9 posts tagged “apartment hunting”

The difference between Craigslist NYC and Craiglist Philly are pretty pronounced. 

I used the NYC website when I was looking to sublet in NYC.  The amount of posts was insane and there were some pretty comical ones.   Also, the response-time when you expressed an interest was super-quick.  If you couldn't check out a location that very day, it was highly unlikely that any non-sucky apartments would still be available within a few days.  Boy, I don't miss those days!!!  What a zoo that was.  Remember Frankie? 

Philly is a sleepy backward town in comparison.  I posted an ad for Molly, our old Civic, a few months ago and didn't get one response.  We've abandoned selling her for now, so I don't know if my results would have been better with multiple postings.

This morning, I replied to three apartment/townhouse rentals and am SHOCKED that I haven't heard a peep back from anyone....  Come on PEOPLE!!!! 

This afternoon, I went saw another apartment to sublet.  The place looked decent, and the roommate (Ericka) seemed normal enough, so I cut a check right then and there.  I'm so happy that I no longer need to be pre-occupied with constantly searching craigslist and wasting so much time hiking around the city to check out apartments.  Ericka is a puerto-rican nanny, with not-great English skills, so we won't exactly become buddy-buddy, but at least she isn't a burnt out loser like Frankie was.  The commute is about 25-30min from my office, which is decent.

I was hoping to find somethign Lower (or Upper) East Side, but this is on 104th street - Spanish Harlem. 

There are photos of the apartment at craigslist -   http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/roo/218229529.html

What a relief to have this over with!

It was just too hard to avoid Craiglist this morning when I came in!!!! I found two apartments I was interested in, but since I can't anything/meet anyone until Monday, its extremely unlikely I have any chance.   To distract myself, I've collected some of the comments that people have included in their ads.   

      We are two Christian guys (age 26 and 27) looking for a third male roommate preferably in 20's.

       I am looking for a happy go luck, bubbly, easy going female roommate. If you have special skills such as cooking, cleaning, massage etc... rent will be reduced. Email your picture and telephone number and I will contact you.

     Looking for somebody who is KOREAN or JAPANESE or CHINESE

     Retired gay writer is looking for a bookish college student/professional to share room in an apt

    I found a 6 bedroom apartment in the East Village that I love, and would really like to sign the lease for. Now I just need 5 roommates.

     I prefer to rent the room to a gay guy but if you're cool, responsible and laid back about the situation we're open to anyone.

    And the most unique one:  I am an animal rights activist (anarcho-primitivist) housing a variety of endangered and miscast animals in my apartment. I am  located near all major subways and modes of transportation. I am looking for an honest, hardworking, clean individual to occupy my extra space and, more importantly, pay me rent.

This link is the most amusing thing I have seen on Craigslist (not apartment related).  If only I had come across this guy before Adam proposed!     http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/m4w/214993979.html

So, Frankie, is the person subletting an apartment on UES, which I saw today at 6pm (I had to come back to work aftewards - yuck!!!).  Although Frankie calls himself a 27 yr-old professional male, I think that's a bit of a stretch for the schlepp that I met, that isn't working right now because he is trying to milk his disability pay for as long as he can.  I'm pretty sure he was stoned when I was there, which I also find interesting considering the ad mentioned looking for someone that was "responsible, clean, & drug free".  To make Frankie even more unusual is that he was the only person subletting so far that has asked for references -- didn't really seem to add up. 

I probably could have looked past his stoned-ness if the apartment wasn't one big hazy of cigarette smoke and completely empty.  I could have handled having an unfurnished room (use my aerobed and a big suitcase), but I kind of want a living room that has furniture and a kitchen that has a pot or two -- otherwise, I could have just stayed with Nick!  His roommate that moved out took all his stuff and Frankie hadn't replaced thigs yet.  Did I mention that the living room was completely empty?  It's a bummer about Frankie's apartment because I absolutely loved the neighborhood - Upper East Side/Yorkville. 

So, that's that.  I'm trying to not even look at craigslist anymore this week, since it is pointless.  Most apartments go in either 24-48hrs, have open houses on weekends (when I'm not in the city), or have been continually posted (there is this one guy who has an ad that states that he is a 35 yr old gay eastern European that I have probably come across 20 times already!).  Since I am away on business for the rest of the week, I don't have a chance of getting any apartment I like that gets posted in the next couple of days anyway....... resist the urge.... resist the urge.... It's become such a habit for me to obsessively check craigslist, it isn't as easy as it sounds to stay off the webpage...

