Advice for a kid movin' to the city

Upper East side will be likely cheapest of the "safe" neighborhoods. Lots of youngins like the evillage, but expect to pay 20% more for the same places (meaning $2500 for a 2 bed not going to happen).

In fact, $2500 2 beds and $3100 3beds is really only UES these days, and barely that (you're talking walkup).

Aside from nyc10022's continuous pumping of the UES, you can also find decent 2BR or 3BR walkups in that range in the LES and parts of the East Village, which are probably more convenient to work for you. If you don't mind the Financial District, there are deals around there in what seem to be fairly nice buildings.

"Trying to find a place in the 2500 range for the 2 BR, or 3100ish for the 3BR. "

Don't mean to be a downer but 2500sf for a two bed? Not in Manhattan (at least south of 96th) and the choice parts of Brooklyn. 2500sf is a HUGE, Palatial 3-bed in this city. Most rental 3-beds are 1200-1400sf if you can find a good one and real 2-beds are 900-1000sf. And even if you did find something in your size range, the rent would be astronomical - conservatively $7-8K/month for a 3 and $3500-4k for a 2. If you're willing to commute from further away, the outer boroughs might be a better bet depending on your definition of "nice-ish" building (if you mean clean, you can find it - if you mean high amenities, good luck). Try Astoria, Flushing, Forrest Hills, LIC, Bay Ridge, Windsor Terrace, Jackson Heights. They are clean, safe neighborhoods with bars/restaurants and convenient to public transport. HTH

BargainHunter - I think the OP meant to SPEND $2500/month on a 2 br or $3100/month on a 3 br.

Thanks obernon-- I'm willing to flex more on the 3BR-- I've found some places that, with concessions, bring a 2br flex 3 to around $3800 in doorman new developments. Any suggestions on buildings or management companies that are offering 1/2 months free rent? Also, any thoughts on these buildings that I've seen:

The sagamore (189 W 89th St.)
200 Water st
The olivia (315 w 33rd)

I think it is possible to find a "converted" 2BR apt - I think that is what the OP is looking for - meaning, a 1 BR, with the part of the LR "converted" to a bedroom. In this instance you will definitely sacrifice on shared living space and your living area won't have a window, but if you are willing to put up with that, I think you should have plenty of options.

Try stuy town again. It is not that far of a walk from the 6 train which you can get off at 23rd and park or 28th and park. The only downside is these conversions dont allow for an a/c in the living room. If I was renting there I would want a true 2 or 3 bdrm but that would be above your price range.

how about gramercy

The stop that is close to stuy town is Astor Place.

try elliman's listing on East 40th street - flex 3 with 2 bathrooms at $3,800

Doorman building- and no broker's fee -

mrmet, for stuy town you're talking the union square stop. or 23rd and park.

Sorry 14th street union square is relatively close. I came from a completely different direction when I went to the Astor place subway yesterday. For a couple of young out of towners the east village is a happening place. If I was single I would want to live near there.

> Sorry 14th street union square is relatively close

Uh, not really. If you're right AT the corner of a subway block, you're still talking a few avenues... and if you're on 20th, thats getting pretty painful. And thats only for the 6, the other trains are on the far side of the station, you're taking quite a walk.

As someone who spent MUCH time in stuy town and in union square, I'd call them anything but "close".

If you arent lazy and dont mind a walk it isnt bad; but that is a personal prefernce. I have a bad leg too and was expecting a very far walk on an awfully hot day. I was surprised how close it was to get all the way to the farthest units on 20th and C.

depending on where you choose, it's no further than 1st avenue and 80th to the subway.

close is a state of mind, i guess. i shop at the whole foods in union square, and carry my groceries home 85% of the time (free delivery over $150, every couple of months or so), to 23rd and almost the FDR. it's a healthy walk, gramps.

stuy town and peter cooper are sort of far from everything, (Union Square is one helluva a trek) and if you're paying market rent (which aBoutready is NOT) you can do a lot better than what they're showing.

"Sorry 14th street union square is relatively close."

Relative to the Columbus Circle station, maybe.

> depending on where you choose, it's no further than 1st avenue and 80th to the subway.

No further than a place known for being far from the subway. What a valuable comparison!

> I was surprised how close it was to get all the way to the farthest units on 20th and C.

A friend lives in PC at 20th and C. Try that in the winter if you don't think its far...

"stuy town and peter cooper are sort of far from everything, (Union Square is one helluva a trek) and if you're paying market rent (which aBoutready is NOT) you can do a lot better than what they're showing."

