Finding an apartment in NY city

what is the best way to find an apartment in NY city for about 3-4K in Soho ... I was told there is no MLS in the city ?? Is the 3-4K enough to find a nice little place ... wish there was a forum on this subject ... just thought I would ask here as a long-shot ...Thanks in advance .

 

4k will buy you my walk in closet. I will throw in a hotplate and a one gallon container that doubles as a seat and a toliet for an extra $500 a month. Soho is a trendy place, in a trendy place so some places will cost quite a bit. Almost all places in "hubs" will cost alot. My house in Queens is worth almost 900k and it's a dump.
Check out the village voice; http://www.villagevoice.com/realestate/?gclid=CJGjhbzOi4MCFRhHSgodmRqcdQ
NY Times is also a good real estate source. If you go into one of the cuny college offices you can get a student housing guide too.

















I almost forgot, if you want a string to use the lightswitch that's extra.

 

easier to find drugs

 

I looked up the SoHo zip code and came up with 10011.

I then went to www.rentnet.com where they list 59 apartments under the $4000 amount "in the area". It will not allow direct linking to the results.

 

Get a friend at the local paper to slip you a copy of the obituaries before they're published.

or realtor.com for starters (but most of the listings there are older, so in a fast turnover market, use the web site to find average prices and names of listing agents).

 

Good idea with the obituaries, I really think a college counselor is your best bet though. You can always get a place outside of the hot spots and take the train. I used to take the train everyday from a family members house in Amityville to Brooklyn just to save money so I could buy a car. Sure it may seem like alot of money to sometimes pay from $4-20 a day on train/railroad passes, but that is cheaper than rent that is so much more costly to stay in an expensive area.

 

Thanks ... this place is remarkable ...... and I would go from Porsche to Ferrari if there were no MSRP mark ups thanks .

 

I just drive a humble 6 cylinder Toyota. I would drive anything else worth more money if I wasn't a college student.

 

You are correct: no MLS in NYC, so the sites (like realtor.com) that aggregate from MLS won't help you much.

Also, $4K isn't as much as it sounds, especially in Soho; is there a reason you need to be there?

The major brokers (Corcoran, Halstead, etc.) all handle rentals as well as sales. Their web sites are usually up to date and are at a minimum indicative of the market. You also can try CitiHabitats. Don't bother with craigslist, you are looking at higher end places than they usually feature.

I was an owner not a renter, but I understand that finding a decent rental is even harder than finding a coop/condo. Bring patience and shoe leather as well as $$$.

Best of luck.

 

I am about to give up after weeks of looking everything in the 4k range in good parts of town are just awful .... any more ideas or leads .

 

Commute from Long Island?

 

Commute from Westchester?

 

For alot of New Yorkers, an apartment is just a place to rest one's head- they entertain in restaurants, relax in cafes and bars, and having a meal at home often means take-out.
I haven't shopped for real estate for quite along time in the City, even though I have lived in the area since 1981.

Brooklyn Heights used to be much cheaper for rentals than Manhattan, and offered certain desirable features~ including a commute to the City which was easily as short as intra-Manhattan commutes; it also offered some nice architecture in the form of brownstones and fabulous views of lower Manhattan and the waterways.

If you must live a 'city' life, this may still be an option: I don't think you'll feel like you are living out in the boondocks.
The suburban rental market varies- big, deluxe houses in good school districts within Westchester are probably pretty pricey, because there are alot of relocating executives who need them; I'm also not sure how much inventory exists in the rental market there. (Hoolihan Lawrence's site is good one, since it also picks up the multilist).
We live in the much less chi-chi county of Rockland, across the river from Westchester. Much funkier, fabulous architecture, no trains to the city (you take a bus or drive);
there is alot more life here, in the form of clubs, bars, music spots, restaurants, etc. than you'll find in any of the Westchester towns, plus you can live on the river if you want that lifestyle. You could rent a mansion not far from downtown Nyack in your budget (I know this because there is/was one on the market recently).

Closer still, on the NJ side- Edgewater, also along the river, and as you travel down that coast, other residential areas, some quite new, that have sprung up along the water- most of these are townhouse type developments, though.
Finally, you'll get to Hoboken, a revived city along the water which was always an alternative to Manhattan living- haven't been there in years, although I'm sure it is popping, compared to the old days.

Don't know what residential hotel deals are these days: they used to be an alternative, but since the market is so valuable, alot of hotels are getting converted to condos, making that an even smaller market, perhaps.

 

www.craigslist.org Click on NYC

 

Hoboken and Jersey City are both happening. You'll find a nice apt, probly with a view, and change back from $4K.

Also, condos are a good option in both towns. Hoboken mkt has lots to offer but is at or near the top of the cycle. JC mkt is less mature, probly more upside, but less quality stock. Parking sux in both places, however.

Commute to NYC could not be easier.