Getting an apartment... advice needed

[C0ckney]

yeah, haven't you got any mates you can get a flat with? even if none of your mates are going there, then surely they'll be student houses/flats with rooms to spare.

[Al B. Sure!]

damnit... nevermind about the 335 one... the guy won't lease to me because i only have a minimum wage job i just started so i dont got enough economic security... i'm assuming all other places will refuse me for the same reasons...

[st_swithin]

Get a place in Manhattan so I can crash on your couch

[DanS]

the same person does have ones for over 500 up the street though that are availible... i dont know. thats getting kind of steep

Looks like the landlord was trying to do a bait and switch.

In my experience, the landlord can make your life easy or hard. Paying for a good landlord is worth it. Avoiding a bad landlord is golden.

[Japher]

DanS is probably right on that one.

Speers: do you have student aide? Aren't they giving you money to help you live while you go to school? Maybe you should consider scholl loans to help cover that...

[SlowwHand]

Go 425.

[Dinner]

Go neather and split a place with a few of your fellow students. Go to your college's housing office and they will be able to give you several leads including a database of other students looking for a place to room. Also if you rent a room from someone you normally don't have to get a credit check so you won't have to worry about your job being counted against you.

[lightblue]

I think one of the essential parts of being a student is living with other people from different places and with different outlooks. So I'd try and get a shared house as well. It is probably cheaper as well if you share the utility bills and don't always cook individually.

[orange]

I thought Temple guaranteed Freshman housing.

[Boris Godunov]

You have to have a fridge, otherwise you will spend way too much on food. Besides, the ability to walk to class would save you a lot of travel costs.

I am in the process of looking for a new apartment with my 2 roommates. While the E. Village is fun, we're going to move out of Manhattan, probably to Astoria, which is just across the East River in Queens.

We've looked at a few places. Currently our top two choices are:

A 3-bedroom apartment. It is newly renovated, has hardwood floors and 12-foot ceilings. Lots of closet space, a nice new bathroom with skylight, and good-sized bedrooms. The potential problems are that the kitchen, while much bigger than our current one, is essentially one wall of the living room, which is about 16 X 16. It's all brand-new, but the configuration of the counters and fridge, plus the closet doors and hallway archway, make it almost impossible to set up a workable living room and eating area. The other big problem is that the location is a bit far from the subway, though there is a bus to the subway on the corner. Cost = $1500/mo.

The other one is a two-bedroom place on the first floor of a house, which is also being newly renovated. There is a front sun room, a large but dark living/dining room (no windows), and two decent-size bedrooms. It is about a block or two from the subway. Closet space isn't that good, and the kitchen essentially encompasses the hallway between the living room and the bedrooms/bathrooms. However, there is a back door that leads to a yard, which we would have exclusive access to. This is a big consideration. Also, there is a large garage out there that the owner will rent to us for $100/mo. None of us has a car, but we could use it for storage or (my idea) a game room of some sort. Cost is also $1500/mo.

There's another 3-bedroom near the first apt I mentioned, also $1500, that is under renovation and will have a balcony. Haven't seen that one yet...

[Imran Siddiqui]

Boris: In apartment #2, how are you fitting 3 roommates into 2 bedrooms? Unless... do two of you share a bedroom?

[Sava]

GL with the move AS... I would recommend checking the apartment thoroughly so you don't get screwed with the security deposit. Check everything! Test every outlet, every light bulb, try to find out if there are any problems whatsoever. If not, you will get screwed paying for them.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Boris: In apartment #2, how are you fitting 3 roommates into 2 bedrooms? Unless... do two of you share a bedroom?

My two roommates would share a bedroom, as they are a couple.

The 3 bedroom would essentually give us a den, although Dan wants to use it as his smoking lounge, since smoking in the rest of the apartment will be verboten!

[Jack_www]

Re: Getting an apartment... advice needed

Originally posted by Albert Speer
If I get a place for 335 dollars a month, but it the owner dont pay for utilities, heat, electricity, etc. and it's not furnished, don't got a refridgerator, etc. is it worth it? i mean paying for my electricity and ****... also, it's a 10 minute drive (and i dont got a ride) from Temple U...

on the other hand, there's one going for 425 but they do pay for the heat but not electricity, not furnished, got a refridgerator, but is only like two blocks from temple...

which one is a better idea? or should i try to get something that got electricity, furniture, and what not but costs over 500? bearing in mind that i can sleep on the floor and ****.


thanks

You think 335 a month is too much for apartment with no utilities and not furnished??? You should look at the housing market in California, you would be lucky to find a one bed room apartment for 1000 bucks a month with non of the extra you want. Man I wish I could get an apartment that cheep. You dont know how good you have it.

[Imran Siddiqui]

The 3 bedroom would essentually give us a den, although Dan wants to use it as his smoking lounge, since smoking in the rest of the apartment will be verboten!

I guess you and the other roomie are very anti-smoking then? So chances of Dan getting his smoking lounge will be small .

Is he the one pushing for the house with the yard, btw?