Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with apartment

Moving to Denver, know nothing west of the Mississippi. Help!

stormygrey — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:44:42 -0800

I'm moving to Denver... soon! Aside from one awesome week in San Francisco, I've never even been west of the Mississippi. Help this Georgia girl find a place to love. I am so excited (In that I hope I don't puke on anybody way) to be moving to Denver. The job starts mid-September, but I will be ready to head out anytime from mid-July on. I could really use your input on where to live as I'm really not sure that I'll be able to go look before I can move. We really love our neighborhood now and I'm going to let that inform where I would like to live.

So things I love about where I live now:
*I can easily walk or bike (>1.5 miles) to multiple different bars/restaurants/shops/music venues/theaters.
*I live in a very small attic apartment, but what I pay corresponds to the size. $700 w/utilities in this case.
*No one thinks its weird if I go running after dark, there are lots of people running and biking and there is a recreation trail close that connects parts of downtown.
*It is very diverse and artsy in that, no one gives a fuck what you do, kind of way.
*I live a scant two miles from downtown proper and the capital, but my neighborhood is very homey, with modest historic homes and cute and eclectic yards and facades.

Other Considerations:
*My husband is going to be at Buckley AFB in Aurora. I don't want his commute to be awful.
*The suburbs both make us very sad. We really don't want strip malls or slick, new apartment complexes.
*Urban bike/walk-ablility is pretty important. I assume almost everywhere is going to have good access to some awesome wilderness hiking/activity stuff.
*We're not scared of people or city stuff. Ha. When looking at military spouse forums I feel like there is a lot of "safe places to live" which feels like code for "please shelter me from those who are different."
*We love zoos, city parks, green spaces, etc.
*At a glance I'm not seeing subdivided houses, small house, etc on Craigslist mostly just straight up bland apartment complexes. We will be there about 3 years, I don't want to buy.
*Accordingly, I am kinda thinking the City Park, Uptown, or Five Points area. I don't know! I've never been there, this is all google here!
*We absolutely don't want to live on base.
*We are hoping to spend between 900-1000/mth, but could go over if there are a lot of other places.

Man, that's a lot, but really just good, fun, easy, moderate size city living is what we're after. What do you have to say about all this?

Loans for NYC Moving Expenses

incomple — Tue, 14 May 2013 07:29:25 -0800

I'm planning to move from one NYC neighborhood to another at the end of the summer. Though I'm 99% sure I'll be able to cover all potential expenses (movers, security deposit, first/last month's rent, broker's fee), I was wondering if there's a reputable company that advances small loans to help cover these costs. Though at this point I'm fully expecting to be able to cover all the expenses, I'm worried about the possibility of some sort of emergency that would necessitate dipping into these savings. The amount that I would potentially need to borrow would be small (absolute worst case scenario, probably $4000), and could be repaid reasonably immediately.

I have doubts about my bank (Chase) advancing such a loan, though I'll be thrilled if anyone tells me otherwise. I'm also strongly considering asking for an increase to my credit limit, because though I have yet to encounter a landlord who takes payments by card, I know that could be the thing that preserves my bank balance in an emergency.

Basically, any advice on how to cover my ass, beyond just crossing my fingers, would be appreciated.

i lost the landlord's copy of the keys

windykites — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:29:40 -0800

I lost my keys, and then I lost my landlord's keys. I'm baffled, embarassed, and trapped inside my apartment. So the other day I got home from work to find a big hole in my bag and my keys were missing. I stayed at my sweetie's house and picked up the landlord's copy of the keys the next day. The plan was that i'd have copies cut and return the originals. The ring had two keys and a tag with a number that I can't recall. One key was for my door. I don't know what the other key was for; I couldn't figure it out.

The key cutting place I went to didn't have the right blanks and I hadn't gotten around to going somewhere else.

I got home tired, cranky, and not paying attention yesterday and haven't been able to find my keys since. (I've checked the obvious-stupid places like the fridge and the lock, etc). Now I am trapped in my house and I don't know what to do next. I can't afford a locksmith. I'd thought of changing the lock, but what about the mystery key?

If at all possible, I want to avoid having to interact with them... I've been sort of troublesome for them and I don't want them to hate me any more than they do.

Working with a broker to find an apartment in NY: A guide.

windbox — Mon, 13 May 2013 08:05:07 -0800

A few years ago there was a phenomenal write-up on this site about buying a car and working with skeezy car dealers. I wanted to know if similar advice existed for working with skeezy brokers in NY, specifically Brooklyn. I posted a few weeks ago about finding a room in a shared apartment in a nice neighborhood in Brooklyn (Boerum, Fort Greene, Prospect Heights, anywhere nice along the C or 1,2, etc) and got some awesome advice. But I'm thinking if that doesn't happen I might end up having to buckle down and use a broker to find a studio, if any small but livable ones exist for under $1300 (in my last post, I had been told they did).

