Housing Tips

NYC Housing Tips

You have several ways for finding an apartment. This listing is adapted to each budget. Living in New York has its price, depending on the area you chose to live in and the kind of apartment you chose to rent, rental prices can differ considerably.

Manhattan:

Accommodations are expensive particularly in downtown and midtown areas. But its gets cheaper as you go uptown: Harlem and Washington Heights, but some parts may be unsafe so you should visit the area before renting.

Living outside Manhattan is less expensive, and you can find very nice residential areas.

Brooklyn:

According to the neighborhoods in Brooklyn can be very different according the neighborhood. Best places are Williamsburg and Brooklyn Heights. Avoid unsafe areas like Flatbush, Brownsville, , East New York or Sunset Park.

Harlem:

Harlem, just north of Central Park, is a good area for renting; we recommend the Westside. There are lot of affordable stores for food and retail, with nice coffee stores and restaurants.

Staten Island:

20 minutes by ferry (free) from Manhattan. It is a more residential and generally more suburban area.

Queens:

Many parts of Queens are middle class and accessible by public transportation. Parts closest to Manhattan are Long Island City, Astoria, Sunnyside and Woodside.

Bronx:

Most parts are not safe and far from Manhattan. But the generally safe areas of the Bronx are Riverdale and Kingsbridge.

Real Estate Agencies Contact

Since the apartment market is so narrow, there are many brokers that offer their help for a commission, which sometimes is very high.

Fees range between ½ to 1 month of rental or 15% of the annual rent. 1 month fee is usually for rentals of 6 month or less; 15% of the annual rent total, are usually for 1 year rentals.

You may also want to include some housing agencies that we have recommended in the past. Please see below for this list.