Moving to New York

[QNS104]

Here is a story about looking for apartments, from a friend of mine:

I have learned a lot during these past few weeks of apartment hunting.

It’s amazing what people will try to charge you for an apartment. I have to tell you one story.

I went to see an apartment in Kensington (an area of Brooklyn). It was listed in Craigslist as a two bedroom apartment for $1100 by the owner. Well we went to see that apartment. The neighbourhood was so-so, not great and the house was equally far from the F train as it was to the B/Q train.

When we got there the hallway was really dirty and I felt uncomfortable on the block. When I got into the apartment, I was mortified at how disgustingly dirty the apartment was. It was spacious and bright but the bathroom sink and bathtub were leaking and it looked like someone had no skills when it came to caulking and grouting the bathroom tiles (I could of done a better job with my eyes closed).

The second bedroom couldn’t even fit a twin bed and a desk. And finally the kitchen…… Well, the rack they installed above the sink was crooked (I don’t know what they were expecting to put on the shelf since it was so slanted).

The fridge was the clincher for me. When I opened it there were (can you guess?) dead roaches!!!!! How the hell can there be dead roaches in a working fridge? Too frightening.

I’m not done with the fridge. When I looked on top of the fridge, all you could see were mouse droppings everywhere. It was the most vile thing ever. At that moment I said “I think we’ve seen enough, thank you.”

It’s amazing how some people just don’t care about the apartments they’re renting. I mean, this place looked like a dump and they had the nerve to try and rent it for $1100 (they originally said it was for $1200 but people were saying it was too much, HA!). I pity the fool who took it.

Seeing that apartment shows you one thing…The landlord doesn’t give a crap about you. If somebody can show you an apartment that looks like that and not flinch, they are not gonna help you when your heat goes out or your stove breaks down or pretty much anything else.

[lofter1]

Here is a story about looking for apartments, from a friend of mine:
... the bathroom sink and bathtub were leaking and it looked like someone had no skills when it came to caulking and grouting the bathroom tiles (I could of done a better job with my eyes closed).

Hey, that is classic NYC tile work you're talking about!

This is why I do 99% of the repairs in my rental (where I've lived for the past 25+ years).

It's this kind of landlord attitude you talk about that ultimately cost the owner of my building thousands of dollars to take care of some fairly simple building maintenance -- after years of letting the "super" dick around with the boiler it was so screwed up that the repairs / up-grade cost them way more than if the owner had a professional take care of it in the first place.

[katerina]

Hello everybody! I am a psychologist coming from Greece but i currently live in London for my MSc and i was thinking of moving to NYC for my PhD and i would like a piece of advice as to how the situation there is. Meaning whether i could easily get a job, a house to stay in and what difficulties i might face concerning immigration.
Thanks about it.
Cheers to everybody,
Katerina.

[Edward]

So, Katerina, how do you feel about your name - the name of the recent devastating hurricane?

[lofter1]

i currently live in London for my MSc and i was thinking of moving to NYC

From what i hear if you can afford London then NYC should be no problem.

[katerina]

Well, i feel sorry for all those people who lost all their belongings and maybe relatives as well but i would not compare myself with the menace of the Katrina hurricane; we have a letter different after all which is a defining difference!
Anyway, Edward would you be able as administrator to help me in my enquiry please? Thanks, i appreciate it a lot.

Lofter i can afford London as i found a job here even before i move and i do not need a visa and all those immigration department procedures but i am not sure about NYC though; if you could fill me in though i would really appreciate it.. But yes London is a very expensive city beyond your imagination! I pay $1500 per month for a studio of just 30sq.m. with no other than the basic facilities in the beginning!!!


Anyway, thank you guys for the reply.
Katerina.

[lofter1]

Easy to get a job? This is a hard question to answer without specifics...

Your field
Your experience
Your connections

If you know people in NYC start networking now, before you come, so you have some job prospects lined up.

