Not staying put but not moving far

It's been awhile, hasn't it? Not that I really went anywhere. My focus had just turned away from moving for a time there, thankfully. While it's been fun to dither about financial fears and rock star aspirations here let's turn back to the original and primary focus of this blog for a bit shall we? Moving, that is.

I've been firmly planted in the same Financial District apartment since 2008. A tiresome apartment search set me on staying put for as long as possible. As someone who'd moved at least once a year every year between 2000 and 2008, I was happy to put down some roots. I last moved during the financial crisis's beginning throes and was able to take advantage of all sorts of incentives like no broker fee and a free month's rent. When my original 18-month lease was set to expire I was even luckier, scoring multiple free months on a 2-year lease re-sign.

The market is vastly different now. I get emails from time to time from people reading my old apartment hunting posts from 2007 and 2008 and wondering why they couldn't find similar deals and prices now. I haven't been paying close attention to real estate but I hear that very few New Yorkers are moving right now. Due to the economy most people are staying put in their apartments even if they hate their current place. Additionally many owners are renting out their high-mortgage primary residences and renting a less expensive place while they ride out the poor economy. These two factors combined to leave NYC (Manhattan especially) with a lower vacancy rate then we've seen in years.

Who would choose to move during this crazy time? Me of course. The itch started several months ago and became itchier recently. Little quirks of my apartment that once seemed charming started to annoy. New neighbors shattered a once-peaceful respite. But the biggest driver for me was probably the lack of natural light. Neither of my NYC apartments have been sun-filled nor was that ever a requirement, though it would be a nice perk. In the summer my current place gets decent light but come winter it's kind of gloomy, and with the down economy and stress at work the last thing I need is grey days to wallow in. Grey days with a shitty neighbor's soundtrack and a commiserating dog howling on the other side.

Speaking of dogs, if you're not allergic to them I highly recommend owning one. The dog parks I frequent are like little social goldmines. I get all my neighborhood intel there: the latest Occupy Wall St updates, notes on the movies and TV shows filming down here and the occasional date. When my dog run friends were telling me about rents shooting up in my building I knew the time was here to make a move. Problem is I've become addicted to my amenities. I've got a huge mezzanine, gym and roof deck I hardly use. There's also laundry in the building (I use that of course) and a conceirge service that has dry cleaning, maid service and the like. I get my groceries delivered and my dog walked when I have to work late. I love my doormen. I could not imagine giving it up. The decision was clear: I wanted to move but I also wanted to stay in my building.

Sometimes there are perks to living in a building with a management company. Like when they have a list all their upcoming rental availabilities available to peruse. For the last couple of months I'd been watching the site for something appealing. I wasn't sure what I was looking for until I saw a 1 BR in my building on a high floor. The listing included the floor plan and the building placement. I saw a western exposure with three windows in the apartment and I was sold. Nevermind that the apartment has 1/2 the closet space of my current apartment or that the rent was above my budget. I had to see it.

A quick stop by the leasing office in my building and then I was headed up to a the high floor to check out the apartment. The first thing I noticed was that unlike my apartment, this one was blindingly bright. Though the Financial District is teeming with tall buildings, mine has enough free air space around it that the sun shone in and the view was appealingly clear. I could see through a sea of buildings to Jersey City, not to mention many famous downtown skyscrapers here in Manhattan. The layout was a bit different than my current place, though the square footage was comparable. I would lose my eat-in kitchen area for a breakfast bar which wasn't a big deal. I was worried about losing the closet space -- a huge issue for a clotheshorse like me. The constant light streaming in helped me get past that.

The lack of storage couldn't dampen my enthusiasm, but the rent could. It was significantly more expensive than my current place -- almost $500/mo more than what I currently pay. I hoped that perhaps Occupy Wall St would turn the tides and stem the rent increases. When I tried negotiating the management company wouldn't budge an inch. Free months weren't an option and neither was a lower rent. My building, they explained, was over 90% full and the average time between renters was under 30 days. Vastly different stats then when I first arrived in the building in 2008.

