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When should I start to worry about not having an apt lined up for NY? Any suggestions where to look if I want to be close to midtown and don't want to pay more than $3000 a month? Looked into NYU summer housing and they really aren't that cheap either for the location. Heard not to bother with craigslist. Will only have a short time between finals and my SA, so basically can't go to look at places to make sure they aren't bogus. Advice anyone?

Not sure why anybody told you not to bother with Craigslist. Maybe things have changed, but I was looking for a new apt about 2 years ago and Craigslist was still widely used. You can also try airbnb. I ended up finding my current place on nakedapartments.com, but not sure about what options you'll find for a short-term rental.

I assume you will want something that is furnished? There are some corporate/luxury places that will do furnished/short-term rentals, but for <$3000 in midtown your options are going to be slim to none. I would highly recommend looking outside of midtown. If you can get a place near the subway (particularly an express stop) the commute will be very quick. Depending on specific location, you can have a commute under 30 minutes (or possibly until 20) if you look in Upper West Side, East Village, Astoria, Long Island City, Brooklyn Heights, etc, and you'll have better living options.

ETA: In terms of when, it's honestly pretty difficult to line anything up far in advance. If you start work in mid-May, for example, you probably don't have much luck looking before mid-April.

Also, missed the part about you not being able to check out places before hand. I still think Craigslist is a good option, just do as much due diligence as possible (make sure you get pictures, talk to the sub-leaser in person on Skype, have a buddy in NYC go check it out in person if possible, etc). Airbnb might be a safer bet, though.

Thanks for the advice. Good to know I can wait a little longer before I need to really look. Won't Airbnb be more expensive?

Londonbear wrote:Thanks for the advice. Good to know I can wait a little longer before I need to really look. Won't Airbnb be more expensive?

Yeah but Airbnb is probably the easiest and safest method to use. You can usually get a bunch of pics and reviews from previous guests before booking, and Airbnb guarantees the place for you so no potential shenanigans. I went with Airbnb last summer and was happy paying a little extra for peace of mind.

NYU's rates seem pretty affordable compared to what I've seen on Airbnb. I know someone who did that for the summer and it worked out pretty well.

Look at Columbia summer housing. As an SA (summer 2014) I had a 2 bedroom with no roommates (but second bedroom was locked--closed) for $1500.

What do we think of Queens?

Londonbear wrote:What do we think of Queens?

Long Island City is great for commuting to midtown. Astoria less so, but still very doable if you're relatively close to the subway. I probably wouldn't go any further in than that though.

cbbinnyc wrote:Not sure why anybody told you not to bother with Craigslist. Maybe things have changed, but I was looking for a new apt about 2 years ago and Craigslist was still widely used. You can also try airbnb. I ended up finding my current place on nakedapartments.com, but not sure about what options you'll find for a short-term rental.

I assume you will want something that is furnished? There are some corporate/luxury places that will do furnished/short-term rentals, but for <$3000 in midtown your options are going to be slim to none. I would highly recommend looking outside of midtown. If you can get a place near the subway (particularly an express stop) the commute will be very quick. Depending on specific location, you can have a commute under 30 minutes (or possibly until 20) if you look in Upper West Side, East Village, Astoria, Long Island City, Brooklyn Heights, etc, and you'll have better living options.

ETA: In terms of when, it's honestly pretty difficult to line anything up far in advance. If you start work in mid-May, for example, you probably don't have much luck looking before mid-April.

My firm is closest to an EM stop, and I heard it can be unreliable. Does unreliable mean I just have to make sure I add in a few minutes just in case, or does unreliable means sometimes it doesn't show up for close to hours? (Happens frequently in DC, so extremely weary of metros)

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Londonbear wrote:When should I start to worry about not having an apt lined up for NY? Any suggestions where to look if I want to be close to midtown and don't want to pay more than $3000 a month? Looked into NYU summer housing and they really aren't that cheap either for the location. Heard not to bother with craigslist. Will only have a short time between finals and my SA, so basically can't go to look at places to make sure they aren't bogus. Advice anyone?

Not really sure what you mean by "aren't that cheap for the location" with NYU... You know that's one of the most expensive parts of the entire city, right?

