“Location, location, location.” It’s not hard to find an apartment in New York City; it’s hard to find the right one. We have our criteria listed, ranked and ordered, but a sweet apartment in a less than desirable location can up-end everything. For example, I loved the newly renovated apartment with views of the Empire State Building, but Mike thought the “up and coming neighborhood” wasn’t up enough, as evidenced by the bevy of young men selling illicit pharmaceuticals out front.
The NYC rental market is a fast-moving game, and you look for a new place 2-4 weeks before you need to move, and in some cases just days before your move-in date. It’s a brief but all-consuming hunt.
We wake up with apartments on our brains. Over breakfast we scan Craigslist for new listings. We talk about our criteria on the way to the subway. While at work I mentally compare all the apartments we’ve seen. And then, when work is over, we race all over the City to meet with landlords and no-fee brokers. It usually takes about an hour to get to the appointment (ride subway, walk, check the map again, walk back). We wait for up to 30 minutes for someone to unlock the door so we can spend 10 minutes in someone’s filthy apartment (seriously, unless it’s unoccupied, it’s usually filthy), then travel 15-60 minutes to see the next apartment. All the while I’m praying and asking God for another housing miracle.
Perhaps the process would be slightly less taxing if we were open to using a broker, but we don’t want to pay the usual minimum of one month’s rent as a broker fee, on top of first month rent, security deposit, and the credit check fee to the landlord. The upfront costs are expensive!
Our top runner right now exceeds my dreams for the interior of the home, but the location is not very desirable, though it is safe. When we find a potential place, we walk around the neighborhood during the day to check out restaurants, shops, markets and parks, then go back at night to see how the neighborhood changes after the sun sets. Mike wants to make sure I will feel safe and comfortable walking alone from the subway to our apartment building at night.
Lord willing we’ll have a lease signed within the next two weeks.
I have unpleasant memories of sitting at the dinner table long after other people’s plates had been cleared while my Dad tried to coach, encourage, entreat and eventually threaten me to eat my veggies. Brussel sprouts were one of those detestable food items which cost me precious TV hours and increased my time alone in my room.
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