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.