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Cauld
United States350 Posts
I live in Astoria and enjoy it pretty well. The commute into midtown is pretty quick (15-25 minutes). LIC is definitely closer to midtown but is kind of hit or miss. There's some nice parts and some really not nice parts. It won't be difficult for you to figure out which is which if you visit the area. The idiosyncrasies of the city take a while to get used to, but I think its kind of fun. If you don't have a while to look at places it will be hard to find a place without hiring someone. | ||
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s h 1 k 4 i
United States21 Posts
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Happy.fairytail
United States327 Posts
About broker's fee, you can always negotiate with your broker on his fee. Never pay more than 1 month, anything more and you're definitely getting ripped off. A significant portion of listings out there have more than one broker trying to sell it, so don't be afraid to walk away if the broker gives you crap about the fee. BUT - there are a lot of great listings too that you don't have find through brokers either. About apt location -- since you seem to prefer a higher quality apt -- if there's one recommendation I can make, do not live in Manhattan. It's dirty, it smells, it's 20% smaller, 20% more expensive, noisy as hell, and a great majority of buildings are just old. Google up nyc highrises, there's a couple of websites that keep up to date listings of all the luxury highrise buildings around the 5 boroughs and jersey city too. Living in Manhattan is seriously over-rated -- ask anyone who's lived in both Manhattan and any of the other 4 boroughs, and they'll tell you the same. For example, I'm a 30min commute away door to door from my Brooklyn apt to 42nd & Madison. I live in a spacious 1150 sq ft true 2BR for $3300/month. The building is less than 1 yr old, with a 24hr gym, brand new everything, elevators + central air, and even a concierge desk. Finding an equivalent high-rise in Tribeca or UWS would be over $4k/mo, easy; Midtown would be over $5k/mo, easy; LIC would be around $3600-3800/month. (I just moved 1.5months ago, so I'm pretty up to date on pricings) Bro, if you can find a roommate or two, do it -- getting a 2BR converted into a 3BR is so much cheaper than a studio, let alone a 1BR. But if you're prepared to spend $1500-2K, you can definitely find some nice 1BR high-rises, even in midtown. In any case, I would recommend high-rises in UWS, Tribeca, maybe LIC (it's gotten a bit pricy recently), Brooklyn Borough Hall, and Jersey city if your office is close to the PATH. Google up those high-rise compilation websites I told you about, and then figure out the commuting time, and go from there. One last piece of advice on apt hunting -- the more time you spend on it, the better deals you will find. No question about it, there are always better places for cheaper out there. You just need to start early, put in that 1-2hrs every day, and you will find there are some really great deals out there. And if you're willing to live in a non-highrise (i.e. a really old building), you can find some insanely cheap apts out there. Source: I spent a bit of my childhood in Sunnyside (Queens), dormed on Columbia campus, lived in midtown (45th and Broadway) for 1 year, lived in LIC for 4 years, and just moved to Brooklyn 2 months ago. | ||
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Cambium
United States16368 Posts
On October 17 2010 03:12 funnybananaman wrote: ... despite its stereotypes harlem is really not bad at all anymore, and so are some places in the bronx. New york overall has a fairly low crime rate compared to other cities. ... The nice areas in Harlem cost just as much as other places in NYC. I lived around 116/Manhattan and paid $3500 for a 2bdr apartment. Harlem is still pretty scary (imo) if you go north of 125. That's like a totally different town... | ||
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Disregard
China10252 Posts
On October 19 2010 01:14 Cambium wrote: The nice areas in Harlem cost just as much as other places in NYC. I lived around 116/Manhattan and paid $3500 for a 2bdr apartment. Harlem is still pretty scary (imo) if you go north of 125. That's like a totally different town... Same thing when you stumble into Central Brooklyn. D: | ||
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imDerek
United States1944 Posts
On October 19 2010 00:50 Happy.fairytail wrote: I never had a problem with the 40x income thing, most landlords are lenient about that kind of thing (even high-rises), and you could always get a guarantor anyway. About broker's fee, you can always negotiate with your broker on his fee. Never pay more than 1 month, anything more and you're definitely getting ripped off. A significant portion of listings out there have more than one broker trying to sell it, so don't be afraid to walk away if the broker gives you crap about the fee. BUT - there are a lot of great listings too that you don't have find through brokers either. About apt location -- since you seem to prefer a higher quality apt -- if there's one recommendation I can make, do not live in Manhattan. It's dirty, it smells, it's 