BabkaGal's Profile

Finding an apartment in New York is a *terrible* experience, but it usually works out in the end, with a lot of hard work and patience. Be prepared for the following:

May through September is the hardest time to find an apartment, since you are competing with all the college graduates who are moving into the city.

Walk around the neighborhood that you like before resorting to a broker (see below). Many buildings have signs on the building with phone numbers to call for availability. If you want a doorman building, ask the doormen if their building has apartments available (they usually know).

Brokers: Brokers typically charge you 15% of the first-year's rent if you use them. You do NOT always need a broker in the city, since some buildings have their own websites or for-lease signs outside the buildings. Make sure you do NOT walk into such buildings with a broker, since you will be forced to pay the broker's fee even if you rent directly through the building later on!

If you see something you like, you must be ready to write a check ON THE SPOT! I know tons of friends who have lost apartments because they didn't put down a deposit that moment, and someone else did an hour later. In the NYC apartment hunt, he who hesitates is apartmentless!

Get all of your apartment application materials in order before you start looking. Contact at least two personal references and a business reference and let them know about your search. You may also need a guarantor.

Bring a tape measure to your apartment visits. Make sure you can fit a queen-sized bed in the bedroom, and measure the front doorframe to see if a sofa can fit through. If all else fails, there are specialty companies in New York that will saw a sofa in half, move it inside the doorway, and put it back together. It's a common problem in NYC buildings and apartments.

Don't be scared off by a little dirt and mess. There are two Home Depots in NYC, which offer plenty of cleaning supplies. Most people also tend to do DIY fixes to rentals, such as installing closet rods, hooks, new blinds, and replacing light fixtures.

If you see current tenants in the buildings where you are looking, ask them how they like living there, how the superintendant is, how the management company is, any problems in the building, etc. Tenants will be pretty honest if there are problems.

Try to find an apartment near a central subway or bus line. Location is very important, especially when it is raining or 2am and you have to get home.

Finally, don't give up hope! You may look at 20 places before you find one that you like. Good luck!

I have painters at my apartment today, and I'm a little nervous! My management company is doing the paint job (a fresh coat of creamy white, for free every 4 years), and I'm worried about the kind of job they'll do, not to mention getting paint on my furniture.

They told me last night that they would be painting today...no warning! I spent the night removing all of my doorknobs and switchplate covers. Let's hope this paint job is worth it. :)

I've been very busy with my spring Cure! To start the process, I donated at least 5 bags of clothes and junk, thrown away piles of papers, organized my files, and took a long hard look at my apartment. I've determined:

-I will be giving my apartment a fresh coat of paint (cream), and changing my bedroom from green to cream. It's a bit too mint-chocolate chip colored, and I've gotten tired of it.

--Spruce up the bedroom with a new duvet set. Ballard Designs has a pretty pale blue one in a Moroccan print. It will also give some color to the bedroom (now that it is being painted cream).

--I'm about to order a new media console (the one I have is too Ikea-esque) and a new dining set. I'll be selling or donating the old ones.

--Buy covered baskets for odds-and ends. I have too much stuff out in the open, and I want to put it out of sight.

--Pare down my knick-nacks. I have a weak spot for flea markets and ebay, so this will be hard!

--I finally bought DVD and CD wallets, so I was able to throw away those bulky DVD and CD jewel cases. It has freed up sooo much space, and my collections are now easily portable!

--After I paint, I will be changing all the interior doorknobs. They're currently flimsy brass ones, and Schlage has really nice substantial nickel ones for about $20 each. I will also be getting fresh new switchplate covers (the current ones are paint-covered and grimy). In addition, half my lightswitches are toggle-style and half are rocker-style, so I may change those as well. They're inexpensive fixes to make the place look fresher!

--Maybe buy a small rug for my entryway. Overstock has nice inexpensive ones, but the colors might be different in person.

--Question: how do I pare down my library? Books and old issues of Martha Stewart Living are the only items that I can't seem to part with!