450 Square Feet

New York! What a whirlwind. It is now mid June and the city is in full bloom. In 6 days, Rob and I will celebrate (because we need an excuse now and then) our 2 month anniversary of city love.

Last post, I promised a recap of our apartment hunting. For anyone moving to the city, read this blog if you read no other of mine as it will save you so much trouble! Like I said, we scheduled an appointment with an apartment broker with "Patrick" from Citi-Habitats. I wasn't too keen on using a broker as we knew about the dreaded broker's fee, which is usually, at the least, one month’s rent, or more than likely, 15% of the entire year's rent! It’s absolutely absurd to hand over that kind of money, simply for someone touring you around Manhattan to apartments you've done the work to pick out yourself online. However, we were on a time crunch and I wasn't finding a lot of luck elsewhere.

As a guide for you, the top three best search sites for apartments that I found to be most helpful were:

· Citi-Habitats

· Naked Apartments

· Craigslist

I found Citi-Habitats has the most legitimate listings, however, all come with a broker. Naked Apartments was my tool to learn the ins and outs of New York apartments: where to live, what to expect for your money, and what amenities are must haves. Naked Apartments is awesome because you can subscribe to a daily e-mail alert with the criteria you want in an apartment, and they will send you new listings every day. I became addicted to browsing... even 6 months before the move. Though you really can't even begin to get serious about a place that early in New York, it was the best tool to "do my homework" and learn the rental landscape of the city. I highly recommend signing up at least a couple months in advance to figure out what you want, and align your expectations with what is really out there, and what you can afford. That way, you won't be heartbroken to learn that $2500 will only get you 300 square feet in some neighborhoods, and no dish washer to boot.

 Be wary with Craigslist. Although there is sometimes a diamond in the rough, there are also a lot of fake apartments to reel you in to look at other, more realistic (and dowdy/expensive) units. This really goes for all of the listing sites though. Sometimes they will list an awesome, "no-broker fee" apartment, only to tell you it’s already gone, but they have some other listings with fees to show you. It really is such a snaring scam out there with these damned brokers.

But back to my experience. With the time crunch, we decided we could compromise and use a broker to find a place, despite the abhorrent fees. And yes, Patrick was very nice, though he showed up 20 minutes late and scared me to death with our first showing. It was a studio right off West 72nd, a pretty desirable location on the Upper West Side, near great shopping and the express subway stop downtown. The building was gorgeous, but as we opened the door to the studio, my mouth dropped. We had just walked into a closet... it had to have been. But no. The entire studio was 250 square feet. Large enough for (maybe) a full bed and a dresser. Is this really what you get for $2,500? I started doubting that all the research I had done prior was all phony, and this was really what you could get for your money in New York. He ended up redeeming himself the next studio... a beautiful brownstone with a fireplace, remolded bathroom, private balcony and exposed brick wall. It was nice and in our budget but... still rather small for what we were bringing with us. He had one more place on the agenda right off Central Park West in the 100s. I liked the area quite a bit, but wasn't sure that for $2200, we would be getting much space for our money. I was surprised when we walked in... it was a gorgeous alcove studio, in decent shape, and with a large window, an enormous (for NY standards) walk-in closet, and views of Central Park! Rob and I thought we found it! I'll admit, it wasn't what I had been dreaming of, but I wasn't sure we'd find much better and we didn't have much time.

By Friday, we received the paper work for the place, and I kid you not... it was nearly 60 pages of documentation. This is one more crucial step before you begin looking for your place. GET YOUR PAPER WORK TOGETHER IN ADVANCE! They will ask you for every shred of financial history you have. You will most likely need:

· Identification

· Rental History

· Proof of Employment

· Last two to four months pay stubs

· Credit Score

· Tax Return

· Letters of recommendation

And if you plan to use a co-signer or have any pets... good luck. As we did our paper work, Rob and I discovered more and more fees... there were nearly $500 dollars wrapped up in the application fees, background check, credit score check, move in fee and more. This was on top of the nearly $4,000 we would be paying to Patrick should we get the place in broker's fees alone. It was starting to feel overwhelming.