20% smaller, 20% more expensive, noisy as hell, and a great majority of buildings are just old. Google up nyc highrises, there's a couple of websites that keep up to date listings of all the luxury highrise buildings around the 5 boroughs and jersey city too. Living in Manhattan is seriously over-rated -- ask anyone who's lived in both Manhattan and any of the other 4 boroughs, and they'll tell you the same. For example, I'm a 30min commute away door to door from my Brooklyn apt to 42nd & Madison. I live in a spacious 1150 sq ft true 2BR for $3300/month. The building is less than 1 yr old, with a 24hr gym, brand new everything, elevators + central air, and even a concierge desk. Finding an equivalent high-rise in Tribeca or UWS would be over $4k/mo, easy; Midtown would be over $5k/mo, easy; LIC would be around $3600-3800/month. (I just moved 1.5months ago, so I'm pretty up to date on pricings) Bro, if you can find a roommate or two, do it -- getting a 2BR converted into a 3BR is so much cheaper than a studio, let alone a 1BR. But if you're prepared to spend $1500-2K, you can definitely find some nice 1BR high-rises, even in midtown. In any case, I would recommend high-rises in UWS, Tribeca, maybe LIC (it's gotten a bit pricy recently), Brooklyn Borough Hall, and Jersey city if your office is close to the PATH. Google up those high-rise compilation websites I told you about, and then figure out the commuting time, and go from there. One last piece of advice on apt hunting -- the more time you spend on it, the better deals you will find. No question about it, there are always better places for cheaper out there. You just need to start early, put in that 1-2hrs every day, and you will find there are some really great deals out there. And if you're willing to live in a non-highrise (i.e. a really old building), you can find some insanely cheap apts out there. Source: I spent a bit of my childhood in Sunnyside (Queens), dormed on Columbia campus, lived in midtown (45th and Broadway) for 1 year, lived in LIC for 4 years, and just moved to Brooklyn 2 months ago. Thanks! That was very informative. Yah, I've been thinking about living in Chelsea or far enough away that the rent isn't as crazy. So I have pretty much narrowed it down to Astoria and Chelsea, and I don't want a crappy apartment. So, given my budget, Chelsea is pretty much out of the question. I do want to get a luxury apartment (preferrably with my own washer/dryer) in Astoria for around 1800, do you think it is doable? Also I've heard about bedbugs invading everywhere in New York City... that sounds pretty scary. Is anyone actually experiencing right now, or have experienced it before? Is that also a problem in Queens? Hopefully it won;t be a problem for me since I do plan to keep my place pretty clean. | ||
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Glacierz
United States1245 Posts
As for your apartment search, most people who choose to live in Manhattan have long hours and commuting late at night is a hassle / safety concern. If you know you will be working regular hours there's no need to live in Manhattan. | ||
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Michaelj
United States186 Posts
Is this your first time living alone? I'm just curious why are you fixated on getting such a nice apartment. luxury 1br for yourself with a washer/dryer, that is a pretty penny. | ||
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Disregard
China10252 Posts
edit: Though one thing I really disliked about that area was holy shit the subway is packed, I live in Brooklyn and well lets just say it isnt as bad as that was... Rush hour = Weekend up there. | ||
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Happy.fairytail
United States327 Posts
On October 19 2010 08:39 imDerek wrote: Thanks! That was very informative. Yah, I've been thinking about living in Chelsea or far enough away that the rent isn't as crazy. So I have pretty much narrowed it down to Astoria and Chelsea, and I don't want a crappy apartment. So, given my budget, Chelsea is pretty much out of the question. I do want to get a luxury apartment (preferrably with my own washer/dryer) in Astoria for around 1800, do you think it is doable? Also I've heard about bedbugs invading everywhere in New York City... that sounds pretty scary. Is anyone actually experiencing right now, or have experienced it before? Is that also a problem in Queens? Hopefully it won;t be a problem for me since I do plan to keep my place pretty clean. Chelsea is the most expensive area you could look in, and would be the last place to look for an apt if you want bang for buck. Astoria is kind of far, the buildings are pretty old, and I don't like the N/R subway -- if you're set on living in Queens, I would suggest LIC as I think the 7 is a lot more reliable and the buildings are much newer. But Astoria is alright -- at least they have a lot of good bars. LIC doesn't have much, but at least it has a lot of delivery food options. Like I said before, I would recommend looking in Tribeca, Borough Hall Brooklyn, Jersey City if your office is close to the PATH, and LIC. UWS tends to be a bit pricier. Last resort would be midtown (Chelsea, etc.). Google up those high-rise websites I was talking about, start compiling a list of apts by price, then start calling and scheduling appointments. Btw, you will never find a 1BR with its own washer/dryer, at best you'll find a 2BR with its own washer/dryer, definitely 3BR and up have them (for high-rise apts). But most high-rises have washer/dryer rooms for each floor anyway. A few of my friends have had bedbug infestations, and it is a pain in the ass according to them. Basically what you gotta do is get an exterminator to spray your entire place down, then he comes back in a month to spray it down again since bedbug eggs hatch within 4 weeks or something like that. I've never heard of a bedbug infestation in any high-rise though. Only my friends who live in harlem or really cheap & old walk-ups have had to deal with it. | ||
