Tell me I did the right thing signing a new lease and not waiting till Jan.

You did the right thing.

Feel better? :)

You did the right thing signing a new lease & not waiting till Jan.

Hey, you did it; enjoy your new home! I always tell myself, "I always make the right decision." You, too!

Triple c don't drive yourself mad over a "potential" $100-$200 drop. Living in the past and projecting ourselves into the future only lead to anxiety.Congratulations on your new home and good luck with the move! I am happy to tell you you did the right thing! Now if I would have bought DIG a day later at $22 instead of at $28.5 it would have paid for my wedding and then some.lol.

cccharley...think about this..there is a 50% chance that the price will be higher by $100-$200. Feel better?

Yes I guess so. I guess when you're on the poor side that extra money would seem great and you feel great when you get the best deal. The good news is that my rent is at least $400 less than it would have been last year and everything will be brand new. I love that more than anything.

If things are so bad in the economy that your rent would have dropped another $100-$200 (which is only 3-6% if I remember your story rightly) restaurants will get cheaper too, so your standard of living will "feel" like it's improved on the going-out side, if not on the staying-in side.

ali r.
{downtown broker}

I've been there and it all works out in the long run. Having everything brand new is great. Enjoy!!

If you were wrong to sing the lease then it probably means things are getting worse. They don't get better so quickly. So next year when you sign a new lease it might be an even bigger savings.

Jan. may not be much of a difference. The real question is what happens after all the Q4 '08 and Q1 '09 layoffs and we get to Spring '09 when the "buying" season is supposed to begin. The best option probably would have been to go month to month until then, but that may not have been possible in your case.

You did the right thing. Instead of obsessing, chuck a few knive s in the air and see how it works out catching them. Kidding. Seriously, Julia is right...it all works out in the end. Now make me feel better that my last child was another boy and I was dying for a girl and my wife refuses to try again. :)

AV we wanted to sign a 2 yr lease at the same price but the landlord only would do it at a 3% raise so we said forget it. I don't think things are getting better that soon.
Second - Big landlords don't let you go month to month so that wasn't a choice - it was move when your lease is up or resign for the year.

FWIW I posted about the apt I'm moving to - so for $155 more a month I get a full eat in kitchen vs a galley, an extra full bath, around 4 more closets, all new appliances- ge profile and a liebherr fridge- it's awesome with a wine rack and an ice maker, a bigger living room and a dining area large enough to make my daughter quite a nice size room (it has a closet and 5 windows already). Oh and a nice size balcony/terrace. Location not as great but not bad. I love when the market dips.

Eah- I got my girl and stopped at one - I really wanted a girl too - my sister has 2 boys. 2 boys are great -big plus - they will be best of friends, you have all boys stuff already so you don't have to buy new, no drama (girls are all drama and tears) you can take them to little league. As much as I love her I can't wait to be able to say go to your room and close the door to play.

charley, I think you did the right thing.

Slow season has begun and the landlords know it, and they've been cutting deals for a while now. I got a decrease 45 days ago. They know they don't want empty apartments.

So while medians might decline, if your negotiation skills are decent you probably locked in something pretty good...

thanks cccharley. does seem weird though to think of never having a daughter. drama and tears..that's a great expression.

It's always a risk one way or another. Not too long ago many people complained that their rents were going waaaaay up. But you sounds as if you love your new place, and a perfect match is always hard to find. Bottom line: you did the right thing.

Girls are great fun to talk too, however (when they're not slamming their bedroom door). I too couldn't wait until she went to her room, now I pull her out occasionally because I kind of miss her snarky wit. BUT I wanted a boy, and never got that wish, although I was the one to put an end to the game at one kid.

cccharley, sounds like a great upgrade, and while every dollar counts, so does peace of mind. Finding a rental with only a couple of weeks to spare, when you're moving with a child, can only lead to heartburn.

eah, we are working on our first and he/she is being extremely slow to arrive -- count your blessings.

ali r.
{downtown broker]

Ali- it took me 2 years for me and I was 42! It will happen but don't be shy to see a dr. Email me if you want to talk.

About - yes I needed an upgrade. In reality we could live there forever since it's around 1100+ sf - that is if rents stay depressed. My 1 br now looks like a 2yo's br. How old is your daughter?

cccharley, since I am 42 now that cheers me up. I am dealing with a raft of doctors, and they are very nice, but the whole process is draining at best. My Hollywood clients (who tend to be a little on the mystical/hippie end of things anyway) are now backing the idea of adding an acupuncturist -- any experience with that?

ali r.
{downtown broker}

Yes I do - I did acupuncture too. Email me here cccharley@aol.com I did so much research - it's all consuming. Are you at Cornell?

no, not Cornell; sent you an email.

