Negotiating Rental Reduction

"I'm not talking about landlords. I'm talking about individual owners."

I see. There's a relationship between rents and prices/costs for landlords, but there's no relationship for individual owners. Is that what you are trying to say?

"we will wait till 2012"

Good plan.

That's when the world will end anyway.
-----------------------------------

lol matt, that's what hubby is saying lately. somehow he went through a transformation from workaholic that believed in the whole work ethic thing into a guy that works for a living (versus living for work)... nice change! you have to see him planning doing stuff after work (swim with the baby, traveling, ...). he obviously blames it on me.

anyway, if everything ends by 2012, the optimal thing is to start the party... enough sacrifice already.

Hey, tpushbklyn, I'm glad this thread and NYCMatt in particular have motivated you to do a little upfront work before you go down that road with your landlord. Some landlords get it, some don't. Some get it, but try to play hardball and/or pretend not to get it. The reality is that you cannot control how your landlord thinks or will negotiate. The only thing you can control is whether or not you have alternatives if the landlord is not behaving reasonably in your eyes.

FWIW, I think one of the benefits of renting is that you can switch your setup, your neighborhood, the amount you pay, etc. every few years. I am guessing your initial reaction will be to look for comparable places in the same neighborhood but just at a better price. However, I'd suggest you take this opportunity to look at areas, apartment types, and/or apartment qualities that are different from what you have. While moving for the "same thing" down the street can be painful and dull, moving into something "new" is exciting IMO and worth the effort taken to move.

"That's when the world will end anyway."

My wife was asking me about something the other day, whether we should pay now or later. I said later, because if it turns out that that the world ends and we all end up dead, it'd have been a shame to have spent the money.

inonada, given that savings after 2012 will be worthless too, you win only if you spend like there's no tomorrow on total discretionary items during 2010-2012 ....

wait a minute! this resembles bush's "go to disneyland" after september 11 ...

Assuming the world will end in 2012 and spending accordingly isn't the most far-fetched idea. What's the point of trying to accumulate anything in the current tax environment? And if you're in the position of having saved all your life to pass something on to your kids, assuming that 2011 is the expiration date (and checking out sometime this year), would be the favored approach, given the Death Tax implications.

"assuming that 2011 is the expiration date "

Incorrect.

The "expiration date" is December 21, 2012.

If I were really old, I'd consider suicide in 2010 just to take advantage of the estate tax silliness. It'd be a shame to let such an opportunity to screw Uncle Sam go to waste.

Yeah, that's what I meant by a 2011 expiration .. the estate tax. Although with Lil Wayne and Shirley McClain on board, NYC might be on to something with his 2012 Mayan prediction..

"It'd be a shame to let such an opportunity to screw Uncle Sam go to waste. "

love the attitude.

although now that i think about it, inonada your original idea is kind of Machiavellianly brilliant. spend like there's no tomorrow on credit. if 2012 is the end, no regrets. if it's not the end, bernanke's helicopter might pay for those debts or else... if deflation continues (it can always happen)... you declare bankruptcy due to a failed belief system that was beyond your control (the belief that 2012 was the end but wasn't).