Manhattan in Sept. 09, what can I expect for 2k - 2.3k/month??

landlords will be ready to kiss your feet ;-)

I would rather rent on Upper East Side
it's much cheaper these days then 'hot' downtown and much safer.
And no bedbugs or roaches ;-)

Check out craigslist.org for your sublease and then see which neighborhood best suits your lifestyle, commute, and comfort.

But with that said, you will have a double move within a very short period of time. Moving in NYC is expensive, timely and exhaustive.

Why don't you plan an extended weekend one day in June and see which neighborhoods your prefer during that time.

I wouldn't want to make a long distance move, settle in and then have to move again a month or two later. Sounds like you already have a good feel on the neighborhoods you want to gravitate toward.

Best of luck.

Against HT1's advice, I would stay out of the UES. Probably the most vanilla, boring section of Manhattan. Plus, you are dealing with the constantly overcrowded 4/5/6 subway lines.

Just a preference, but unless you're old and boring, the UES is not for you. The young crowd that can't afford the downtown scene has discovered Murray Hill as an alternative. But def not the UES.

You will not find a decent one-bedroom in chelsea/village for that price. If that is your budget, you will be better off looking at big and comfortable studios.

Uptown is cheaper and in Hell's Kitchen or even on the UES or UWS you'll be able to find walk-up one-bedrooms that could be charming.

ali r.
{downtown broker}

There is a nicely renovated alcove studio for rent currently (no good for you now, but gives you a snapshot of what your price will get) at The Chelsea Lane co-op at 16 w. 16 street (5-6 aves) at $2450.

@HT1 - We are only going to be out there for 3-4 years, so we want to live downtown and enjoy the city. Are bedbugs and roaches as common of a problem as they used to be in the city??

@kingdeka - We were out there earlier this year, and have an idea of where we want to live. Our plan for the sublet is to find someplace furnished, and since we won't be moving any furniture out there, it would be easy to move to a new place after a few months and then buy what we need.

I'm paying $2495 for a small one bedroom, elevator bldg. in the areas you're looking at, no doorman. LL called me if I would be interested in extending my lease they would drop the rent to $2300...I said no because my lease isn't up until next November and the rents are dropping very quickly. I'm not an expert but I think you'll find a one bedroom for the price you're looking at. Good luck and welcome to New York.

no, bedbugs and roaches are not more comman downtown than uptown. HT1 is one of many negative bitter posters on this website. You have to take what certain people tell you with a grain.

The city is cleaner, safer, etc., than the old reputation. Sure you know that by now.

Furnished sublets, esp. short term will tend to be much more expensive than a straight rental. But not a bad idea if you don't mind temporarily paying inflated rent. But I would be more inclined to concentrate on finding a place for the longer term rather than spending a lot of time and money on a sublease. But whatever works for you guys. With your budget, you may have to look into Murray Hill, around 1, 2, 3 Aves above 23 Street.

kindeka

my comments just reflected my personal experiences when I was looking for a rental downtown....
I finally settled for a high floor in one of the newer UES condos :)

I've been finding some decent places in the chelsea, greenwich village, west village areas on here, within my price range. Here's one nice example...

http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/rental/482037-rental-336-w-17th-st-chelsea-new-york

Is there something to these places that I'm not aware of?

"Since we are moving from California, we are most likely looking to find a sublet for a month or two and then look for a longer term lease."

You cannot do this. You almost always have to sign a 12 month lease in order to rent anything. So if you want to rent for such a short period of time, you will need to look for an extended stay hotel.

I agree with HT1.

Having just helped someone with a similar search... Upper East will run you about 15-20% less than similar places in the neighborhoods you noted. For that kind of $$$, you can get probably a 500 square foot 1 bed in a very nice walkup or a middle sized elevator building no sweat.

Those were in the high 2s even in the Evillage when she last looked, definitely $2500-2600 to start.

On the UES, I know someone with a small one bedroom 2nd floor walkup, well kept, nice ceilings,, prewar details, exposed brick and they got in for $1900 4 months ago... and could probably get $1700 now. So adding a few more bucks, you have a LOT of choices there...

