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31 May 2011

THE GREAT APARTMENT HUNT BEGINS Finally starting to see apartments for a June 15/July 1 move in. Eeeeeee so excited!
Seeing a place at 11 today. I have a great fear of committing too soon- what if I think this place is the best, but then discover after putting down money that it's not?? Eeeee!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 31 May | 08:43
What's that website where you can look up the apartment building to check on violations, etc?
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 31 May | 09:07
It's always so exciting to get a new place. The planning is the funnest part. For my first apartment I had a pink and green color scheme. Sounds horrid. It was mostly beige with a little pink and green. Good luck with the search, TPS.
posted by LoriFLA 31 May | 10:17
OF COURSE I didn't get to see the apartment. Because I when I said I wanted to see the apartment on 187th, the lady thought I meant the apartment at 190th? The one out of our price range? Of course. And of course, she doesn't have time to take me to the apartment I actually wanted to see. OF COURSE. Thanks for wasting my time, lady!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 31 May | 10:25
Of course.

We're moving sometime in early July to another apartment about three miles away owned by our landlords. (I've spent 9 years in this building, in four different apartments.) We got boxes this weekend. My crazy is already starting, given the fact that books are the easiest and most reasonable thing to pack... but they're the easiest, so I should do something harder and/or sort/discard instead... but the books are there... but they're too easy...

This is why I am much better with unpacking.
posted by Madamina 31 May | 10:40
Looking like there's an open house I could attend tonight!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 31 May | 12:02
A new apt is always so exciting. Keep updating us! My daughter is looking for one too. She's in the Bronx right now and is looking to move to Manhattan, uptown or above. She wants to be in more of an urban area; it's very residential where she is, in Woodlawn. She works at Fordham in the Bronx so doesn't want her commute to be too insane. Are you looking in Washington Heights?

Violations: http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/pr/violation.shtml

Worst landlords: http://pubadvocate.nyc.gov/landlord-watchlist

Good luck, TPS!
posted by iconomy 31 May | 12:15
Are you looking in Washington Heights?

Indeed I am! I work up here, which makes popping up for apartment viewings (or time-wastings!) not too hard. After work, I'll be walking around and writing down building sign phone numbers to see if anybody has anything for me.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 31 May | 13:31
Made an appointment to see a place at 5 before the open house. Checked the violation site, and it has TONS of violations, from as recently as 2 weeks ago. Eeeeeeeeee.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 31 May | 14:28
I have the best memories of Washington Heights! And the apartments there....love. I can still see so clearly the fabulous apartment that my Aunt and Uncle lived in with my 3 cousins. I thought it was so glamorous. I loved the main doors to the building, the courtyard in front, the wide, noisy marble stairs, how loud it was as we ran back and forth and back and forth down the long, narrow dark hall with the linoleum floor in the apartment (I'm sure the downstairs neighors loved us so much) and how impressed I was that there were two bathrooms. It was one of those apartments that had one super long hall and all of the rooms were to the right of the hall. Not a railroad, but....it probably had a name, I just never knew what it was. But that hall...so long and dark and loud. And the hallway walls were covered with our fingerprints and handprints.
posted by iconomy 31 May | 14:53
Saw two more places tonight- one that's probably in the running for the worst "apartment" in the city (if it still has a commercial entrance, it's not a fucking apartment, dude, even if it's locked with a metal grate) and one (well, three) with a broker who said she had something in my price range- but lied! The apartments out of my price range were very nice, of course. A discouraging first day.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 31 May | 18:54
So sick of dishonest realtors.
posted by iconomy 31 May | 19:03
FUCK 'EM
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 31 May | 19:04
Yeah, our agent here in Astoria, who we found through a friend, no less, drove me out to a place right next to the projects in LIC, claiming it was Astoria, at first. We got lucky with this place, though; they had only just listed it and we were the first ones to look at it. It was a mess when we first saw it, too, with the landlord painting and the bathroom half torn up, but I saw a diamond in the rough. They can be tricky, agents (they represent the landlords, after all), but they're indispensable in NYC. A lot of owners don't even list their apartments publicly (they like to "screen").

