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Apartment Hunting

galenbladegalenblade Registered User regular
edited July 2010 in Help / Advice Forum
So, time has come to move from my place, and I'm having some trouble, as previous threads have shown.

I'm trying to find a decent place to move to. I've been living at my place for a year, and although it's a good location, it's too expensive, and too riddled with problems (bugs, lack of heat) to continue at.

I've been looking at Craigslist (and other places, like Padmapper) for apartments, but by and large, I'm either finding places that are out of my price range, or when I do find a decent deal it turns out to be a scam. I'm also wary of it, as I got my current apartment through CL and a seemingly legit broker, but he lied about the place a lot. Oh how he lied.

I've looked at a number of brokers (don't really want to pay fees, but might be the only option), but I have no way of telling if they're legit, or if they're listing everything they have. The ones I've contacted have been notoriously bad in getting back to me, haven't had anything for me, or the like.

FWIW, I'm looking in the NYC area.

My questions are such:
1. Is there a good place to look online for apartments/brokers aside from CL?
2. Is there anywhere I can check out brokers/buildings to make sure they're legit?
3. Any general advice on what to do/not do or where to look to find decent deals?

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galenblade on

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    bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Have you tried apartmentfinder.com ? That's the internet based resource that we get for a printed thing around where I live.

    bowen on
    not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
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    galenbladegalenblade Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    bowen wrote: »
    Have you tried apartmentfinder.com ? That's the internet based resource that we get for a printed thing around where I live.

    I have, it's really not useful, sadly. Doesn't give me much/any control over the area or neighborhood, so I end up getting listings for Jersey or Connecticut.

    galenblade on
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    bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Ah so Jersey's out too? Probably better rent in Weehawken if you're not opposed to it.

    bowen on
    not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
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    DeebaserDeebaser on my way to work in a suit and a tie Ahhhh...come on fucking guyRegistered User regular
    edited July 2010
    galenblade wrote: »
    My questions are such:
    1. Is there a good place to look online for apartments/brokers aside from CL?

    nytimes.com real estate section is pure gold.
    prudential douglass elliman just had a massive site overhaul
    curbed.com marketplace should have a lot of decent listings too. They're like the standard bearer of NYC real estate blogs. Better than brownstoner imo.

    2. Is there anywhere I can check out brokers/buildings to make sure they're legit?

    I'm not sure I understand.
    Does the broker have a key to the apartment?
    Is he making you sign the brokerage agreement before he shakes your hand?
    He's probably legit.

    3. Any general advice on what to do/not do or where to look to find decent deals?

    Do not waste too much time on craigslist. They have a lot of nonsense to wade through.

    Deebaser on
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    galenbladegalenblade Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Deebaser wrote: »
    2. Is there anywhere I can check out brokers/buildings to make sure they're legit?

    I'm not sure I understand.
    Does the broker have a key to the apartment?
    Is he making you sign the brokerage agreement before he shakes your hand?
    He's probably legit.

    Well, I meant more along the lines of reviews than identifying potential scammers. There's some shady brokers out there - people who will flat-out lie about the features of the apartment in order to make a sale. I used one and got an apartment with a lot of problems, my recently moved friends used one who lied about internet connectivity and reliability of other utilities in the apartment, etc.
    3. Any general advice on what to do/not do or where to look to find decent deals?

    Do not waste too much time on craigslist. They have a lot of nonsense to wade through.

    Yeah, I'm really discovering that. Signal to noise ratio is waaay too low. Will check out what you listed.

    galenblade on
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    CauldCauld Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    I found mine by deciding on a neighborhood(s) and then walking around it and calling signs on buildings. I was opposed to paying a broker. I have some friends looking to move right now, but I think they decided to stay put since they couldn't find anything decent during the two week window they had.

    I started out trying Craigslist, but I just don't think the system works as well in a city as big as NYC. All the people I called either never answered, never called back, or immediately tried to get me to rent a place other than the one in the ad they'd posted less than an hour ago, then claimed the place in the ad had been gone for days, or weeks.

    Cauld on
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