Graphic from the New York Times, read full article

Dejected, I passed on the apartment. I have learned that something better will always come along. Or so I thought. A couple of weeks later you see I got the letter I was dreading from the management company: my lease was almost up and they needed to know if I was staying or moving. And oh yeah my rent was going up by $400/mo if I wanted to stay. Suddenly better wasn't as important as just settling on my plans.

The economy is rough right now and this was going to hurt no matter what. If I wanted to stay I'd need to dip into my savings to cover the difference between my current rent and the new rate -- my salary's not keeping up with these cost of living increases. And if I moved I'd have to dip into savings to cover the costs of moving. Suddenly the high-floor apartment was back on the table. I'd be paying just a bit more than the new rate of my current place and I'd get the benefit of natural light. The move would be less expensive by staying in the same building. Staying in my current place was the most cost-efficient option of the three. But I'd be unhappy that the same place suddenly cost over $400 more while silently cursing my neighbors every night.

If I was going to spend money it made sense to improve my life a bit, so I contacted the leasing office one more time and made a pitch for the high floor apartment while asking for some rent concessions. We finally settled on a number I could live with. A few days later I went to the bank to get the necessary certified checks, signing the necessary paperwork and calling FlatRate moving. (Two moves and one furniture pick-up with them and they've been great every time. Let's hope this next move goes equally well.)

On the plus side, I didn't have to deal with a single broker and my apartment search took about 3 weeks in total. Much less than last time! On the minus side my finances continue to be tight. So it goes. My life is going back in boxes and I am happy. I'm moving up in the world, literally if not necessarily financially.

Parting thoughts on the Upper East Side

Yes Virginia, there are bathrooms
bigger than a closet in NYC.

When I first thought of myself living in NYC, I pictured living on Gramercy Park with one of the exclusive keys to the park. The apartment in my dreams looked a lot like the apartment my Aunt used to have on 24th & 3rd -- Alcove studio with a walk-through closet to the bathroom. Separate kitchen. Lots of windows. Separate kitchen.

I never thought about the Upper East Side. Now it's hard for me to think about living somewhere else! Over the past year and a half I have really come to love the area. The shopping is amazing; the park is close; you have tons of great groceries and markets and Museum Mile is only 2 Avenues away from me. Did I mention Madison Ave? Or Carl Shurz Park? Or John Jay Park (with the pool)? The neighborhood is a mix of private townhouses, brownstones and high raises. The people are a mix of young and old from every country under the sun.

Oh sure it hasn't been perfect -- the 2nd Ave subway line won't be done until 2015 if it gets completed at all, meaning you're stuck on the 6 with 1,000 of your closest friends in one car. And it's not exactly a hopping bar or club scene up here at nite if you're into that kind of thing. And you may get run over by a Park Ave mommy or nanny. But it's been a wonderful first NYC neighborhood.

Five things I'm going to miss:

5. Being so close to Central Park. I spent many days sunning, walking and taking pictures in the park. I haven't even come close to exploring all of it yet. You can't underestimate the value of having huge amounts of outdoor space nearby. It really does make a difference.

4. National Jean Company, Marimekko, Lucky Brand Jeans, the 86th St line of stores, Jubilee shoes and Free People. All of these stores are within 10 blocks of me. They're not the only places I shop at but I wasted plenty of Saturday afternoons cruising up and down 3rd Ave for fun. Marimekko is probably the store I'll miss the most.

3. JG Melon, Atlantic Grill, T Bar, PJ Bernstein, Ray Bari Pizza, Totonno's, Gracie Mews Diner. Most of these restaurants have other locations in the city but some are only up here on the Upper East Side. I'll miss Haru's and my regular delivery places too. I was finally getting to know my local eateries.

2. The 6 train subway stations. Among the newest and best-kept; they are gorgeous. My 77th St station has a lovely mural when you walk in. I won't miss the crowding but I'll miss being on the line I've taken since I was a little kid.