I think you hit it right on the head. Yes, its bearable if you're subsidized.... but to pay those "market" rents for there... yowzuh. No wonder so much of it is empty.

ph41, i am paying market rent. my lease started in 2004, so my apartment is not brand new, which makes my rent a bit lower, but i'm not RS. don't talk about things you know nothing about.

whether or not you can do better is another issue. 1st and 80th is kind of the epitome of a cheap area on the UES, so that's why i used it as a comparison, which i'm sure you could have discerned 10022 if only you'd applied you're extremely acute analytical abilities to the issue.

the nice thing about the location is that the stuy town buildings near 14th and 1st avenue are convenient to many great things. whether you can tolerate a 10 minute walk to Union Square is another issue.

when are you planning on moving? prices should be lower in the fall, right now they'd be at their peak for the year, and won't probably decline until late Septemberish. my favorite rental building in the flatiron vicinity is the Caroline, but that might be too expensive.

aboutready - you're not paying market, because you rented BEFORE the whole complex was sold, and before the new owners really tried to get rents to market- so please just admit that you're rent atabilized, (which many people on this site confuse with subsidized), and therefore definitely below free market rents. we know you're somewhat defensive about living there,about not owning, but stop giving all this advice to people who WILL be paying market rents, or market sale prices.

ph41, my rent is now very close to the official market rate, which is why i might consider moving if it goes any higher. i am NOT rent stabilized. my lease is a free-market lease, with no rent increase regulations in the slightest, i moved into a newly renovated apartment that had been taken out of the rent stabilization program using the costs of renovation to break the rent stabilization barrier. i know what market rate and rent stabilized mean, and you're absolutely wrong.

and i got very lucky with the timing of my renewals. plenty of people who rented before the complex was sold had their rents jacked up hugely.

what advice did i give regarding cost? i said the location in certain parts of stuy town was good. i don't even live in stuy town, i live in pcv. and i'm not defensive in the slightest. i could afford to buy, and i choose not to. i like where i live, which is why i'm not actively looking for another apartment even though my rent is approaching

Aboutready - as you yourself said in some other post, you'll probably stay where you are because of "inertia" a body at rest tends to stay at rest, and a body in a low priced apartment can never find something SO MUCH BETTER AT A REALLY GREAT PRICE that would actually entice them to buy (especially when they still have the weekend house upstate - oh my, might have to give that up).. I would tend to think that what you would want to move into is something that would have to be at 2000 price points - and that ain't going to happen, no matter what you think.

"Aside from nyc10022's continuous pumping of the UES, you can also find decent 2BR or 3BR walkups in that range in the LES and parts of the East Village, which are probably more convenient to work for you"

Of course, not the parts actually convenient for you.
I actually just helped someone through such a search, and the stuff near the subways is 20% more expensive than the UES. My friend preferred being down there - she liked e village for a host of reasons more than UES - but the numbers didn't work out.

Now, if you want to live by the E river, sure, but that 'aint convenient.... certainly not more than a few stops on the 456....

bjw just hates it when I'm right..

who was sentive again?

"If you don't mind the Financial District, there are deals around there in what seem to be fairly nice buildings."

Not in the range he's talking about. I'm fan of value in fidi, but the value is better apartments for less, not cheap apartments.

bjw, what was that about folks who live there only should be giving advice?

whoops.

oh, forgot you change that when its convenient.

> rent atabilized, (which many people on this site confuse with subsidized),

Except rent stabilized IS subsidized, whether you like it or not...

Oh, and if you're free market, then it means you're paying less than $2,000/mo Whereas they're now asking more than that for a crappy one br or tiny (900 sf) 2 br.

it's so kind of you to pay such attention to my needs. as i've owned four places i don't seem to be a victim of inertia, but i would definitely have to find something that i considered an equally good financial decision before i moved. but glad you've moved on from the rent stabilized unit issue, to another area where you seem to have zero insight.

and don't worry, i wouldn't have to give up the weekend house to buy. even at the current 2004-05ish price levels. but why would i buy when i have such a lovely standard of living paying so little in rent? so that i could give more of that money to a bank for the same amount of space and quality of apartment? why didn't i think of that!! that sounds sooooo intelligent. let me run right out today, sign a contract on a $1.75mm 1250sf apartment at 260 PAS, and become a slave to my home. the quality of apartment would be slightly higher, and the location slightly better, but my monthly expenses would more than double.

i don't really give a rat's if prices decline. either way i'm happy. but they will.

and, jerk, this is a thread for someone trying to find a place to RENT in Manhattan.

ph41, you pay attention selectively. i have a 2/2, around 1200sf, around $4000 a month. you're talking stuy town, where i don't live.

