We have a winner!(OR, I FOUND AN APARTMENT!!)
by Alissa, Sunday, March 23, 2008
Alissa, 25, Writer, Chicagoan-at-Heart, Tapas Lover, Olive Oil Connoisseur, and Ready for Her Next Big City Adventure(!)
Another weekend, another apartment search, right? Wrong, amigos. This three day weekend was 100% mine; craigslist can kiss my non-irish arse. How come? Because this gal--this gal right here--found an apartment! I'll give you the stats and then I'll discuss:
3 bedroom, 1 bathroom, $900.
Location: 10 -- Central Park Slope. it's only two blocks to the subway I take to work as well as two stops closer to Manhattan, thus lessening my commute by about 15 minutes each way.
Bedroom: 10. The room has two windows(!!) which face the tree lined street, and can comfortably fit a full bed, two nightstands, desk, and dresser and has a closet to boot! It's not next to the kitchen or bathroom. Ooo Ooo it's even painted a nice mint green. Hardwood...oh, baby!
Apartment Layout: 10. There is a full kitchen, nice bathroom, and open living room. Also, the common areas are separated from the bedrooms by a narrow hallway so it looks like sound won't carry. Amazingly, there is even laundry in the basement!
Roommates: 6. Two rooms were open, so I've only met one of the two girls, however as I like her and she picked the other gal too -- I'm hoping that this means that I'll like the mystery roommate as well. However, it is a bit weird to move into a place without knowing both people. Admittedly, when I lived in Ireland I did move into a flat without meeting annny of the roommates and that worked out well enough.
Rent: 4
Random + or -: Nope!
Grand Total: 40/50
The thing that amazes me about this whole apartment search -- is that there were places that should have been quite a bit cheaper (ie. the room right next to the expressway), but were still all roughly $750-800. It's almost like landlords assume that because their apartment falls within a certain zipcode, they should be allowed to charge as much as they like, even when the space doesn't correspond with the rent. Meanwhile, I don't even need all the wonderful space afforded me in this great apartment. I seriously was not looking for a great apartment; I was crossing my fingers for a 'decent' apartment. Now, you've seen my rating system and my reasoning. Perhaps you, more than even I, can tell whether my expectations were too lofty. I still would rather pay the $800 and get a room with a window, that fits a full bed, that only has room for a nightstand and a small dresser (with a closet either in the room or outside with the rest of the apartment being fine) than pay $900 for this dreamboat. However, it seems like the chances of that are slim to none. So, I'll be brushing up on m'cooking skills and PB and J. I didn't get exactly what I wanted -- but a B-(4/5 kids = 80%!) ain't bad for NYC.
Too bad I have to pay double rent for April...unless...wait...can I get a subletter for my sublet?!?!
More on this *brilliant* brainstorm to come.
3 bedroom, 1 bathroom, $900.
Location: 10 -- Central Park Slope. it's only two blocks to the subway I take to work as well as two stops closer to Manhattan, thus lessening my commute by about 15 minutes each way.
Bedroom: 10. The room has two windows(!!) which face the tree lined street, and can comfortably fit a full bed, two nightstands, desk, and dresser and has a closet to boot! It's not next to the kitchen or bathroom. Ooo Ooo it's even painted a nice mint green. Hardwood...oh, baby!
Apartment Layout: 10. There is a full kitchen, nice bathroom, and open living room. Also, the common areas are separated from the bedrooms by a narrow hallway so it looks like sound won't carry. Amazingly, there is even laundry in the basement!
Roommates: 6. Two rooms were open, so I've only met one of the two girls, however as I like her and she picked the other gal too -- I'm hoping that this means that I'll like the mystery roommate as well. However, it is a bit weird to move into a place without knowing both people. Admittedly, when I lived in Ireland I did move into a flat without meeting annny of the roommates and that worked out well enough.
Rent: 4
Random + or -: Nope!
Grand Total: 40/50
The thing that amazes me about this whole apartment search -- is that there were places that should have been quite a bit cheaper (ie. the room right next to the expressway), but were still all roughly $750-800. It's almost like landlords assume that because their apartment falls within a certain zipcode, they should be allowed to charge as much as they like, even when the space doesn't correspond with the rent. Meanwhile, I don't even need all the wonderful space afforded me in this great apartment. I seriously was not looking for a great apartment; I was crossing my fingers for a 'decent' apartment. Now, you've seen my rating system and my reasoning. Perhaps you, more than even I, can tell whether my expectations were too lofty. I still would rather pay the $800 and get a room with a window, that fits a full bed, that only has room for a nightstand and a small dresser (with a closet either in the room or outside with the rest of the apartment being fine) than pay $900 for this dreamboat. However, it seems like the chances of that are slim to none. So, I'll be brushing up on m'cooking skills and PB and J. I didn't get exactly what I wanted -- but a B-(4/5 kids = 80%!) ain't bad for NYC.
Too bad I have to pay double rent for April...unless...wait...can I get a subletter for my sublet?!?!
More on this *brilliant* brainstorm to come.
2 Comments
Congratulations, Alissa.
March 27, 2008 9:45 AM
Whew! Your apartment hunt was definitely an adventure. Baltimore has a real estate market that is not as tight as NYC, so I was able to find an apartment in 1 week (viewed about 10 apartments) and within budget. That was still an adventure, but not as exciting as yours.
Good luck!
March 28, 2008 3:11 PM
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