Is it at all possible to find a decent apartment long-distance? (New York: real estate, sublet)

[Nala8]

I will be moving back to NYC mid August, and I know that it takes a while to nail down an apartment in NYC. At this point, I can afford to stay at a good hostel or possibly with a friend for about a week, once I am back in Manhattan. I'm not convinced that's enough time, and I can't afford a broker. So I'm thinking I may need to take a chance on finding hopefully a reputable realtor and nail down an apartment while I am here in Madison. This is what I did when I moved to Madison, but there are fewer shady realtors in Madison, given the size and the interconnectedness of the city. When I moved into my new apartment, there were a few "surprises," nothing major; but the neighborhood was and still is not a good fit.

Okay, so how can I do this long-distance? My salary as an instructor in two technical colleges ranges from $47,000 to $50,000. I need to find a decent apartment, more than likely in the Bronx (Pelham Parkway, Mosholu Parkway, etc.), and definitely in a relatively safe and quiet neighborhood. I don't know what to do at this point. Any advice would be welcome.

Thanks, folks.

[bluedog2]

Are you going to come first at all and check out the neighborhoods ? I think you have to do that at least ,to make sure you are comfortable with wherever.I really don't think it's a good idea for anyone to rent in any neighborhood in NY until they have spent some time there at different times of day/night.
Even if you have a good idea of what blocks or sections of a neighborhood would be good you are still stuck with the building question. Sometimes a neighborhood or area is ok but there are bad buildings tucked in with mostly good ones and sometimes you can't really tell until you get inside and see the hallways,etc.Even when I was looking to buy there were co op buildings that looked ok from the street but when I got inside there was a big difference.Every building seems to have a culture somehow and you have to gauge that.

[Nala8]

So true, bluedog2. I experienced that whole culture clash thing when I lived in Inwood (safe neighborhood, very attractive, some good neighbors in the building, difficult building super, to say the least) and when I lived most recently in Harlem (safe enough neighborhood but very insular street and building culture). Both situations would have looked good on paper or on the net, but the day to day reality... ai yai yai. At this point, I think I should find a sublet and give myself more time to search in person. I would love to visit just to check out the neighborhoods before I move, but no can do. I figure with a sublet at least it is temporary.

Thanks, as always, for your help. You rock.

[bluedog2]

Nala,I also firmly believe that there is no substitute in NY for the old fashioned method of apartment hunting ,which is just a lot of legwork.I know from first hand experience that many,many great apartment deals never get onto any web site or even to a brokers office a lot of the time.Countless buildings do no advertising whatsoever other than the signs on the front or sides of buildings that say "apartment available,inquire within" or "apartment available,see superintendent" or apartment available,call xxx-xxxx.This might even be especially true in the neighborhoods in the boroughs.

Then there are all the apartments that only get listed with some small neighborhood real estate office that nobody has ever heard of.

You really have to walk around and look for these signs and look in the windows of these small real estate offices.This whole process will also help to familiarize you with the neighborhoods and enable you to spot a decent building when you see one.

If you limit yourself to craigslist or the NY Times or any other print or web listing you will really be limiting your selection and probably paying more as well.

If you knew for sure what neighborhood you wanted you could probably find an apartment this way in a week. Otherwise it might be best to find a short term sublet.

[Nala8]

All good info, bluedog2. Sounds like you've been through it all--for real. I will definitely beat the pavement, as well as try to nail down some appointments for showings before I arrive. There has to be a way.

[Catherine Sinclair]

Nala8:

If you're really stuck and have to do this long-distance, there are a few things you want to consider:

1) Decide what is important to you in a neighborhood (access to the subway, amenities like nearby grocery stores and cafes, demographics, safety) and research that neighborhood as thoroughly as possible. Yelp is good site for seeing what kind of amenities/businesses are in the neighborhood. Even just using googlemaps.com to see the "street view" will give you a better feel of a neighborhood. Can that ever replace a direct real-life experience? Of course not. But it can be close. And if you're truly dissatisfied when you get there, well, hopefully you'll only have a year's lease.

2) In terms of securing an apartment itself, I think you would actually be fine as long as you are shown AS MANY photos as possible (so you know what the whole bedroom looks like, the kitchen, the bathroom, how big is the closet space, etc). Realtors are generally accommodating in terms of sending more photos as long as you sound serious. Also important with those photos is how much sunlight the place gets -- a minor detail for any other city, but really, some apartments in New York can make it look like 5am on a rainy morning when it's noon on a sunny day. Make sure (obviously) you know all the information regarding utilities and their inclusion or not in the rent. And you can view what the place looks like from the outside, and the street it's on, on googlemaps.

Hope that helps. I don't think this approach will guarantee 100% satisfaction with a place, but I think it can guarantee 70%, and that's not so bad.

[Nala8]

Hey thanks, Catherine. Brilliant suggestions. I could be happy with 80%. lol. Anything less than that... Oh well... A year is not forever. Great post.