How the hell do I find a place to live in New York?

NY is a big state.

Care to narrow it down for us?

lower manhattan or upper west side preferably, brooklyn is second choice

Try Ardor . They provide a highly customizable search in all NYC boroughs.

i can’t imagine any decent place in NYC for that amount….unless it’s a refrigerator box on the street.
Try New Jersey and take the train. Just don’t tell anyone you live in Jersey.

what’s wrong with Jersey, deaddolly? I take offense to that.

anyway, judy… that price range is going to be preeeeetty difficult in Manhattan. You might be better off with Brooklyn in that range.

Um…nothing…..umm….hangs head and chuckles to herself.

I see by your profile that you’ve never lived in New Jersey. So I retract the part about taking offense to your statement… since it’s just another ignorant assumption of knowledge.

Yeah, I’d never live there. Visited it though. And I’ve been in NYC many times…enough to know what New Yorkers opinions are. I think it’s the perception of it. I think of it as being blue collar and having a lot of industry. Nothing wrong with that, i would just never want to live there. Personal perference. BTW, I’d never live in NYC either, but for entirely other reasons.

You probably need to hire some sort of locator service. I’m not shre abouthe New York market, but in some markets realtors do it. They are hungry right now so maybe
I just helped my son move to Hollywood. Move-in special signs all over the place and nobody answered the phone! $1050 for a dumpy studio apartment.

Consider the Pelham Bay area in the Bronx. Nothing like the old image movies portray of the old Bronx. It has a large population of Eastern European heritage families and the neighborhood reflect it with a large selection of shops, banks, etc. Very clean, quiet and close to the # 6 train, which in a workday morning gets you into midtown in about 50 min. I’ve been leaving here for the past 10 years and after walking Brooklyn, Queens and the UES/UWS in Manhattan, can’t thank enough the R.E. agent that found it for me (his office closed since then, but you can find others with a quick web search). Good luck wherever you end settling in.

I assume you’re talkig about Manhattan. On the cheap, I’d start first by browsing The VIllage Voice for possibilities as well as for search help (local realtors, agencies, blogs, etc.). Are you amenable to roommates, or do you prefer to go solo?

This is scary. You’re looking to live in NY and I’m looking to get the hell out!!

Devil;
Could you sublet your place to judyprays?

I really enjoyed living in Brooklyn Heights. It’s a great neighborhood: beautiful, tons of character, express trains to both sides of Manhattan (or walk across the Brooklyn Bridge on a nice day), and lots to do. It’s a little less expensive than Manhattan. For $1300, you could probably find a small but totally livable studio. If you’re willing to have a roommate, you might be able to find a place that’s downright nice.

If you haven’t been there yet, take a train to Borough Hall, walk west on Montague Street until you get to the water, then walk North along the promenade. Take your camera. :-)

I’m down for roommates…

id so be your roommate. but im only 16 =[

I feel like everyone is being so Debbie Downer about this!
judy, living in NYC is a gift, a privilege, and, in my humble opinion, one of the best things that could ever happen to a human being! Don’t listen to anyone who tells you to settle for Jersey…
You can find a place in Manhattan or Brooklyn in your price range if you search for it and especially if you’re open to roommates.
I second HotTuna, The Village Voice is a good source as are blogs/other housing and roommate match websites. I’ve had great success finding roommate matches through a google group associated with my church. If you’re religious, I’d recommend seeing if churches in the city have any kind of housing match ideas.
Bottom line: be optimistic! You definitely will be able to find something in your price range although it may not be in lower Manhattan or the UWS. Some other neighborhood ideas:
(1) So many nice areas in Brooklyn!
(2) Way upper Manhattan (i.e. Morningside Hights)
(3) Far east and south in Manhattan. Those streets (for example, York Ave) are less expensive because they’re a bit further from the subway lines, but they’re GREAT.
Good luck!!

Hi Judi!! I wish I could sublet to JudiPrays except I live with my ex-boyfriend’s parents.

@diva;
No wonder you want to get out!

Believe it or not, Judi, I don’t mind the parents. It’s my sister (who lives there, too), screaming banshees, and just the state of NY that I have problems with.

I’m moving too – so far I’ve been finding stuff in your price range (it’s mine, too) in Brooklyn. Seems like if you’ve got the time to spend, you can find some good deals on Craigslist – i.e. no-fee/no broker apartments. If not, you can cough up money for a broker, but expect to pay them approximately one month’s rent as a fee.

Friends of mine also used to live in Washington Heights, which is way up town in Manhattan. I want to say they paid around $1600 for a two bedroom. I also want to say it only took about 25 minutes to get to midtown on the train.