1. My apartment. Yeah, despite everything I'm gonna miss it. It's such a cute little studio. I packed a ton of crap in here and decorated it well (if I do say so myself). It had everything I needed except for a dishwasher. It was brand new when I moved in. I was an uptown girl and that was pretty frickin' sweet.

Five things I don't think I'll miss:

5. My backyard. I really thought outdoor space was going to be key but I didn't really use it as much as I would have liked. I never had a real party out there due to scheduling conflicts. I sat out there but wasn't really able to enjoy it as much as I would have liked because the other buildings had outdoor space too and there wasn't enough privacy. But my foster dogs loved it!

4. Taxi rides up here. Man, I thought the fare from Flatiron was a lot but the few times I've taken a cab from work in Soho up here it's been over $20. That's at least $18 more than the subway ride and they both probably take about the same time. Cabs might even take longer. And catching a cab sucks in the morning.

3. Only 1 subway line. If you live in between 59th St and 86th St you can't take the 4 or 5 and this area is too densely populated to be served by only the 6. If Mayor Bloomberg really took the train to work every morning he'd know how much it sucks. In my completely biased opinion the 6 is the most crowded subway line and I'm glad I won't have to ride it anymore unless by choice.

2. The snotty people. OK, I get it. We're uptown. Upper crust and all that. Much fancier than the Upper West Side. Old money. Yeesh. Whatever. Can you please get the hell out of my way now?

1. My neighbors. Just to beat a dead horse a little more, I hope karma kicks both my next-door and upstairs neighbor in the arse with an equally bad neighbor moving into my apartment. Like maybe a cop who doesn't take any bullshit. Or a druggie party-addict who is up at all hours. Or a band member who holds practices here. I know it's evil. I don't care. They've burned all their empathy hours with me.

Five things I already know are gonna suck at the new place:

5. Getting to Yankee Stadium. Yeah, I'll still be near the 4 train, but I'll be about 40 minutes away. Yuck. Can't even think about this.

4. Far away from Central Park. But near Battery Park. Not quite a fair trade-off...but I'll make do.

3. No grocery stores in the Financial District. Apparently this is a hold-over from FiDi's reputation as a 9 to 5 neighborhood. Someone should really capatilize on this. (Hint, hint, D'Agostinos or Whole Foods.)

2. Doing my own laundry again. I got really used to sending it out.

1. Getting my friends to come down to my new place. It's kind of out the way for most of my friends...kind of like the Upper East Side has been. Oh well. You win some and you lose some.

The movers are coming at 9 AM tomorrow morning. I doubt I'll sleep much tonight. Too sad (to be leaving) and excited to be arriving at the new place. Parting is such sweet sorrow, Upper East Side.

Back in boxes

And so the process begins again...it's the circle...the circle of life! No sooner had I signed my lease than I began packing. OK, really I started packing like 2 weeks ago but now I am in full-on living out of boxes mode.

The first comment: my god I have a lot of crap! I had really packed a lot of stuff into my tiny little studio. It hadn't felt cluttered until recently but I've clearly outgrown the space. When I first moved in here I lived out of boxes for about the first 3 weeks. I don't think I slept in my bed for the first 2 weeks because with the boxes everywhere there was no room. I am so excited that I won't have the same issue in my new place. I am getting back to that state in my current place though. I think I will spend the weekend sleeping on my couch, or with the sofa bed pulled out if room allows.

I have a checklist of things to do before I move. First on the list? Call the moving company! Even though I had a wonderful moving experience with Gentle Giant last time around I ended up calling Flat Rate Moving because BFF M just used them to move and she gave me a killer referral discount. Their rep was pretty cool. I itemized everything I could think of that I own. He kept asking me "Anything else?" which gave me flashbacks to Dude, Where's My Car? And then? No and then! I kept saying that's it but then oh wait I would think of something else.