TIA

ali

Ali and ccc, I got kind of lucky in that I had an ob/gyn who read me the riot act at age 32 (my mom is one of ten kids, 5 girls, and 8 of the children had had cancer with 3 of the women having had reproductive-organ cancer), so I had my daughter when I was 33, but not really by inclination. While I wouldn't give her up for anything, it was hard going because my husband was only a 2nd year associate at a biglaw firm, I had no available family, none of our friends had kids. It was difficult and lonely the early years. The trade offs don't always seem fair, do they?

My daughter is a glorious 12 year old. Loving and friendly one second, moody and nasty the next. Very self aware, however, she told me that perhaps I ought to just lock her in her room for the next couple of years. Tempting, but more often than not she makes me laugh so I'll pass. ccc, you probably could stay there forever, rent allowing, as the clutter and mess seems to peak at about age 4 or so, becoming quite manageable around 9 or 10 when they give up playing with those larger toys (sigh). Ali, good luck and whatever makes you feel more positive, I say go for it.

Wow - we have such a group. I think all 3 of us went Ivy. I understand the Biglaw widow- my sister was one. He husband is now a partner and still seems to work crazy hours - it's worse when he doesn't because then he thinks he'll get fired. It never ends. I'm glad I have some years till the teenage years. I'll be senile by then. I'm sure she's lovely on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

ali - good luck. sounds like cccharley will lead you down the right path.

about ready, i have three boys. various ages. feel free to stp by and grab one.

eah - can I bring him back? maybe we could do a temporary swap.

ccc- sometimes she's even also nice on Saturdays. Senility might have its virtues. My husband is a partner at a large firm, but not ny biglaw, thank god. It still can be awful, but nothing like before.

front_porch, I'm a card-carrying skeptic who believes New Age rhymes with sewage. That said, go see an acupuncturist. Their success rate is too high to ignore. And there are several right here in town with great track records.

Read the reviews for Asia Tui-Na at Citysearch. I know a few other successful practitioners, too.

Ali and ccc--I'm going through the same thing. We're using Cornell. I've recently begun seeing an acupuncturist who I've heard has good results with this... it's my first time doing that and jury's still out. We expect to begin IVF in Jan if all goes as planned. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! My email is bramstar@gmail.com

Bram --best of luck. You are with the best doctors. I used an acupuncturist named Sheng Wade. She was great. Here are the numbers I have for her but the card is old 718-501-8180 and 718-544-2602. - if you don't like the one you're using. Feel free to email me with any and all questions - I have tons of info. Glad to help.

Thanks, ccc! This is very helpful. If you don't mind, I'll email you, lest we start to get razzed for hijacking the board :)

I've found most of the best advice in this process has been via word of mouth.

Thanks for the acu recs!

ali r.
{downtown broker}

"lest we start to get razzed for hijacking the board :)"

Personally, I found this whole thread really touching. Confusing and slightly scary, but still touching!

Winter is pretty bad. If you are in the studio or 1br range, and the landlord didn't sign someone by August or September (MAYBE October), they are pretty much screwed, so November, December, January, February - all the same. Negotiate hard during these months

I think the arrogance of the rental companies won't be changed until the next busy season when there are fewer renters by far. In the winter, they don't expect much, so the discounts given are not any more extensive than usual.

Oh, I disagree about discounts. It's far from across the board, but there's some ridiculous shit going on. Go on Craig's list, and search for 3-bedrooms by owner. You will see tons of postings for Metro, offering 2 months+OP, pay for your wall, $2000 gift certificate to Barney's, moving expenses, etc.

1 Month Free rent is almost universal in rental companies we're seeing. And almost everyone is paying the broker fee.

Meanwhile, there are some condos for rent asking price chops that can put the sales price chops to shame. Of course, most started with ridiculous asks, but that's another topic for another thread.

Vwear- my rental was probably around $600 off last year's price - 16%. Manhattan skyline cuts fast - they don't like empty apartments. Ogden doesn't cut as fast - they are still asking $3800 for the jr 4. but their 1 brs have dropped from $3500 to $3050

how big is your place - how many people do you have in there?

Have you ever considered renting in a condo from a private owner?