Our guest blogger Elyse is an NYU student who just recently managed to free herself from the college dormitory system. Elyse and her two roommates are now rubbing elbows with the hipsters in the Lower …

As many frequent readers of My First Apartment can attest to – I don’t have a very high opinion of the New York Times’ rental section. Their articles are myopic and outdated and the tone …

That’s a bit of a conundrum, as there’s always the hope for luck.  Maybe you’ll hit the jackpot and get a great pad sans broker.  But, maybe you’ll …

Tired of the Craigslist bait and switch, NY’ers?
Never fear — MyFirstApartment has the scoop on a new site that should make apartment hunting a little easier! It’s called RentHop.com and you can search by …

Say you pay an exorbitant broker’s fee based on assurances that the lease will be renewed, figuring that you’ll amortize the 15% fee over the many happy years you’ll be living in your great …

Using a fee broker to find your first apartment should be your last resort, but sometimes you may not have a choice, especially if you are moving to a new city that has a low …

Start your search by telling everyone you know – that means at work, the gym, the corner coffee shop, extended family, grandma, the newsstand guy – what you are looking for.