One lovely thing about moving into a luxury building is they have all these weird rules. The moving company has to fax some kind of proof of insurance thingy (not the official name), you can't move in on the weekend even though there's a freight elevator and you have to sign up for a 2-hour moving window. Yuck. The rep has at least pretty responsive. Fairly responsive. Whatever.

I am so excited that I can't sleep. I move in on the 15th. Is it Monday yet?

The 11 things I learned from my first NYC apartment hunt

I'm 90% sure I'm going to move. I return to apartment searching so much wiser than last time I embarked. I really hope that the rental market will quiet down a bit. Hard to say right now though. In preparation I dusted off my old bookmarks and came up with 11 tips for your first New York City apartment hunt...

1. Unless you're looking for a really expensive apartment or don't have time to search for your own apartment, brokers are useless*.

While very useful for apartment purchases, brokers are such an unneeded middleman in the rental process. So why do renters still use them? The biggest reason is because they have access to the NYC realty database -- the registry that lists all available apartments for rent in the city at any given time. You can't access the registry unless you're a licensed real estate agent, so us normal folks are SOL. Another reason is that building management companies don't want to or don't have time to show an apartment to perspective renters. It's time consuming, it's a pain in the ass and the management companies just want the apartment rented already. For many building management companies it was less expensive during the boom to hire a third-party broker then it was to retain a full-time in house broker. Trends are slow to change and it's renters, not buildings paying broker's fees right now for the most part.

If you do view broker apartments, and hey I did my first time around, don't let them push you around. They're going to tell you the apartment is in high demand and pressure you to make a decision on the spot. Don't get pressured into a decision -- there will always be another great apartment. Try to stay as rational as possible (admittedly, I made an emotional decision my first time around). Negotiate their fee before you commit to an apartment.

The first time you talk to a broker they are going to make you come to their office and fill out an informational form. They almost never take you straight to the apartment. In fact half the time their ads are just teasers to get you into their offices -- the apartment listed doesn't actually exist.

*However, if you can find a broker employed by a management company that charges the mgmt company fees and not you, I say go for it. What do you have to lose?

2. It is possible to find an awesome apartment without a broker.

OK, so 70% of available apartments in NYC are broker-listed. Guess what, though? That leaves 30% that are not. I don't know what that works out to in terms of hard numbers but I think it's safe to say thousands of apartments rent on a yearly basis without a broker. Some are referrals (hey, I'm moving out of my apartment and I know you want to live on the UES, want to take over my lease?); some are through owner/management company advertising and some are through aggregate services (i.e. nybits or mlsupdate123). For me, the bad news was that if a management company had enough money to advertise their apartments on the subway or a website like Curbed it was probably out of my price range anyway. The good news is that owners/management companies still use tried and true tactics like putting a sign on the building. Seriously. Walk around a neighborhood like the Lower East Side or the East Village and you will see plenty of apartment available signs.

Web sites are a bit more of a crapshoot. Sites like Craigslist have a for rent by owner section, but many of the apartments listed actually have broker fees cleverly hidden. Or worse, there are many scam listings. Other sites like rent direct have an equal number of success stories as scam claims and require a fee to sign up. You can protect yourself though. If something looks too good to be true, it is too good to be true. If every 1Br apartment you see in Union Square costs $2400 but all of a sudden you see 1 $1650 apartment, be very wary.

To be successful without a broker, you either need to be very willing to compromise or very patient. If you aren't too tied down to a certain location or amenities or if you have a flexible move-in date and can wait until the right apartment opens up you are more likely to be successful without a broker.

3. Know the basics about the process.

Most brokers and management companies will require a deposit right away when you say you want to rent an apartment. Never give them more than $500 cash -- it could always be a scam and you don't want to lose everything. Ask for a receipt and make sure the deposit is refundable. Almost every building will run at least a credit check on you, which you have to pay for. It's around $75 per person and will be done for everyone on the lease, including guarantors. When you pay your security at your lease signing, it must be a cashier's check. It CANNOT be a personal check, a money order or a credit card charge. Cash is also not usually accepted. Be very wary of anyone asking for cash security deposits.