I'm looking to be smart about working with them though. I imagine I'm of course supposed to avoid signing anything unless it's a contract on the place, and if I find a place I like, to jump on it immediately. I'd also like to avoid being shown places that are straight up out of my price range or flat out not in the neighborhood I asked for. What other tricks do brokers do to waste your time or scam you, and how do you avoid them? Will brokers flat-out not work with you at all if your criteria is too picky/come off as inflexible (like telling them straight up, "look, I'm not even interested in looking at anything east of X st or for more than $1250 so don't even bother). Is it smart to name an asking price lower than what I want to pay and anticipate them showing me higher priced places?

As far as materials that I have on my end: ID, checkbook, offer letter for my new job, and a signed statement from my bank disclosing how much money is in my savings (should be enough to pay many, many, many months of rent in the event of an emergency). I've talked to people about pulling a credit report and they told me that they'll usually do that on their end, I just pay the fee. Correct me if I'm off or if I need anything else.

Sorry, clueless about how a lot of this goes down which means I'm ripe for being ripped off or having my time wasted - I've done a lot of research and read stories about others experiences, but a lot of it is conflicting and wanted to know if there was any input, advice, expectations from all of you.

How do I make sure not to get scammed on a Craigslist sublet?

lxs — Sun, 12 May 2013 08:35:36 -0800

I'm traveling over the summer (for a month) and found a short-term sublet on Craigslist that seems perfect. The current tenant (who is renting her 1br in a 2br apt) has agreed to let me stay and has asked me to transfer a deposit to her bank account. It is an actual bank (rather than Western Union or something of that sort), but I don't know enough - nor have I been able to find enough by searching online - to find out if this is "safe." Is there a more secure way to send a deposit for a sublet? I was thinking of asking to use Paypal instead.

Also, what information or personal details could/should I request from the renter to make the transition more safe, or at least to minimize my nervousness about getting scammed?

I know that she's taking a risk, too, and if I'm planning to live there, a certain amount of trust is involved. The internet (namely Craigslist) still just makes me nervous, though, so I want to do what I can.

Thanks for any advice and apologies if this question has already been answered - I dug through all sorts of past posts and couldn't find this specific info.

I am literally going to clean all the things.

lunasol — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:26:46 -0800

I would like to do a massive clean/organization of my apartment over the next few weeks. Help me figure out a game plan. tl;dr version: Help me figure out a game plan for both organizing and cleaning my two-bedroom apartment over a period of 2-3 days.

I've been in my apartment for a year, but I've been traveling for about half of that, plus organization and home decor are not my strong suits, so about half my stuff is either still in boxes or is just shoved haphazardly into drawers or closets. I'd like to take a day this weekend and then most of Memorial Day weekend (in two weeks) to really get my apartment in order. I'd also like to do a deep-clean. I know what I want to do, but it's all a bit overwhelming and I'd love some help formulating a game plan.

What I'm starting with: I have an apartment with a lot of space but not much storage. I have two main rooms (a kitchen and a living room) which are both large but somewhat awkwardly long and narrow. I also have two bedrooms, one of which should be a spare room, but is where the boxes live. The only closets are in the bedrooms, though the kitchen has a lot of cupboards and drawers.

Kitchen: Somehow, though this room has the most storage, it also seems to have the most clutter, so much so that I often find myself not wanting to cook there, which is a problem. I would love some tips for how to manage all the stuff (pantry items, dishes, cookware, junk drawer stuff) so that it's organized and easy to find/put away.

Bedroom: I still don't have a dresser, mainly because I've never been able to successfully keep my clothes in a dresser, so it seems like a bit of a waste of money. But that means that right now, most of my clothes live in hampers, on the floor or (rarely!) on hangers. Does anyone have non-dresser ideas for storing clothes?

Spare room: Boxlandia. I would love to be able to pare down what I have in my boxes so that it all fits in the closet, leaving the rest of the room available to be a proper guest room (I've also thought of eventually turning it into a TV room/den so that my living room is a TV-free space).

The living room is actually OK - mainly just need to properly clean the floors and the upholstered furniture and straighten up some of the dog stuff I have lying around. Eventually, I'd like to turn one end into an office/work area, but that's the next step. One thing I would like to do is set up a better way of distinguishing the entrance from the outside - it opens right into my living room, which means 1. stuff gets thrown just anywhere in the room when I get home and 2. dirt gets tracked in really easily by me and my dog.

Beyond the organization stuff, I haven't done a deep-clean in 6 months. I sweep the floors and wipe down all the surfaces every week or two and vacuum once a month or so - what are a few things that I could do in, say, 3-4 hours to make my place feel really, really clean? (Baring in mind I have a mix of hardwood, carpeted, tile and linoleum floors).

One limitation: I'd like to avoid buying too much additional furniture unless I know I need it, because I'm on a somewhat tight budget right now and I want to avoid additional clutter. So I'd like to make the best use of what I have now before I start buying more shelves or other storage furniture. What I have now is a lot of cupboard space in the kitchen and bathroom, several small end tables with drawers, a small drawer set I use as a TV stand and several tubs/hampers.

