Are you looking into buying an apartment in New York City? Are you scared of the concrete jungle, the hundreds of apartments, brokers and all sorts of paperwork you will need to deal with? One of the biggest problems in finding a New York City apartment, however, is the price. Cheap apartments in New York are hard to come by. Usually, the rents are too high or the apartment is just not worth it. And then you need to find some reliable NYC Movers. In this article, we will offer some helpful things to keep in mind when looking for a cheap apartment in New York City.
Brokers and Cheap Apartments in New York
To cut the costs, it’s usually recommended to bypass the broker. Brokers are people who help you find a place, deal with the landlord, and take a hefty sum of money for it. They do the tough work, true, but they do cost as well. So by finding the apartment by yourself, you save some money.
Keep in mind, this is a harder way to go. You will need to be the one to hit the pavements (and hit them hard). Go to your desired neighborhood and look for signs that say there’s an apartment for rent. You have to go directly on site, but this is a chance to negotiate with the landlord yourself.
Another way to go about doing this is telling people. Talk to your group of friends, people in your classes or clubs, people at work and wherever you can. Maybe some friend’s brother’s ex-girlfriend is moving away, and there will be a nice apartment for cheap money that you can get your hands on.
If you can’t avoid a broker
Sometimes, you cannot avoid a broker. Maybe you are too busy with your job or with the kids to go looking for apartments. Then, you should contact the broker. On the Naked Apartments Website, you can find reviews and information on many brokers, as well as some negative critiques. Use this information to pick a broker you can trust and lean on.
Bigger Buildings may have Cheap Apartments
When looking for an apartment, it may be a better move to look at bigger apartment buildings. A building with 20-30 apartments is perfect for this. In these buildings, the amount of money spent on vacancy is not as high as in buildings with 10 apartments. The owners also don’t try to deregulate each unit separately. When a building has a smaller amount of apartments, sometimes the landlord will try to deregulate all the units and then sell the whole building. This rarely happens in buildings with a high number of apartments, so the rents here might be cheaper.
Locations of Cheap Apartments
There’s a reason “Location, location, location” is the most famous real-estate proverb. Remember it, because it’s useful for finding apartments as well. Cheap apartments can be found near loud areas, such as transportation facilities. If there’s a building near elevated train lines, tunnel entrances, highways or bridges, make sure you look for apartments for rent.
Even better, finding a temporary noisy place (like a construction site) can help you. These might be horrible at the time, but in a year there will be peace and quiet, and you can negotiate a lower rent with the landlord because of the noise. These loud places can be a great asset when finding cheap apartments because it takes some use to them, but you will save money in the long run.
Finally, you can focus on the neighborhoods not mentioned in the New York Times real-estate section. These areas might have cheaper rents and apartments since they are not in the spotlight. Also remember to look for the industrial areas, and those without internet cafes and other “modern” places like that.
Winter is the Season for Cheap Apartments in New York
The season to look for apartments in the winter. The leases usually end during summer, so there will be many apartments available, but the landlords will also raise the renting charges during the season. True, during winter the weather in New York will be drab and cold, but it’s worth fighting with. Another downside is that there will be fewer apartments to choose from, but it will pay off when you find the one you like.
Find Ways to Deduct Rent
Sometimes, you can make a deal with your landlord to deduct rent by working for the building. Smaller buildings sometimes need services like shoveling snow, painting walls, doing the building’s recycling. Try negotiating with the landlord to do this work for them in exchange for having your rent lowered.
Rent Boosters – Be careful!
Take care! Sometimes there will be small details and factors that are not included in your rent but may boost your monthly expense significantly. For example, in some buildings, the landlords will take care of the heat, but you pay electricity. In older buildings that switched to electrical heating, so the landlord will pay less. That suits him, but you will have a hefty sum to pay at the end of the month. Think about these things when looking for apartments. Don’t be afraid to ask the landlord about services provided in the building.
Remember, the “no fee apartments” do not exist. Sure, you may not have to pay the broker fee, but these apartments may be some of the most expensive ones on the market. Be sure to think twice when settling on an apartment, and count your costs in the long run.
Moving into your Cheap Apartment
The final step of cutting your costs is finding some cheap New York City Movers to help you get settled in. If you have more stuff than you can handle, then looking into cheap storage in New York might be just a thing you need.
Moving to New York City is a great adventure, and there are many moving tips to help you settle down and start living in your new cheap apartment.