rent in nyc

after 9/11 the economy took a big slap in the face ...even car insurance went up because nyc was considered a 'risk' ...houses went up ...my mom paid 200 k for her house in 89 and 2 years ago she sold it for 425k now she can get about 500 for it ...they say after the election interest rates will go up and the price of houses should go down ...which will also effect the price of rent ...so i dont know wait it out ...625 for an apartment is nearly impossible..i live in a 1-bedroom condo and if i wanted to rent it out i can get about 1400 for it ...its got a beautiful view of the skyline the empire state is right in front of me ...but im in queens ...lets see what happens in november ...its not the Presidents fault, so dont let this effect your vote

SZCCDW,

If you are really planning to move back to the city, give yourself plenty of

time to get re-acclimated...get the NY newspapers on a regular basis and

read the apt listings. Don't get completely bummed out because there is

some good news - prices are still coming down and there are, increasingly,

more apartments available. Another idea to help with affordability is that

you can start looking in areas that you couldn't even walk through when

you last left...the northern part of central part is becoming safer (still be

sensible and don't go into the woods alone)...the area around Columbia

Presbyterian is becoming safer too...

Now the bad news...prices are currently even higher than you think. In

general, studios are becoming affordable (I can't believe I'm saying that!)

at $1,000 - $1,200. A 1BR is $1400 - $1,800. A 2BR (if you can find it)

$2,500 - $5,000. No, I'm not talking the luxury places...all four one

bedroom apts on my block (in brownstones) - 69th St. & Columbus Ave

were about the same recently $2,220, $2,300, $2,225, and $2,200 - yes,

I said 1 bedroom and you know the size of those brownstones...

Admittedly, they were ready for someone to move in but, still...

Start looking as soon as you can so when you find the good deal you will

recognize it. For good luck, let me be the first to say "Welcome Home."

Deborah

I agree with the last post. I'm living at 111th Street and paying $1,100.00 for my room in a 2BR apartment. When school starts for me next year, I will probably move into the Washington Heights/Inwood area, as the rents are still more affordable there. Good luck!

szccdw,

Go to this website http://www.craigslist.org and click on NYC. You should be able to search for apts. by location, # of rooms, and max price. Even though rent is high, you might be able to find a good deal depending on where you want to move. Queens and some parts of Brooklyn are cheaper than Manhattan. Good Luck in your search!

I'm sorry - call me an ignorant hick. But how on earth can somebody pay $1,000 - $2,000 a month in rent????? I can barely afford $500. Do people make a lot more money per hour in NY rather than in Ohio???

yes, they make more. Rent, morgage, not too important....cost of living usually co-exsists with the location. For ex....when a lived in st.paul,mn acouple of yrs ago my small studio, with no kitchen or parking was 465+ utilities.....i managed this by working at a coffee shop!?! ya, you make more in bigger cities, to fit the cost of living....now i am in small town iowa where we have a 3 br......our morgage is $430 a month.......its so amazing!!!!

anyways, just something to think about. Is it worth it, absolutely NOT, i miss access to the city

No Krissypoo, not that much more, to be quite honest.

Depending on what industry szccdw is in, market rents in Manhattan and a few other select places in the five boroughs are out of the question. Deb, you and I know that although those prices you quoted may be "reasonable" by high-brow New York standard, they are BY NO MEANS reasonable. I mean, really. Guaranteed, a coffee shop worker's salary in NYC is NOT enough to pay the rent. As for right now, I have been priced out of the market entirely in locations where I would want to live (even in neighborhoods that most would consider traditionally "sketchy", also referred to as "gentrification") and now am in Jersey City where things are still SLIGHTLY reasonable, but are on their way up as well.

Remember, that's why "Ol' Blue Eyes" says, "If I can make it here, I'll make it anywhere ..." IT AIN'T CHEAP! LOL! OK, so maybe he was saying it for a different reason, certainly he could have afforded an apartment in Chelsea or LES on an artists' income when he sung that song! LMAO! Try Chelsea or LES NOW!

I myself am making every effort to GET OUT, and I am a NY native. Housing, among other things, is absurd, plain and simple.

That said, yes, newyork.craigslist.org is an awesome resource for more than just apartments. Definitely keep it in your 'Favorites' and refer to it daily. It's certainly not what it used to be, because now everyone and their mother knows about it, but it can be better than the local papers. Good luck.

wouldn't want to offend anyone

Anonny,

I am impressed beyond words. How did you manage to score that with no broker fee/credit or income check?

I make LESS now here in NYC than I did 4 years ago in California BEFORE receiving my MA doing similar work since the job market here in my field (non-nursing mental health) SUCKS. And my rent is $300 more here than it was in CA! But I must say, I LUCKED out: very large & bright studio in a brownstone near Morningside Park/Columbia U in Manhattan for $800/month, no broker fee or credit or income check. But you shoulda seen some the crappy places I saw for more rent, in a share, tiny, & absolutely unliveable! Just have patience and don't give up!

If annonny had to suffer $300 more while being paid less than she was in California, with two degrees working in a similar field, what does that say for everyone else??????

Excuse the rant, I'm just very passionate when society tries to feed me some justification for what is nothing more than utter greed.

To answer your question on how people are making it --a lot of friends I have who have recently moved into their first aparments in Manhattan have all done the same thing to save $$$. They all wanted a nice neighborhood with a doorman building so they paired up went looking for huge great one bedroom apts. Upon moving in they paid $800 for the construction of an additional temporary wall so they could transform the place into 2 bedrooms and split the rent. It's pretty awesome because when the rent is split it's not so bad plus they live in very nice buildings with gyms, drycleaning, storage, elevators and doormen. Not sure of your situation but if it's an option for you --I know a lot of people it's worked out for :)

Funny you say that, because before I had my daughter, the only way I was able to afford a beautiful suburb of Queens (Fresh Meadows) was to have a roommate! And that's Queens!

Not so easy w/a family. Oh well ... :) .

To answer your question on how people are making it --a lot of friends I have who have recently moved into their first aparments in Manhattan have all done the same thing to save $$$. They all wanted a nice neighborhood with a doorman building so they paired up went looking for huge great one bedroom apts. Upon moving in they paid $800 for the construction of an additional temporary wall so they could transform the place into 2 bedrooms and split the rent. It's pretty awesome because when the rent is split it's not so bad plus they live in very nice buildings with gyms, drycleaning, storage, elevators and doormen. Not sure of your situation but if it's an option for you --I know a lot of people it's worked out for :)