Oh, and bonus question: I have a 5-month old puppy who follows me everywhere I go and is curious about everything I touch. He also protests mightily if I leave him in his kennel while I'm home (he's fine if I do so when I'm out). Any ideas about what to do with him during all of this? Thinking about sending him to doggie day care for at least one of the days.

Note: I know about Unfuck Your Habitat and will be using it a lot for inspiration/ideas.

My roommate is driving me nuts and I'm wondering what my options are

antgly — Thu, 09 May 2013 09:42:32 -0800

Basically I paid $400 (really cheap rent) for a small room sublet in Bensonhurst and one of my friends with benefits (who I knew for about a month), heard about my situation incidentally and kept on asking me to split rent with him in the Bronx. It's not a particularly bad area and it was financially feasible (he lives alone and his dad pays half his rent just as a nice gesture, so we'd split the remaining amount - $250 a month on me and the rest on him - about the same). So primarily for financial reasons, as I could save money on rent, I started moving my things and called my landlord to tell him I'm leaving this month within a couple weeks. So it comes to this... me and him have some fun and it seems all fine until his female friend has to stay with him for a short while. He and her speak Spanish most of the time, so I only understand like 20% of the Spanish. They both seem to have their own shared issue with me, which I feel is due to some jealousy of attention as each one thinks the other one is spending more time with me than themselves.

He's become a total tyrant recently (after all the fun has passed and he's basically gotten past me in his adventures). I would say that he has few real friends and feels like he's my parent. He is always asking me where I am and feels like my business is his business. He gets negative and offensive to me and gets rabid when I don't let him get into my personal business, even threatening to get me out of his place. I don't mind that he's a neat-freak - that is not really a problem as I try my best to keep things neat around the place. Sometimes I feel that he is mentally unstable.

The lease is on him and his dad, even though he lives there by himself.

I originally left my grandpa's apartment (technically stepgrandpa's place) before I moved into my old room sublet because he was financially leeching off me and would read my mail despite me not giving permission and would live large at my expense even though he'd make $60,000 and live in a rent-controlled apartment.

I'm wondering what I should do. Should I try to get back to the old place or should I stay at my convenience until I find something better? Is there something better? Like a better apartment or somewhere I can stay that fits into my income? I make $40,000 a year currently as a mobile developer in a company working full-time 5 days a week.

I'm wondering if there are any other options that I have other than attempting to get back to my old place. If I will have to move my bags again, I would rather move them to a newer and nicer place than my old place.

Ugh, what kind of bugs do I have?

liketitanic — Tue, 07 May 2013 21:35:30 -0800

I have some sort of bug infestation in my house and am getting many little bites. What could it be? Here are some things, with a kitty picture. 1. Pretty confident it's not bed bugs: the bite patterns aren't characteristic or in characteristic places; I don't see blood anywhere; I am not seeing the bugs anywhere, including in the mattress seams.

2. It may or may not be fleas. I treat my cat with Advantage every month, and while he does not have fleas on him I'm wondering if a) there were eggs somewhere in the house that hatched and are feeding on me and not the cat, or b) if the fleas are becoming resistant to the Advantage. I have not SEEN any fleas, either. Cat is supposed to get another flea treatment in . . . 10 days? May give it in 5.

3. What else could it be? What can I do? It's itchy.

Apartment-dweller in Chicago.

Alternative living arrangements?

jsturgill — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:24:12 -0800

I may be on the lookout for a new residence soon, and I'm open to alternatives to the usual apartment/house rental. In particular, living in an RV or camper trailer parked on the street outside of a friend's house (or in their driveway if long-term parking on the street is illegal) seems doable. And fun. And possible (I asked). What's it like? Other suggestions welcome—the vehicle option is just what came to mind first.

I have a 2002 Subaru Outback that apparently has a max towing capacity of 2,000 pounds, so I guess I need a motor home or a very light camper trailer.

I'm interested in something with a built-in shower and toilet, which I suppose means I definitely need a motor home with black and/or greywater containers that would need to be dumped out every so often. How often? How much does an RV park charge for this service?

What models should I look at? What specific features should it have? How much is a reasonable cost?

I'm assuming a propane tank for cooking, tiny fridge, etc.

How viable would solar power be? Electricity needs would consist entirely of reading lights, my laptop, phone, possibly external speakers, and a tiny fridge.

If I ran everything off batteries that I charged every day/every other day, how much electricity would that use up compared to regular home usage? I mean, is that a "Here's 20 bucks for letting me recharge this month" situation, or is it more like "Heres $100 for this week?"

I've seen this post. Any others?

Fresno, CA area.

Where should I live in New York?

naoko — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:41:22 -0800

I'm moving to New York and don't know a lot about neighborhoods. Where should I live? My boyfriend just got a new job, we are moving in together in New York - he is moving in June and I am following some time in the next several months (September-ish?). I currently live in DC (U Street area) and he lives in Cambridge, MA (between Harvard and Central Squares) (we both really like our current neighborhoods a lot, fwiw). His new office is around 5th Ave and 34th Street.

