For week 3 of my moving series with FlatRate Moving we’re talking all about apartment listings! Onto some of the fun stuff guys! 

When you decide to move to the city chances are you’re moving here more for the lifestyle than a huge luxury apartment. If you’re working with a modest budget that is anyways. When they say location is everything, location really is everything in the city. While the city is easy to navigate by public transportation, chances are you’re going to end up spending a lot of time in your neighborhood so it pays to take the time to find one that you like. 

Something that kind of caught me off guard when I first moved to the city is that apartment listings aren’t always what they seem. We’ve all seen apartment listings before that are too good to be true or places that don’t match the online photos, but I was really bummed that it happened a lot more here than I had experienced before. This is why I really suggest that you don’t rent a place sight unseen if possible. Unfortunately there are just too many scams and after seeing a lot of apartments that don’t match the online photos it’s just not worth it. It’s not to say it can’t be done because people do it – even I did – but I at least had a roommate and another friend who had both seen the apartment to make sure it was legit.

When you’re looking up apartments remember the saying “if it’s too good to be true it probably is”. You can definitely find some great places but if you see an ad for an awesome luxury apartment at a price way below market, then proceed with caution. Not all scam listings are as easy to spot just off first glance though. Watch out for any listing where the person you contact says they are out of town and can have someone else meet you and if anyone wants you to wire money for an apartment.. run! Unless you are meeting with someone to apply or sign a lease don’t ever wire or mail anyone money. If a landlord or broker really is out of town or lives out of the country they will either schedule when they are back or have someone managing their rentals for them so don’t buy into any ploys. Also be very careful with who you are handing your social security number to too. Apartment rentals do run credit checks but I wouldn’t suggest sending this info to anyone until you are applying for an apartment, which I suggest you do in person.

My best advice for looking at apartments is to schedule a viewing – which we’ll discuss next week. Between wide angle lenses or just photos that are not the real unit, you really can’t tell what a place is like until you’re in it. And to be completely honest I just don’t trust people after going through this process a handful of times.. It’s unfortunate to have to say that but it’s just about being smart about the process. It’s not always the broker’s fault either because sometimes landlords will give them different photos or photos of a “similar unit”. 

Nothing is more awful in my opinion during apartment hunting than a bait and switch listing, which I can tell you a thing or two about… Boy were there a lot of tears shed when looking for my first apartment on my own. I looked at so many apartments and only one, ONE apartment was actually the same unit as the photos – which was then the building I found my 2nd Avenue apartment in. I saw an apartment that was supposed to be a “spacious, renovated studio with great light” that ended up being tiny basement apartment with no windows and that you couldn’t even access from the main entrance. Or the other one that looked so adorable online on the Upper West Side that was in my price range and an “open-layout studio with a modern kitchen”. Instead it ended up being a 10x10 room with a tiny sleeping loft that you couldn’t have sat up in with kitchen appliances that weren’t a day newer than the year 1950. 

The reality was even though I felt like my expectations were realistic for the market, I learned really fast that I had to be a little pickier for what was going to work for me. My list of any apartment in x neighborhoods in this price range that are pet-friendly had to be refined to include no basement apartments, full sized fridge, oven, and good natural lighting. I learned that it’s just as important to tell your broker what your deal breakers are as what features you are looking for because it’s a little harder to fudge the fact that the apartment is in a basement if you call it out. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll totally escape false descriptions but it will help you ask better questions. 

The way apartments are described certainly isn’t everything, but here’s a look at my take on what some apartment adjectives really mean ;-) I mean I guess you have to give landlords and brokers a little creativity credit to rent some of these dumpy apartments to begin with though right?

Unique= Really funky layout! Like, walk in and think to yourself, who thought that was a good idea funky.

Cozy= This apartment could literally classify as a closet in other cities. “Cozy” means you can multi-task because your kitchen doubles as the bathroom area and living room.

Loft= In other cities, loft apartments can be really cool! You always hear about how awesome NYC lofts are too.. Well, if your budget is less than 4k a loft is a storage space turned bunk-bed contraption that they insist is big enough to sleep on. In reality it’s about 3 feet from the ceiling and has a little ladder with either a low or no railing. I’m already having nightmares of falling off.

Amazing Closets= There is one maybe two small closets, but you should be thankful that you have one.

Amazing Light= There actually is a window! It’s scary when apartments have to note that they have windows, which is technically illegal BTW. Come on people, I know it’s NYC, buttttt I’m pretty sure inmates in prison have windows so you bet there better be a window in an apartment at that price!

Chef’s Kitchen= There is a full-sized oven (NYC full-sized anyways) and a full-sized fridge. No counter space, but be happy you have more than a stovetop and not a mini fridge.

Rooftop Access= Access to the jimmy-rigged emergency exit door that isn’t exactly the rooftop deck you were hoping for. 

And then there’s that one thing you’re so used to seeing on rentals that you’ll rarely see in NYC. Square footage. Unless you’re looking at a larger luxury apartment you won’t see a number on the listings and if you do it’s usually not accurate. I can talk about this topic for a whole other blog post though, which ah ha, I did. If it interests you check this post out. 

Of course these are all in good fun, sometimes you really do get lucky! Hey, I somehow found a studio with 3 closets, a renovated kitchen with a dishwasher andddd a balcony for under 2k. Unicorns in the city do exist! It just takes a lot of monitoring the market and a little pixie dust. 

In all seriousness though, my motto with apartments is if you can find a place in a neighborhood you like, that is liveable and in your price range – you’ve won. With a little elbow grease, creative storage, and home decor you can make any place cute (especially with Pinterest for inspiration!) and functional so don’t get so caught up in the fine details. After all, you’re moving here to have delicious food, museums and events right at your fingertips – not to stay in your apartment all of the time! 

