How I Got My First New York City Apartment …and What I Learned

January 24, 2013 | By Alexandra AuthorMy First Apartment

Lets get something very clear: there is little point in searching the Internet to find your dream apartment, because even if you find it online, there is a large chance it is not available for lease and perhaps never was. Or so implied the broker I began speaking to, in the hope of getting my own…

How I Found My Dream Apartment in One Weekend (after Much Planning)

April 3, 2012 | By Christina AuthorMy First Apartment

As I think back on how I found the apartment of my dreams, I am realizing that there is so much I need to tell you guys! Finding your dream apartment is not easy. It takes time, diligence and patience (the latter of the three I admit I often lack), but when you finally find…

What Elyse Learned from Her First Apartment Hunt

August 10, 2010 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

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 East Side. “The Hunt Is On” The first thing I think of when I look back on my apartment hunt…

Get Going – Rents Are Moving Up!

June 15, 2010 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

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 Their articles are myopic and outdated and the tone tends to more closely resemble that of an Upper East Side doyenne than a breaking news reporter. I still have…

When Should You Use A Broker to Find An Apartment

May 27, 2010 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

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 get totally screwed and end up in a last-minute find caus you waited too long. So, how risk adverse are you? And, how willing are you to pay…

Better web alternative to Craigslist – finally!

July 17, 2009 | By Alissa AuthorMy First Apartment

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 multiple neighborhoods at once. Most importantly, after you put in your search criteria, you can see all the listings on…

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…

What You Should Know about Using a Rental Broker

September 15, 2006 | By Kate AuthorMy First Apartment

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 vacancy rate, such as New York. When you’re searching for a pad, you’ll probably start out with Craigslist and other…

Strategies for Finding your First Apartment: Brokers, Craigslist, doormen and more

November 23, 2005 | By MFA Editors AuthorMy First Apartment

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.