Hopefully you have some savings to tide you over (enough to get you through 6 months - 1 year) just in case things don't turn out as you envision.

NYC always has jobs available. The harder part is getting the one that fits you.

[ryan]

It has become harder in the past few years to secure a work visa without an employer sponsor, and I would think that given your field, you would have another layer of red tape due to licensing, certification, or whatever hoops they make practicing psychologists jump through. If you wanted to attend a phd program, you would have an easier time with an education visa.

You should probably seek out the advice of someone in your field who has recently immigrated to the US. I haven't heard anyone one these boards mention they're in that field, and I would think that other sites might give you more immigration expertise.

[katerina]

Thank you Ryan, thank you Lofter1 about that. Ryan could you please tell me any other site that i could register and ask maybe about the immigration procedure and staff?
Yes i have many friends in NYC but none of them is aware of the procedure. Anyway, thanks again.
Regards,
Katerina.

[Dom]

Hi,
I currently live in Sydney, Australia with my husband and 2 young kids. We'll be moving to NY in the next couple of months for a 2 year work assignment. I could really do with some of your advice for what areas I should be looking at for apartments. The work will be mostly in the Theatre District.

Ideally we'd like to live close to work or at least an easy/short commute away. I'd prefer a 3 bedroom place that has some kids oriented facilities nearby. Safety is also a major concern as I'm likely to be out and about a lot with the kids. The rental budget would be $2000- $3000/month. Closer to $2000 hopefully.

I really appreciate any pointers

cheers,
Dom

[lofter1]

A couple of questions for you:

Are the kids school age or pre-school?

Do you want 2 bedrooms or 3 bedrooms? Or more?

Meanwhile you might check this out: http://www.rentmanhattan.com/apt_lists.php

[Dom]

My kids are pre-school, one is 10 months and the other nearly 3 years old. I'd prefer a 3 bedroom place.

[tackledspoon]

I'm a college student, currently living in Pittsburgh, PA, but I've slowly found that I'm not enjoying it so much here and I'd rather be in New York. I'm thinking about transferring back for next fall.
I'm trying to get as much of a head start on this as I can, though, so I'm gonna ask now to A) help decide if coming back is really the right thing and B) be prepared for if/when I do come back.
Basically, I get this picture like everyone exagerrates the cost of going to college in New York. I mean, tuitions are generally high and so is room and board, but, unlike most kids coming to college in New York, I've lived no more than 20 minutes from it my entire life and know how to spend sensibly. I also know that, by splitting a small apartment with a few friends in Brooklyn or SOHO, I can get way more for my money than anyone does with university housing.
I've heard horror stories about kids going to school in New York and leaving with massive debts, but, the way I spend (currently, I'm spending about $25 a week, not including stuff that's on my meal plan- I don't dine out, I cook for myself and the only thing I really buy is music) I don't see that happening. I would have to assume some extra money to pay for tuition itself, but I'm already getting some financial aid going to a cheaper school, so I don't know how much more I'd actually have to pay.
Okay, so my question is: how expensive is it for a native New Yorker, who's used to living on a tight budget to go to school in New York?

Also, if you know of any other pros/cons of going to college in the city (namely NYU), could you maybe list them?
Thank you very much.

[Dom]

Hi,

Can anyone please help with my questions above???
We'd also consider living outside of Manhattan, as long as it doesn't take more than 30 minutes to get into Midtown.

thanks heaps,
Dom

[ablarc]

Dom, I think you need to revise your rental budget upward or your space requirements downward. Once you've done that, look into the Upper West side, from the 70's all the way up to Columbia (116th St).

Easy subway commute to Theatre district, with no transfers.

Nice, lively neighborhood. Everything at your fingertips. Riverside Park and Central Park. Broadway's the main drag; east and west of it are equally good.

You'll feel right at home. Or maybe you'll think you're in Paris.



While you're looking for a place, use the Hotel Beacon as your HQ. Reasonable rates, kitchenettes, great location on Broadway, near 72nd Street subway stop.