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Chapter 2: Where Should You Begin Your Search?
- Off-Campus Housing Office
- Word of Mouth
- Newspapers
- Neighborhood
Resources
- Online Housing
Resources
- Real Estate Brokers
Off-Campus Housing Office
Office If you are affiliated with a
university, it is always a good idea to see if your school has
an Off-Campus Housing office which posts apartment listings
from local landlords, notices of sublets or rooms in private
homes, and listings for roommates and shares. Off-Campus Housing
is usually located in either the Student Affairs office or in
the Residence Life/On-Campus Housing office; you will need to
show your student ID in order to gain access. The services of
this office are free and generally provided by student employees.
Many Off-Campus Housing offices offer
computerized databases and online listings that you can search
yourself (in the office or remotely.) You should be aware
that housing listings change frequently; if you don't have
luck the first time you look, check back daily for new listings.
Using your school's Off-Campus Housing office can be one of
the most convenient and least expensive ways to find housing.
Word of Mouth
Believe it or not, word of mouth can
be one of the best ways to find a place to live in New York
City. The more people you talk to about your search, the more
likely it is that someone will give you information that will
lead you to what you are looking for. Expand your network by
telling as many people as possible that you are looking for
a place to live, which neighborhood(s) you are interested in,
and what your price range is. Some housing seekers even print
up flyers or cards to share with friends and acquaintances to
remind them of their search.
While not easy, it is occasionally possible
to find an apartment by walking through a neighborhood where
you think you would like to live and talking to building superintendents
or doormen to see if they have apartments available. You might
also talk to the mail carrier, local residents, or shopkeepers
to see if they know of vacant apartments in the area.
Newspapers
Another good way to look for an apartment
is through listings in the classified advertisements or the
real estate sections of local newspapers.
The New York Times, published daily, has
the largest number of listings of apartments in the city,
especially in the "Real Estate" section of its Sunday
edition (distributed on Saturday morning to home subscribers).
Listings are also available online through the Times' website
www.realestate.nytimes.com.
You can sign up for email alerts that will send you details
of properties matching your criteria.
The Village Voice, a weekly newspaper
that is published every Tuesday night in Manhattan (Wednesday
in the other boroughs), also has a large selection of apartments
in its classified ads section. Since the Voice is read by
many students and young people, it contains cheaper listings
than many other publications. The Voice's listings are so
popular, however, that apartment seekers often compete to
get early access to the ads as soon as they are available.
The Voice posts its listings online at www.villagevoice.com/realestate
every day. Subscription to an email
service sending advanced, personalized listings is available
for a fee. For details, call the Village Voice at 212-475-5555
or visit their website.
Other major metropolitan area newspapers
are also worth checking, especially their local editions.
Newsday (www.newsday.com),
for example, publishes a special Queens edition that has a
good listing of available housing in Queens. If you are looking
for housing in Staten Island, pick up The Staten Island Advance
(www.silive.com/advance),
which can be found at the South Ferry terminal in Manhattan
as well as on Staten Island. And in New Jersey, the Jersey
Journal (www.nj.com/jjournal),
the Record (www.northjersey.com)
and the Star Ledger (www.nj.com/starledger/)
are good sources for local apartment listings.
Throughout the city, there are many smaller
community newspapers that have real estate listings for specific
neighborhoods. Often these publications are free; you can
find them in supermarkets or in special boxes on the street.
Remember also that New York is an international city, with
a great many immigrant neighborhoods and ethnic newspapers.
You can find a listing of these resources at the website:
www.housingnyc.com/guide/classifieds.html.
School newspapers can also be a good source of information
on housing opportunities, especially notices submitted by
students who are looking for roommates to share rental costs
with them.
Regardless of which newspaper(s) you consult,
it is important to obtain the paper as soon as it is distributed,
and then to call or visit the apartments promptly, because
desirable places tend to be taken quickly. Be aware that many
newspaper listings are placed by real estate brokers, rather
than by owners or landlords. Brokers charge
a fee to find you an apartment
Neighborhood Resources
As you conduct your search, don't forget to check notices
for apartments on bulletin boards at your own school, at a
nearby campus, or in neighborhood stores. Some schools restrict
access to such bulletin boards to their own students. Off
campus you can often find housing notices posted at local
supermarkets, restaurants, bus stops, lamp posts, bookstores,
copy services, or laundromats. You can also use these bulletin
boards to post your own notice stating what type of apartment
you are looking to rent or share. Your card or flier should
include your name (first name only), a phone number and/or
an email address where you can be reached, and the type of
apartment or living situation you are seeking. For personal
safety reasons, do not include your full name or address;
you may even want to use an alias.
Some areas have special community organizations that can
provide you with housing advice. The Southern Brooklyn Community
Organization, for example, offers a free housing referral
service at 718-435-1300 for people who wish to live in the
area. Call for an appointment.
Online Housing Resources
In addition to the newspaper websites already mentioned, there
are a number of housing resources on the web that might prove
useful in your search. If you are affiliated with a university,
the first place you'll want to look is on your school's website.
Many campus housing offices offer online resources and listings
which means you can get a head-start on your search (even
before leaving home!). Additionally, there are many "public"
online housing resources such as:
- newyork.craigslist.com
- www.roommates.com
- www.sublet.com
The New York City Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) hosts a website
(www.housingnyc.com)
which provides important information about rental housing
in NYC including an apartment guide, research reports, rent
guidelines, and the tenant's rights guide. There is also an
email question and answer service available through this site.
Real Estate Brokers
Many apartments in New York City are
rented through real estate agents, or brokers, who charge a
finder's fee to those for whom they locate apartments. This
fee, which is rarely negotiable, can range anywhere from one
month's rent to 10-18% of the annual rent. For example, for
an apartment that costs $1,000 per month (or $12,000 per year),
a broker's fee of 15% would total $1,800; you would pay this
in addition to the first month's rent and the security deposit
required by the landlord.
Since cheaper apartments can be hard to
find, and brokers earn larger fees on more expensive rentals,
a broker may try to persuade you to accept an apartment that
is more expensive than you can afford. In working with a broker,
be prepared to insist that you will look only at apartments
that are within or close to your price range.
If you decide to use a broker, be sure the fee is payable
only after the agency has found an apartment and you have
signed a lease. Some agencies charge a referral fee (anywhere
from $100 to $250) that entitles you only to look at their
lists of available apartments; it is up to you to visit and
negotiate for the apartments yourself. Paying for these lists
can be risky because there is no guarantee that the listings
are exclusive or even up to date.
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