upper west side rental

www.outerborough.com ?

ah...who else could we expect?

".I'm too lazy to search threads"

Jim, we found a perfect customer for you.

too stupid (judging by her post and too poor)

is it your wife splaken?

don't you mean something along the lines of yo' mama?

My wife? No, but she's a symptom of the real estate market that enables bad brokers and bad landlords.

splaken's idea of a bad broker: one who has an exslusive on a property he wants
splaken's idea of a bad landlord: a property owner who prices apartments according to market

Hilarious

cc, am i talking to myself here? since yyou think splaken and i are the same?

i think aboutready and w67 are the same, since neither has had anything to say tonight

Let's face it. This topic makes you nervous, the crazy.

Certainly understandable.

Not really Jim.

My point of view and attitude is probably best summed up in this thread that I started:
http://streeteasy.com/nyc/talk/discussion/17682-to-fee-or-not-to-fee

I realize that landlords have no incentive to change the system, but I believe that landlords should be responsible for their own marketing costs. E.g., landlords pay the broker who represents them finding a tenant. If a renter like blossom wants to hire a broker to help her search, then she should pay her portion of the total, but if she wants to go direct, she shouldn't have a broker fee.

The current system allows the broker to get what he can get because it is from the tenant. The broker can take advantage of renters who don't know better. If the broker had to negotiate for his fee with the landlord, we wouldn't be looking at standard 15% fees in the market, even if some large percentage of rentals are negotiated lower than that.

SO while the brokers are not so tenant friendly, the system is perpetuated by the landlords, which is why I am concerned with landlords more than brokers. PLUS, once a broker collects his fee, he's off to the next thing. Most of the complaints renters have are for the remaining 11 months or however many years the renter stays around. The neglected repairs, or the security deposit not returned, or the high increases on renewal, or the failure to lower rent when the market suggests otherwise, or like our friend ukrguy the dumb letters about not receiving mail, those have nothing to do with the broker and everything to do with the landlord.

Nervous?

columbiacounty, I'm putting you on ignore. In reviewing my old thread, 5 months ago you said the following to me:

"
this sounds good...but i don't think you've ever dealt with a rental broker."

Sayanora

Any helpful comments from anyone other than those that have already responded would be appreciated. I live out of state and have a daughter who lives in the city. She is moving to the upper west side. I posted before, soon after she moved to the area, and got some very good help and was expecting the same but instead got the above comments including: "too stupid (judging by her post and too poor)". How rude!

blossom16 try looking on Craigslist or seraching no fee rentals on here. $1500 or less is going to be very tough its either going to be VERY small or a walk up building if you can find something. She might do better with a roomate situation, although there is always a huge downside to that if it doesnt work out. Good luck

blossom16: You can find what you're looking for, but it will involve either (a) a broker who knows the area or (b) walking around from building to building and asking questions. I know somebody renting for around $1500/month in a doorman studio in the 70s, but that's from the owner of an individual Condo, so there's no point in providing that to you as a reference.

Blossom, I hear that 711 West End Avenue (between 94th and 95th St) has a 600 sf studio for $1525 per month. It is a safe area, one very short block from the 1 2 3 express subway. Contact: Pincus Realty (718)997-1700, the broker for the management company

Blossom, try NY Living Solutions, Berna Hakimi she was a great help when I was searching. I saw units from UES to UWS to FIDI. 917-577-8549. Best of luck, its s tough budget but you may find a walk up 1BR.

blossom16, i dont know if the roommate option is out of the question for your situation, but consider this.

1br apts can acomodate 2 people with basic needs simply by adding a temporary wall if the owner allows it.

lowest price i see for 1br/1ba in dm elev in uws is around 2000. if they want some space left over for LR/DR need to spend more, perhaps 2500 range.

note that when apt size is stated you should assume actual interior sf is at least 15 to 25 pct less because those numbers always include a proportional share of everything on the floor like hallways, stairs, elevators, etc. however floor plans are usually right unless they are completely wrong e.g. they mixed up apts. do a reality check.

2br/1ba seems to start around 2600 though most over 3000.

1br/1.5ba starts just under 3000 but those are usually big as well so space for LR/DR would not necessarily be more.

2br/1.5ba you are in the 3500 and up area, but if spacious can be 3 way share.

in general, you would get more for your money in townhouse apt (99 percent being walkup though if on 1st floor its just the stoop from street level) and in smaller walkup bldgs.

smaller elevator bldgs can be reasonable but are usually non doorman. elev and dm usually means medium to large bldg.

usually modern bldgs esp with amenities will cost more vs older without, though older often have charming design features never found in modern, except in extravagent custom renovations.

much more could be said but its past 3am so i'll stop here.

good luck.

blossom, I found 31 listings in my firm's database. A lot of walk-ups, yes, and broker fees involved, yes. But there it is. Give me a shout if you want.

http://gothamcityhomes.posterous.com/renting-in-new-york-city-read-this-from-tomor

Blossom, you got rude comments because you started out by referring to yourself as lazy.

Success in NYC, unless you have inherited wealth, requires you not to be lazy. And my point is that laziness works to the benefit of bad landlords and also puts you in a position where you have to pay someone more, whether a landlord or a broker. I'm sure your time is worth something, as is your effort.

$1500 is on the low end of the spectrum for that neighborhood, and unless you get very lucky, you will have to forget about a doorman building. In that price range, you're looking at mostly walk-ups, and the occasional elevator building. Most doorman buildings in the UWS start around $1800, although we currently have a landlord on our website that has some units starting at $1625 with a doorman. You can do a search on www.UrbanEdgeNY.com -- it's a no fee website. Good luck.

It also depends on the exact location on the UWS, as well as the quality of doorman building you're looking for. I've been an Upper West Sider for the past several years, and have been looking for a new apartment (also on the UWS) for the past two months, so I've seen a lot of what's out there right now. Something NICE for $1500 is going to be really tough--you're going to be looking mostly at tiny apartments in walkups or fairly dilapidated prewar buildings. I'd think really nice with a doorman is a big stretch--I certainly haven't seen anything like that, but you never know. It sounds like a roommate situation might be a better bet if you're set on a doorman building and under $1500.

I wouldn't worry too much about the doorman part, though. My very first New York apartment--back when I was a student and subletting here in the summers--was a third floor walkup without a doorman, and I felt perfectly safe. (I think I paid $2200 but that included utilities, and it was a huge, renovated studio in a nice building.) Right now I'm paying $1850 for a small studio in a very nice (but also non-doorman) building.

If you're okay with tiny (as in, "touch both walls at the same time") or a high-floor/not perfectly maintained walkup, you might luck out. Otherwise, based on what I've seen, I'd say $1700 is a more realistic price point for a decent studio on the UWS. Hope that helps!

One more thing--avoid those apartments on 64th Street, right behind Lincoln Center. (I think they list on here, and also on Craigslist as "63 West" Realty.) They have studios in the $1200 range and one bedrooms for about $1500, which I know is tempting, but it's NOT a smart move. Not-so-honest brokers will try to "sell" newbies on these apartments, touting the doorman, courtyard, etc., but you're much better off in a roommate situation or a walkup, or even in an outer borough.

I looked at a couple of places there back when I was new to the city and didn't know what I was getting into--a broker convinced me that they were fabulous, and the price was right. I'm SO glad a wise friend stepped in and saved me!