New Yorkers pay almost 60 percent of their income on rent. That’s why so many New Yorkers want a roommate to share costs. If you’re already living in New York you know how the roommate game works. But if you’re new to the city, finding a roommate can be daunting. Here’s what to do.
“I really liked an apartment I saw but I’m not ready to shell out $6,500 for the broker fee,” the voice on the phone said in an exasperated tone...
If you’re a newbie winter renter you probably do not know the inventory of available apartments is lower or that you’re probably seeing better rental prices that your friends paying market price in the same neighborhood will drool over...
On 2006, a cold war bomb shelter was uncovered on the Brooklyn Bridge during a routine structural inspection of the city. Inside the bunker were more than 350,000 crackers (just what you need to munch on if it’s sort of the end of the world) – some of these were still edible. Also found were some medical supplies, paper blankets and water drums...
Brandy Library is fun. I've been there a few times now. It was definitely quiet and romantic. They had brandy, mixed drinks, and wine on deck. But def $$$$ ...
I am like a personal trainer at the gym who will get you where you want to be in the most effective and efficient manner – what I cannot do, however is give you an apartment that doesn’t exist. Many people reach out to me with unrealistic expectations and this is probably an issue for someone who is renting for the first time or who hasn’t rented in a long time...
Your rent has gone up. For the third or fifth time. And you’re beginning to feel the urge to move. After all you can rent another one bedroom for less than what you’re paying. Right? Wrong. I recently began to help a client who faced this situation. She had been living in a nice doorman apartment in Brooklyn and every year the landlord raised her rent...
Yfinancial documents are the basis to getting accepted by any landlord whether small, large or a management company.
For some people living or visiting New York City means taking in a Broadway show and splurging on a couple of great restaurants. Others just want to walk around and soak in the sights, sounds, and visuals of the city. And then there are yet other people who want a taste of adventure
When a person first moves to New York City or comes here on vacation one has some pretty odd ideas about what New Yorkers are like and what the city is like. Most people get it wrong. Here is some myth debunking 101.
Almost every day when trying to get from here to there whether with a friend or on my own I get annoyed at someone who has just moved here or who is here on vacation and clearly doesn’t know “The-New-York-City-Rules-of-Acting-Like-a-New-Yorker-Even-if-You’re-New-or-Just-Visiting”.
What is self-certification? It means that an architect or engineer hired by a building owner either to modify or construct a building (such as 50 West 69th Street, among others) can make statements to the Department of Buildings that components of the construction process are safe (when in fact they may not be)...
True Nightmare Stories by Tenants Who Lived to Tell: I was living in Bushwick, and after Sandy, a lot of Brooklyn's rats got pushed inland. One night I heard a rustle, something got on a plastic bag. It was too loud to be a mouse. After investigating my girlfriend and I found large droppings under the sink, so we invested in glue traps…
Nothing upsets me more than landlords who do not respect their tenants and their quality of life. If you live in an apartment rental you will want to read this to find out if your rights have been breached. The warranty of habitability is an implied warranty, read into the lease as a matter of law.
At first, it all seems like a dream. The very first day you're there, you look at the skyscrapers every now and then with a silly delight and then remind yourself, with a glee at once innocent and self-important that you're now a part of this world, this swanky, rich, confident world.
A former client of mine with two cats recently moved out of the apartment I found for her four years ago. She outgrew her large studio and wanted to upgrade to one-bedroom. Instead of receiving her security deposit back she was told by the landlord...
There are some apartments you will want to avoid altogether. Many people find out by making mistakes. Meaning they will rent an apartment because it looks okay on the inside and give little thought to what is happening right on the outside.
It is tempting to believe, based on the hundreds of fake ads on Streeteasy and broker websites, that you can rent an 800 square foot apartment with a wood burning fireplace in Greenwich Village for a mere $3,000/mo.
In response to the unexpected death of Anthony Bourdain, people all over the internet shared their stories of mourning over someone they loved and lost. I myself realized that I have been mourning…
I charge up front.
I don’t need to have to convince you to use my service.
My AptStar has been around for 14 years.
I don’t show you 14 apartments.
I have been neck-deep in apartment repairs and haven’t posted anything here in a while. Sorry peeps. Will clue you in.
Rat Infested Restaurants have seriously violated Food Safety Standards and the public is never informed. Kirby Sommers, President of the Cornfeld Tenants’ Association
The real estate brokerage world in New York City is a political machine. Theoretically landlords and other real estate brokerages are supposed to like doing business with each other. This is not the case.
It’s been busy. I have five clients this week all of whom have the same move in date and different rental price points and all of whom want to live in different boroughs or different neighborhoods.
A married couple contacted me because they wanted to move back into Manhattan after exiling themselves off into an apartment in Queens. Their request was for a 2-bedroom apartment price
It wasn't until we were in mid-conversation that a newly minted attorney confessed: "I have to keep my garbage in the refrigerator and it solved my mice problem."
"That's very creative," I responded.
A lot happens when you're searching for an apartment but today I want to help you prepare for your move. Preparing for your move...
SECRET 1. The parade was originally called The Christmas Parade (which is why the last float has Santa waving to the crowds). It made its debut in 1924 as a way for Macy's to celebrate the expansion of its store which now covered an entire city block.
Halloween on the lush tree-lined streets of West 69th Street between Broadway and Central Park West could be Manhattan's most mystical and intriguing event. The well-guarded annual celebration, host to thousands of trick-or-treaters, is shrouded in secrecy among residents who keep mum for fear of attracting, even more, candy-seeking goblins to the already wickedly mobbed monster celebration.
Hurricane Harvey happened and once again, it changed my life.
I thought it was a one-time life event when I became immersed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina back in 2005 in helping people across the country find new homes.