Touchy, aren't you? And why in heaven's name would you use a crappy condo On PAS as a standard of moving - just go to some nice coop of 1,800 to 2,000 sf. for that money. But OH, you'd have to give up lovely Stuy Town and PCV - what a sacrifice!!

hi printer. piss off.

Oh, I forgot - PCV is just so much more elite than Stuy town.

I didn't mean to start an argument here. Just looking for some help.

Question: If I have a choice between paying 1300 for share on UWS (high 80s and amsterdam) in a great building, but would have to pay utilities and deal with 35 min commute to work in flatiron, or pay 1200 including utilities in stuy town with shorter commute but a lot of walking, which is better?

Is inventory going to stay high for october starts with less renters? (ie should i wait a month and get better deal bc were in a bad market and they will slash prices?)

So ph41, let me get this straight. You don't like aboutready because she's too elitist. And you don't like aboutready because she's not elitist enough.

youngin, you didn't start an argument. It's been going on since the Streeteasy was invented. To answer your question, though, you have to provided a very detailed portrait of who you are ... what kind of activities do you like, what kind of people do you tend to associate with, etc. Are you artsy? Are you fratty? Are you a jock, or are you a fitness enthusiast (they're different). Is it important for you to have major greenery nearby (as in Central & Riverside Parks), some background greenery (as in ST/PCV), or really not needed particularly?

"Of course, not the parts actually convenient for you."

Not true at all - there are apts in that range by the Delancey and 2nd Ave stops on the F, which is direct to the Flatiron area.

"Not in the range he's talking about. I'm fan of value in fidi, but the value is better apartments for less, not cheap apartments."

Again, untrue. Two sets of friends recently moved to Wall St (two different buildings, close to Water St) for apts exactly in that range. Look around - they're there.

"bjw, what was that about folks who live there only should be giving advice?"

You distort things so much, it's unreal. By and large, I trust people who live there over people who don't. I also trust just about anyone over you. Whoops.

alanhart - good job - got the whole thing back on the right track with very good questions.
youngin - commuting is an important factor, so even though you'd be all the way uptown, you'd probably be a straight subway commute to flatiron., though, actually, if you're in stuy town, and walk over to 14th street, you're on the crosstown bus ,and that, depending on where you work in flatiron, might be convenient.

also, do you like good food reasonably priced. stuy town is an odd mixture of family, elderly and fratty, but it really can be many things to most people. at the southern end you have access to some of the best food and bars in the city. much of it just depends on if you like walking. my husband walks to work daily to midtown, 45 minutes each way, and still goes to the gym 4-5 times a week. He likes to eat a lot.

i like both neighborhoods. i think the rents in stuy town should decline significantly by october.

but, aboutready, if 1 br's in PCV are listing in the mid $3,000 (3,300 to 3,500,) I still say you are under market - maybe you would rent to yougin?

same questions here. Son just got a job in the Financial District. Looking for an apartment/roommate(s), hopefully in that neighborhood. $1200-$1650ish for rent. What's the best way to proceed? Craigslist seems long on listings but short on substance. Is there a better resource? Would it be better to go through a broker?

both should try nybits. the management companies are the real source. rockrose, rose associates, glenwood, related, etc. are the better-known companies but are more expensive. i've never gone the management company route. there are lists compiled. i think there's one on wired new york.

sisyphus, if your son is interested in a one or two-year rental, there are a lot of condos for rent in the FiDi. Just do a search here, many of them will be no fee. good luck.

ph41, you're not so bright. those rents are for brand new apartments, THIS SUMMER SEASON. my apartment is what tishman feels is market-rent for my apartment with me as a tenant with a winter renewal. tishman is not out to charge anything less than what they feel they can optimally get. if tishman gave me a lease for $5500 next february (as they did to the tenants in my same apartment one flight lower upon renewal last summer), i could try to negotiate, pay it, or move. that's a market-rate rental. there is NOTHING in my lease giving me any favorable terms.

ignore.

"I didn't mean to start an argument here. Just looking for some help." classic!

Hi youngin - our former neighbor just moved to the sagamore (Aug 1 lease) and received 2 months free rent. I'm not familiar with the building, but can tell you that the location is safe, fairly convenient, etc.