Things we don't care about at all:
- Doorman
- Fancy in-building facilities like a gym. Washer and dryer in the building would be nice but that's about it.
- Shiny perfect new appliances

Things we do care about
- Near a subway stop and a not horribly long commute for him to get to work
- Feels like a "neighborhood" - an area with some personality and character, has affordable bars and restaurants and culture-y things to do (movie theaters? funky bookstores? live music? I don't know exactly, but that sort of thing), and where other young-ish people live (we are both 28). It doesn't have to be the hippest area, just somewhere that's not boring commercial wasteland. Basically we want to give ourselves the best possible shot at falling in love with New York.

Based on the 40xrent=salary rule that I've seen in other threads about NYC apartment hunting, our budget is around $2500 (note: this only takes into account his salary. I am currently in a (low-paid, but paid) internship in DC and do not have a job lined up in New York yet). I don't really have a great idea of what different neighborhoods are like and what that amount of money gets us. My sister (who lives in the West Village) is pretty convinced that what we want is Williamsburg, and from what she says it sounds appealing, but I'd love to hear other opinions. I floated East Village/Lower East Side and she said I might find it a bit on the noisy side but that it might be an option. Other ideas appreciated too! Boyfriend and I are headed to New York this weekend to take a look around and get a better idea of what's what, so any guidance going into that would be much appreciated!

Question Part B:
Since my boyfriend will be moving there several months before me, does it make sense for him to get a sublet until we can move into our real apartment together? Or will the hassle of finding a sublet and moving in and then finding a permanent apartment and then moving again outweigh saving some money by having a smaller place until I get there? I hear so many horror stories about New York apartment hunting that I wonder if the peace of mind and less drawn-out process of only having to find a place once might be worth it. Then again, that puts a lot of pressure on us to find that more permanent apartment really soon. Also, if I can find a job before I move then our budget can be bigger. I've been mentally going around in circles on this and I just don't know.

I'm trying to decide whether to stay in my current apt or go to another

Prairie — Wed, 01 May 2013 14:57:52 -0800

I'm trying to decide whether to stay in my current apt or go to another one. Details including snowflakery below. I've been here six months on a month-to-month. I was at my last place ten years but my landlord was unable/unwilling to deal a drummer who drummed at all hours. (I'd also tried dealing with him myself, to an extent, with no success).

This place is $550 plus about $115 in electricity (no gas). Pretty reasonable but maybe a little expensive for this part of town. I'm on the low end of the salary scale. Three blocks from work. New neighbors seem OK, I asked him not to drum when I'm home (I though my brain was breaking when I realized what he was doing). He seemed contrite and apologetic, and I have heard no further drumming.

The other place: I'd be across the hall from an old housemate of 20 years ago. Good neighbor, no trouble. $475 + gas + heat, in addition I'd have a microwave and laundry. Twelve month lease. Six or seven blocks from work.

Both places were completely remodeled prior.

Potential/old neighbor leaves ten pairs of shoes in a shelf in hall. Laundry room in basement is full of crap and things hanging up. While I looked at the potential place, I could hear the man below me cough, leading me to think my current place is insulated better, noise-wise.

I think I have a bit of sensory processing disorder, it's not bad enough I'm surrounded by yammerers 8 hours/day. I like a little peace and quiet and night.

Still, I'd like not to be broke/put money in savings. Have you ever negotated with a landlord either to lower your rent or to not make you sign a 12 month lease? (I don't want to sign a l12 month lease as I hope to have a house/condo soon).

I'm guessing since nearby schools are getting close to being out it will be a renter's market, but who knows.

You know moving is just a chore. How do I tease out what is the right thing to do?

Excuse what is probably a myriad of mistakes, I'm running off to work.

Apartment Living: What am I not thinking of?

dotgirl — Wed, 01 May 2013 09:50:11 -0800

Background: I own a house in an area that is gentrifying - but not gentrified. I was awarded the house in my divorce, but it's far more room than I and my 9-year old son need. I hate maintaining it - dealing with plumbing, broken ovens, lawn care. Additionally, it was burgled about a month ago, and that was kind of a 'final straw' moment for me. I plan to buy a condo in the future, but am strongly considering renting an apartment for the next few years. I've lived in a number of apartments, but not in the last 10+ years.

I'm aware of the challenges - noise from neighbors, neighbors complaining about noise, etc. But when making up my "Pros" and "Cons" list, I have so few things in the "Cons" that I'm wondering if there's something I'm forgetting - and that's where I need your help!

What bad (and good!) things should I put on my list?

Yet another question about moving to Boston...

rapidadverbssuck — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:00:41 -0800

My partner and I are moving to Boston! We would like to live in an up-and-coming area (as opposed to "established," getting the most space for our limited budget) close to public transportation, but are having some difficulty determining which areas are safe and fit our lifestyle. We enjoy going out to eat, but we aren't big drinkers. We also enjoy long rambling walks and want to be able to safely explore our neighborhood at night. And we will have one car, but one of us will be depending exclusively on public transportation for getting around the city.

