Ever since deciding to move to New York, I have been nervous about finding a place to live. Finding apartments in NYC is notoriously difficult, and I’ll be honest, my personal experience has lived up to that expectation.
A few weeks ago, I travelled to New York for the first time since deciding to move there. Although I went with the goal of scoping out potential apartments, it ended up being the confirmation I needed to assure myself I made the right decision (or the wrong choice, if you read my first blog post).
As the taxi sped into the city from the airport, I caught a glimpse of the NYC skyline. The windows were rolled down. It was a beautiful day.
“I get live here?” I thought to myself with excitement building in my chest. “Any other time I was in NYC was for vacation, but soon I would actually be moving to my favorite vacation spot”.
I had to keep reminding myself I was going to live in this beautiful city throughout the weekend. I marveled in the aliveness of the city, the way the streets seemed to breathe as people bustled about. New York City makes me feel like I am apart of something larger than myself. I am so small, just one person in a million-person city. I like being around so many other humans, knowing my own problems aren’t actually that important in a world with so many people with their own problems.
Even as I walked through the city that I had always been a tourist in, I felt at home.
But, back to my original purpose of traveling: to find an apartment. I threw together a little vlog if you’re interested what a few of the apartments looked like:
But, in case you wanted something a little more informational, I do have some limited insight on finding an apartment in NYC.
Here’s what I knew before getting to NYC:
- I knew my price range (less than $3,500 a month split with a roommate).
- I wanted to be within walking range of the law school (possible the Hell’s Kitchen or Upper West Side area).
- I need an apartment that was pet friendly.
- I wanted a washer/dryer in the building.
As the weekend progressed, I learned pretty quickly that I actually knew nothing about finding an apartment in NYC.
First, most units available for lease in August or even July were not available yet. In city where people are constantly moving in and out of it, good apartments are leased quickly – some getting taken off the market the day after they are listed. This means that most property owners aren’t willing to lease an apartment in May to someone that will not pay rent until August. In general, apartments in the area I was looking at do not rent out a unit unless you are thinking of moving in within the next 30 days.
Next, I learned that the best method of finding potential apartments was much more old school than you may think. Although I had a few apartments to look at in mind after an online search on StreetEasy, I found the best apartments by simply walking down the street. Once I spotted a nice-looking apartment, I walked in. If there was a doorman, I went right up to him and asked if there were any available units in my price range. All of the doormen I spoke to were so kind and helpful! Some had some pretty interesting stories about the area too. If there wasn’t a doorman, there was usually a number of a leasing agent.
While I was walking the streets looking for apartments, I also saw a few signs for open houses. Open houses were the jackpot. Usually, you can walk right in and get a key from the doorman to look at a unit.
I also learned that it’s best to have a list of questions to ask if you do find someone to talk to about an open unit. Here’s my personal list:
- What is the the earliest/latest move-in date for this unit?
- What is the price per month to rent the unit?
- Do you allow pets?
- Is there laundry in the unit or in the building?
- Is there an elevator (if the unit is on a higher floor)?
- Are there extra ammenities (gym, rooftop, etc)? If so, are they included in the monthly price?
- Are electricity, water, other utilities included or separate from the monthly rent price?
- Does the apartment allow for flex walls? Is this the responsibility of the renter or the apartment to install?
This last question may be a little confusing. I definitely didn’t know what a flex wall was before this trip! In the apartments I was looking at, renters often had the option to install a temporary wall to create an extra bedroom. Usually, the flex wall transformed the living room into an extra bedroom. This keeps prices down because you are still technically renting a one-bedroom. In fact, some of the units I looked at were advertised as a “Flex two-bedroom”, which means the wall is already installed. I personally think a flex wall is a life saver – the monthly price is less and you don’t have to share a room! There are some things to consider, however. For example, depending on the layout of the unit, a flex wall could block off light into the rest of the apartment. Also, there is sometimes a hefty installation fee for the wall – and some apartments don’t allow flex walls. Plus, the flex bedroom won’t have a closet, so it’s good to keep an eye out for an apartment that has reasonable storage space. Finally, the temporary wall is not an actual wall, so it is less privacy than a regular wall.
Finally, I learned there were two types of apartments that I ended up gravitating towards. First were the typical apartments- the newer ones that I was used to in Madison. The other were the Brownstone apartments. These are beautiful older buildings, typically on quiet side-streets with trees lining the road. I fell in love with these type of buildings – but there are a few major downsides that outweighed their beauty. Because the buildings were old, many didn’t have elevators… which can be a bit of a hassle if you live on the 5th or 6th floor. Plus, Brownstones usually don’t have laundry in the building – which is even more of a downside when there is no elevator or no laundry-mat close by. On top of this, some Brownstones don’t have air conditioning, and even if they did, the utility bill would be higher than that of a newer building. So, despite of the fact that I daydreamed about living in an aesthetic Brownstone, I knew it wouldn’t be for me practically.
All and all, even though I didn’t actually find an apartment, I would say the trip was a success. I learned a lot about NYC apartments and I finally felt secure in my decision to move there.
So what now? How do I actually find an apartment while living out-of-state?
The easiest way to search for apartments is to use apartment search websites. I use streeteasy.com the most often. It can be stressful, however. Oftentimes, apartments are leased soon after they are listed, and more often than not, leasing agents don’t respond to your emails. My best advice is to just keep emailing and email ALOT. Eventually, someone will answer and you can ask your list of questions and set up a FaceTime showing of the unit, if possible.
Phew. That was a lot. I’ll be honest, apartment hunting in NYC, post-COVID, sucks. But, soon I’ll be living in my dream city, even if I don’t find my dream apartment. That’s pretty exciting! And I will keep you updated.
Grace in the City 
