<p>Thanks so much for the info. I never realized that these management companies give the brokers first notice of apartments opening up. So much for that. I guess we can keep our eyes open and then always go with a broker I talked with one broker who recommended coming out 3-4 weeks prior to her move in date and spend 3-4 days midweek to find an apartment. It is kind of scary being so close to her work start date, He said things open up late, and if you look too soon, you will have to start your lease right away, possibly 4-6 weeks early if the apartment is vacant. The broker I spoke with is highly rated. He was very knowledgeable. I have been searching the streeteasy site and also plan on looking at the Kibel properties also. Thanks for the input on the coops taking time to get approved. Will stay far away. The broker mentioned this too. My D will have training in Brooklyn for the first 10 weeks, so being close to the subway will be important. Looking forward to a fun trip, although seeing how little you get for the price will be depressing.</p>
<p>Nk…make sure you have your checkbook with you with enough money for first and last months rent,and a security deposit. The best apartments get taken very quickly. If you see something that is great, rent it. Don’t come back in two days, or even one, and expect it to still be waiting for you…or at least this was the experience of our family members renting in NYC. They THOUGHT they could think about the places for a couple of days, and lost MANY rentals before they figured out that waiting was not going to work.</p>
<p>Thumper1 is right. My kid was able to get her rental because they were able to their paperwork together faster.</p>
<p>How far in advance of their move in date did your kids get their rentals? Do you think that 3-4s week prior to move in is too late to get a good apartment ? July 7th is her work start date. Since we are from the Midwest the timing is a bit more tricky. What do you think?</p>
<p>Beginning of Jun to mid Jun to look and sign contract if you don’t want to pay for extra month. If your kid is picky and you don’t mind spending extra money then you could start looking in May. I would also suggest for you to work with few brokers instead of just one.
If your kid wants to get out of Jun - Sep cycle (most expensive time), she could live at an university dorm (New School, NYU) for the summer then find an apartment beginning Aug or Sep. It would give her a chance to figure out where she wants to live in NYC and have more time to find an apartment she likes. A lot of NYC schools offer summer housing to college students for summer internship.</p>
<p>Try <a href=“http://www.nybits.com/”>http://www.nybits.com/</a> . It lists a lot of no fees apts.
Remember, even if the apt the broker shows you is “no fees”, you still have to pay the broker and the apt also pays the broker. However, if you found the “no fees” apt yourself, then it is truly no fees.</p>
<p>NYU housing gets filled up very quickly by students coming to NYC for summer jobs and internships. There is always the possibility of sublets as just as there are people coming to NYC, there are plenty of people leaving for summer positions elsewhere. My d has frequently sublet her share of whatever apartment she lives in whether in Bushwick or Greenpoint she has been out of the city for summer gigs.</p>
<p>NK, why won’t your daughter consider Brooklyn? As far as I can tell, Brooklyn has pretty much become the place to be for the young 20-somethings. All of my daughter’s friends are there. My d. works midtown, just hops on the A train in the morning- it’s a pretty easy commute. DD has a roomy apartment by NY standards, nice neighbors, walkable neighborhood, lots of shops & restaurants nearby. </p>
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<p>I think it may be the same reason why Baltimore has an ordinance limiting occupancy of a 2 bed hotel room to a maximum of 4 occupants, to discourage overcrowding of apartments with associated issues such as noise, traffic, crowding, etc. </p>
<p>However, like the Baltimore ordinance, I’m betting most folks who are able to fly under the radar and don’t actually cause those issues routinely ignore those ordinances/rules. </p>
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<p>In addition to commute time and safety issues, another thing to consider when researching neighborhoods is whether one can tolerate noisy neighbors or nearby businesses such as bars or musical performance venues or not so one could get enough rest and sleep during one’s off-time. </p>
<p>If you’re a light sleeper who could easily be woken up by neighbors/businesses blasting music, noisy drunks, nearby elevated subway lines, college/recent graduate aged neighbors having frequent noisy houseparties lasting into the wee hours of the morning, etc…certain neighborhoods with a high concentration of such businesses, elevated tracks, and/or demographic with a strong inclination to party loudly in their apartments may not be such a great bet. </p>
<p>Also, I have found that police tend to be much more responsive to noise complaints/issues with neighbors/neighboring businesses if the complainants are families with children or senior citizens than if they came from undergrads or 20-30-somethings rooming together. </p>
<p>Incidentally, NYC changed its noise ordinance in 2007 so the hours start at 10 pm rather than the 11 pm I remembered from my college years and before:</p>
<p><a href=“http://nycquiethours.com/”>http://nycquiethours.com/</a> </p>
<p>Don’t underestimate the hassle of a commute in manhattan. Human Resources in the new firm will also likely have some suggestions on getting settled and even perhaps listings of available apartments depending on the size of the company. </p>
<p>No point in discussing a Baltimore ordinance when talking about housing in NYC. </p>
<p>Commutes can be an inconvenience. But they are pretty commonplace.</p>
<p>Try Hoboken and the Exchange Place area of Downtown Jersey City.</p>
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<p>I was using that to explain one probable reasoning behind the increasing restrictions on sharing 1 bedroom apartments or adding dividers. </p>
