NYU housing

[gegogi]

Hi, all!
Do you happen to know what area I should check? I looked for one bedrooms so far, but it costs me over $2600 now, so I changed my mind to look at queens or brooklyn. Anyone knows there? If anyone knows any good apt around nyu dental school, let me know! PM me, too! Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Sephisabin]

Are you set on your own place? If you get roommates, you can cut the cost down a lot. I live 2 blocks from school and pay $1210 a month for my own room. Last year I was 3 blocks from school and paid $1280 a month for my own room. Not cheap by any means, but the housing is a lot more affordable if you get roommates.

Also, you should be looking at studios. One bedrooms are meant for 2 people because every place has a huge living room that is meant to be broken down into a smaller living room + a bedroom using a pressurized wall. That said, the one bedroom with a housemate should actually be $1300 a person.

 

[kayakfisher]

still waiting on my acceptance. But, I am looking into a studio apartment for my first year... nothing against all the other D1's but I want to know who Im living with first!

At my interview I was talking to some students and it sounds like the off campus housing is a rip off, because you can get something similar for less money in the same area. But, I still think I might do it for a year to get to know everyone.

 

[Jem214]

C

 

[Dent44]

In defense of NYC, I know the Rivergate building and it's surprising these people had such a negative experience there.

For all you out of towners, when you are looking for apartments, be critical: close and open windows to hear noise levels, look at paint jobs, turn on and off faucets, open and close doors, and check that all necessities are already there (aka: CO detector), etc. While everyone in the real estate deal is self-focused, not every landlord is a scumbag. Also, these people could have easily bought a cheap CO detector and used some of that insulating tape on the windows to close up cracks that arent filled... it would have been much cheaper than eight months in a hotel lol.

NYU might be the best located dental school on the East Coast! The area around the school is great. I know a ton of people who moved there just after college. Gramercy, the East village, Union Sq. and Murray Hill are all in the vicinity of the school and are packed with young people (esp MH and the East Village). Doorman buildings are more expensive so if you're willing to forgo that luxury you can find cheaper places. Otherwise, like someone said above, putting up a wall to convert to a two bedroom apartment is really common (just make sure that the building allows walls to be put up!). If you're willing to commute definitely look into brooklyn, queens and hoboken - it'll take longer but you can find cheaper apartments.

Good luck and congrats on NYU!!!!

 

[gegogi]

Oh man! Thank you so much for informing this. I was on the process on that apt! It looked well organized building and had a brand new kitchen and they called $2500 for 1 bedroom. And it was bigger than other apts. It's so fortunate for me to get heard this thread!

 

[THINKOFMYFUTURE]

What would be the cheapest possible way to live near the school - few blockish?

Is it roommating? That's cool; I just want to know how I would go about doing this.

 

[Edward Norton]

I couldn't help but respond to this post. I went through a nightmarish housing experience during my D1 year, and I hope that none of you have to go through what I had to go through.

First of all, in New York City, you have to go through a real estate broker when you search for an apartment. Landlords don't give you access to the apartment directly. A broker's purpose of existence is to gain access to the landlord's property. That's it. These brokers are the "middle men" whom you must hire in order to view, then sign for an apartment. Once you sign for the apartment that you like, you pay them a broker's fee usually equivalent to 1 month's rent.

In my opinion, these brokers are clueless, money hungry thieves who'll say and do anything so that you sign for an apartment. They don't know anything about the landlord or the property that they are showing you.

I signed for an apartment with a broker from Bond New York. My landlord was VGC Realty. The owner of that company was Carl Terranova. It is my opinion that he is a dishonest and shameless individual who, as it turns out, is also involved in an investigation on fraud.

http://nycitynewsservice.com/2008/03/04/bootleggers-back-after-chinatown-raid/

Avoid his properties at all costs. As it turns out, his building was in violation of various building codes which were not revealed to me until I moved in. Mr. Terranova did nothing about the various complaints that I made regarding the problems in my apartment. The most blatant code violation was that of a gas leak, which leaked fumes into my apartment making my living situation hazardous. I was not aware of this initially. For several weeks, I experienced nausea and fatigue as a result of "something." The problem got so bad that I had to check myself into the emergency room for treatment. When I called the gas company to inspect the property, it was immediately determined that the entire multi-story building had a gas leak problem which was making me sick. The gas company shut off gas service for the entire building. I had no gas for my stove, nor hot water for weeks; I could not feed myself nor shower during that time. The place was basically not habitable.