It looks like I am going to need more than just a little luck to find something. 

I'm seeing an apartment on the Upper East Side (UES) tonight!!!  Let's hope this place is a keeper.  My roommate would be a guy, which is something I had been trying to avoid... at this point, it's time to be a little less selective.  He posted the ad yesterday, but had been out of town yesterday & today, so he hasn't been able to show the place (most places go in 24-48hrs!!).  I'm going to check it out at 6:30 tonight.  This time I know to write a check while I am there if I like it -- not making that mistake twice!

My biggest concern is that the ad didn't mention whether or not the place was furnished.  At this point, if everything else is OK about the place (and Frankie, the guy, seems normal) I'm going to take it even if it means a couple more months of the aerobed - at least I wouldn' t have to prop it up against the wall every morning before I go to work.  One of the perks is that Adam & I are interested in living on UES - so I would get a chance to feel out the neighborhood before we start looking for our own place. 

I left a VM for someone else that has a place on UES - it was be nice if I could see two in one area at the same time...

CROSS YOUR FINGERS FOR ME THAT I FIND SOMETHING TONIGHT!!!

So it turns out that "lessor of two evils" turned out to be the devil!!!  Nick & Linda decided that they couldn't let me stay with them for the $750 we had agreed upon.  Actually, this was Linda's doing.  She didn't like that I was going to be paying less than a third of their rent to stay there.  I don't appreciate that they are trying to eek an extra $250 out of me, when their apartment is UNFURNISHED, not even dishes, pots, etc..., and I have been looking at furnished places for $800- $900.   It isn't my problem that they are renting a place that is out of their price range.  Besides, its only for a month - couldn't you just be nice to your friend who is in need of a better living arrangement AND has taken care of your stupid cat for multiple weeks AND has let you borrow our car numerous times????  Trying to squeeze me for more money was not only very unfriend-like, but is now also costing them the $750 I was going to pay them in the first place.... Serves them right!  ARGH!  So, I'm at the point now where I don't really want to have any interaction with her (or maybe even him) at all.  Luckily, Adam and I see Nick (without Linda) much more than we ever spend time with the two of them.  But even though this was mainly her doing, he's by no means innocent. 

Back to the drawing board. Bridget & Renato are OK with me staying with them, but seem antsy to get their dining room (which I thought they never use) back.  Somehow, they don't mind the guy that has lived on their couch for ages, and can't seem to remember his keys!!!   I continue to respond to about 5 Craigslist ads a day.  I think I hear from a decent amount of people, but I am at a considerable disadvantage not being around Friday-Sunday.  Too many times to count I have talked to someone on a Thurs or Fri with arrangements to see the apartment on Monday only to have them find someone over the weekend.  Not that I blame them, but man, I wish things would just get settled already!!!

Last night I saw a place in Jersey City (Zach - thanks for your input).  The apartment ended up being just "eh" and the commute was about an hour, which was more than I was willing to do for an apartment that was not up to snuff.  I probably seem a little picky, but I want to find a place that I feel comfortable coming home to, or I am just going to feel the same way I do now, hanging out at work because I don't want to spend too much time at Bridget's.  \

I feel very close to this becoming me!!!

So, low and behold, the person that snagged the apartment from me last night, followed through and paid today, so i didn't get it... not that I was expecting it -- but, gee, wouldn't it had been nice if the stars had somehow aligned to work in my favor???  Today, I continued my search on craigslist, but it is exhausting and I sense that everyone gets a little more aggressive/desperate at the end of the month, and I just wasn't up for that.  Worst case scenerio, I can just stay here with Bridget - it's not like I am getting tossed to the curb at the end of the month..  I'm just so disappointed about this situation, because I really liked that place yesterday and I felt it slip through my fingers....   All these "If I had just...." have been going through my mind all day.  Alas, time to move on.

