Finding an apartment in Manhattan
 

Hello.

We were granted our visas on Wednesday and we are looking to move from the UK to New York in the next 6 weeks. I've been searching streeteasy to get an idea of what to expect from a rental, but I'm also clueless as to where to start & I'm hoping that someone who has done it can point us in the right direction?

We've looked at possibly getting an airbnb for a month whilst we look, but that's going to set us back about £4,000 I think. A hotel for that length of time will be much more expensive? We also have a cat that ideally will be with us within a few weeks of us arriving.

My husband's job is by the Rockefeller Center and he'd like to walk to work, if possible.

I'm worried about how long it might take to find somewhere, considering my husband will be working straight away, meaning we will likely only have weekends to take a look at places.

It's literally giving me a headache at the moment & I don't know anyone else that has done it, so any pointers are very much appreciated, thank you.

:)

Re: Finding an apartment in Manhattan
 

Probably your easiest, but not cheapest, bet would be to contact one of the managed apartment companies like Related ( related.com ). These companies provide apartments in buildings with doormen, a laundry room, usually a gym. You pay a premium for this of course, but they'd probably be the best bet for sorting something out remotely fast, they'll be used to deaing with ex-pats, and they usually allow small pets like a cat.

To be honest, if you're looking for somewhere within walking distance of the Rock, that sort of apartment is likely your only bet, and it won't be cheap in that area! Maybe also look along the B, D, F, M and E train lines?

Re: Finding an apartment in Manhattan
 

If your wealth is such that you can just grab a chisel and chip off what you need, then you will eventually find something in Manhattan that is walking distance to Rockefeller Center. Waldorf-Astoria, Trump Tower, the Roosevelt are all in the general vicinity.

If not, I suggest you set your sights a bit lower and look for something that is walking distance to a subway station instead, which your husband can then board and take into Manhattan.

Re: Finding an apartment in Manhattan
 

Thank you very much, I'll take a look.

Re: Finding an apartment in Manhattan
 

If you end up using a broker, Don't forget to factor in the brokers fee. In NY its typically 15% of the annual rental income. So if find a place for $3000 a month, you'll have to pay the broker $5600 and normally 2 months rent upfront. I know..its ridiculous but your initial outlay is going to be a pretty hefty sum. You need to budget for that.

Re: Finding an apartment in Manhattan
 

Is the employer not providing any housing assistance? NYC is the most expensive real estate market for renters in the country; the only one with silly brokers fees. Ask the employer's HR team.

Re: Finding an apartment in Manhattan
 

Madness to want to walk to work at Rockefeller...no matter how loaded you are.

I was down in lower Manhattan one week and saw no less than 2 SNL stars and 1 late night host in cafe's and bars (all of whom work at 30 Rock). Same over in Brooklyn...saw Seth Meyers hanging out in a restaurant with his family.

Mid-town is incredibly boring and when you want to go somewhere interesting for fun it's going to be a subway/uber ride regardless. Why not live somewhere slightly interesting and commute there instead.

Re: Finding an apartment in Manhattan
 

That's helpful, thank you.

Re: Finding an apartment in Manhattan
 

No, they aren't. They've sorted our visas for us, so we're grateful for what they've already arranged.

Re: Finding an apartment in Manhattan
 

It might be madness, but we literally won't know until we do it. It'll be my first time living in a city.

I've seen some reasonable apartments within 30 minutes walk of that area, so it didn't seem unrealistic, but thanks for your feedback.

We're willing to move around if it's not the right place, we'll be travelling light.

My husband currently commutes into London for an hour, so we just thought it might be nice to actually not rely on trains for the time we're there, but if we have to then we have to.

Re: Finding an apartment in Manhattan
 

That is bizarre - it sounds like your husband messed up on the negotiations over the costs of the move. As others have said, you'll need a heap of cash up front as new arrivers with no credit rating.


It will be very tough to find anywhere to rent at all outside of Airbnb - and hugely pricey. Most employers pay for corporate housing for the first month to help their workforce settle.


You'll also have to budget for Federal, State and City income tax plus FICA or NIC ... what can you afford to spend on rent after paying taxes?

Re: Finding an apartment in Manhattan
 

30 minutes' walk - keep in mind how cold it is going to be in winter, and there can be a lot of snow and ice around. It can also get miserably hot in the summer.

Renting in New York is a blood sport, and is dissimilar to the rest of the United States. Landlords can and will let you walk as there will be a lot of other people in line if the property is even just halfway decent.

Just to put it in perspective - I had a friend who moved to New York and rented a place in East Harlem - it was $2,400 per month, and that was a decade ago. He had to pay a year up-front, and it was the size of a shoebox. It also had mice - though not readily apparent (he only knew because he had a cat who would catch them from time to time). It was "2 bedrooms" because the owner had built a divider in the living room and billed one side of the divider as a "bedroom." He lasted there for 2-3 years and then moved to a different borough.

Good luck. I stand by my earlier advice to check out a different area of New York, close to a subway station.

Re: Finding an apartment in Manhattan
 

I've been looking all day, with all your comments taken into consideration (thank you), and I like the look of Astoria in Queens.

It looks like we can get a 2 bedroom (which we wouldn't be able to get in midtown Manhattan) and even a balcony for $3,000 p/m. According to Google maps this is a 35 minute commute, using the N-train.

Any thoughts on this area?

Re: Finding an apartment in Manhattan
 

I lived close to Astoria in Jackson Heights--but that was 30 years ago! However I think that it is still a decent middle class area with shops and restaurants, pretty close to LaGuardia airport. It skewed towards Greek immigrants when I was in the area, with good cafes and pastry shops. (The family of the actor Christopher Walken had a bakery in Astoria.) I think that in recent years a younger, hipper crowd has discovered the area, having been priced out of Manhattan. The old warehouses have attracted artists looking for studio space and MoMA has a contemporary exhibition space there, along with Socrates Sculpture Park. You would definitely need to visit to see if it is your kind of place.

By the way, I don't know what prices are like these days, but Roosevelt Island might work for you.

Re: Finding an apartment in Manhattan
 

Hello,

Thank you for the helpful reply :)

It looks like Astoria has a lot to offer with regards to food and the arts, which is what we like.

It's funny because the other place we had looked at and liked the look of today was Roosevelt Island. It seems a bit quirky, but we like that sort of thing. There are a lot of people online saying that it's *too* quiet, but I think we'd have to see it for ourselves. We live an hour outside of London, so we're used to super quiet.

Thanks again.