So get out there.. browse online for some listings that sound good and make some viewing appointments!

By the time you read this I will already be on my way down south to Jamaica! That’s right Jamaica! Can you believe this is my first trip out of the country too?! We’re heading down for a wedding and I am seriously excited for some temperatures above 50. I’ll be back next week with new posts and definitely a wrap-up of my trip! See you guys then :)

Well guys, we’ve made it through the research phase and now we’re moving onto week 2 of my moving series with FlatRate Moving. This week we’re tackling the next step… dun, dun, dun. Paperwork! It’s not exactly the most glamorous part of the process, but I promise if you take my advice the process of landing your dream NYC apartment will be so much easier! 

My broker for my apartment on 2nd Avenue said I was the most organized applicant he’d worked with in his real estate career, so that has to count for something right?! I don’t think he was just buttering me up at that point either ;-) So let’s get to it! As you might guess, the paperwork process here in the city isn’t exactly the one or two page rental application and copy of your w-2 you might be used to. Nope, here in the city we do things a little bit different.

When I first moved to the city, my Dad was my guarantor and I distinctly remember him telling me he was a little sketched out by the process because my management company wanted more information from him than he needed when he bought his house. So yeah, things are a little different, but don’t worry, you’re going to troop through the process!

Here’s a look at the documents I have had to provide when applying for my apartments. Different places will have different requirements but here’s a good overview of what you should have ready to go. My motto is it’s always better to have more and be able to pull out the ones you don’t need than to have to go back and search for more.

• 2 years of W-2s: this requirement is pretty standard across the country. To determine if you meet the 40-50 times the rent requirements, they’re going to want to verify your income.

• 2 years of Tax Returns: Yes, your tax returns probably have similar numbers to your w-2s but they’re going to want to see the whole shabang! They want to see signed versions too. So if you file online and haven’t physically signed them, make sure you print, sign and then scan them.

• 2-3 Pay Stubs: If your W-2s and tax returns weren’t enough they’re also going to want to see your last few pay stubs to make sure your income is consistent and current.

• 2-3 Months of Bank Statements: This requirement tends to vary on the amount of months more frequently, but they’re going to want to see the balances of your bank accounts to verify you have money in the bank. make sure you include all accounts with significant amounts too.

• Employment Verification Letter/Offer Letter: You can ask your boss or HR for this letter (depending on how large your company is). Usually the information they’re going to want to see on it is where are you employed, what is your title, how long have you been there, what is your annual salary or hourly wage, and if you receive a bonus or are planned to get a raise in coming months. They’re also going to want this letter signed. All of the apartments I’ve lived in have also called my work to verify this information. If you are moving to the city for a new job, you can submit a copy of your offer letter. Your broker will be able to help you with the logistics too.

• Rental Reference Letter: Rental reference letters are common in the city. Reach out to a current or past landlord and ask if they can write you a reference letter. The info that you’re going to want highlighted is how long you were a tenant, paying rent on time and being a responsible tenant.

• Previous Rental Contacts: On top of the rental letter they will also usually ask for contact info for your last 2-3 rentals. Sometimes they only ask for this info and not the letter too.

• Business/Personal References: For the apartments I’ve applied for having a list of two personal and two business contacts have sufficed, but some buildings will require actual letters. Letters can be especially important if you end up renting in a co-op or condo building that requires board approval. This is another part of paperwork that can really vary apartment to apartment. I do suggest including contacts though because my first apartment in the city called all 4 of my references, so you just never know.

• Documentation of Other Financial Assets: If you have any other financial assets – rental income from another property, 401K, stocks, etc. include records of those assets in your packet.

• Pet Info/Photos: If you have a pet, include their information in your paperwork. They’re going to want to know the breed, age, weight and I suggest providing a photo. Weight and breed restrictions are generally the biggest factors in getting a dog approved so it’s good information to provide. You might also be asked to have a dog interview (it happened to me) with the landlord to verify the dog’s breed and weight too so don’t flub on the info.

• Copy of your ID: And finally… a copy of your ID! Your driver’s license or passport is great.

Phew! We made it through the list! I know I just hit you with a lot of information there, but you made it through! Like I said.. It’s a lot.. but organize it now and then you won’t have to worry about it once you make it to actually looking at apartments!

As I mentioned before, I’m a little extreme with my rental packet organization but I like to top off my packets with a nice little cover page with my contact info and then title pages for each section. Nothing crazy, but it helps me go through my own checklist and ends up putting some finishing touches on the packet to hand over to your broker.

While you’re pulling everything together too I suggest having a digital version saved on Google Drive/Dropbox or just in your email as well as a hard copy. We’ll get more into meeting with brokers and open houses further into my moving series but apartments don’t last much longer than a New York minute so it’s important to have both versions easily accessible. If you look at an apartment, it might not be on the market after a few more people look at it so you want to be prepared – which is why you’re here right?!

I’m going to close this week’s post with one more important step for the paperwork stage and that is securing your financing. When you apply for an apartment there is generally an application deposit, application fee, and credit check fee (this can range – but mine have usually been around the $500 mark total) and your broker is going to want payment through certified checks. So if you are not local, you may want to consider transferring some money into a local bank or making sure you have enough funds to head to the bank right after seeing the right apartment. As soon as you’re approved your broker is also going to want to collect certified checks for the 1st month’s rent, security deposit (usually 1-2 months rent) and the broker’s fee within a few days so it’s smart to take care of this now. 

The best thing you can do to make your move to NYC easier is by doing your research and being prepared and you’re already on your way to doing both! Moving is always a stressful but if you cross your t’s and dot your i’s you’ll go into the process in a way better place! Now get to working on those rental packets! I’ll see you guys next week – same place, same time ;-) Big thanks again to FlatRate Moving for helping me present this series