1) We are mainly looking for apartments in the $1500-$2000 range in Brookline, Jamaica Plain, Fenway, Somerville, and Southie. Which streets in these neighborhoods are the most desirable? Coolidge Corner, Davis Square, and Centre Street (in JP) have all been recommended and all seem very popular. Which streets are up-and-coming? For example, we have heard good things about East and West Broadway in Southie. Which streets are best avoided? Are there other neighborhoods that we should consider?

2) Also, what websites do you find the most useful for apartment hunting? We've been using Zillow, Craigslist, and Padmapper. Are we overlooking any useful tools? Would it be worthwhile to look at local papers?

3) Lastly, when should we schedule our apartment hunting trip to maximize the number of attractive apartments available on September 1. For instance, will the majority of September 1 apartments be available now, later in May, or in June?

The best, most stylish planting pots online?

The Whelk — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:46:15 -0800

I'm looking to outfit an apartment window garden with some kick-ass pots of various sizes and shapes. Where's the best online retailer of not-plastic, not-boring brown, pots and gardening containers? Bonus if they sell supplies like potting soil and live plants and seeds.

How to rent an apartment in Brooklyn.

SLC Mom — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 11:09:43 -0800

My lovely daughter and her friend are graduating from college in May and looking for an apartment in Brooklyn. Initial inquiries into listings (via PadMapper) trigger a response from brokers. Who universally tell her that they have nothing like what she is looking for.
"Well, what about this apartment that you just posted?" "Before I show you anything, I would need to meet with you, explain my role, have you sign paperwork, discuss my fees...."

Seriously, New York? We are Angelenos and this seems really strange to us. OTOH, if that is how it's done in NY, we need to figure it out.

They want to spend $1400 for 2 bedrooms, which may indeed be unrealistic. But there are ads out there so, why can't they see any of them? Must they have a broker? Do they have to sign a contract? Is there an upfront cost, or only if they find something? What if the broker can't find them something? What if they sign a contract then find something on their own?

Any advice, dear hive?

Moving to Chicago. Help?

lunastellasol — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 08:48:46 -0800

Where to live, what am I overlooking, huge step and pivotal moment in my life. I need to know where to look for apartments for rent in Chicago in a safe, student friendly neighborhood that won't cost a fortune. I appreciate the time to read all of this, I will try my best to be somewhat concise.

My SO recently moved to Illinois to attend SO's dream school. I fell in love with Chicago and can no longer handle the LD part of our relationship, so I am making the move for us to be together. I am fairly certain SO is my life partner and "soul mate" (whatever this means to you, basically we're in it for the long haul) We are in our mid-20's and have been together 4 years so we're both on the same page in regards to the usual deal-breakers, life circumstances, kids, etc. All of that is taken care of so any advice on that aspect is not needed for the most part. We're both under the agreement at this time that we'll do whatever it takes to be together and are fairly certain that this move is the next step in our relationship.

Right now, the advice I'm needing is where to live? The beginning of August is the time frame we would like to move in to an apartment. SO is currently attending Columbia College and I will be attending the University of Illinois. I have been looking at places near Lincoln Park and the Gold Coast area, but they are pretty expensive and don't seem student friendly (but feel free to recommend if you know otherwise). I have been told of a few neighborhoods such as Edgewater and Wrigleyville or something like that, but since I am not in Chicago and SO recently moved, we're both fairly clueless. What we are hoping for is a place close to both of our respective colleges. SO currently has a job, I will hopefully have a job lined up before I move, but some savings should keep us afloat until I do.

~Preferably a location that is close to the train and bus stops. Some walking is ok, but not anything over a few blocks, a safe neighborhood is a must.

~Rent preferably around $1200 or less, one bedroom, any paid utilities (preferably heat), W/D are a definite plus! (Very important, but I would compromise for a laundry facility if the rent is cheaper) We don't have pets, or need parking spaces, or anything like that.

Looking for a reputable landlord and a location that is student friendly and safe. I am wary of the street violence and/or gangs and am concerned to be living in a neighborhood that that will not be an issue or something to be actively concerned with every time I walk out the door. I know most places advertise on the building and that is the only avenue to let people know that they are available to rent, but I would like to know from personal experience where to go that would not be shady. I know the suburbs might be nice but what would the commute look like? Any advice or help is appreciated.

Where should we live in the district?

troika — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:28:35 -0800

Looking for a good DC apartment building that is relatively quiet and allows cats, 1BR for under $2250/month. My boyfriend and I are looking for a building to live in in Washington, DC. It must not be really loud (not full of partiers), and it must allow cats. We are not looking outside of the district, and we are really only looking at apartment buildings.

