Introduction
Most newcomers to New York agree that
finding a place to live can be one of the city's greatest
challenges. In an expensive metropolitan region like New York,
it can take a lot of time and effort, as well as patience
and persistence, to find a safe, affordable place to live.
That is the bad news. The good news is that Help Yourself
to Housing is here to provide you with all the tools and advice
you need to be successful in your search for housing.
Metro International has produced this
publication in various editions since 1980. Our original purpose
was to assist newly arrived international undergraduate and
graduate students with their single most pressing need: finding
a safe, affordable place to live in the New York area. In
recent years our audience for the publication has grown to
include American students, both foreign and domestic interns,
and other newcomers on tight budgets. For each of these audiences,
the housing market in New York City can seem like foreign
territory. Metro is here to point out the landmarks, interpret
the language and culture, and guide you past the pitfalls!
Everything you need to know about looking for and choosing
a place to live is in Help Yourself to Housing: the types
of housing available in New York City, where to begin your
search, decisions you need to make, your legal rights and
responsibilities, and where you can get help. We've also included
some suggestions on where you can find a temporary place to
stay while you look for a permanent place to live. And you'll
find a helpful Glossary with common terms and abbreviations
that you'll see in real estate ads, whether in newspapers
or on the Internet.
There is a lot to think about when you
move to a new city. We suggest that you read the entire book
before you begin your search-preferably before you arrive-so
that you are familiar with the full range of issues involved
in looking for housing here. We also suggest that you get
a good map of New York City (available for purchase in bookstores),
as well as maps of the subway and bus lines, to help with
city orientation. Subway and bus maps are free and distributed
at subway kiosks. Bus maps are also available on board city
buses. Subway and bus maps are also available on the Metropolitan
Transit Authority (MTA) website at www.mta.nyc.ny.us.
Another useful transportation resource is Straphangers (www.straphangers.org)
where you can find maps and information out about schedules,
fares and routes.
We hope this book proves useful, and we
wish you the best of luck. Please feel free to contact Metro
International with any suggestions you may have on how we
can make this publication more useful in future editions.
Welcome to New York City!
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