"Question: If I have a choice between paying 1300 for share on UWS (high 80s and amsterdam) in a great building, but would have to pay utilities and deal with 35 min commute to work in flatiron, or pay 1200 including utilities in stuy town with shorter commute but a lot of walking, which is better?"

I'm not sure you would have to "deal" with the commute. It's pretty easy...straight shot. My husband works downtown, we live on 86th, and i think it takes him about 30 mins. A "shorter commute, but a lot of walking" should factor in not so nice weather from Nov - Mar (or rainy days, or really hot days). But, what area do you really like better? Where do you want to come home to? That's the more important question.

Thanks so much aboutready. Appreciate the help. Have been enjoying the banter here!

Youngin, my suggestion is stuyvesant town. It is a younger community and you have the best opportunity to meet and mingle with people your own age. The east village is great for going out. And also it is a far walk for some but I think it is not bad and I have a surgically repaired leg. The excercise will do you good just be careful crossing the street.

Youngin, my suggestion is stuyvesant town. It is a younger community and you have the best opportunity to meet and mingle with people your own age. The east village is great for going out. And also it is a far walk for some but I think it is not bad and I have a surgically repaired leg. The excercise will do you good just be careful crossing the street.

Stuy Town is a rip off. After Tishman bought the place, they let it go to hell and they jacked up the rents to insane levels.

Here is a great anti Stuy town website I keep track of sometimes:

http://stuytownluxliving.com/

alpie, beats jersey.

and that website that you list? stuytown residents who don't want to move but hate the landlord. and i doubt tishman will be landlord for long. hopefully the new owners will have less debt to service, so they can make ends meet while keeping the lawns mowed and the washing machines repaired.

this is certainly not nirvana, but it is a decent place to live. i can't count the number of people who have come to pick up kids, etc., and admitted they'd never been inside the complex and had had absolutely no idea what the environment was like.

sisyphus, you may be enjoying the banter more than i am.

aboutready, you can clearly handle anything they throw at you. It's amusing to watch you toy with them.

What about Murray Hill? Depending on where you work it can be a very easy commute (6 train, bus, hoof power to a lot of central points) and the whole area is dedicated to the amusement and entertainment of young people. Rents vary by building but you could try Windsor Court, Biltmore Plaza, Anthem on 34, and others in the 28-36 street between Madison Avenue and the East River. I think you will like it.

Yeah, I was thinking Murray Hill also, but I wanted OP to put a label on himself. Those young persons who wouldn't like Murray Hill would totally loathe it. I don't think there's a middle ground.

lizyank, he'll be working in the flatiron area, so murray hill or, alternatively, kips bay, would be great options. would probably involve the ten minute walk that is so dire to some, but so would, most likely, the west side trains.

I'm trying to think of types of young people who wouldn't take to Murray Hill/Kips Bay and where they might belong. Artistic and/or tragically hip types would the island completely and go to Williamsburg. Guys whose hard drives are wired to guys might prefer to live in Chelsea or more realistically for a young guy, Hell's kitchen. (Although gay guys live comfortably in Murray Hill/Kips Bay its just not a center of gay night life). And those who absolutely must live among the fabulous and the models (and are generally financed by the bank of Daddy) will insist on Tribeca, the Meatpacking District or the "new Bowery".
Otherwise, young lad, Murray Hill/Kips Bay is a good bet and really convienient to work.

if you're a quiter type you just need to find a quieter block. there are plenty of peaceful enclaves in that neighborhood, you don't HAVE to live above a bar (unless you want to, of course). and as the quieter blocks are often further west, that would be closer to the flatiron.

btw, youngin, most young people reject the bus out of hand, but both the 5th and Lexington Avenue buses come frequently and are extremely fast, and both would let you off close to work, especially the 5th avenue line.

"most young people reject the bus out of hand" - Is this true? How strange! I love taking buses over the subway and would do so exclusively if it were as efficient and convenient. maybe 32 is no longer young. But, my 15 mos old, she can't get enough...we love buses!

i love the bus also, at least certain bus lines at certain times of the day. but many assume that you'll go bald or gray before you reach your destination. you could, actually, on the 2nd avenue line late afternoon. but with a decent book, or a kid to talk to (on a good day) the trip can be quite nice.

at 46 i'd say 32 is plenty young.

this is a troll. u guys are just feeding him.

ba294, did you mean to post that on a different thread?

