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If
you're really poor and have failed to acquire a relative with a
rent-controlled 2 bedroom on Central Park West, here are some useful
housing websites and places to check out (all no fee) as you attempt
to find that elusive creature, the affordable apartment in (or near)
New York City:
K & R
Realty
212-360-5092
http://www.kandrrealty.com/
Where I found
my current apartment. Beautifully renovated apartments, rent stabilized,
often in not so great but getting better neighborhoods. Different
price ranges - all cheaper than market, some income caps. Great
website.
The Village
Voice
Real
Estate classifieds - from http://www.villagevoice.com/
The paper
only comes out on Wednesdays, but the website classifieds are
updated almost everyday. A lot of the no fee ads are evil "one-time
application fee" companies that should be avoided like the
plague. Check early in the day, and call immediately. The real
no fee, no broker apartments go fast. (how I got my last apartment.)
The Heights
Real Estate Company
212-317-1423.
http://www.heightsre.com/
They rarely
update this website, so it's better to call. A lot of their stuff
is seriously sketchy, but it is pretty darn cheap.
Craig's List
http://newyork.craigslist.org/
Especially
good for apartment shares and sublets. Entire section of no fee/no
broker apartments. Also, furniture and job classifieds. (for other
cities, too)
DHCR (Department
of Housing & Community Renewal)
http://www.dhcr.state.ny.us/general/affhsg.htm
Lots of info
and the Affordable Housing Directory. Takes a little work to find
useful information, so explore lots of links.
And last
but not least
- Check bus
stop waiting booths and lampposts in the Columbia, NYU, and other
college areas for roommate wanted signs.
- Be sure to
look in Queens, Brooklyn, Jersey City, Bronx, Harlem, Washington
Heights, Inwood and all other slightly out-of-the way locations.
That extra fifteen minutes you spend on the subway can save you
hundreds of dollars a month.
- And make
sure EVERYONE knows you're looking for an apartment - your coworkers,
family friends, and random people you meet. You never know who
might have a friend of a friend who's moving out.
--
Good Luck!
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