Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with newyorkcity and realestate

Help me find a Manhattan apartment for 3-6 months

kanuck — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 13:43:43 -0800

Looking for resources / advice on finding a Manhattan apartment for 3-6 months (Feb-July 2008). Furnished would be preferable, but I can deal with buying some throwaway furniture.

I'm open on price range, though if it gets up to "corporate temp housing" level expensive, that isn't too useful.

I live in Seattle and am expecting to take a trip in order to handle closing arrangements. I've considered just coming to NYC for a week (is that enough?) to do everything in person (looking at places, haggling, signing papers etc) -- thoughts on that approach? (in particular, how far in advance would be best to maximize my odds?).

Other thoughts:

1) Craigslist: most of the ads seem to be for comparatively short term sublets (days or weeks, rather than months). I'll probably post a "housing wanted" ad there at some point, but am really looking for other options.

2) Apartment brokers: given my requirements, will they useful / required?

3) Universities/colleges: do any in Manhattan make student housing available to non-students?

How to avoid paying an insane broker's fee when renting a Manhattan apartment?

Afroblanco — Sat, 08 Jul 2006 13:41:04 -0800

How to avoid paying an insane broker's fee when renting a Manhattan apartment? My roommate and I are looking to move into a 2-bedroom apartment on Sept. 1.

All of the brokers that I found on Craigslist say the same thing - "You're moving at the worst time of the year, and our fee is 15% of annual rent."

There don't seem to be too many non-broker options.

What are some strategies for getting around this? As far as I see it, Craigslist has already failed us.

Lux et Veritas : Can my apartment windows be blocked over?

Skygazer — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 11:34:05 -0800

Looks like the one story warehouse next door has been put up FOR SALE. Problem is that if a building goes up in its stead, two of my windows will be covered over. Do I have any rights or say in the matter? I rent an apartment on the top story of a three story tenement in East Williamsburg Brooklyn. The property line is flush with the warehouse. I do have other windows other then the two in question. The NYC Dept. Of Buildings website has nothing about what a friend has termed "air rights" or "sightline" issues. Am I screwed? After 10 years making this neighborhood a real home have the wolves of the rapacious and brutish Real Estate industry arrived at my doorstep to entomb me w/o proper natural light? Any advice would helpful. Thank you.

new condo questions

dame — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 10:51:15 -0800

Buying a brand-new condo in New York City. Questions about both the process of closing and about looking at the apartment for the last time before the sales contract. I may be buying a condo in a newly developed building in my neighborhood. Tomorrow I have an appointment with the agent to purchase the offering plan and pick out one of their lawyers. As far as I understand, I then get the offering plan to the lawyer, who draws up the sales contract, and then we all sign it and put 10 percent in escrow.

I looked at the apartment once before, but it was a cursory "could I live here" kind of thing.

What I would like to know is:
1. Is this understanding correct?
2. What questions should I ask about the building at the meeting? (One I know: Is there going to be a managing agent and if so, who?)
3. What should I look for when I look at the apartment again? (It's a studio in a wholly renovated building.)
4. Generally, do you have to do a board application at a new development? If so, who is the board?

Thanks now for all and any help. I tried searching the archives, but I'm a google idiot, so links to other AskMes would be awesome.

Manhattan realtor-rating website?

mert — Sun, 02 Jan 2005 17:43:15 -0800

Does anyone know of a website that rates realtors in Manhattan?

Shiny, tiny new apartment in Manhattan or affordable charm in Brooklyn?

hsoltz — Wed, 19 May 2004 09:25:02 -0800

Another NYC Real Estate Question: the SO and I, who have always lived in charming smallish walk-ups with leaky tubs/peeling paint in Queens-like proximity to 'the big city,' have been seduced by the siren song of new construction downtown. With their pre-opening rent breaks, brand-new appliances, and convenience to both work and play, these "luxury buildings" appear to offer a whole new standard of living at an attractive price. However, ... [mi] ...we're slightly paralyzed by the thought that the same rent, or less, could land us a spacious yet locationally-challenged loft in Brooklyn. (Everything we're seen is far from a subway.) So which sounds better to you: "location, location, location," or the ability to inhabit opposite ends of an apartment without being able to hear each other?