Preferably close to a metro stop on the green, yellow, and/or blue lines. Not really picky about neighborhoods, though we do really like Petworth/Park View and Shaw.

There are a LOT of building options out there, and obviously some are way better than others, and . We're hoping to narrow it down. Do you really love where you live? Are there buildings/management companies we should really avoid?

Help with NYC Apartment Hunting (In-Town Move, April 2013 Edition)

unannihilated — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 09:32:34 -0800

I've been reading through all the New York apartment hunting threads, but I'm my own special snowflake...and I know how quickly things here can change. I've been yapping about this problem to everyone, but it's time to post a formal question. So I landed in New York a few months ago and am living in South (Park) Slope with two other people that I found on Craigslist. The neighborhood is mostly fine, the apartment is mostly fine, but I hate the roommates. I've been asking around for people who might need roommates, but nothing solid has panned out so far, and I can't hack another round of Internet complete stranger roommates. So I'm going to start to look for my own place.

Question 1: Help me pick some neighborhoods
1. I want to spend no more than $1500 per month on rent. It is okay if utilities are on top of this.
2. My closet subway stop for work is 34th Street/Harold Square. (B, D, F, M, N, Q, R) I would like a door-to-door commute of no more than 30 minutes. 33rd Street is about equidistant (6). Prefer longer walk to train stop than longer train ride so I'll throw in Penn Station as doable (1,2,3).
3. I want to remain in Brooklyn.
4. I don't need any luxuries like a gym, doorman, elevator, laundry. I don't cook so I don't care about the age of the stove or a dishwasher, etc. But the apartment itself should be in good condition - no bug problems, no tub that hasn't been caulked since 1972, etc.. I'd prefer a real 1-bedroom to a studio. Quiet building is important. (I need refuge.)
5. Somewhat sketchy or transitioning neighborhoods do not bother me.
6. I do not need to live somewhere "cool" but I am 31, single, and active, so assume neighborhoods that have at least some bars and restaurants, I run in the park, don't care about it being family-friendly, etc.
7. I've been particularly charmed by neighborhoods that are a little more leafy like the Carroll Gardens/Cobble Hill area. (But Craigslist and Padmapper revealed virtually nothing to rent there and all of it far out of my price range.) I guess what's referred to as Brownstone Brooklyn.

I have a feeling these are all incompatible, but can you tell me if this is feasible and if so, recommend some neighborhoods? Let's say if they aren't I would first downgrade to studio, then ditch the green and leafy, then push my commute up to 45 minutes, then push up my budget by $200. The one thing on the list I will not bend on is staying in Brooklyn.

Question 2: How do I do this?
The roommate agreement I signed is up at the end of July. (I assume this is legally binding. Or is it? Maybe that's a whole other question, but I'd prefer to get out of here as soon as possible (UNLESS summer would give me a better rental market or it would be better to have extra time to apartment search), and I'm confused as to how she is doing this when she's mentioned that subletting isn't allowed by the landlord. Isn't renting out rooms subletting?) When should I start looking? I tend to be a bit on the picky/indecisive side. If I use a broker, is there only a certain amount of time or a certain number of places they will show me?

And speaking of a broker, do I really need to use one? That was the common wisdom I'd heard but now that I'm here I've met people with great apartments and when I asked them about how they found them they said they got lucky looking on Craig's List. But if I really need a broker, how do I find one? Can anyone recommend me one?

Thank you!

Which neighborhoods should I be considering in the DC area?

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:35:22 -0800

I am moving to DC this fall to work in biglaw. The pay is high, but so are my student loans, which I would like to pay off ahead of schedule. Where should I live? Snowflakes within. This fall, I will be moving to DC with my wonderful fiance and our two cats. I will be working in a large law firm. Fiance and I currently live in a medium-sized southern city, but we lived in an expensive city on the east coast while I was attending law school, so I understand how to go about finding an apartment.

Where I do need help is narrowing down our search. Specifically, I need to know what neighborhoods we should be looking in. My employer will pay for a short trip to DC for Fiance and I to apartment hunt, and I would like to know where to start so that the trip will manageable and useful.

Because IAAL I have put our needs and preferences into outline form:

Budget:

- I'll be working in biglaw. So the pay is generous (around $150K), but I will be working crazy hours.

- Fiance does not yet have a job lined up, but for the past couple of years, he has been doing administrative work in local hospitals, making around $20-$30K. He will be looking for a similar job when we move. He will likely be going back to school in the next couple of years for something healthcare-related, but he has no concrete plans yet.

- I have TONS of student loan debt from law school. I would like to put as much of my income as possible toward paying it off, or at least paying it down. Getting rid of my debt as soon as possible is a very serious goal for me. Fiance is extremely supportive of this too.

Transportation:

- My office is right next to the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro stop, so proximity to the red, yellow, or green line is preferred. Orange and blue are also possible, though. Given that I'll be working a lot, I'm having trouble figuring out how long of a Metro commute is reasonable for me. (Being close enough to work to be able to walk would be lovely, but I don't think it would be worth the expense. Please correct me if I'm wrong, though!)