VGC Realty denied that there were any problems with the property when I moved in. Talk about having no conscience! I wanted to sue Terranova's pants off, but unfortunately as a student, you're in school/clinic all day long. And under the recommendation of the academic dean at NYU, I chose not to file a lawsuit since doing so would have taken a tremendous chunk of class/clinic time which could have jeopardized my progress towards graduation.

This was my horror story. I regret having signed with VGC Realty. I recommend that future NYUers avoid "Terranova" properties at all costs. I lost a lot of money, and my health was compromised. It is my opinion that VGC Realty and its owner, Carl Terranova, and receptionist Leah Terranova (coincidentally also his lawyer), are shameless and dishonest crooks.

I hope that you guys find a nice place to live. Good luck.

 

[Jem214]

k

 

[Sephisabin]

Wow... all the people with horror stories about where not to live are coming out of the woodwork... good intentions I guess, but I'll take the other route... the places that are close and good to live at:

There are the three that most students live in:

1) Kips Bay Court -- About a 5-7 minute walk from school, doorman, laundry, etc. It's a really nice property in a good location. It tends to fill up fastest of the 3 so search early if you want to live here.

2) Waterside Plaza -- About a 7-10 minute walk from school, doorman, laundry, etc. Another really nice property but the location is a polarizing topic. It's secluded from the rest of the city. That means extra walking if you go out somewhere in the city, but it's also quieter and possibly the only place you'll actually find white snow... the snow in the city turns brown fast.

3) Stuyvesant Town -- About a 5-15 minute walk from school, depending on where you live within the complex. The complex is HUGE but the courtyard has a lot of parks and sports courts. Definitely the nicest complex of the bunch. It's a bunch of small buildings so there's no doorman, but it does have laundry. I believe it also tends to be the cheapest.

None of these places need a broker. They have their own leasing offices so you can avoid that hassle altogether. If you want some of the smaller places around the school, you'll likely need to find a broker... just look out for their fees... they can be staggering. No harm in seeing what a broker has to offer, but make sure you read the form carefully when they ask you to sign something.

 

[Kneecoal]

Wow... all the people with horror stories about where not to live are coming out of the woodwork... good intentions I guess, but I'll take the other route... the places that are close and good to live at:

There are the three that most students live in:

1) Kips Bay Court -- About a 5-7 minute walk from school, doorman, laundry, etc. It's a really nice property in a good location. It tends to fill up fastest of the 3 so search early if you want to live here.

2) Waterside Plaza -- About a 7-10 minute walk from school, doorman, laundry, etc. Another really nice property but the location is a polarizing topic. It's secluded from the rest of the city. That means extra walking if you go out somewhere in the city, but it's also quieter and possibly the only place you'll actually find white snow... the snow in the city turns brown fast.

3) Stuyvesant Town -- About a 5-15 minute walk from school, depending on where you live within the complex. The complex is HUGE but the courtyard has a lot of parks and sports courts. Definitely the nicest complex of the bunch. It's a bunch of small buildings so there's no doorman, but it does have laundry. I believe it also tends to be the cheapest.

None of these places need a broker. They have their own leasing offices so you can avoid that hassle altogether. If you want some of the smaller places around the school, you'll likely need to find a broker... just look out for their fees... they can be staggering. No harm in seeing what a broker has to offer, but make sure you read the form carefully when they ask you to sign something.

thank youuuu!

 

[phungy]

Don't forget Peter Cooper Village which is closer to campus than Stuytown or Waterside. Find a roommate or two and split a one converted two bedroom. That should lower your rent to $1300 or less per month.

 

[davidius]

Does anyone have any recommendations that are farther from the school/less expensive? I don't mind riding the subway if I need to to save money but I don't want to have to go through a broker...

 

[phungy]

What is your budget? That will allow us to give you better feedback.

 

[davidius]

Well I'll be living on financial aid just like everyone else and it looks like they're suggesting a $2k a month budget for rent but if I can save money by living farther away from campus (Brooklyn?) then I'm all for that and minimizing my end debt. Also, coming up with deposits (1st, last + damage) is something I'm considering right now when thinking that I won't get my financial aid payment until after school starts (am I wrong on this?).

