HOW TO: MOVE TO NEW YORK CITY

When it comes to reader emails, the one question I get more frequently than "What should we do while visiting New York?" is "HELP ME I'M MOVING TO NEW YORK I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING!"

I remember this panicked feeling, because I experienced it while 7 months pregnant, and that is not something a person forgets easily.

And so I am about to share with you everything I know about moving to NYC!

Firstly, the most indulgent feeling in the world, and what doubtless saved my sanity from implosion during our move from New York to Idaho, was hiring a reputable moving company to box up our things, transport them cross-country, and then unbox our things once it all got here. I would not have handled well the emotions of the quick turnaround of this move had I needed to make time for boxing up our apartment while I was also busy finding a new place, meeting deadlines + obligations, caring for my four-year-old, hosting visitors, and squeezing every last drop out of our time in New York. 

For this move we hired High Touch Moving, a local moving company based out of Brooklyn, New York. Gilad stopped by, took note of our belongings and the number of boxes we'd need, and then we proceeded to not think about it at all until the day of the move arrived, when the High Touch team showed up right on time 8AM and got the whole thing put together and out the door by just after noon. 

And then I walked slowly and silently through our now-empty home, listening to the creaks and echoes of the neighbors upstairs and running my hands along the bumps in the walls, before turning out the lights one last time and locking the door behind me.

Oh, moving. What a funny experience to inhabit a place so fully and then leave it behind as though it weren't a beloved member of the family.

Well. By way of fond farewell to our time in the city (this time, anyway), everything I know about moving to NYC is hiding right after this jump.

CLICK IT YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO☟

DISCLAIMER TIME WHAT WHAT / 

First of all is I am definitely talking out of my ass here because I am not at all an expert in NYC real estate. Also, I've been gone a whole three weeks now and who even knows how much things have changed since then!? Also also it's been over a year since I last applied for an apartment in NYC, so pretty much everything I say from here on out is fully refutable and likely to be hideously incorrect, though it is all true to my own experience. And so, you know. Grain of salt, few pinches of pepper. Don't forget the cinnamon.

The first time we moved to NYC we stayed in a corporate apartment chosen for us by Brandon's company. They paid us a cost of living increase to cover the rent, and we paid it every month with full blinders on to the fact that somehow this place that we lived in that we considered to be kind of a dump (compared to our digs in Portland) was costing the company $3200 a month. Thirty Two Hunji. 

The second time we moved to NYC I was seven months pregnant, irritable as all hell, with just under 24 hours to find a place, apply for the place, and move into said place. It was fun. And then we lived with two dogs and one fetus and zero furniture for a month while we waited for our couch to be delivered, so Brandon constructed for me a "pregnant lady throne" out of our luggage and a couple empty cardboard boxes. Fancy.

Moving sucks.

WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN!? /

I like to use Streeteasy to look at apartment listings. Scratch that, I love to use Streeteasy. I've been known to stay up till 3AM scouring Streeteasy for no good reason at all, just because it's that enthralling to look at apartment listings. There are many other apartment search sites you can use (Zillow, UrbanSherpa), but I always start with Streeteasy and then cross-reference the listings on other sites after.

You can use Craigslist but I say beware of Craigslist. Frequently a broker will list a fake apartment on Craigslist as bait. This listing will look so clean + bright + airy in a really great neighborhood for such a screaming deal that you call right away and then the broker says, "oh shoot, that one just rented, but I have do all these, if you want to take a look?" 

SPEAKING OF BROKERS. SHOULD I GET A BROKER? /

Well, yes. But also, no. 

Brokers are basically renters agents, and they will take a fee of anywhere from 12-15% of your yearly lease for their services once they find you a place. If they don't find you a place, they get not a dime. I always tend to fall a little bit in love with my brokers, they're sort of like therapists? You know, you really get to the root of your feelings on hardwoods with a broker. I say it's possible they're worth it.  