 That weekend as our paper work and $500 deposit was submitted for processing (with a ten day approval process), we went to Rob's Columbia Admit event, gathering together his future classmates for seminars and what not. We sat in on one of the "Housing Sessions," although Rob and I sat there rather arrogantly, thinking, we've already done this, we are experts and might as well give this lecture ourselves. But, as one current student talked about her experience, my ears perked up. She had gone door to door to some apartment high rises and just randomly asked about apartment availabilities... and they had no broker's fee. I was reminded of a couple of places I had read about before online in the neighborhood we were moving to, and thought, what the heck, I'll give it a shot.

The next day, I walked into the Stonehenge Apartment complex on the UWS, and what do you know: They had a studio available immediately for $2300, right in our price range. The application fee was only $30 for the both of us, and no move in fee, a one day approval process, and best of all, no broker's fee. I asked the manager to take me up to see it and I knew immediately it was right for us. A spacious 450 square feet (ever heard anyone say that?) with hard wood floors, entirely renovated, dishwasher and balcony! And, the building had a doorman onsite laundry and a mail room, which are luxuries in New York. I went to Rob and we talked it over... the Central Park West location was pretty stellar, we'd have views of the park and be close to some great shopping. However, we'd save $5,000 in move in fees, and wouldn't need to wait more than a day to be approved... We decided to move it. We swallowed the thought that our $500 deposit fee would go down the drain, but in the end, it was worth it. One uncomfortable call to our broker later, and we had a new apartment.

 We didn't know it then, but the location turned out even better. We are one block from the express subway, so the commute to work is a breeze. And, we really are just two blocks to Central Park, although, yes, I'll admit, it would have been nice to see if from my window. And the shopping location I thought I was missing out on? Its actually still right around the corner.

Rob was also able to get the movers to come in the very next week, so we only have the place for a day without any furniture. It truly worked out perfectly. By Thursday, April 26 at 4 p.m., the boxes arrived. And by Friday, April 27 at 12:30 a.m., the boxes were unpacked, and our studio became our home.

Concrete Jungle Where Dreams are Made of

Well, taking a look at the time stamp on this blog, you’ll notice it’s already May, 2012. And yes, that means Rob and I are officially living in NYC! I had planned to write this blog as a guide to moving, but life went by so quickly that I wasn’t able to keep up. As soon as we got here, we moved non-stop, as I suppose the city will do to you.

So let’s recap. Since my last post, I was still at my old job, not necessarily happy with life or believing I was in the right field (there’s more to it than that, but let’s leave the past in the past). My biggest concern about moving to New York was finding a job, and just as important, finding a job I LOVED. I was tired of working long hours, little pay, and constant, unbearable stress that was affecting me emotionally and physically. So when the long-awaited (can I emphasis long-awaited? LONG OVERDUE) day of Feb. 23 came, my last day at my old job, I had the freedom for exactly two months to do what I wanted to do and take a much needed mental reprieve.  This time was filled with lots of yoga, hikes, bar hops, bike rides, fish tacos and friends. It was beautiful.

I also took that time to do some job research and came across a job posting online that seemed like a match made in heaven. The odds were against me of course. It was mid-March, I wouldn’t be moving to NYC till late April, the posting was weeks old, and I was unable to interview for it in person. I sent in my cover letter and resume anyway and was almost overlooked until I told the recruiter to look over my experience again. Surprisingly, I earned a first interview, which turned into a second and a third, followed by six online tests, an interview with the NY office team mates, and finally the CEO… and what do you know. On April 3, they offered me the job, and I was to begin 20 days later! I couldn’t believe it, but more so, I believe the stars aligned. It was such a specific field and exactly what I wanted… a low stress but active, hands on job, and best of all, better pay and fewer hours. The office is even located right off Wall Street. I feel like I scored a jackpot. Or that God was smiling down on me. Maybe New York is where I’m meant to be after all.