Likewise, be wary of shares with strangers. One common scam in recent years is people "renting out rooms" and for one month security deposit. Then you and five other people show up on move-in day, all for the same room, and realize you got shafted. The scammer has long since disappeared with your money. (I read about this in the Village Voice, but can't find the article link. To be updated if I can locate it.)

Most landlords require you to make 40x the rent. So if an apartment is $2000/month you need to make at least $80,000 annually before taxes. Some landlords accept guarantors, which are like co-signers on loans. If you cannot pay your rent, the landlord can go after your guarantor for the money. And go after them (and you!) landlords will. Family members are preferred and they need to make much higher salaries, sometimes as high as 80x the rent. Some landlords will not accept out of state guarantors.

Some buildings have rules about which days you can move in/out on. Make sure to coordinate with your management company as necessary. No need to start off on the wrong foot. Also check building policies on pets, quiet hours and the like. Co-ops will have stricter rules than rental buildings.

4. Things like which floor you live on, your exposure and how many windows you have matter.

Ever heard the term pre-war vs. post-war? Before I moved to NYC, I thought it boiled down to pre-war meaning old and post-war meaning new. But it's so much more than that. Pre-war buildings tend to have much thicker walls and concrete floors. What does that mean? Less neighbor noise. Believe me when I say it can make the difference between sanity and calling the cops. Post-war buildings tend to have more amenities like gyms, open floorplans and floor to ceiling windows. But they also have thinner walls and less soundproofing. Families tend to live in pre-war buildings, especially families with youngins. Pre-war buildings tend to be on the west side (UWS mostly).

Want to live on the first floor? Maybe you'll be lucky like me and have access to a private backyard, but maybe you'll also be lucky enough to have mice like me. Live near the water? Be prepared for water bugs. Live above a restaurant? It's potential for rats and cockroaches, hooray! You'll have less light in your apartment on low floors and probably anti-theft window guards which let in less light. It will also be cold in the winter on low floors. Up high you'll have more light but it will be sweltering both in the summer and in the winter when all the heat rises to you. If you live on a middle floor you should be considerate of your neighbors below and hope for the same from your neighbors above.

Also, FYI, apartments usually get larger as you move upstairs. So studios down low, then 1 BRs above them and so on. One way to try to cheat the noise factor is to rent a smaller apartment below a larger one or vice versa. This cuts down on the chance of your living area being directly above/below your neighbors, but does add the possibility of Junior's playroom being right above your bedroom.

If your apartment faces north, you will get very little direct sunlight. You may as well call your apartment the Batcave. The double whammy is a northern exposure with a building right against yours. Hope you like artificial light! Southern exposures, conversely, get tons of sun and can be blindingly hot in the early evening. Eastern exposures are sunny in the morning and dark later and Western exposures are the opposite (shocker, I know). Many people in NYC have apartments with a full wall (or walls) of windows, and many people do not put coverings on them. You can see everything that goes on whether you want to or not. Get used to it. Studios often have only one window in them. If you need to do a window A/C unit, that one window becomes a half-window. It sucks.

Last thoughts for this section: living on side streets is quiter than living on Avenues. If you live on a main thoroughfare like 79th St you will always have ambient noise like car horns. Apartments in the rear of the building are generally quieter. Apartments in the front of the building generally have better views.

5. Learn your real estate terms.

I've hit on this before, but it's worthwhile to learn how to translate apartment ads. An apartment described as "charming" is tiny. If it's described as "in a great location near x, y, z chic neighborhood" it's tiny and old and possibly gross. A Jr. 1 bedroom doesn't actually have a separate bedroom -- it's usually an alcove studio (L-shaped) or has french doors separating the sleeping and main areas. Convertible likewise means that it doesn't have permanent walls, so a convertible 3 BR is actually a 2 BR that could be made into a 3 BR if you put up a wall of some temporary kind (tenants can't legally add permanent walls to rental apartments). A Juliet balcony isn't big enough for you to actually go outside onto; it's basically decorative. A garden level apartment is below street level. Loft apartments doesn't usually mean one big open area like it would in other cities. In NYC loft usually means a raised sleeping area that you access via a ladder. No, I'm not kidding.