If you can't visit and meet people then subletting on Craigslist will be pretty impossible, although that would otherwise be my first suggestion. I'd stick with looking into the area law schools for the best combination of value and convenience. In addition to CLS and NYU, Brooklyn has dorms.

dixiecupdrinking wrote:

Londonbear wrote:When should I start to worry about not having an apt lined up for NY? Any suggestions where to look if I want to be close to midtown and don't want to pay more than $3000 a month? Looked into NYU summer housing and they really aren't that cheap either for the location. Heard not to bother with craigslist. Will only have a short time between finals and my SA, so basically can't go to look at places to make sure they aren't bogus. Advice anyone?

Not really sure what you mean by "aren't that cheap for the location" with NYU... You know that's one of the most expensive parts of the entire city, right?

If you can't visit and meet people then subletting on Craigslist will be pretty impossible, although that would otherwise be my first suggestion. I'd stick with looking into the area law schools for the best combination of value and convenience. In addition to CLS and NYU, Brooklyn has dorms.

When I meant "aren't that cheap for the location", I meant considering the travelling distance and the fact that it's basically a dorm. I would only have to pay a bit more for a closer place to midtown.

Londonbear wrote:

dixiecupdrinking wrote:

Londonbear wrote:When should I start to worry about not having an apt lined up for NY? Any suggestions where to look if I want to be close to midtown and don't want to pay more than $3000 a month? Looked into NYU summer housing and they really aren't that cheap either for the location. Heard not to bother with craigslist. Will only have a short time between finals and my SA, so basically can't go to look at places to make sure they aren't bogus. Advice anyone?

Not really sure what you mean by "aren't that cheap for the location" with NYU... You know that's one of the most expensive parts of the entire city, right?

If you can't visit and meet people then subletting on Craigslist will be pretty impossible, although that would otherwise be my first suggestion. I'd stick with looking into the area law schools for the best combination of value and convenience. In addition to CLS and NYU, Brooklyn has dorms.

When I meant "aren't that cheap for the location", I meant considering the travelling distance and the fact that it's basically a dorm. I would only have to pay a bit more for a closer place to midtown.

Fair enough but living in midtown is as a general matter much cheaper. It's not some great shakes being in the east 50s or whatever.

Londonbear wrote: My firm is closest to an EM stop, and I heard it can be unreliable. Does unreliable mean I just have to make sure I add in a few minutes just in case, or does unreliable means sometimes it doesn't show up for close to hours? (Happens frequently in DC, so extremely weary of metros)

I don't use the E or M very frequently, but I find the E to be pretty reliable, the M less so. Assuming you start work at a normal time in the morning, 9-10 or so, I can't imagine waiting longer than 10 minutes tops (and that would be pretty bad - usually you won't wait more than 5 minutes for any train at rush hour). Getting home late at night can be annoying sometimes, but even after midnight, waiting longer than 20 minutes is pretty rare. If you're off the M, you might want to look at Williamsburg and the East Village. Long Island City and Astoria are also decent options.

You should probably look at different neighborhoods for midtown firms than for downtown firms. Brooklyn to Wall Street is probably shorter than commuting from Manhattan. Roosevelt Island is great for Midtown.

Living in midtown sucks. I dont care how easy the commute is. It sucks.

Anonymous User wrote:

Londonbear wrote: My firm is closest to an EM stop, and I heard it can be unreliable. Does unreliable mean I just have to make sure I add in a few minutes just in case, or does unreliable means sometimes it doesn't show up for close to hours? (Happens frequently in DC, so extremely weary of metros)

I don't use the E or M very frequently, but I find the E to be pretty reliable, the M less so. Assuming you start work at a normal time in the morning, 9-10 or so, I can't imagine waiting longer than 10 minutes tops (and that would be pretty bad - usually you won't wait more than 5 minutes for any train at rush hour). Getting home late at night can be annoying sometimes, but even after midnight, waiting longer than 20 minutes is pretty rare. If you're off the M, you might want to look at Williamsburg and the East Village. Long Island City and Astoria are also decent options.

ETA: Accidental annon - this is cbb

Anonymous User wrote:You should probably look at different neighborhoods for midtown firms than for downtown firms. Brooklyn to Wall Street is probably shorter than commuting from Manhattan. Roosevelt Island is great for Midtown.

Yes. Totally forgot about Roosevelt Island. It's pricey, but under $3000/month is doable.

I live in LIC, have a really nice and large apartment with all the amenities for under 3K, and I'm in my midtown office within 25 minutes (and can always just take a 10 minute taxi ride home if I'm stuck here late). If you live in the Court Square/Queensboro Plaza area, the rent is affordable and you have access to many of the major trains. Literally every part of Manhattan becomes easily accessible.

Thanks everyone! It's helped me narrow my search down.