Use the L.

youngin,

To me, Stuy Town located in a nice location, you have access to the M14 bus which will take you crosstown on 14th street. On the L line you will be able to transfer too additional trains in a short amount of time. The commute from 1st Avenue and 14th Street to midtown would be less than 15 mins. You would be one long stop from Bedford Ave which is Prime W'Burg :o).

"Prime W'Burg"??

I was just there last weekend.

It's still a toilet. Only now it's a toilet with more young white people pretending to be hip.

alanhart...haha yes!
sorry

haha. i was who like, "Whoa, ba294 is Really savvy! how do they see through these people so fast?"

glamma, i'm often one of the last to realize someone is a troll. i even tried to support carolst initially, so i'm never surprised when i find that i've been communicating with a troll. i did wonder what ba294 was basing it on, though.

NYCMatt,

Be nice.

I'm guessing ba294 meant to post it on the foodstamps thread, or the no-show broker one. But I'm curious to know which.

"I also trust just about anyone over you. Whoops."

I take not being trusted by the least accurate person on the board short of perfitz, steve F and alpine, a complement.

No whoops needed!

> Not true at all - there are apts in that range by the Delancey and 2nd Ave stops on the

If you've got a $3100 3 bedroom by the 2nd avenue stop, please share... I know 10 people who would take that in a hearbeat....

and, if you have it, you now have the "wow have times changed" anecdote lead....

"I take not being trusted by the least accurate person on the board short of perfitz, steve F and alpine, a complement."

Yes, but a complement to what? Your obtuseness?

"If you've got a $3100 3 bedroom by the 2nd avenue stop, please share... I know 10 people who would take that in a hearbeat...."

I'd get in touch with AJ Clarke or one of the management companies down there - have a friend who just left a 2BR walkup on Ludlow/Rivington that was rented for $2000 (and renewal was offered with no increase, probably could have negotiated down pretty easily). They had other similar listings in the same price range.

> "Not in the range he's talking about. I'm fan of value in fidi, but the value is better apartments
> for less, not cheap apartments."
> Again, untrue. Two sets of friends recently moved to Wall St (two different buildings, close to
> Water St) for apts exactly in that range. Look around - they're there.

I just did a search for 3 beds under $3k (no 3100 available), 2 listings showed for fidi. One is actually a 2 bedroom, the other has a pressurized wall.

34 on the UES (though can't vouch for quality).

nyc, for someone who's so adamant that rents have fallen, you seem to dismiss evidence of cheap rents out there pretty quickly. Online listings are pretty poor for rentals - there's much more out there. Being an armchair analyst can work out somewhat for sales, but for rents, the online info isn't there.

> Online listings are pretty poor for rentals - there's much more out there

I agree, and I've already said that prviously (hell, just today, on the other thread). But certainly directionally, orders of magnitude certainly can't be ignored no matter what you want things to say.

And, yes, there are crazy deals to be had with work everywhere. But if you start with a spot thats cheaper, the crazy deal is even crazier.

Youngin and sisyphus, my daughter moved to New York last summer and used Craigs List to find short term subleases throughout the year. She loved the east and west village but when it came time for her to sign a yearlong lease, she moved to Murray Hill. She just moved last month but is enjoying the area and now can walk to her new job. I also have a nephew who moved to the city two years ago and signed a lease in Brooklyn and then had to wait it out to move to the city due to the lease. He now is living in a studio in Fidi and loves it. You may want to test the water with a short term lease to start out.

Also, carry me

http://lexcobikeconsumer.thomasnet.com/viewitems/all-categories/all-categories-carry-me-folding-bike-3

It folds to stick-shape, then rolls when folded

Finks moving to Stuy Town: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/realestate/16habi.html?ref=realestate

"> Online listings are pretty poor for rentals - there's much more out there"...how do you find these? I am reluctant to work with a broker but am willing to do it if there's "hidden rental inventory" out there and why is it hidden?

Well, when folks are talking about the online listings, they're generally going to the corcorans and halsteads of this world, or a streeteasy which pulls from multiple places.

Streeteasy is best, but what I find is...
1) a lot of the inventory, especially cheaper inventory, isn't being offered through the big guys (who focus more on sales
2) a lot of the smaller brokers gets their listings pulled, but this is some of the most inaccurate data I've ever seen. Some of it is because they have crappy sites that never get updated, some of it is they just make stuff up (same phone for 20 different listings) and just want you to call. a TON of this at the lower end
3) a lot of lower-end stuff (and a good portion of higher) goes through management companies which don't use the brokers, and don't really have the listings in streeteasy. some like glenwood have 'em in flash, which SE doesn't pick up. And,e ven then, these are VERY often outdated, and you can call, and often get much lower prices anyway. The lower end folks often don't really have listing sites, and stuff is done basically by phone. These are where a lot of the deals are. On the UES, I want to say there is more of this inventory in the low end than all the other kinds combined.