<p>Especially considering these restrictions exist in many other areas within the NYC area and other places for those very reasons. </p>
<p>South End Ave (near Battery Park), Kips Bay.</p>
<p>Where I live there is an ordinance about how many unrelated people can live in one house, which affects student housing rentals here. But its irrelevant to this discussion.</p>
<p>My son lived in the Exchange Place area of Jersey City for a year, and now lives in Hoboken. From Paulus Hook his commute to lower Manhattan was 20 minutes (PATH plus walk). His commute from Hoboken to lower Manhattan is 30 minutes. His office may move to mid-town near Times Square, he says his commute will take roughly the same time. He describes Hoboken as “college for adults.” It has more restaurants and bars per person than any other city in the country. He has no problem getting home from NYC at any hour of the day or night (came home at 3 am last Sunday morning). Rent is still outrageous but not nearly as obscene as Manhattan. He shares an 800 sq ft 2 BR apartment with a friend for $2500/mo, plus utilities. It’s a 4th floor walk up 1/2 mile from the PATH station. He does not own a car, uses Zip Car if he really needs one, which is rare.</p>
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Since Sandy, a lot of trains to outer borough have been suspended or delayed on weekends for repairs. Things are getting better, but it will continue for the near future. </p>
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<p>I was just in the Peter Luger’s section of Williamsburg last night for an early-ish supper. I couldn’t believe how hopping it was. People strolling, bars and restaurants spilling out into the streets, lots of manhattan looking folks out and about. </p>
<p>I just re-read the OP. The destination and commute to work in Southern Manhattan is a defining factor here. I’d recommend this family become familiar with using Hopstop.com
For every apartment you consider, plug in the address and study the exact commute from point-to-point, with options. Hopstop times the subways and pedestrian walk times, inside stations for transfers, and on the sidewalk to-and-from your street address destinations. I’m overly influenced here by my S and his wife, who must ride different subways daily for their work, and so study the situation constantly. Most people just settle into a single commute, so you want to make it as efficient as you can. It will certainly influence housing costs, so study up!</p>
<p>When you talk to people about rentals, they’ll ask, “Which subway lines do you want to be on?” At the very least, look at subway maps (MTA online) to see which ones serve your son’s workplace.</p>
<p>With Hopstop, you have an objective measurement tool for commute times. Ads or brokers say a place is “near” the subway, or “walking distance to trains” but those are words. It’s up to the consumer to quantify, and it’s important every day. Apartment prices are sensitive block-by-block to real walking distances, too. Also, some subway lines are better than others for regularity, weekend or late-night service. For that, S can study Hopstop wonkily or read the chat forums on MTA, I guess. Riding the A or Q line to Brooklyn beats having to depend on a transfer to the G, for example. But either way, the apartment ad reads “located near subways.” The “L” to Brooklyn has too many local stops, so takes a long time, but people living in Williamsburg say it’s getting better all the time for numbers of trains provided frequently. I’ve had long, passion-filled debates about the J, M, Z service to Bushwick. If you see an Express stop in one of the boroughs, that’s gold. An apartment located near a borough express stop might work out better than a closer local-only stop.</p>
<p>Just don’t ask New Yorkers about subways as your sole resource. Most only know their own situation. A recent study (wish I could cite) says at any time in NYC, 10% of people are lost. Use online tools like Hopstop to interpret the ads or brokers’ advice. Others have favorite web apps, too.</p>
<p>On Brooklyn: Since your S is concerned about neighborhood safety late-night, if you go to Brooklyn, the further west you stay, the better. I’d recommend Prospect Heights, Park Slope, Clinton Hill and parts (not all) of Williamsburg over Bushwick right now, for example, although young professional people live in all these neighborhoods. For a confusing array of too-much-info, try reading the website forums of Citydata in NYC about neighborhood trends and late-night safety. <a href=“New York City Forum - Relocation, Moving, General and Local City Discussions - City-Data Forum”>http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-york-city/</a></p>
<p>Much good luck to your S. </p>
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<p>While the G has improved considerably over the last 20+ years, it’s still a bit slow at times and if it’s down for construction, that can be quite problematic for areas where the G is the only reasonably nearest subway line. </p>
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<p>If you’re coming home from a high paying long hours type job, I would avoid that neighborhood on grounds of long commute, large demographic of college students/recent college grads who are inclined to party till wee hours* depending on which area within neighborhood, possible issues from living within a few blocks of elevated trains**, and possible safety grounds depending on which part of neighborhood. </p>
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<li>It’s become a neighborhood where college/grad students and recent grads flock to for relatively cheaper rents so many parts are becoming heavily populated by this demographic.<br></li>
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<p>** Spent a year living half a block from an elevated subway line. While I managed, it’s not something I’d recommend for light sleepers considering NYC subways usually run 24/7 and passing trains can get very loud. </p>