On the other hand, our first place on the UWS I found without a broker and it can definitely be done, even while pregnant and emotionally challenged. It *is* a lot more work, but it's the kind of work I usually think is sort of fun. Though worth noting: if you're interested in looking at a lot of places before making a decision it can be a little like juggling cats. Having a broker in those instances is really great. They save you a million phone calls + just tell you where to meet and when.

Some buildings are broker-only, and the management company absolutely won't work directly with a prospective tenant. Some buildings it's the wild wild west and it's every man for himself and you show up to an open house behind ten other interested renters and it's a little like The Bachelor? It's dog eat dog out there, man.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I EXPECT TO SPEND A MONTH IN RENT? /

You might get to spend as little as $6500 a month! Hah! The answer is, it all depends. Friends of ours on the Upper West Side have rented a two bedroom for $10,000 and other friends have rented a similar -sized two bedroom for just under $3000. Some of our friends have rented studios for $1800 a month, other friends have rented studios for more than $3500. (PS-asking someone point blank what they pay in rent in New York City is something you should definitely do and don't even feel weird about it, okay? It's completely kosher. Nobody talks about their salaries, everybody talks about their rent.) But generally speaking, on average, you're looking at $2200 a month and up in Manhattan. To find something under $2000 you'll be living in Manhattan without a bedroom, or in an outer borough somewhere trekk-y to a subway, or with a roommate to split the cost. Or in Queens. But I know nothing about Queens so let's leave that out of this. 

Studios in Manhattan, in my experience, generally start around $1600 for the tiniest space and can go way, way up from there, depending on neighborhood + amenities. And consider this a vote for the studio! One ought to consider a studio! If you can save money on a similarly sized space by foregoing a couple of walls, I say do it! It's so easy to get creative, and when you're already living this crazy different lifestyle by living in the city, I think it adds an element of fun. If you ask me, anyway. Those kinds of studios are the exception, though. Most of these studios are glorified bedrooms, and some of them--especially the ones in the Village--won't even have kitchens, necessarily. Maybe a sink, a hot plate, and a very tiny fridge. The kind of fridge you might buy for your dorm room. Sometimes you'll find a shower in the kitchen as well! That is exciting. Is this kind of thing worth it to be able to live in the Village? Yes, it is always worth it to be able to live in the Village.

(Maybe.)

Really rent comes down entirely to these three things: 

1. THE NEIGHBORHOOD 

2. THE BUILDING AMENITIES 

3. THE SIZE

Walk ups are cheaper, and the higher ya have to climb the cheaper the rent ya get. Luxury apartments and places with amenities charge more more more. Elevators and doormen. These are typically the first to go when you're trying to cut back on rent. I've been more than happy to do that in the past, even though it's really rad having someone to sign for your packages for you. You know.

School districts will have a huge bearing on the cost of your apartment, too. In certain parts of the Upper West Side, rents jump up by more than a couple grand, easily, just based on which school you are zoned for. Funnily enough, paying more to live in one of these zones does not actually guarantee you a seat at these schools. There's still an application process, there's usually a waiting list, and oftentimes seats are assigned via lottery. Isn't that fun? Waiting on Huck's acceptance letter to kindergarten was more stressful than waiting on Brandon's acceptance to NYU. 

However.

You might get lucky and find what I like to call a Little Old Lady unit, where some old person or super rich family who bought the space for something silly like ten thousand dollars back in 1920 or whatever is willing to rent out or sub-lease to you long-term for cheap because she just wants a nice family to keep things up for them. Did you see that one movie with Drew Barrymore and Ben Stiller? It's generally not very likely that you'll come across something like this, though there are those people who seem to excel at finding these little spots and you sort of have to hate them because of it (I'm looking at you, Spencer + Erica! ;).

LET'S TALK SIZE /

Obviously this goes all over the place but for a 1-bedroom, 500 square feet is the start of what's considered decent. For a 2-bedroom, 600 starts to feel pretty cramped, 800 feels like a sweet spot. Anything over 1000 square feet and it's like, WOW, who are you, Donald Trump? 250-400 square feet is where you'll find the most affordable options. It's also where you'll need a lot of patience with  your loved ones. ;)

LET'S TALK AMENITIES /

Basically the name of the game is to figure out how many of these you can do without. For every single one of these you keep you tack on quite a bit more in rent. 

