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Reader Question / Apartment Search Tips

Q. Hi Jordan,

First off, I love your blog! I was wondering if you had any apartment-search tips. My boyfriend and I are looking for a place in Brooklyn and keep hitting dead ends. We are following Craigslist, but I was wondering if you knew any other services or sites. We also checked out Rapid Realty and RDNY, but a lot of places mention they could be scams :( . We are willing to look into a Realtor, but are trying to gather the best recommendations we can.

If not, no worries. Figured I would give it a shot! :)

All the best,

Erika

A. Hi Erika!

First, I seriously would suggest at least considering the UES – it is sooo much cheaper than you’d expect (you wouldn’t believe what we pay for our 2-bedroom), and almost-sort-of as fun as Brooklyn (really). Also, you’d be my neighbor, so there’s a plus :) Next, this Time Out NY article I wrote on UES apts under $2000 might be helpful regardless of where in the city you’re looking.

My #1 tip is to avoid brokers at all costs, of course, because you don’t want to pay fees if you don’t have to. When I first moved back to the city (that’s my old apartment on moving-out day pictured above), I ended up shelling out something like 7 grand just to get in the door of an apartment between deposits and fees, which was insane and totally unmanageable, and not something I’d ever ever ever do again. To avoid this situation, I’d suggest going directly to management companies in areas you love and seeing what they have available (that’s what we did, working on the recommendation of a friend who lived in the building we wanted to get into). Bettina Equities (212-744-3330) also owns a lot of buildings citywide (although mostly on the UES), and the only fee to move in is a $100 application fee, although I’ve been warned by friends that the application process can be a pain. And don’t forget: the market is on your side right now, so definitely haggle a bit! I was able to bring down the price of our current apartment by $450 a month just by doing a little negotiating.

Hope that helps a bit! Anyone else have suggestions?



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October 18th, 2010 | Posted by Jordan | Home | 15 Comments »
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  • Morgan Brasfield

    Check nybits.com for broker-fee apartment buildings. Generally, they give you the names of management companies that will lease directly to you, sans the broker ;-) xox

  • Tara

    nakedapartments.com!!!!! I just found my apt on the UES from them… through Bettina, weirdly! They are actually really nice there. Anyway, this website has a ton of no-fee broker apts, and you fill in the specs you are looking for… and brokers email YOU. plus they have a huge selection of places. A godsend, really! And it really *is* no-fee.

    Also, the UES is bomb. After we signed our lease we got drunk off of the (STRONG) $3 frozen margaritas at Blockheads on 81st and 2nd. Seriously, that's like one of the main reasons to look there.

  • kristenf

    if you go through traditional real estate companies in NYC, like century21 and citihabitats, you can just tell the broker you work with that you want no fee apartment listings. any apartments they show, they work out deals with the developers, so they make money off they lease, but the money comes from the developer – not you. kind of like when companies hire recruiters to find them employees so they don't have to bother with it. often real estate companies make less money off transactions like this, but with the market so low, no-fee apartments are seriously AS common as broker fee apartments, so you really just might consider going with a broker and specifying no fee – make it easy on yourself and see some great apartments and great prices. it's how i found my place, and i got a wonderful apartment, great location, great price, and no silly broker fee.

  • Sdelite

    The girl wants to live in Brooklyn – so why not help her live in Brooklyn? I've lived in Yorkville and around 94th and 2nd – and I can tell you that Brooklyn suits my personality better – I've specifically lived in Park Slope and Prospect Heights, and I know the Brooklyn Heights area like the back of my hand since my husband went to law school around there. And I lived off the L in Manhattan for three years, so lord knows I know Williamsburg. You will be spending a pretty penny no matter where you live in NYC – live in the neighborhoods that make you happy. Ask yourself – would I actually have dinner or drinks with my man at the local places, or would I have to hop on a train to get to a place that would calm me down after a rough day at work? The subway costs are increasing dramatically anyway…..

    I do have a broker that has helped us out in Brooklyn, but I do not want to give out his contact information as I don't know you personally. I think kristenf's advice is spot-on…also, there are tons of real estate offices in Park Slope/Cobble Hill that also advertise rentals. Why not walk around the neighborhood and talk to people in those offices to make more connections? And definitely leverage your social connections via facebook, etc, that's how we found our broker.

  • Sham

    So how did you not have to go through the application procedure then Jordan?

  • http://twitter.com/christinaemcc Chris

    in this market, you should only be using NO FEE brokers. also, you might wanna go directly through building management companies. usually, if you can get into a building's lobby – near the mailboxes is the super/management's contact info. call them directly, ask if they have any vacancy, and lowball them. also – as for brooklyn, it's just as expensive as manhattan – you may wanna also look at the easy village/lower east side if you are going for the “hipster” sorta neighborhood, and the commute is better. craiglist isn't too bad as long as you are firm up front & spell it out that you are not going over a certain amount, and that you refuse to pay fees (a lot of building owners are paying broker fees). it's a renters market right now, so good luck.

  • PP

    Why are you not answering her question? She asked you about Brooklyn. Why are you completely ignoring what she is asking?

  • jordanreid

    don't know much about brooklyn rentals specifically, unfortunately – just answered based on my own experience and thought some readers might have more good advice.

  • jordanreid

    great advice re: looking by mailboxes for management company info! also if you know anyone (or know anyone who knows anyone) who might be moving in the near future, check out their place…if you can make an offer to the management company before the apartment even goes on the market you might be able to go even lower, just so they can avoid the hassle of showing an apartment and having a month (or more) with no rent being paid.

  • jordanreid

    blockheads! i've never been, but from everything people keep telling me i really need to go!

  • http://bohemianvegan.com Erika

    It's OK! This was just as helpful. :)

  • http://bohemianvegan.com Erika

    Thank you everyone for the great advice :) !!

  • jordanreid

    lol…good :) and good luck!

  • http://lisadianenonsociety.tumblr.com Lisa Diane

    A few things from my experience:

    1) A lot of buildings are still paying brokers fees these days, so you can go through a broker without having to pay through the nose for it. Just tell them upfront you're only looking to see their nofee listings.

    2) Eberhartbros.com is a nice management company with beautiful and reasonably priced apartments that are all newly renovated. The only catch is they don't allow dogs :(

    3) A friend of mine just moved to 80 Dekalb in Brooklyn (http://www.dklb.com/), gorgeous building but Jordan is right…you can probably get something for a similar price on the Upper East or in Hell's Kitchen.

    Good luck! Getting an apt in NYC is no small feat!

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