apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

My partner and I are planning on moving to New York within the next 6 months to a year. What is the best way to find a great apartment? The process seems daunting. We are in the process of eliminating all the extra stuff we have and are prepared to downsize. The place is to sell almost everythinig and buy all new furniture. Ideas? Suggestions? Tips and tricks? Thanks!

I like the look of Tood Boontje's lights, but how much light do they give?

robbmn—

Start reading curbed.com immediately. They will have tons of information and all relevant links.

anyone have thoughts/experience
with small/medium heating units
that don't tax their
electricity too much? I need them to supplement the poor heating in my apartment, and previously
the ones i've used have flipped the breaker they were on, cutting the power for anything on the breaker...I know it;s not heating season yet but i need to think ahead, strategize on how to fight the cold....

in terms of the apartment hunt, unless you have a lot of resources or a close connection in the area, i would look for a temporary sublet for the first month or two and use that a home base from which to find your real apartment.

that way you have plenty of time to orient yourself a bit before you lock yourself into a lease. i know a lot of people who moved here practically sight unseen, and after a few months they felt they were living in the wrong neighborhood, found they were paying more than the going rate, or there were problems with the apartment that weren't apparent during the few days they'd allocated for apartment hunting.

it's as easy to find a sublet on craigslist as it is to find an apartment, and less pressure as it's only temporary.

does NYC have the lease "assignment" or transfer option? That's where you give up yr.apt & lease before the lease is up under the terms /price of the previous renter. the difference being that with sublets you are still responsible for the rent, damage or whatever(fire) while the subletter lives there. Lease assignment passes the unfinished on to another and you are no longer responsible for the place. The person assigned the lease must be approved by landlord, but needs only to prove their capacity/ability to pay the rent, and cannot be refused for any other reason. the rent cannot be increased...

Zed: no way on God's green earth are you EVER going to get a lease with an open assignment provision. The best you can do is an assignment subject to approval of the landlord. Which is totally appropriate. Why should I, as a landlord, enable a tenant to sublease my apartment to his stinky, crack-smoking, unwashed, beardo-the-wierdo sculptor friend who then moves in and fouls up my property? This is someone i would have discriminated against in the first place! no way.

robmn, the opoponax gives some great advice and i would second that advice. nyc living can vary greatly from neighborhood to neighborhood and subletting for a couple of months is a great way to explore and find out what area best suits your needs.

when you are settled, take your time with the furnishings unless you already have a good idea of what you want. you may find that you are eating out here more than you usually do or you may discover that you really do need a bigger table available b/c you want to have friends over for drinks, dinner, etc. also, you might want to pick up a good map of the city, look at streets, and start getting an idea of what areas need to be readily accessible (for work, school, piece of mind, etc.) then just get yourself an unlimited metrocard and go crazy exploring the collection of diverse, unique neighborhoods that make up nyc!

p.s.
oh, and make sure to read this site on a daily basis...lots of great information and incredibly helpful people here.

zed:

i've heard of some people making arrangements with a particularly understanding landlord to allow a friend to take over the lease. i believe in those (completely informal) situations, the new person is still subject to the landlord's approval in all the other usual ways. though the entire arrangement would be more likely in a situation where the landlord and tenant have a good relationship and the tenant can truly vouch for the friend.

this sort of thing is generally not temporary in the way that a sublet is. once the lease is switched, that's it. it's not something you do so you can spend the summer in europe.

i'm actually not sure it's legal for landlords to discriminate in many of the ways jonathan just mentioned. you can't refuse someone a lease on the basis of their line of work alone, and you get into very murky territory with concepts like "weird" or the assertion that the tenant in question will drive property values down. i mean, if you've got tons of interest in your place obviously you have pick candidates, but i've never heard of anyone not getting a place because they're "stinky". and it's patently illegal to discriminate here on the basis of ethnicity, race, religion, gender, sexuality, etc.

Yes, I think Jonathan was thinking of the many other places in this country where it is legal to discriminate on the basis of all those things.

Zed,
I used to use a small ceramic coil heater (smaller than a loaf of sliced bread) in my small loft space - it did the job and didn't blow my circuits. I wonder if there are sites online with a heater calculator like an air conditioning calculator -- size counts in this one . . .

