moving on...

the next phase in growing up seems to be moving out of the parents (where I have lived for better or worse since the end of July) and getting a place of my own. I have finally set a goal for myself: be in possession of a place or already moving by November 1.

first, i decided i needed to narrow my search. since magazine journalism (and journalism in general) doesn't pay that much, i can't afford to live anywhere in manhattan below 96th st so i scrapped that right away. ever hopeful, i searched craig's list for listings in manhattan and couldn't find much in my price range outside of harlem, spanish harlem, east harlem, washington heights and inwood. i made a few phone calls as first attempts to acquire an apartment in the washington heights area with no broker fee. i also search brooklyn and hoboken/jersey city craig's list postings for the same thing.

i had no luck. first, most of my additional research revealed the places where these "cheap" apartments were located were not really neighborhoods where i wanted to live. second, i went all the way up past 200th st one night after work to meet a landlord, and it took me so much longer than i expected i was 30 minutes late and she wasn't there. that put a bad taste in my mouth right away, so i decided finding an apartment for under $1000 a month, broker free, in manhattan, brooklyn, or hoboken was impossible. or at least a job in and of itself. and since i am now, finally, gainfully employed, i decided there were not enough hours in the day.

next, i decided to respond to an ad for a person seeking a roommate. the apartment was in brooklyn, about thirty minutes from my job by subway, and the deal seems really sweet. $800 a month for "the small bedroom," plus utilities which included half of a $150 cable/internet bill. i made the trek over there after work and loved the roommate, building, neighborhood and commute. the apartment had a decent size common area, teeny kitchen, and my room, if you can call it that, was at most 90 square feet. it was big enough for a double bed and not much else. it had french doors which opened in, effectively cutting out three feet of precious space in the room. the closet that had been designated mine was smaller than my closet in boston, and in the hall way on the other side of the apartment. i couldn't fit half of my crap in that place, so although i knew it was a good chance to escape my parents house broker fee-free, i had to pass.

finally i gave in and called some brokers. i started with ones based in manhattan. some background info: manhattan brokers charge 15% of your yearly rent for their services if you decide to rent an apartment that they show you. in brooklyn, the broker fee is 12%. this is compared to one month's rent, the fee that is standard in most other normal places in the US (and in some places its even less than that!). anyway, for 15% (or $1800 if i end up renting an $1000 a month apartment) this broker better do a pretty good job. that means finding me listings for what i want, within my price range, and not pressuring or patronizing me.

i was wary to call brokers because my maximum rent is so low and my income in general is so small. but i decided to dive in. i first broker i called had a lot of listings on craig's list, and some were within my price range. i spoke with a broker who immediately told me my expectations were impossible. then she said i was looking too early to rent an November 1 apartment. is that not only 6 weeks away, i asked. well yes, she said, but listings wouldn't really open up until the end of next week. wow, i was really calling early....seems to me i called at the exact right time.

she also told me that in order to rent in new york i would have to make 40 times the monthly rent per year. so, for an $1000 apartment, the minimum income is $40,000, something i will not dream of making in this industry for at least 4 more years. so then she rudely declared that i would have to get my parents to cosign the lease and asked how much they make. when i claimed i didn't know, she asked what they do. god i was pissed off at this point. but i let her go through her speil, she got my info (demanded my cell number and email) and i made plans to call next week and schedule an appointment. after i got off the phone, she sent me 10 listings for apartments beyond my price range all located in east harlem, a place i said i did not want to live. she also called my cell phone to tell me that she had sent the listings. i let it go to voicemail. needless to say, after that experience i was very afraid, and promised never to speak with that agent or company again.

bravely, i called another broker in manhattan. i had seen a posting from this broker in the east village for $975. that is both within my price range and right near my work. its below 96th and perfect sounding (as long as its not a basement or over a chinese restaurant!) the broker said that apartment was already snagged (shocker) but i didn't care. all i wanted to know was if he had more like that and if i could see them. at this point i was still clueless as to what i could get for my money in manhattan. i just wanted to LOOK (which i know brokers hate). i made an appointment with nice broker to meet monday after work.

more updates as they become available....