Oh, and for those looking and can do a short term sublet, I would definitely recommend this if you don't have a lot of items to move and are new to the city. If you are concerned about pricing, this may give you the opportunity to search in the winter (when prices are much cheaper, but the inventory may be a bit thin). You will probably save 10% at least. I was angry last year when I moved at the end of September only to find out that comparable units in my building were being rented out at $100's less in November. But I was pregnant and happy to find a place that worked for me, so not too bad of an ending.

I'm seeing some apartments tomorrow with a broker. I've decided that I might want a bigger space - if I can't find one for a price that fits my budget I will stay put.

With regards to the higher end ones that go through mgmt co's - I don't consider these hidden (they are available if you call the mgmt co constantly).

I've seen a couple of places already that won't work for us so I'm not getting my hopes up.

by excluding a real estate broker you are excluding yourself from a good deal of the market. two of new york's larges landlords (and two of the most agreeable to "share" arrangemements and temporary walls) WILL NOT let you into their buildings without a licensed broker from an approved firm.

the inventory is not hidden, but some very good management companies don't feel like answering renters stupid questions like "where is the closest subway".

isn't it lovely to live in a city where you can say screw you to a landlord who won't let you in without a broker?

and which landlords are you referencing? just so we know who to avoid, of course.

Pan Am
http://www.urbansherpany.com/OwnerHome/112/Pan%20Am%20Equities

saying "screw you" to this landlord puts you out of the game on some of the best rental buildings in Manhattan. There apartments are offered through brokers at "no fee" to the tenant, beyond the required credit check of course.

you are pretty close minded

nope...just sick and tired of you.

actually, i really like my broker and would use him if i found a broker-protected no-fee rental so he would get the commission, even though that probably contributes to higher pricing in the market generally.

i just don't like your attitude.

http://www.urbansherpany.com/OwnerHome/94/Manocherian%20Brothers

here is the other...actually a sister company of Pan Am. Also no fee listings available through brokers only. so between them, something like 150 or so prime buildings, with price points from $1500 and up that, out of spite, stupidity, fear, etc, people like you are willing to pass up. you are a brave "do it yourself" guy. i applaud you, really

it wasn't very hard. i walked into rose associates rental office for PCV and signed a lease for a 2/2 for $2750 a couple of days later. horrible lease, many unenforceable provisions, but i have a lawyer in the family who said sign it anyway.

and if you read my post, which clearly you haven't, you'd see that you are wrong. what i'd do is avoid YOU like the plague. you who came on and told a number of people your slanted view of the market.

and i'm a "do it yourself" gal.

i never said it was hard.....i said that whomever adamantly chooses not to work with a broker is limiting themseves to a much smaller share of the market. to be able to look at %100 percent of what is available at a given time, in a given area, and in a given price range, with variables like desired ameneties, etc, in this city you need a real estate broker. and, given the market, that can be done with zero cost to the client. that is a fact, and will remain a fact (both of these landlords have very little vacancy, thanks to the brokerage community). if you are interested in seeing less than everything that is available due to be being narrow minded, than that is your perogative.

that's OK. with all the urgency nobody has time to look at 100% of the market, anyway. plenty of rental fish in the sea, much of it no-fee.

There are plusses and minuses to working with an agent.

The problem with agents, of course, is that they will always steer you to the more expensive range of your affordability, because it's in their own self-interest to make as much money as possible.

actually, most of us will make every effort to show apartments through a price range. a smart broker will show apartments slightly above that range, because it may mean making that client happy. for example, if someone "has to live in grammercy, in a doorman building, with a terrace, and with no fee" and i have 4 listings to show them that are spot on in their price range, and one or two that are 10% above their price range, i would consider it my obligation to show those as well. most peoples budgets are higher than they originally disclose. and at the end of it, if they are getting exactly what they want, they are happy clients. and then, they will refer their friends, co-workers, etc.

What is "grammercy"?

misspelled gramercy park

Speak to a Real Extate Broker who will tell you whatever you want to hear about some "emerging" affordable neighborhoods like Harlem, Bed. Stuyvesant, Hamilton Heights and Bushwick. Brokers tried to cram those places down my throat when I arrived here from Kansas 5 years ago. Found my own place in Manhattan through family contacts.