So, tonight, I went out for drinks with Nick (Adam's best man at our wedding) and we agreed to terms of me living with him.  It's a bit of ad odd situation since I couldn't get him to agree to having me when he first knew he was moving into NYC.  His rent is over 3K a month, and I didn't feel like I should have to pay half, or even close to that, since I would be living in a bear-bones, unfurnished apartment.  I wasn't willing to spend a lot of money to stay with Nick, even though he is a close friend, when I know that I could stay in a fully FURNISHED apartment in a decent neighborhood for 800-900/month.  We agreed on an amount which we both thought was fair, and that is conveniently slightly below what we are collecting from Neal, our soon-to-be subletter.  He didn't have a backplan if I decided not to stay with him, so anything he gets is going to be more than the alternative.  If things with Nick wouldn't have worked, either his wife didn't want me staying there or we couldn't agree on a price, I could just suck it up and give Bridget the 500/month she was asking for me to stay (which I thought was a fair price). 

I feel good about my decision.  Its an improvement over my current living arrangement, and is hardly goign to bankrupt us.  It gives me some time to find something more permanent (you know, that has furniture and a REAL bed) and it gives Adam some more cushion to find an apartment before I committ to anything.  Hey - maybe the stars will align and Adam will find something and we can find something permanent quickly!!!  Dreaming, I know...

So, that's that from this end.  It's Tuesday and I am already looking forward to the weekend - as usual.....

Actually - I learned two important lessons today 1 - just because you are responsible, considerate person, doesn't mean that others will treat you that way.  2 - Go with your gut instinct, don't wait until you find people to agree with your decision, when you are the one that has to live with it.... If you haven't guessed it by now, this has to do with my apartment search...

So, the apartment that I was waiting to hear back about never contacted me - SO RUDE!  Luckily, I was back at it last night responding to more ads on craigslist. 

I spoke to one girl this morning who said i sounded like such a good fit i should come up right away instead of waiting until after work, so that I wouldn't miss out.  So, I went and visited this apartment on 110th & Madison - Spanish Harlem.  I liked the girls, the lease terms & cost worked, felt a good vibe in the apartment (it actually had two decent sized-BRs and a family/living room, but I was concerned about safety.  It's not a great neighborhood and there were lots of people loitering around on the 4 blocks I had to walk from the subway to the apartment.  The girls tried to reassure me that they hadn't felt unsafe, and you just had to be aware of your surroundings (which you need to do anywhere!) -- So, they asked that I get back to them soon, because they wanted me to have it and they would stop showing the place.  I said I wanted some time to mull it over.  During the afternoon, I wrangled up all the opinions I could find about Spanish Harlem and the area where the apartment was.  They called my at work at 4pm to check in and I said that I was seeing another place at 7:30-7:45 and i would have a decision for them by 8pm, could they please hold off until then before offering it to anyone else.

So, I go see this other apartment, and while the girl was nice and the room was OK, I knew I wanted the first place.  I decide to walk from the one to the other 9they were within 10 blocks of each other).  And at 7:55pm I call them to say I would like the room and I am only a few blocks away prepared to write them a check.  They tell me that they wish I had called them earlier, because they JUST decided to rent the room to someone else - WHAT!!!

So, if this guy falls through, they will give it to me, which they really want to happen - but they feel like they have to honor their offer to him.  Back to the drawing board for me.  It would be nice for this to come together, but I can't hold my breath.  At least it isn't due or die... and tonight was a nice quiet evening at Bridget's, which was a change of pace.

All weekend I have felt like a kid waiting to hear if I got into the college of my choice.  I spent last week looking for apartments to sublet and the one that I liked best said that they would be making a decision over the weekend... the waiting is killing me!!!  I visited 5 places, and the one we are waiting on is my top choice. It is on the Upper West Side - nice safe neighborhood, easy commute -- subway I need is 1 1/2 blocks from the apartment. 

The runner-up is an apartment on the East River just over FDR Drive - the perk to this one is that the woman who owns it lives in Miami with her husband and is only in the city one or two weeks a month.  The downside is that its kind of not close to anything (not exactly a lot of restaurants and bars on the FDR), although that doesn't matter too much, since I will only be there during the week.  She was a little funny about me having Adam come visit, which we hadn't really planned on doing much anyway, but I would like it to be an option.  She is kind of freaked about what the bldg mgmt will think.  She also made some weird comment about her family having alcoholics in it and I need to respect that this is shared living space and blah, blah, blah.. one woman who lived with her would drink a glass of wine each night.  So, that's a little weird and I don't want to feel looked down on for having the occasional glass of wine -- then again, its not like she is going to be there much... just gave me a weird vibe.  But, hey, she said I could move in, she's flexible on move-out date, and it would be nice to have a more permanent living situation figured out.  There is one other apartment that I am seeing on Monday, so all is not lost.