Chelsea Rental

On March 1 I rented a 2BR in chelsea on 26th and 6th that was listed for $4695 and offered only one month free. I was able to get the asking price down to $4,500, a free gym membership for a full year, and one month free after some aggressive negotiating. This was in a large highrise, but not one of the newer ones with floor to ceiling windows, stainless steel, etc. I also benefitted from looking in February which is traditionally very slow for rentals.

The managers of the buildings on 6th Ave. definitely know their comps (u can use a site like nybits.com to run a basic search), and also know that people are willing to pay a premium to be centrally located, near subways, etc. As you move further west, you may be able to get a slight discount (few hundred per month). Areas like Hells Kitchen, midtown south, financial district, battery park and really hurting and you should be able to get much better deals there. Also try sublets, they should be more negotiable. Bottom line, doorman highrise buidlings in central locations near subways are still commanding a premium price, albeit much less than 6 months ago...Hope this helps.