Rent-controlled apartments' rent never increases. At this point you will not find a rent-controlled apartment on your own. End of story. Rent stabilized apartments' rent can only be raised a certain percentage per year. The percentage is decided annually by the NYC Rent Guidelines Board.

6. Educate yourself about utilities, leases and the like.

All apartments in Manhattan include water and heat in their monthly rate (or at least, they should legally). Boroughs are a toss-up. You usually have to pay for your own electricity, gas (for cooking), cable, etc. Your landlord will usually provide an A/C unit. Many buildings do not have laundry facilities. Buildings have to be specially zoned to have a washer/dryer in the apartment. If there is no drain by the washer/dryer, it is illegal! RUN, don't walk the heck outta there.

You are only required to put down one month security and your first month's rent when you sign a lease for an apartment in Manhattan. Landlords may ask for more but you should refuse to pay any additional security fees.

Read your lease carefully. I cannot say this enough! Check for clauses about landlord entry, legal fees, damage fees and the like. It is so worth paying a lawyer $200 to review your lease to protect yourself. Security deposits are often lost because landlords invoke some dumb lease clause. You DO NOT have to sign the lease the landlord gives you. You are allowed to challenge anything that makes you uncomfortable. Once you sign that's it so read it carefully and get unfair clauses removed before you sign.

Do you know your tenant rights? Yeah, me neither. Not something that really gets handed out to you when you move in. But the city does have a couple of websites devoted to the matter. The NYC Affordable Housing Resource Center has information about public housing and what to do if you lack basic services like heat or hot water. The NYC Rent Guidelines Board decides on the rent increase for rent-stabilized apartments in the city. Renters hate them, landlords hate them...it's a no-win situation.

7. Explore the neighborhood you're considering before you check out listings.

Do you like carrying groceries 10 blocks? Me neither! So I'm pretty damn lucky that I have a nice grocery store 2 blocks away. Know what else sucks? Hauling your laundry 8 blocks to the nearest laundromat or laundry service. And it's so much fun walking 7 blocks to nearest subway station when it's 15 degrees outside and icy. If you enjoy loud pulsing beats every night til 2 AM then by all means take that apartment above the nightclub. Hey, living across the street from a school is great for concentrating during the day! That scaffolding outside the building next door to the one you're considering renting in couldn't mean construction noise, could it? Nah! Are you excited about the 2nd Ave subway line? Me too, but I sure wouldn't want to live on 2nd Ave on the Upper East Side right now. If you live on a low floor in a building above a subway line, your apartment just might shake every time a train goes by.

It's also worthwhile to research each neighborhood as a whole. Want a neighborhood that's quiet at night? Don't live in Soho. Want to be close to many of the cities' museums? Try the Upper East Side. Worried your neighborhood will be dead after hours? Don't live in midtown.

8. You DO NOT need a car in Manhattan. You DO NOT want a car in Manhattan, Sell it before you move here.

Your car insurance will triple if you park your car in Manhattan. It has a better than 50% chance of being broken into. It will cost the same amount as your rent to park your car for one month. Alternate side parking rules are nightmarish. Good luck fighting an NYC ticket.

Besides the logistical nightmares, it's totally unneccessary to have a car in Manhattan. Everybody delivers; the subway and bus systems are comprehensive and if you need a car to get out of the city services like Zipcar are great rental solutions. There are taxis if you need to satiate your vehicular cruising needs.

One more reason: it takes 1 hour to get from East 77th St to West 21st St by car anytime between 8 AM and noon, or 5 PM to 7 PM. I know from experience.