- We will be bringing one car with us. Fiance may want to use it to commute to work or (eventually) school, but we obviously don't know where either of those will be. We would love it if we didn't have to move again when he starts school, but his plans are still pretty tentative, and he could end up anywhere from Georgetown to somewhere in Baltimore.

Other preferences:

- Fiance and I are both homebodies who go out occasionally, so being close to great restaurants, shops, bars, etc. is not a priority for us. Especially since I know those things come with a price tag in an expensive city. Being close to some conveniences like grocery stores (especially Trader Joe's!) would be helpful.

- Since I'm going to be working all the damn time, I would prioritize having amenities like a dishwasher and washer/dryer over living in a super fun neighborhood. I do love older buildings and places with character, but I think a modern building is more practical for us right now. (Also, we recently spent multiple years in a fourth-floor walkup, and I would prefer not to do that again.)

- Safety is important, but Fiance and I are not hysterical about it. We currently live in a city with a terrible reputation for crime, and we feel very comfortable here.

- We have two indoor cats and would like to adopt a dog in the near future. We do not have kids.

- We've been sharing 1 bedroom apartments for the past few years, and I think we'd like to upgrade to a 2 bedroom or a 1 bedroom with a study. But it doesn't need to be huge. We don't have that much stuff.

TL;DR: flexible budget but trying to keep it low, need easy Metro commute to Chinatown, prefer 1.5-2BR in modern building with good amenities.

I have previously subletted in a large apartment building in Van Ness. That area is definitely on the shortlist this time around, but I want to make sure I'm not missing out on better options. I have seen this question, but I have a bit more budget flexibility than the OP there.

Where else should we be looking? Any specific buildings you're familiar with that would suit our needs?

What should our budget actually be?

Thank you in advance for your guidance and wisdom! Throwaway email: movingtodc13@gmail.com

The best cardio machine for an apartment?

dede — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 10:56:53 -0800

I live in an apartment on an upper level unit. I wish I could buy a treadmill to use at home, but I think the noise will bother my neighbors too much. I'm looking for a good alternative. Do you know of any? I'm lazy. The only times I ever exercised regularly happened when I lived in apartments with gyms in the building (and those gyms were always empty, clean, nicely air conditioned and private). I could just wander down there whenever I felt like it, work out, go straight back to my apartment and shower. I've tried joining a gym--that was just money down the drain. Just thinking about gathering all my workout clothes/water bottle together, walking/driving to the gym, waiting for a machine, walking/driving back would demoralize me before I even got started. Like I said: Lazy.

My current apartment doesn't have a gym. So I've decided it's time to invest in some in-home exercise equipment. I want something that's as intense a whole body/cardio workout as possible where I can be sweating profusely out of every pore in 20 minutes. But I'm in an apartment. And I live on an upper floor with folks underneath me.

Some other factors to consider:

-Ideally, I'd want a treadmill. I really like how they force you to keep moving even when you're tired. But I REALLY don't want to piss off my neighbors, either. If you have a magical solution that really, truly gets rid of all the thumping noise from running on a treadmill on a hardwood floor, please let me know. Otherwise, treadmills are probably not a possibility.

-I don't think I want a bike. I don't want to just be pumping my legs in circles over and over again--I want to feel like my whole body is moving.

-This leads me to believe that an elliptical machine is my best bet. It's not perfect, but I'm okay with it. Do you have a favorite apartment-friendly elliptical? And if anyone has any other ideas for other kinds of machines, I'm definitely open!

-Willing to spend around $1,000

-Don't need any fancy doodads or gadgets like built in fans or speakers or fancy programming/memory options. Bare bones is fine.

-While I don't live in the 200 sq foot studios I once did, I don't have unlimited space, either. So something that's foldable and with the smallest footprint possible gets the most points. And...I won't be living in this apartment forever, so it will have to be moved eventually. Crazy bonus points if there's something that fits all the requirements above and is still somewhat portable!

Thanks everyone!

I don't want to be THAT neighbor.

HermitDog — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 06:44:41 -0800

I am worried about my dogs adjusting to an apartment, is it a good idea to send a "hey, sorry if they're noisy, we're working on it! Please let me know if you have a complaint!" letter around to my immediate neighbors upon arrival? If it IS a good idea, any suggestions for wording? I am moving in a few weeks from a house to an apartment. I am a bit worried about making too much noise myself, but my primary concern is my 3 dogs. All 3 have never lived anywhere but houses (all are over 5 years old), so they are a bit unprepared for "here's a noise that sounds like it's in the house, but I promise it's not, so ignore it". The complex is very dog friendly, but I do not know if any of my immediate neighbors will have dogs. I am working with them before we go and plan to dedicate pretty much every waking moment to training as soon as we arrive, but I'm wondering if a pre-emptive strike is a good idea.

