Kitty’s Tips to Moving to NYC

Looking for apartments in New York can be a bitch… trust me I know!  This task is especially hard if you are looking to move into NYC from another state/ country.  What if you are on a budget, and barely have money for your deposit… let alone a broker?!  I am going to give 10 tips to securing a place to lay your head in NYC without losing your mind.

1. Travel Light, Travel Far.  When I first moved to the east coast I sold all my furniture and only bought along my clothes, shoes, and purses.
2. When choosing a place make sure it’s near a subway line, grocery store, and a laundry mat.  Those are some of the things I didn’t take into consideration when choosing apartments.
3. “Renovated Pre-War building” = if you see it in your price range, grab it!!!!
4. Craigslist used to be great place to find apartments, but now it’s flooded with so many scams… it is really hard to tell who is on the up and up.  I suggest you pay attention to the wording in the ad.  Cozy/ Quaint= Extremely Small.  Also make sure when you are looking for apartments that it’s not someone already in the apartment trying to trick you into doing a share.
5. If you are looking to do an apartment share… always remember the people who seem the sanest are usually the crazy ones.  I will never do an apartment share again, unless at gunpoint.
6. I found this place called the 92Y Residence, which rents rooms to college students, interns, and fully employed men and women.  They do a strict background check and have as strict living rules.  Think “boarding school”… but what you get in exchange is peace of mind.  Check them out here www.92Y.org/deHirsch or call 800.858.4692.
7. If you are already a New York resident working in New York… there is always the lottery system to secure an apartment through NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD), the New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC), or the NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA).  Please know that this is no quick fix.  The waiting period cans sometimes take upwards of a year.  Here is one of the links, you can Google the others. http://www.nyc.gov/html/housinginfo/html/apartments/housing.shtml
8. If you have the extra money, you can seek out a broker to find you an apartment on your behalf.  Brokers charge a month’s rent for their fee, on top of the first and security deposit you have to pay to the landlord.
9. Check out the following newspapers: New York Times, the Village Voice, the Daily News, El Diario and the Jewish Press.  There are tons more, I just listed a few.
10. Never pay your deposit in cash!  Use a check, make sure you have all the landlord’s info, and get a receipt!

I hope this info helps.