So, any suggestions in Brooklyn area that are nice-ish and safe (moving with my gf to split the rent). Also, when do you think we should try and reserve a place? My experience is about a month out but I'm not too familiar with how it's done in NY.

Thanks.

 

[Sephisabin]

Don't forget Peter Cooper Village which is closer to campus than Stuytown or Waterside. Find a roommate or two and split a one converted two bedroom. That should lower your rent to $1300 or less per month.

True. Peter Cooper is technically a part of Stuy Town and both have the same leasing office, but do keep Peter Cooper in mind. I've heard it's a little nicer than stuy town as well.

I also left off Parc East which is also about a 7 minute walk from school. It's across the street from Kips Bay and has similar amenities. The only problem with that place is that the rooms aren't divided very evenly so the rent won't be split up quite as nicely. At Kips, my roommates and I are paying 1050-1210 each while my friends at Parc East are paying 900-1600 each. The master bedroom there is HUGE.

 

[wwdaffodils]

I went to NYU for undergrad and moved out of housing after my freshman year, so I went through the entire apartment search experience that you guys are about to go through. Plain and simple: it sucks. Hopefully any advice I can give you can ease the process somewhat, but if you’re going to get an apartment you like at a price you like, then you’re going have to take initiative and research on neighborhoods, average prices, etc.

New York City is unique in that the city has such a low non-occupancy rate (that is, almost all apartments in NYC already have residents and aren’t empty and waiting for someone else). Most apartments that are available don’t even get listed because if it’s nice, the present occupants are surely going to pass it onto someone they already know. In general, you should start searching about a month before you want to move in. Because there’s not that much housing available, you’re going to have to be ready to move QUICKLY—if you see an apartment you like, you need be prepared to sign a lease and hand over a check almost immediately, otherwise you risk losing the apartment to the next person in line (I’m not joking. I waited 2 hours for my roommate to come see the apartment, and by the time she got there, someone else came along with a check in hand and signed on the apartment). Get everything ready before you actually go out to see apartments: you need bank statements, pay stubs, letters from previous landlords, and obviously, enough money in your bank account to write a big fat check (usually a security deposit with first and last month’s rent). If you don’t make enough money, which I’m sure is the case as we’re students, you’ll also need a guarantor to sign off on the lease as well.

I personally tried not to work with a broker because I couldn’t bear the thought of handing over a commission, but eventually I gave in and worked with a company called Benjamin James. They charged me 15% of annual rent, which ends up being around 1 month’s rent (sad). The agent I worked with was really friendly though and really really (really) upbeat; I’m not sure she works there anymore, and I’m sure all realtors are different, so don’t work with one if you’re not comfortable with them.

I know a lot of people are talking about moving to Brooklyn or Queens. Nowadays, Brooklyn has become so gentrified that prices actually comparable to living in the city (fyi, people who live in New York call Manhattan “the city”, as if everyone will just automatically know what city they’re talking about). Dumbo, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill… they’re all nice neighborhoods, but will still cost you. Brooklyn is only “worth it” in terms of price if you move about 30-40 minutes outside of Manhattan by train (which means 45 minutes to an hour from NYU campus). However, it may be worth it to you to pay the same price as you would in Manhattan, but to get a slightly larger living space.

Queens is generally still good in the price ranges, as it hasn’t really been “discovered” yet (ie, taken over by hipsters and yuppies). It’s not as “cute” as Brooklyn is, but it’s certainly cheaper, and pretty safe overall (depending on what part you live in, of course). I don’t know much about Queens, as I didn’t extend my apartment search to there, but I do know that Astoria is one of the better neighborhoods (my cousin was able to get an apartment with a roommate, and each paid 700 for rent for their own bedroom). Also, I absolutely HAVE to mention LIC, Long Island City. LIC is right by the water as it’s literally a subway stop from Manhattan, and for the past 5-6 years or so, there’s been huge condo developments happening. Brand new, so pretty. If you live in LIC, it’ll take you about 30 minutes to get to school in total (including walking and time waiting for the subway). Honestly, I would love to live in these buildings. I have a friend who lives in one of the Avalon buildings (all rentals), and it’s literally right by the river. There’s a park in front of the cluster of condo buildings. In the summer, people come out and have picnics and read newspapers and lay down on the grass to suntan. It’s like freakin’ Central Park right in front of your building. Honestly, until you move to this city, you’ll never appreciate the simple pleasures of seeing a tree, or sitting on the grass.

