NYC Question

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 5/21/07 at 11:50pm

which is the safest/cheapest part of the city to live in?
Updated On: 5/22/07 at 11:50 PM

[Liverpool]

Posted: 5/21/07 at 11:57pm

for what? Buying drugs? Finding Hookers? getting a good meal? Living?

[Anakela]

Posted: 5/21/07 at 11:58pm

ok, no offense (and I hate people that start 'no offense,' because they're totally about to offend you), but you really need to narrow down your question- that's like asking "so like where's the best place to live in the world?"

Start with: what is 'cheap' to you? Let's say a 2 bdrm apt with one roommate and you each pay $1,000/month in rent, is that cheap or expensive to you?

[courtnyj]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 12:18am

Yeah, because by my definition there isn't anywhere "cheap" in Manhattan.

EDIT: Anekla...$2000 for a two-bedroom in Manhattan? Where? Inwood? Updated On: 5/22/07 at 12:18 AM

[Anakela]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 12:31am

Hey, I am sure ucjr could get a $2,000 2 bdrm in Washington Heights. And then we can get into what the definition of 'safe' is. :)

I kid, I kid, Wash Hts has some great areas.

But, ucjr, you really have to be more specific than "I want cheap"- when I first moved out here I had two or three roommates, and spent slightly over $500 in rent on my share, do you want to go that cheap?
Will you be ok with more roommate if it means even lower rent?
No more than one roommate no matter what?
How far from (midtown/wall street/wherever you will be working) are you willing to live?
What's the most you want to spend on your share of the rent?
Do you already have a job lined up?
Will you be able to have a guarantor who makes more than _____ % of the rent lined up to cosign for you if you don't make enough/don't have a job lined up?
Etc., etc., etc.

[courtnyj]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 12:43am

When I first moved here I paid $725 to share a three bedroom apartment with four people in Park Slope. And that was considered a huge deal because the apartment was in need of repair and the landlord didn't want to fix anything, so he rented to college students for cheap.

[Anakela]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 12:47am

Oh yeah- did I mention that the place where I was paying slightly over $500/rent, that I paid rent in cash, as we were pretty much renting illegally in a private home that wasn't zoned for apartments? Or that it was off of the G train in Brooklyn?

But hey- it was cheap.

[shira467]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 1:00am

Oh, Anakela.

I live in a nice studio in Astoria. I'm happy.

Especially after that NYT article -- average $2567 for a one-bedroom.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/nyregion/10rent.html?ex=1179979200&en=14e1790e513899ed&ei=5070

[courtnyj]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 1:14am

Ha! For a year I lived illegally in the housing projects in Red Hook, Brooklyn. For the first six months I paid $185, the rest of the year I paid $275, cash.

Oh, and I also lived illegally in an unzoned apartment in Bensonhurst Brooklyn for $500 a month, cash.

Now I'm living in the living room (converted to a bedroom) of a one-bedroom apartment, paying $425 a month...Flatbush Brooklyn.

I know people who have lived in crazier situations....sharing a studio, three people sharing a one-bedroom etc. Welcome to New York City! Updated On: 5/22/07 at 01:14 AM

[Anakela]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 10:11am

$185? That is awesome- I think that's the best number that I've ever heard. no clue if you were renting out someone's walk-in closet or not, but even if you were that's still a good price!

Yeah my friend is in one of those two people sharing a one bedroom situations- she gets the bedroom, her roommate lives in the living room. My friend makes it work- heck her bedroom's big enough that she's got a little mini fridge de facto kitchen thing going on in there- but still, too high of a price for me to consider paying just to live in Manhattan...that's why I'm in Astoria. Heh- just like Shira.

And I remember reading that NYTimes article, and not feeling especially sorry for most of the people featured- you know what happens when it costs $2567/month average to rent a 1 bdrm in Manhattan and you can't afford that? You suck up and deal and look in areas outside Manhattan, and/or the under average areas of Manhattan that you can afford, which it seemed like no one in the article mentioned...gawker.com linked to this when it was published, and most of the commentors there felt what I'm feeling...
gawker.com- White People Now Forced To Live Like Non-White People!

[tazber]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 10:34am

181st and St. Nicholas Ave.

You can't beat the price. So what if you'll be shot at. That's part of the NY experience.

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 10:39am

You want safe? Then you don't get cheap.

You want cheap? Not Manhattan.

[JailyardGuy]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 10:46am

As everyone else has said, it all depends on what YOU'RE willing to put up with. Living in New York is not a "have it your way" situation. You either compromise your location and accessibility for affordability and space, OR compromise space and affordability for accessibility.

I live in a formerly dicey neighborhood that is in the midst of a HUGE gentrification push (Spanish Harlem), that isn't exactly in the heart of things, but I can be anywhere in 20 minutes, and because I chose to live in a not-so-beautiful neighborhood, I have a (by New York standards) huge 1-bedroom in a brand new luxury building with ridiculous amenities, and I pay quite a bit under $2K a month.

But...I live in Spanish Harlem. There's no Starbucks on the corner, there are projects across the street, there is crazy meringue music on the sidewalks until 1 or 2 am when it's warm out, and my whole block always smells like empanadas and fried cheese from the truck that's always parked in front of the bodega.

Then again...my neighbors are fabulous, none of us have EVER had a problem with anybody in the neighborhood, and after a few months of needless apprehension about living in El Barrio, I'm over it and am truly comfortable there.

(I DO wish the goddamn CVS wasn't six blocks away, though. :-)

So...it's up to you. You need to think about what you want to spend, and make a list of things that you absolutely MUST have, things that would be nice to have, and things that you can totally go without. (ie, when I was looking for a new apartment, I REQUIRED a nice kitchen, but didn't care about a doorman) You also need to have a very firm budget nailed down, and should decide if you can afford to go through a broker, or if you absolutely need a no-fee apartment.

I'm a real estate agent, so if you have any specific questions, you can feel free to PM me and I'll do my best to help you

[avab802]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 2:47pm

Harlem. A real 2-bedroom for $1592/month. Rent stabilized. *bows down to rent stabilization laws*

It's a walk-up, but we're on the second floor. However, we're on the second floor so the street noise is sometimes loud. I sleep with ear plugs in if I have to. I've also found that calling the cops on the little punks who are hanging out on the stoop screaming at each other at 1am on a Tuesday is oddly satisfying.

So, yeah, some things about the neighborhood/building/apartment suck. But we have a really nice super who takes good care of us. Also, things in the neighborhood (groceries, bodegas, etc) are much cheaper than they are elsewhere in Manhattan. I was so excited when I found out that the Mister Softee truck on 125th St. is only $1.50 for a cone. The guys in midtown are twice that! Clearly, it's the little things. We also get all those carts with the really good icee things that are like 75 cents.

Like Jailyardguy said, you have to decide what you are willing to put up with and what amenities are really important to you.

[lildogs]

Posted: 5/22/07 at 3:04pm

I live out in Ridgewood/Bushwick like mejust and I pay $450/month for my share of a 3-BR house. I doubt you'd find my hood safe.

As far as Manhattan safety goes, the best place is likely Battery park City--I work there and it's crawling with security because it's very close to WTC and in between two of the World Financial Centers--but cheap it aint.

If you want safe and cheap, you're probably looking at a long commute.