If you really want to be downtown, consider FiDi. For those $$$, you can probably get more space than anywhere, and in a "luxury" building.

> We are only going to be out there for 3-4 years, so we want to live downtown and enjoy the city.

Why do you have to be downtown to enjoy the city?

The highest concentrations of museums is uptown. A VERY healthy dose of the top restaurants are UES or just below.... proportionally more than anywhere else in the city, I believe. UES is the best place to live to get to Yankee Stadium (if you don't want to live in teh bronx).

And, uh, oh yeah, CENTRAL PARK!

Downtown is hipper, yes, of course, for sure. But are you about being hip, or actually doing stuff?

Upper East and Upper West are both stodgier than downtown. I would try the financial district as well. I lived in the east village for 7 years and loved it most of the time, and it's walking distance to Union Square. Cheaper restaurants and more vibrant atmosphere, if that's what you're looking for in your city experience. Be prepared to negotiate and to live in a smaller apartment than you ever thought possible, but you'll get your price, I think.

NN - it's very difficult to find a decent rental online this far in advance in NYC. It's not like other cities that have cookie-cutter rental complexes and the web presence gives you a beliavable story (moving to Orlando for a 6-month stay was very easy in this regard). If you want a solid building that comes with a furnished unit, you are probably looking at extended stay building of which there are many in the Chelsea area. These are a good option, but not cheap. The one benefit is you can pay your monthly on a credit card and accrue points or cash back. One-off furnished units are tough to find but you may get lucky on Craigslist. As for longer-term options, I agree with most that the best you can hope for in your price range is an alcove studio in a decent building or a tiny 1-bed in a 5th floor walkup. To offer some perspective on uptown, my building on the UWS gets $3500 for a 650 sq. ft. 1-bed.

waterside plaza used to have furnished apts. that you could rent month to month.

There are doorman buildings already renting 1brs for 2350 a month. It will probably get cheaper. No reason to get a walk up

Bettina Equities (UES), no fee has 16 one bedroom apts. in elevator bldgs. between $2,000 and $2,350. You'll definitely get a one bedroom.

> . Cheaper restaurants and more vibrant atmosphere, if

For the californians... "vibrant" = dirty and filled with NYU students

;-)

heh, that's why I moved! ;) Fun for a while, but I'm too old for it now. Never mind that I'm back there every week.

You people a CRAZY telling him to rent in the UES if he works in Chelsea/the village. That commute would be a NIGHTMARE. If you are so concerned with him saving money, then Hell Kitchen or FiDi or even the east village along the L would be much better bets. Do NOT listen to these people.

Also, net effective rents (including concessions) are down 20-25% from peak, and will probably be down another 10 percent or more by the time you move. Meaning you DEFINITELY will be able to find a walk-up one bedroom sans bedbugs in Chelsea. A friend of mine got one recently for $1900.

Hey, I'm currently in the San Francisco area, so I'm accustomed to high rents and living in a downtown area. I just know that most of what we'll be doing will be in the downtown area, so it makes no sense to live in the UES or UWS and have to constantly be going back and forth.

We are willing to sacrifice on space and amenities to live in an area with more going on.

How come everyone is saying we can't find much in the downtown area in our price range, yet I find a number of relatively nice places on here each day? Is there a catch to the listings on here??

This meets your needs nicely:

http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/rental/388786-coop-430-west-34th-st-chelsea-new-york

This is minutes to everywhere that you mentioned -- you can walk to the Meatpacking, Chelsea, HK -- and all the coolest people live on this block (just don't tell anyone, it's our little secret!)

No catch. Just some people can't get beyond their own realities. Higher street numbers will do that to you.

"You people a CRAZY telling him to rent in the UES if he works in Chelsea/the village. That commute would be a NIGHTMARE. If you are so concerned with him saving money, then Hell Kitchen or FiDi or even the east village along the L would be much better bets. Do NOT listen to these people. "

You kidding with this, right?

