your cleaning service or daily help? These are the nagging quality-of-life issues that can quickly sour even the most perfect apartment.
Some good advice here, I'd like to add the issue of noise, which is perhaps NY'ers #1 complaint. If you rent a place facing a big north-south avenue, you will probably get constant noise, but if you have double-paned windows that helps a lot, I assume the newer buildings have these. I prefer a quiet residential side-street. I once rented an apartment on a side street that was lined with restaurants. That was a mistake. The private carting companies that hauled away their trash always came in the middle of the night.
On the noise front, take inventory of where the nearest firehouse and hospital is, and determine the path of least resistance to/from there. You don't want your bedroom facing the block/intersection that is a likely direct path to/from the firehouse/hospital for trucks with sirens blaring.
On the broker front, I may disagree with some of my fellow NYers here, depending upon what you are looking for and what neighborhhod you are looking in. If you want "luxury high rise" living in a post-war, doorman building, there are several large building owners/management companies -- poke around here there have been numerous prior posts listing them -- that rent direct with no fee. Many list available apartments on their website, and some have on-site agents so you can see whatever apartments that are available at one shot. These buildings tend to be located in particular high rise areas in the Upper West and Upper East Sides, Hells Kitchen, Murray Hill, Chelsea and Financial District. However, these are only going to modern aprtments in large buildings -- if you are looking for something more quaint or in a smaller building, no doorman, etc. you will have to look elsewhere.
As for other fees you might encounter, they differ among buildings. You will pay a credit check fee, which might include a background check as well, you may also have moving fees. Individually none of these are large, but they could add up.
In my first apartment, I forgot to ask about heat. I wound up in a building where the landlord (who lived two doors down) would clump down the stairs to the basement every evening around 9:30 and turn the boiler off. She didn't turn it down--she turned it off! No heat in the entire building for the rest of the night.
Fortunately, she made the rather unbelievable mistake of not signing my lease. I called the Housing Department, and they told me that if she didn't sign it, it wasn't legal. They were trying to help, and believe me, they did! I was lucky that she didn't have a gun in hand when I told her that she couldn't enforce a penalty for me leaving, otherwise she would've shot me at point blank range.
ain't you suppose to turn up the heat at night and turn it off during work hours?
As for noise....I live in a neighborhood without trains or buses BUT PLANES!!!!! Their loud. Then i got street racers with their loud engines
Last edited by Green Irish Eyes; 12-01-2008 at 07:25 PM..
Reason: Language
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