i just need to get this off my chest. i'm so annoyed about trying to find an apartment in manhattan. first off brokers charge an arm and a leg and all they do is take you to a couple of places and fill out some paperwork!! second all the websites with the no-fee apartment listings want you to pay to access their listings. hello, if i want a no-fee apt why would i want to pay to find one!? third the websites with the free listings, those people never call you back when you leave messages!! and fourth what is up with bedrooms that are like 11x7? where am i supposed to put the bed?
i know i know it's manhattan and if i don't want to deal with or if i actually want a bed in my bedroom i should look elsewhere. but hubby and i really want to do the big city thing for a few more years before we have kids. we love the no driving, convenient shopping and just general lifestyle of being in the city, but this apartment thing is driving me nuts. at least in a month it will all be over!! thanks for listening
DjPiLL
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Member since
Re: apt hunting- vent
You should consider areas in Queens that border Manhattan and are real close (10min train ride). Astoria/Woodside/Sunnyside would be your best bets.
And you could end up with an apartment that you can actually fit a bed in.
eogara
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Member since
Re: apt hunting- vent
Try Craig's List and Ardor NY - they both list no fee apartments. There's also a book that you can get that lists every management company so you can go directly to them instead of thru a broker. When I lived in the city we got ours thru rent direct.
reallybehind!
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Re: apt hunting- vent
thanks, i've tried all those did you have a good experience with rent direct? hubby doesn't want to pay to try it b/c he says he's never heard of anyone finding anything that way. did you think it was worth it? anything bad about it? thanks!
Salason626
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Member since
Re: apt hunting- vent
i found my apt through i believe it was rent direct. we figured those no fee site fees were a heck of a lot less than the broker fees that are at least 1 month's rent! also try village voice online and nytimes online
WeddingsRock
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Re: apt hunting- vent
From a brookers point of view, we don't just take you to a few places that don't meet your needs and then charge you an arm & a leg. When I work with a client, I do my darndest to find places that will work for them in terms of size and location. Some times I can work with a client for over 25 hours until I have found them the 'perfect' place. If you are not satisfied with your brooker, then ask to work with another one. Real Estate in the city has sky rocketed and will continue to do so because people are willing to pay the price.
If you are willing to live in Spanish Harlem, there are two full service buildings that have just opened up. One is called Hampton Court (212.369.7800), and the other is The Aspen (212.876.1955 www.Aspennewyork.com) Both of these buildings I beleive are no fee and are full service.
Good luck with your search!
eogara
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Member since
Re: apt hunting- vent
Yeah, I mean, it's not that expensive and compared to a 12-15% broker's fee, the $75-100 (can't remember which) is definitely worth it. This was 3 years ago now but it did work for us (me and my best friend). We lived on the upper east side. You just have to keep looking, the no fee apartments are obviously a more difficult to find but if you're willing to continually search, it's worth it.
eogara
Posted:
Member since
Re: apt hunting- vent
Posted by WeddingsRock
From a brookers point of view, we don't just take you to a few places that don't meet your needs and then charge you an arm & a leg. When I work with a client, I do my darndest to find places that will work for them in terms of size and location. Some times I can work with a client for over 25 hours until I have found them the 'perfect' place. If you are not satisfied with your brooker, then ask to work with another one. Real Estate in the city has sky rocketed and will continue to do so because people are willing to pay the price.
If you are willing to live in Spanish Harlem, there are two full service buildings that have just opened up. One is called Hampton Court (212.369.7800), and the other is The Aspen (212.876.1955 www.Aspennewyork.com) Both of these buildings I beleive are no fee and are full service.
Good luck with your search!
Well, given my experience with brokers (3 different apartments in the past four years), you are one of the few good ones. The last one took our 12% and he never even made a damn phone call - he gave us the number of the people who lived in our apartment now and we had to call them, set up an appointment to go see it, etc. I'm glad to hear there are brokers out there like you but they're not the norm in my experience.
Salason626
Posted:
Member since
Re: apt hunting- vent
Posted by WeddingsRock
From a brookers point of view, we don't just take you to a few places that don't meet your needs and then charge you an arm & a leg. When I work with a client, I do my darndest to find places that will work for them in terms of size and location. Some times I can work with a client for over 25 hours until I have found them the 'perfect' place. If you are not satisfied with your brooker, then ask to work with another one. Real Estate in the city has sky rocketed and will continue to do so because people are willing to pay the price.
If you are willing to live in Spanish Harlem, there are two full service buildings that have just opened up. One is called Hampton Court (212.369.7800), and the other is The Aspen (212.876.1955 www.Aspennewyork.com) Both of these buildings I beleive are no fee and are full service.
Good luck with your search!
how far north into spanish harlem?
reallybehind!
Posted:
Member since
Re: apt hunting- vent
i didn't mean to offend any brokers i'm just frustrated and venting and a little shocked at how much they charge.
thank you for the building suggestions but we really don't want to move that far north since i work in hoboken and hubby works near the wtc. that building that you gave the website for looks beautiful! we're trying to stay below 60th though.
hopefully we'll find something soon....
kpny622
Posted:
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Re: apt hunting- vent
Have you tried Gabriels NYC book that lists all the nice apartment buildings that don't use brokers but have in-house management companies? I think you can get it at Barnes and Noble. Really helpful.
reallybehind!
Posted:
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Re: apt hunting- vent
yup, we bought that. but most of the buildings listed are out of our price range
shelly3950
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Re: apt hunting- vent
You can try my managment company. 212-583-0101- they are on the upper west side. We have a doorman building (elevator man actually) and they really take care of the place. If somethign breaks, they don't fix it- they replace it.
Also try craigslist.com- there is a whole sectino of direct by owners. I found goign through management agencies was the best way.