Doorman

Elevator

Dishwasher

Central Air

Laundry in the building

Laundry in the UNIT - the golden unicorn of apartments

Bike storage

Basement storage

All apartments in NYC are required to provide free heat + hot water by law. A lot of NYC apartments you can't control the heater in your unit and you broil yourself to death every winter. But that's kind of fun, too.

LET'S TALK HOODS /

What are the cheapest neighborhoods to live in?

In Manhattan: The Financial District, good for those who don't require too many grocery stores or if you're a vampire and prefer a lack of natural light; the Upper East Side, believe it or not, because it is BORING over there; Hells Kitchen, though increasingly less-so since all these new high rises are going up; and Inwood, but be sure to get an unlimited monthly Metrocard pass.

What are the most expensive neighborhoods to live in?

Who are you, Donald Trump? Good luck finding anything affordable in the West Village, Meatpacking District, or SoHo anymore if you also want to have room for a standard-sized sofa.

Stupidly, Chelsea is still really pricey and I honestly can't figure out how it's worth it?

I thought this place was supposed to be cheap, what happened?

Gentrification happened. And you can't escape it.

The East Village, most of Brooklyn, certain parts of Morningside Heights, Chinatown and Little Italy, these places have historically been thought of as rather affordable but it's all changing fast and there's not much you can do about it. 

In Brooklyn, there are still a few hoods left that are only in the early-early stages of hipster intervention and thus are still fairly affordable. Let's chunk them up into sub-categories, ready?

Neighborhoods to rent in now before it's too late:

Greenpoint

Gowanus

Prospect Heights

Bed Stuy

You've got some time, kids:

Red Hook

Bay Ridge

Sunset Park

Crown Heights

Too late, suckers:

Cobble Hill

Brooklyn Heights

Park Slope
Williamsburg (lol)

You want real cheap? Move to Astoria. 

Manhattan is pretty family-friendly if you can afford it, but to maximize your search you should look in the UWS, the West Village, and TriBeCa--home of stupidly spendy kid's boutiques and really competitive mom's groups. In Brooklyn you can go just about anywhere, really, minus maybe certain parts of Bed Stuy? I don't know.

The least family-friendly Manhattan hoods are going to be Midtown / Murray Hill (bro central), the Financial District (there's, like, nothing down there but tall buildings and burger joints), and Chinatown, I'd say, just because it's crazy busy down there.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A "NO-FEE" APARTMENT? /

A "no-fee" apartment means you don't need a broker and won't be asked to pay any extra management or leasing fees. It sounds cheaper, though in my experience, it mostly evens out either way. In a no-fee case you might be asked to pay a security deposit, which is one month's rent and pretty much exactly what you'd pay a broker. In my experience, the places that have a fee or require that you work with a broker will leave off the requirement for a security deposit. A lot / most of the no-fee buildings ask a slightly higher-than-average monthly rent. 

Our first place on the UWS was no-fee. It was adorable + clean + getting approved was a super quick process, but we paid a lot more every month for the up-front convenience. The next year we moved to a brand new apartment in a renovated broker building that was more than twice the size of our first place AND had a washer/dryer in the unit, for the very same amount of rent. So . . . I mean.

HOW MUCH CASH DO I NEED TO MOVE INTO AN APARTMENT? /

A lot of cash. You will need all of the cash. 

First you'll need to pay an application fee, which is sometimes just $25 but is often a couple hundred, and then you'll need to be prepared to pay first and last month's rent pretty much immediately if your application is approved, and then, often, a security or broker's fee. We've never moved anywhere without needing a solid $10k in cash to throw around. What really sucks is when you apply for an apartment and then don't get it for whatever reason, and then you're just out the application fee. We once lost a good chunk of change for the privilege of being turned down by a co-op board for having "too much student debt," which is why one should always avoid dealing with a co-op board, and / or obtaining excessive education. Thank your, NYU! 