I posted late yesterday about vacuums . . . I'm ready for a Miele or Dyson. Except the Dyson hurts my eyes, at least the one at my friend's parents house did.
Trillium loves her Miele Sirius Galaxy. Anyone else?

I have a couple of dogs and a couple of flat nap carpets.
I don't like to clean, and my SO is tall and doesn't want a pained back.
I want this to be the last vac I buy for a a decade at least...my mom had a Kirby, so I'm not kidding about that.

Thanks for the advice! We have been to New York many times, and I know I would want to live in Manahattan for sure. Chelsea would be great, but there are so many areas! I have been looking at craigslist a lot and I am finding some great places. I love this site and I will be purchasing the book soon to make sure I get off to a great start in apartment living!

sounds like you're off to a great start, robbmn.

Chelsea is a really lovely neighborhood. do you have any idea of where your work will be, and other logistical hurdles that can often determine which neighborhood you live in?

actually, for landlords with fewer than 4 units, or in an owner-occupied small building, jonathan is correct. Once over 4 units, then more stringent rules apply.

My partner will work at teh Barnes and Nobel Corporate office which is near Union square, and I will work at the Room&Board in Soho.

robbmn, that's so funny, i used to work at the B & N corporate office in union square and loved the space! lots of great light and it overlooks the greenmarket. okay, plan on having a great little kitchen if your partner likes to cook because it is such a luxury to be able to stroll through the market on your way in to work several times a week. sounds like chelsea would be convenient for both of you. good luck and happy planning!

I have a lighting question. I have a pair of fluorescent strips on either side of the mirror in my bathroom and they are painfully ugly. The space between the mirror and the wall is pretty narrow on one side. Does anyone have any advise on a narrow sconce or some sort of cover to conceal these eyesores?

Thanks!

robbmn isn't the only one on an apartment hunt (insert sound of hair falling out in clumps here). After a blissful 4-year sublet, my landlord has decided to sell the apartment.

So here's the eternal question: broker or no broker?

lc

We are moving into a new 1-bedrm apt and will be buying new furniture. We like neutral colors and plan to have warm-toned wood tables, etc. My question is--what color do we paint the walls? White seems the simplest, but is it just too boring? I feel like I'm staring at a blank canvas. Any suggestions for some basic home design websites would also be appreciated. Thanks, ejp

since the decorating tv show posts of last year there are some new shows this year. has anyone seen my celebrity home or design star on hgtv?
design star is a wonderful train wreck of a series that has wannabes competing each week ala project runway. i have only seen one episode of celebrity home and that was enough, they tried to recreate a las vegas hotel suite for a young couple in a new jersey house.

I agree, patrick. I have now seen 3 episodes of design star, and I am unimpressed to say the least.

what a surprise, once again you people are complete morons. i am explaining to zed how real estate contracts actually WORK in this city, and i am correct. welcome to REAL LIFE PEOPLE - no, you cannot randomly assign your lease in New York without landlord prior approval.

jesus christ. you people make me so sick with your idiotic, bullsh*t politics. can't you HEAR yourself? can't you hear what you sound like?

what are all of your opinions of this loveseat/sofa? http://www.overstock.com/?page=proframe&prod_id=1920742

it's pretty cheap, small, might be cute, but i've never ordered furniture online, and never ordered from overstock...

any other ideas welcome (teeny, tiny apartment, equally sized budget)!

lilcafe- I don't know what kind of apartment you are looking for, but http://propertyshark.com/mason/index.html is a NYC database site. If you are doing your own leg work, you'll be able to find any landlord from that site. If while walking around, you see a building that isn't really as cared for as the others on the block, jot the address down. Those buildings are more apt to be owned by less savvy mom-and-pop owners, which MIGHT translate into lower asking-rents, but on the flip-side, MIGHT translate into less of a renovation, etc. Good luck........

Ali, that is an extremely cute sofa. I love it - and the price seems reasonable. I've heard people have great experiences with overstock, so go for it!

Many thanks to thrice and Nisha...dipping into Craigslist and Village Voice ads has been uninspiring to say the least.

If I see one more ad for LIC ('the new TriBecA!') I may very well vomit.

lc

thanks matilda. i like it too, but i just bought a little chaise from craigslist... way cheaper, and still cute!