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imDerek
United States1944 Posts
On October 19 2010 16:08 Michaelj wrote: in my experience it is 40x before taxes. Apartments with built-in washer/dryers are fairly rare, even in queens, but most apartment buildings will have laundry rooms. Is this your first time living alone? I'm just curious why are you fixated on getting such a nice apartment. luxury 1br for yourself with a washer/dryer, that is a pretty penny. Yes, yes it is. The reason why I want a nice apt is that I'm pretty obsessed with cleanliness, so I would not share utilities with other people unless I really have to. And the severe bedbug problems in NYC just gets me more paranoid about sharing stuff with other people. Brooklyn sounds pretty sketchy so I'm not really considering there. Tribeca is probably noisy due to night life. NJ sounds okay but I'd rather be on the east of Manhattan so it's easier to go to other places in Queens (i.e. Flushing) I'm pretty much set on LIC or Astoria, I will look at the high-rises there -- hopefully they won't be too expensive next February. I found a few listings on Craigslist that are luxury apartments in Astoria that claims to have their own washer/dryer that fits within my budget, such as this one: http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/nfb/2015108664.html Does that sound like a legit deal? | ||
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j0k3r
United States577 Posts
On October 18 2010 13:03 s h 1 k 4 i wrote: You should also take a look at Jersey City if you want a nice/safe location. You can probably get a studio/1br for your price range, and taking the PATH is actually a more convenient method to get to midtown (probably around 20-30 minutes) than taking the subway from a lot of places in the other boroughs. Coming in from Flushing, for example, would take about an hour. Being from New Jersey, I approve. A friend of a friend has an apartment he shares in Newport, Jersey City in the high rises overlooking the Hudson. I think rent is 2100 split between 3 so it's not horrendous. It used to be a shitty place to live but it's getting better with development recently. Personally looking to do this next year. I live in the city (NYU undergrad) and I can say the BEST HALAL is at 14th and 3rd. $4 for chicken over rice WITH a soda. Yes, I am a huge fanboy. Btw where are you working? Downtown? There are a lot of great places by Wall St. I can recommend for lunch. If you like Japanese BBQ definately check out Gyu-Kaku (http://www.gyu-kaku.com/ny/index.htm). During happy hour the grilled meats are half off. Got a lot more favorite places but guys who have replied listed a great deal them. I think you'll adjust quickly to the city and really fall in love w/ it. | ||
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imDerek
United States1944 Posts
BTW, I will work at Chelsea, Manhattan, so living in NJ is probably closer than living in Queens too. | ||
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imDerek
United States1944 Posts
EDIT: sorry double post | ||
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Michaelj
United States186 Posts
It seems like everyone has their own (mis)conceptions about New York, so you really need to walk around and get your own idea of what it's like. LIC is a weird mix of warehouses and luxury apartments. I think developers built very nice buildings expecting property prices in manhattan to push a ton of people to the outer boroughs. There is a nice area of two-square blocks where there is a huge park and a rather nice set of apt buildings, and there are some other nice buildings scattered around the neighborhood. However, there is very little to do in the neighborhood. A plus is that it is a very quick commute into manhattan via the 7. Astoria is very lively, and still relatively close to manhattan. However, you should still check it out at night to see if it is your thing and if you like it. I haven't been there in a while but I remember a good mix of ethnic restaurants, hookah bars, etc. Re: bedbugs. Someone I know recently discovered she had bedbugs, but had exterminators take care of the problem. I don't think it's as widespread as everyone makes it out to be, at least in my experience. | ||
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imDerek
United States1944 Posts
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ChineseWife
United States373 Posts
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