New insurance plan makes it easier for first-timers to rent

July 21, 2008 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

If you are a first-time renter and cannot meet the New York City landlords’ income target (up to 40-45 times your monthly rent, up to 80-90 times for a guarantor) there’s a new way to jump that hurdle. As reported in The New York Times on July 20, 2008, a new company called Insurent requires…

If a Broker Makes a Promise, Get It in Writing

January 31, 2008 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

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 new apartment. No so fast. Unless the lease specifies that it’s renewable after the initial term expires–provided, of course, that you…

How Much Does It Cost to Move?

January 29, 2008 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

THIS IS A REPEAT OF ONE OF OUR MOST POPULAR POSTS. Here are some rough guidelines you can use when you start planning the move to your first apartment. Monthly Rent = annual salary divided by 40 Security Deposit = one month’s rent Furniture = one to two months’ rent Starter Equipment = $250-$500 (Check…

Kelly M’s guide to affordable Brooklyn neighborhoods

January 2, 2008 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

There are a lot of reasons to take a look at Brooklyn if you’re moving to New York on your own. The commute can be easy if you work downtown, the nightlife is so good you’ll go whole weekends without seeing the city, and Brooklyn has enough character to fit into three normal-sized U.S. cities,…

Kelly M’s housewarming party and gift ideas

January 1, 2008 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

You’ve spent weeks poring over ads for apartments. You’ve hiked all over the city to meet up with shady broker after shady broker. You’ve spotted your brother and his friends while they moved your stuff into a fifth-floor walkup, and you’ve given them enough kickback cash to throw parties for a month. So don’t you…

Holiday tipping basics

December 10, 2007 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

If this is your first holiday season on your own, how to handle tipping can be confusing. How much should you tip your super or your doorman? How about the letter carrier? And what to do if there is no money in your budget for tips? The gold standard in matters of etiquette, Emily Post,…

Strategies for your first apartment hunt – Part 2.

December 4, 2007 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

Print Ads Newspaper classifieds still work. Start by checking out the major daily newspapers and the free weekly papers in your city. The big dailies have extensive real estate listing sections on Sundays. Try to get hold of their apartment-hunting bonanza earlier in the week. (Sometimes you can purchase it as early as Thursday.) By…

Strategies for your first apartment hunt- Part 1.

December 3, 2007 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

Spread the Word 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. You’ll never know when someone’s cousin’s brother is moving out of a great apartment. Have your parents spread the word among…

Kelly M’s tip for making small spaces livable

November 1, 2007 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

Living in a closet at some point is basically a rite of passage in New York City—whether you’re speaking hyperbolically or whether you are, like one of my friends is at this point, literally sleeping in someone’s closet. But if realizing that you’re in good company doesn’t lessen the claustrophobia, here are a few ideas…

How to Secure Your Rights as a Roommate

October 17, 2007 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

These tips were contributed by Kelly M. Living with roommates can create a lot of complications, but most of us have to do it at some point. Laying down ground rules is important—and if you’re moving in with someone you don’t know very well, it can also be awkward. Unfortunately, one of the most crucial…