I know you probably know this, but watch out for listings you see without an agent (from an agency you've actually visited); unfortunately there are a lot of scammers out there. They'll show you the apartment, take your money, and disappear.

Why leave Astoria, pinky? You can get twice the space for the same money in Astoria than in Manhattan, even in the Heights, which, well, can be a bit sketchy (a teacher at my school was shot to death in his apartment in the Heights, found with the door open, groceries scattered on the floor). If a place is "affordable" (under $1,800 for a one bedroom) in Manhattan, there's a reason.

We had friends that had a beautiful place further up in Inwood. Nice neighborhood, too. It was about ten years ago, though; it might have gotten pricier since.

Anyway, the search is fun, if stressful. Tap everyone you know for potential leads. You never know how you might get a place; I got offered an apartment from a guy who worked at our local deli, back when we were having landlord problems and were considering moving (his parents owned the house).
posted by Pips 31 May | 19:52
Why leave Astoria, pinky?

Tired of the long commute to Washington Heights every day. Looking forward to walking to work! I will definitely miss living in Astoria. Thankfully, I can visit at least once a week for church!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 31 May | 19:54
Long commute? Seriously? I went all the way to the Bronx, an hour and a quarter each way on a good day, on the trains and buses for years. I'm down to about 25 minutes each way in the car now, which is lovely, I must say, though the tolls are killer (I really have to learn that 59th Street Bridge/FDR Drive no toll route).

Maybe futher up in LIC? Hunters Point area? Expensive, though.

I'm sure you know this, too, (forgive me for being such a buttinsky -- it's out of love, truly) but check out any area you're considering at night, too, after 10pm/midnight. A whole different set of folks come out at night sometimes. (Where I teach in the Bronx, for instance, it's not bad during the day, but it gets sketchier at night.) I love that our area's so quiet at night. Of course, you work there and I know Stynx used to live there, so I'm sure you're a lot more familiar than I am. Sounds like parts of the Heights are getting, as they say, "gentrified," if the agents are showing pricey places. Pretty soon you'll have to be a millionaire to live in Manhattan at all.
posted by Pips 31 May | 20:37
Takes me about an hour each way- either two trains (plus a walk between and a walk to the house) or a bus then a train. I am O-V-E-R it. Looking forward to making better use of that time.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 31 May | 20:40
Ah, I'm surprised. I used to get home from City College in about 40 minutes. An hour each way is quite a trip. I do like my shorter commute.

No worries. I'm out of advice anyway. ; )
posted by Pips 31 May | 20:49
Hehehe, no worries! Advice is fun.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 31 May | 21:06
I wish you a nice, safe, non-roach-filled no-fee apartment.
I predict you will see 11 apartments before you find the one you want.
2 down, 9 to go.
posted by rmless2 31 May | 22:17
http://www.nybits.com <-- No fee apartments

You're welcome. And if you need someone to interpret the broker-ese, I'd be glad to help out.
posted by TrishaLynn 01 June | 05:31
I predict you will see 11 apartments before you find the one you want.

Alright! Technically I saw 5 places yesterday (including the one with the broker who took me to the wrong place and three that were all too expensive), so I'm well on my way!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 01 June | 08:46
I'm also apt hunting but in DC. I've never had to do it before, and I'm flying up there next week to find a place. It's so overwhelming! I'm collecting Craigslist listings, but I'm uneasy about what to do once I get there. Anyway, good luck with your search -- here's to a year of pest-free, good-neighbor living!
(my first time posting here after reading for a while -- so great is my anxiety in this endeavor)
posted by bluefly 02 June | 17:33
Cheers to you, bluefly!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 02 June | 21:31
Sometime can't sleep so you make cornbread at 3AM || Bandcamp!

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