My thought was to send a letter around to the adjoining units basically explaining the above and giving an email address that they can use to alert me to any issues. Is this a good idea? If you are an apartment dweller, how would you feel about receiving such a letter? OR would an in-person visit be better?

I don't want it to come across as "they WILL be loud and annoying" or "just deal with it because I told you already, so you can't complain". I am struggling with exactly how to phrase it so that it doesn't come across as weird or concerning OR tip someone over into hyper vigilance for every single possible noise that might be from my dogs. Any suggestions for wording?

A hop, skip and a jump to Grand Central and just $1700/month?

reren — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 10:40:03 -0800

I’ve gotten a job in NYC and am moving back to the city with my girlfriend on June 1. Yes! It’s too early to look at places, but right now we’re neighborhood shopping. Our challenge: finding a safe, comfortable neighborhood that’s a half hour or less commute to the Grand Central area where we can get a one bedroom apartment costing $1700/month or less. Neighborhoods that we’ve considered are East Harlem, West Harlem (particularly the Sugar Hill area), Morningside Heights, Washington Heights (I’ve lived here before and liked it, but it’s far uptown), and Sunnyside, Queens (never been there but we’ve read some good things). What say you, New York mefites? Got any advice or recommendations? Our priorities, roughly in order of importance are 1) safety 2) accessibility 3) cost/feasibility of finding an apartment in good shape at our price point 4) green space nearby 5) ambiance of the neighborhood.

Help me understand the electronics in my doorbell

whir — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:38:08 -0800

I'd like to hook up a small raspberry pi project to my apartment's doorbell. I've taken the case off to take a look at the wiring and it looks pretty simple, but I have some questions about it; apart from some breadboard experiments I'm an complete newbie to electronics. The doorbell is shared with everyone else in the building; it's got a button to listen to the person speaking down below, a button to speak to them, and a button to buzz them into the building. What I want to do is attach the pi to the circuit such that it will detect when the doorbell rings and notify me over IM, and then optionally buzz the person in (the practical reason for this is that I have a long narrow apartment and can't hear the buzzer from the bedroom). I'm fine with the software part of this project, getting the network stuff working, etc. What I need help with is the hardware part.

Here is a picture of the inside of the doorbell case - I've labeled the leads corresponding to the door, listen, and talk buttons respectively.

What I'm curious about is this:

* It looks like each of the leads has a twisted pair of wires coming to it. What's with that? I would expect one wire per lead, and it certainly looks like each pair is electrically connected anyways.

* Are the wire colors in some sort of standardized scheme that I can look up or something? (It's not clear from the picture, but all four pairs are bundled up in a larger cable.)

* It looks from the circuit like the wire marked "X" is most likely the ground, right?

* The number on the upper right-side of the circuit board is "2/96", does that mean anything sgnificant?

* Is there a standard or common voltage for these types of doorbell systems? (I do plan on measuring it with a multimeter to before I attach anything else to it, and I'm cognizant that it could have dangerous levels of current.) Am I likely to be able to attach one of these leads to a GPIO pin directly (assuming a resistor of the right type) or would I need some more complex electronics in between?

* Any other advice about this project?

One thing that is vexing me right now if the power setup - I can probably fit some kind of batteries or something in the case along with the pi, but ideally I'd like it to just be powered through the lines in the doorbell itself, or maybe be asleep most of the time and then when the doorbell rings, awaken, connect to the wifi and send me a message.

Making Sure I Get the Security Deposit Back

hwyengr — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 11:54:02 -0800

Just moved into a new apartment. YAY! The apartment is in terrible shape. Boo. Our move-in condition form has the following clause, "I understand that the management company has also performed an inspection of the property, including digital photographs of all areas, and said report will prevail in any instances of conflicts." They will not show me their inspection report. How do I ensure that theirs doesn't say that everything is fine, and we get dinged for a whole ton of stuff that's already bad. Jurisdiction: Chicago. We were planning on preparing a detailed report, with photos, and notarized for the date. Will this be enough to counter any claims in their current inspection report? Can I just scratch that sentence off the form before sending it in?

Negotiating rent increase (Manhattan)

whitelily — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 08:25:59 -0800

I feel the proposed rent increase is unfair - how can I stay at my current rent? I live in a large rental apartment building in Manhattan. I've been there for almost a year and the two amenities I really wanted (elevator and laundry room) have been a disaster for almost the entire time I've lived there (elevators frequently out of order, sometimes all at the same time, and laundry machines always broken). My lease renewal is coming up and the management company sent me a lease to renew. The rent increase is not very much, especially for these days when rents are being hiked insane amounts. They are asking for a 4% increase. However, my rent is a lot to begin with, so 4% actually comes out to quite a bit of money. I would have no problem with this increase except I feel that given that the amenities I wanted in the building have been nearly unusable, it's unfair that my rent should be increased at all. I actually feel I deserve a *decrease*, but I would accept staying at my current rent.

My question is, what's my best bet at this point? Call the management company's office and tell them what I said above? Write them a letter? Any relevant experience you could share would be appreciated.