Checking Craigslist Like a Madwoman, But No Luck Yet

March 20, 2008 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

Well, no news juust yet. So, I’m still checking craigslist like a madwoman – I’m of the theory that if you respond immediately after the people post, they’ll actually read your reply. I’ve been invited to view most of the apartments I’ve sent queries to . . .I think that has to be a positive!…

Mo’ Apartment Searchin / Mo’ Problems

March 17, 2008 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

It’s been a busy weekend! I’ve seen four places and the first two are below. While I wasn’t a huge fan of either, the tricky thing about this apartment search is that not only do I need to choose a place – but it(the roommates) must choose me. I’ll post about the other two shortly…

Location, Location, Location! Checking out the Neighborhoods

March 15, 2008 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

Even thought it’s been two weeks, I feel like I’ve been searching for an apartment since foreeever. I’ve also been known to enjoy the hyperbole. To be honest, I haven’t made that much progress since we last spoke. Er. I wrote. Well, unless you could file ‘knowledge’ or ‘experience’ way under some useful category. For…

My Permanent Apartment Search Begins( for real)!

March 10, 2008 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

Never being a very patient person(maybe it IS good I moved to New York), I’ve started the housing search for May 1. I’ve also reasoned that if I find a perfect place, I’ll settle for paying April’s rent as in investment in personal sanity. Thus far, I’ve seen three places, two of which would be…

Making a Moving List and Checking it Twice

February 29, 2008 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

Moving into a first apartment in a new city is a challenge, surely – but moving out of the old(be it your college dorm, parents’ house, or your own apartment) is no walk in the park either. When I accepted the new job in New York, my brain nearly overloaded thinking about finding a new…

Posting on Craigslist Housing Wanted worked!

February 13, 2008 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

If I were going to bet on whether it’d be harder to find someone to take my Chicago apartment or to find decent housing in New York, I would have said the latter. And, I would have LOST. Big Time. Posting in the housing wanted section of Craigslist was the best idea I’ve ever had.…

My handicap? Still being in Chicago when I need to apartment hunt in New York!

February 8, 2008 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

I’ve been responding to post after post on Craigslist for roommates and the only response I’ve gotten is from a woman looking to rent a 9 X 11 room with a sloped ceiling for $600. Uh, besides for wanting to cry that my room in my Chi town apartment now is $500 and gorgeous and…

By Golly, It’s a NEW Apartment Searchin’ Blog!

February 5, 2008 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

Hellooo fellow apartment hunters! Allow me to re-introduce myself. My name’s Alissa and when I first started blogging for this shnazzy site, I was young(ok, 23), naive to apt-living, and generally flying-by-the seat of my pants. And look what I ended up with.Isn’t it beautiful? Too bad I just got a sweet new job in…

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…

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,…