"Chelsea/Union Square area". Quoted from the original point.

Read it one more time.

The express 4/5 and the local 6 stop at where...uh, you guessed it...
Union Square!

Thats 2 or 3 stops!

But did YOU read what TOP said just now? "I just know that most of what we'll be doing will be in the downtown area, so it makes no sense to live in the UES or UWS and have to constantly be going back and forth."

He does not want to live in the UES, so give it up already.

Coops are for two years max, usually. Make sure and find out the time limit before going to see any rental coop.

Thanks Jason! He's got it right, we have no desire to live in the UES. We might consider some place like Murray Hill, although I'm not very familiar with the area, so I'm not sure. My fiance really liked the Chelsea/Village area, and so did I, so were going to make an effort to find something suitable around there.

From what it looks like, there are plenty of places that are on the market within our range and hopefully by Sept. that will even look better for us.

nnaficy, I think you'll be able to find something decent in the east village. I wouldn't go further east than Ave B unless it's a pretty special place. Below Union Sq, I would avoid living between Broadway and 6th Ave if you can help it (too noisy, and an overwhelming NYU presence). It'll take a fair amount of searching, but it can be done. Good luck!

"Just a preference, but unless you're old and boring, the UES is not for you. The young crowd that can't afford the downtown scene has discovered Murray Hill as an alternative."

Is the young crowd really moving to Murray Hill?

You could doubtless find a 1 bedroom in your budget in Murray Hill/Kips Bay but whether you want to depends on your definition of "lively". If you are under 28 and like rowdy bars...its the place to be. But if you prefer more sophisticated dining and nightlife options, I would not recommend it. FiDi could be a consideration as you get a lot for your money and you are only a short walk/cab to Tribeca. My guess is that by September you will be able to find something you like within your budget in Union Square/Flatiron/Chelsea/Gramercy even if its not perfect (i.e. alcove studio vs classic 1 bdr).

I appreciate everyone's feedback! I guess we'll just have to wait till Sept. and see what's out there. Hopefully we'll be able to find something to our liking, in a neighborhood we like. We're very much looking forward to being out in NYC and experiencing all that is going on in that great city.

Thanks again!

"But did YOU read what TOP said just now? "I just know that most of what we'll be doing will be in the downtown area, so it makes no sense to live in the UES or UWS and have to constantly be going back and forth.""

How does that put Union Square a tough commute from, uh, Union Square?

Good luck, nnaficy!

heh there
we moved to the west village exactly the same time as you- you should DEFINITELY sublet first- more because in August/ Sept ALL of the NYU students (with their blank checks from Daddy) come to find a place and that means mucho competition and frustration as all the apts go really quickly (and you're competing with arrogant brats..)- look only a few months later and the market is much more open and deals are available for normal folks. a.k.a you and me.

As someone who made the same move several years ago, I think doing a temporary furnished sublet is a great idea. Besides putting you onto a better season (winter), it'll give you a chance to do what you really need to do to find a great place: see several dozen places. The difference in quality for the same price is unlike anything you've seen in California, so it is quite worth it to find that one-in-a-hundred place. Generally, I don't think you'll be paying extra for the temporary place as there's always someone who really needs to sublet their place.

To get a sense for what is available, make sure you include "must have address" in your search criteria to avoid bait-and-switch listings. I also highly recommend that you look at condos in addition to rentals as I feel some of the best deals can be found there. The other thing to keep in mind is that the listings you are seeing are for the most part ovepriced: that's why they're still there. If a listing rents two weeks after being rented, that's where the market is. Don't be the person that just looks at five apartments and takes the best one: you can probably do better with more effort.

Err, that should read "If a listing rents two weeks after being listed, ...."

I agree with inonada. It's amazing how inefficient the NYC rental market is - there are awesome deals and crappy overpriced apartments that somehow get rented, and everything in between. Subletting short-term will enable you to take advantage of those inefficiencies, rather than getting taken advantage of.

Now that I think about it, I subletted for a month when I first moved here, so I third the motion.