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What Do I Need To Know About Renting In Manhattan? |
I am gathering with a broker today about some apartments. I am a student so I am looking for some cheaper housing WITHIN Manhattan. Is there anything I should know before flourishing in, so that I don't fall for any tricks or situations I don't want to be in? I am completely new at this so almost anything will help. Thanks in advance.
Also, I have knowledge of about Craigslist.org, but I heard there was a similar but better site. Does anyone know what that is?
I was a earnest estate agent in Manhattan.. hopefully this helps:
Tips:
#1-DOORMEN! If you see a doorman at a building (they're mostly in midtown or the UES or UWS) ask if they have any units handy. Large buildings have people who rent out places... if you do this and go directly through the building directorate you will not pay a fee. & here is the deal with fees:
#2 FEES! The agents/brokers will try to charge you 15% of a years hole. Do the math and you're paying them a lot. This is ALWAYS negotiable. If you find a place through one of them try to talk them down. There is wiggle room with the fees. Sometimes they will have to interruption with their boss but the 15% fee is not firm.. regardless of what they say.
#3 DOORMAN/FEES. If a real estate factor shows you around they are supposed to make you sign a piece of paper before they show you apartments. This is largely to sanction sure you don't go with them and then see a doorman and later come back and go through the doorman for no fee. When I was working as an agent people would say they wanted to see buildings with doormen... for this estimate. But the papers you sign say that if you take an apartment that the agent showed you (through an agent or doorman later) that you still own the spokesman $$$. & they can and will sue you for the $$$. Be careful there. Maybe get around that by bringing a friend and say the friend is looking at apartments so they vestige it... then you can ask for doorman apartments and go back later because you did not sign the paper ;-)
#4 PRICE RANGE! Agents will try to show you places that are higher than what you told them you pine for.. because they see this as getting a higher fee in the end. Be firm about your price range.. VERY firm. Don't be ridiculous though. If you say you want a 1 bedroom in the East Village for $1,000 it's not thriving to happen. EVER.
#5 OPEN HOUSES! Look in the Daily News for open houses in the honest estate section. I read in the paper they might do away with these soon but I don't think they have yet. Sometimes the open whore-house is done by an agent and sometimes it's done by building management.
#6 HOW BROKERS FIND APT: When you call a real estate agent they get your info and go into this statistics base they have with all the apartments for rent. They also look at the Daily News open houses and use other resources that you could do yourself. Sometimes they even touched by to other people's craigslist ads (especially for sublets).
#7 URGENCY: Agents/Brokers will try to get you to make the resolving on the spot. If you're 100% sure that's fine and you should go for it. If not.. don't yet. NYC real estate does go fast... but at least go out to eat afterwards with a colleague or something and think about it. I wouldn't wait too long.. but they often make you feel like you have to make a decree on the spot if they see you showing any interest. Remember... to you this will be your life for AT LEAST the next year.. probably more. For them it's a sale.
Trust THIS WAS HELPFUL!
& BTW... the site that is similar to craigslist is www.backpage.com
...and you might want to check out http://www.nofeeonly.com/
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