Landing my dream job before the move squelched a lot of my concerns and made the move considerably easier. With my dad off my back financially, and the job hunt over (although I wouldn’t call it a hunt considering I scored the first job I applied for) the move seemed so much more… simplified. I had to get through packing up my house, selling my things to unreliable craigslisters, and manually driving boxes to Rob’s place for the movers to claim; I had to suffer some roommate concerns; I had to survive a family vacation with a severe cold in the snowy mountains of Mammoth; and I had to endure Rob’s final partying debaucheries… none of it easy and far from stress free. So when April 19^th rolled around, I was more than ready to leave behind my old worries and create a new life, void of everything that used to keep me down.

Except for the fact that the morning of April 19^th, we arrived at the Palm Springs airport realizing we missed our flight. I’ll take the fall for that one. I was an hour off. After a few tears on my part (I was a little stressed that week) and Rob’s gracious patience to the Alaskan Air employees, we were able to book another flight that day (with just a five hour wait in the airport) without extra fees or baggage fees. It was a miracle! Thanks for the military appreciation! Once Rob and I boarded the plane with our one-way tickets, we sat next to each other wide-eyed, saying, “This is it,” over and over. Flying over the city in the dark was unreal. So much was awaiting us that we couldn’t even fathom.

Unfortunately, some more bad luck awaited us that we hadn’t fathomed either. After a long taxi-ride to our Brooklyn hotel, at about 11:30 p.m. I get an unknown call on my cell phone. It seems we picked up a Mr. Reid’s suit bag instead of our own (Rob had just bought a new one days before and didn’t happen to double check). So an angry Mr. Reid urged us to meet him in the Upper East Side immediately (for those familiar with NYC, Brooklyn to the UES is not immediate) and give him back his bag. Fortunately, he was willing to bring ours to swap. So just a walk through rat infested streets in the ghetto section of Brooklyn to the subway, to a route change, to believing I was being shot at due to construction echoes in the station, to getting lost, to a taxi ride, we finally found the right street corner and the right frustrated man. After the odd midnight exchange, we made it back to our hotel room just after one a.m., and exhausted, climbed into bed…

What seemed like a short 6 hours of sleep later, we awoke to our alarms. Apartment-hunting day. This topic is a blog unto itself and is to be continued. But trust me. For anyone planning the move, my experiences will be worth the read.

More Saving, More Doing. That's the Power...

It has been a while since my last post, and a lot has happened since then. I flew to NYC for a visit and explored the city, I put in my notice at work, I built furniture for the apartment. Yes, furniture. And THAT is what this post will revolve around because I'm so very proud of it.

Last weekend, I drove to Rob's place in Twentynine Palms to celebrate both his birthday and Valentine's Day a little early. We had been researching some blogs here and there to get ideas on  how we'd like to decorate our place, and both of us love the look of reclaimed wood. We started looking into buying some furniture, and WHOA! The prices were unreal. So we thought, what if we built it ourselves and found some reclaimed wood from a vendor in San Diego? Even then, the wood itself was somewhat pricey. So Rob dug a little deeper and found a few great blogs (shout out to Shanty-2-Chic) that showed you how to make your own new wood look reclaimed. Perfect. And within the budget. :)

Rob got the technique down and soared ahead with making a beautiful headboard before I even made it up for the weekend. Once I got there, I got started on the work for our coffee table, sanding the edges down, beating up the wood, and applying a staining technique to make the wood look weathered and worn. Once that was done, Rob constructed the table (taking a break from the bed frame he was then getting to work on), and I put a coat of finish on it.

We then took a trip to Home Depot for some hardware... what, oh what to make the legs out of? There's a bar here in Encinitas, Union Kitchen & Tap, that I had fallen in love with the look of creating a contrast of old wood with industrial items. So, we found some steel plumbing pipes, and with a couple caps, were able to fix the pipes to the coffee table.

And wallah. After two full days of sawing, drilling, sanding, beating, staining and priming. We have our finished products. I can't begin to describe how proud I am of our work. Once the finish dried, we moved the furniture inside, and seriously stood back in awe. It looks amazing and fits our taste perfectly. I'm in love with these projects and grateful to have a partner who is on board with the do-it-yourself movement. He is amazing and we love our work even more knowing it came out of our own two hands.

So take a look, what do you think? Now we just need to find an apartment that fits our massive coffee table!