WHAT ALL DO I NEED / WHAT DOCUMENTS ARE REQUIRED FOR AN APPLICATION?  /

It's pretty standard for a building to require that you earn 40 times your monthly rent, which they'll want to see proof of via copies of your bank statement. Most times they'll want to see three months of pay stubs as well as a letter from your employer showing that you are in good standing with the company and your job is secure. Sometimes they'll want your credit card information? That just happened once though so I'm not sure it's standard. Usually also the rights to your firstborn child. You might also need a guarantor. Some even require a guarantor if your credit is spotless. A guarantor needs to be able to prove that s/he makes 80x the rent. Good luck with that, right? Ha-ha-haaaa. 

When you find a place you like it's a good idea to apply on the spot, immediatamente, so have all your docs ready to go the minute you show up to a potential apartment. I've lost places to applicants that applied faster than me by five minutes. 

WHAT THE HELL IS A JUNIOR 4? 

If something is called a Junior 4 it means that the apartment you are looking at is legally a one bedroom, but that there is a walk-in closet or office space dining alcove area that you could easily convert into a second bedroom if you wanted, although since it has no windows or closets, it can't legally be considered a bedroom.

A Junior 1 is a studio that can be considered a 1-bedroom, due to an alcove layout.

I've noticed you tend to pay more for the places labelled Junior 1 or Junior 4 than for a straight up studio or 1-bedroom with big closets, so keep a look out for the magical phrase "walk-in closet."

Some places call their listings a 1 bedroom even when they are actually a studio. This is because you can technically consider the apartment itself to be a bedroom, right? Sneaky. So look for the phrases "true 1 bedroom" or "true 2 bedroom." Something called a "room" can indicate a bathroom, or even a kitchen. A four-room apartment is really just a one-bedroom apartment with a kitchen, living room, and bathroom. 

DO I NEED TO HIRE A MOVING COMPANY? /

Here's one reason you should hire a moving company, even if you are just moving down the block: boxes. The thought of getting all the boxes you'd need into your apartment on your own when you are mostly traveling on foot is hysterical. Here's another reason: insurance. If you bust up a shared hallway, that's on you, kid. A third reason: renting U-hauls by the hour gets pricey when you can't guarantee how long it'll take you to pack / unpack. Don't forget the extra cost of possible parking tickets if you happen to park in the wrong place at the wrong time . . . yikes.

You know what's wild, is the logistics involved in moving across the country. Something I didn't expect: after the movers pack you up, you're given an estimated arrival time of about two-three weeks. Then your belongings wait at a warehouse until a shipping truck is available to go in your direction. Once your things are on the road, you get an updated arrival time, and then, magically, they roll up right on time. I stood at our doorway on move-in day holding my breath and then, there they were, my knights in shining blanket padding.

Anyway, yeah, professional movers are the ultimate way to experience a hectic move.

OTHER THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW /

If you get a window A/C unit, it's going to have to be installed by a licensed professional. Not by yourself. 

Your rent is going to go up every year. In my experience it's usually by $100 or so. Sometimes it's $500. No, you won't have any say in this. You don't like it, you can move out. Sometimes landlords will bump up your rent just enough to price you out so they can renovate the unit and charge more, or attract a different kind of renter. Rent controlled apartments don't really exist anymore, but rent stabilized apartments do, and that means your rent can only increase by a maximum of about 3% every year. 

Does rent ever go down some years? It's possible! After 9-11 a lot of my friends saw their rents go way down.

Finally and in conclusion, my best bit of apartment hunting advice is this: 

Be aggressive, be quick on your feet, and when you see a claw-foot tub, POUNCE.

This post was written in partnership with High Touch Moving, a team we hired and researched ourselves. We were offered a discount in exchange for this post. Writing it has been fairly therapeutic and has made me highly homesick. Thanks for the gentle care, High Touch!