Whoa, I wrote a lot. If anyone has questions about any of the other neighborhoods in Manhattan, feel free to ask or to PM me! Honestly, I know a lot. Researching Manhattan real estate is one of my favorite things to do to waste my time.

 

[wwdaffodils]

BTW, in my opinion, Stuy Town/Peter Cooper Village isn't worth it: they don’t charge you broker’s fees because their apartments are more expensive than comparables.

 

[wwdaffodils]

http://nymag.com/realestate/articles/03/realestate2003/neighborhood_map.htm

A good basic map to get you caught up in the different neighborhoods of Manhattan.

 

[Kneecoal]

does anyone recommend looking through craigslist?

 

[Shasan546]

Also, I absolutely HAVE to mention LIC, Long Island City. LIC is right by the water as it’s literally a subway stop from Manhattan, and for the past 5-6 years or so, there’s been huge condo developments happening. Brand new, so pretty. If you live in LIC, it’ll take you about 30 minutes to get to school in total (including walking and time waiting for the subway). Honestly, I would love to live in these buildings. I have a friend who lives in one of the Avalon buildings (all rentals), and it’s literally right by the river. There’s a park in front of the cluster of condo buildings. In the summer, people come out and have picnics and read newspapers and lay down on the grass to suntan. It’s like freakin’ Central Park right in front of your building. Honestly, until you move to this city, you’ll never appreciate the simple pleasures of seeing a tree, or sitting on the grass.

Whoa, I wrote a lot. If anyone has questions about any of the other neighborhoods in Manhattan, feel free to ask or to PM me! Honestly, I know a lot. Researching Manhattan real estate is one of my favorite things to do to waste my time.

Hey i live in LIC and i can't recommend it enough!!!
I pay 950 for a one bedroom (split rent with a roommate). Rent is around 1800-2100 in the Avalon north building for 1 bedrooms at about 650-750 sq ft. Gourmet kitchens, pool, gym, lounge. i also have a washer/dryer in my apartment. Very nice building.

Last year my friend who went to nyu lived with me and he said it took him abut 20-30 mins door to door. There are a few gr8 places to eat in LIC that are right near avalon. Bella Via is one of them. LIC meaning right near Gantry park (aka on the water). Not Hunters Points! lol

On the water there is a small park and boardwalk. It is gorgeous in the spring-fall. Also avalon is normally always cheaper than TF cornerstone/Rockrose. tf cornerstone/rockrose has extra fees; etc.

Also you don't have to deal with all the grimy brokers inside manhattan! You might find places around the same price or more money but they are much smaller and ****tier quality. Most "one" bedrooms in the city are around 500 sq ft. Thats the size of our studios lol

 

[Shasan546]

does anyone recommend looking through craigslist?

craigslist is ok to look for apartments but ALOT of those brokers just straight up LIE. They list apartments in buildings that i know for a fact don't have units either that size or anywhere near that price.

Ive wasted many many days with grimy brokers who will just waste ur money and time. My recommendation is to find a friend who either knows/ or has used a broker in manhattan.

My friend used a broker who his mother knows personally and said he was pretty good/honest. If you want lmk ill get you his number.

 

[DDShopeful1]

Pro's: Building looks clean and any apts for rent have been renovated tastefully. Location is almost unbeatable for dental and med students. 24 hour security monitors- but in reality they do very little! Usually don't even stop people walking into the building unless someone hesitates, and looks really suspicious. (could be good and bad!)
Cons: My building has a SERIOUS problem with cockroaches, and I heard that someone on a different floor found a mouse. Why? well, the building has a lot of low-income, rent-stabilized apartments that bring a shady crowd, and their apartments are NOT renovated.. perhaps the source of the roaches. Also lots of roaches in trash rooms, lobby, and laundry areas, I won't even do my laundry there.😳
My advice, since the location is great, and the apartments okay for the $, negotiate with management for a better price/free electric/free gym membership etc! Negotiate and tell them that you heard about their pest problem! ie ROACHES

 

[guorx]

There is a great studio available now for dental student in NYU.
A graduate dental student sublet a studio in 460 2nd Avenue, New York, NY10016
Five-minute walking to dental school of NYU
Kips Bay Court, a lot dental students living there
Rent is about 2100, pay 12 months and get 1 month free
Get $50 electric fee rebate every month

If you are interested, email: [email protected]
Cell phone: 978-761-3688