9. It takes forever to get your cable/internet hooked up.

Whether you choose Time Warner or Verizon FiOS, it will probably take at least a month to get everything hooked up correctly. In the summer peak moving season it takes a month just to get an appointment. Both companies are notorious for missing installation appointments, not having the proper equipment when they do come or installing things incorrectly. Most of their technicians do a great job I'm sure but bad stories spread much faster than good ones. I personally have two hellish Time Warner stories.

Once installed, your signal will suck sometimes for no reason. Lines across your screen, channels randomly fritzing out, your Internet connection crawling at high-peak hours or overnight. Your only action is to pray to the gods of the Internets for your fiber/cable to return. If you call customer service at either company, they will instruct you to unplug your unit, wait 30 seconds, then plug it back in. If that doesn't work they have to schedule a repair appointment...which the technician will arrive for with no information about what the problem is.

10. Become handy, because your Super/management company are going to be slow to fix anything.

Luckily my Super is very attentive so this is not actually a problem for me (my non-Super is a different story). But for most of my friends, broken fridges, leaky pipes and anything else that doesn't work will usually sit for as long as possible before the landlord actually takes care of it. Sometimes it's a matter of laziness, sometimes of ignorance, sometimes of business. It is always miserable for you, the tenant. BFF M had her fridge break, so she lost $50 worth of groceries. Her management company fixed it two weeks later but it broke a week after that and she lost another $50 in groceries. During your search it's a good idea to ask where the Super lives (in your building is preferable). If you live in a doorman building you're more likely to have a dedicated maintenace crew in your building as well.

11. Don't blow all your money on rent.

One of my biggest delimas was setting a budget. In NYC it's easy to blow 60% of your income on rent, especially if you're just out of school. So how much do you need to make to live in Manhattan? I would say at least $50,000 anually to have any semblance of comfort. I do have friends who do it for less but they are taking a huge risk or living 8 people in a 4 BR apartment, and who wants to live like that? Part of living in the city is experiencing the culture. Sure, lots of cool stuff is free but lots of cool stuff is so not free. You will spend more than you think when you live here. Either learn to control yourself or budget accordingly.

When you are making your budget, consider the following:
- transportation costs (Metrocard, taxi fares, etc.)
- health insurance costs
- taxes (live in NYC? your income gets taxed by both the city and the state)
- 401k/IRA/savings
- groceries (food is expensive in Manhattan) and eating out (ditto)
- utilities like electricity
- cable/internet/etc
- gym memberships
- other basic needs
- disposable income for clothing, concerts, going out, etc.
- delivery and tip fund

Subtract all or some of those things from your monthly income after taxes. That gives you an idea of what you can afford.

Additional resources if you're thinking about moving to NYC:
Wired New York City forums (very long thread at this point, but still very valuable)
Tips on apartment hunting from Columbia University
Ben Popken's thoughts on moving to NYC without going broke
New York Magazine's real estate section (though they seem to have taken down their neighborhood guide, which was awesome)
The New York Times' community guides (click on neighborhood in the community data links for more info)
OnNYturf (find a business near a subway station)
Google Maps
Flavorpill

Review sites:
Yahoo Local
Yelp

Tired of packing

You'd think I'd be a packing expert by now. This will be my fourth move since college and I've only been out 3 years. I should have this down to an efficient science that takes 8 or less hours.

But no. I spent a good portion of the weekend packing and I'm not done. I thought I had gotten rid of a ton of crap but I still have an awful lot. My moving estimate calls for 1855 lbs. of stuff. At first I thought that was a gross overestimate. Now I wonder if it's high enough.

So far, I've packed 6 boxes all the way and 3 partial boxes. My moving estimate calls for 15 total boxes, which I'm going to go over. I'm not even halfway packed. Since I don't want the movers to have to deal with loose crap, I'm packing everything. So that means my hangers took up 1.5 boxes, my shoes took up 2 boxes (and counting), my files took up .75 of a box, and my extra blankets took up .75 a box. Don't even ask about my clothing - could you imagine if I had kept everything?

I spent all day Saturday trying to organize my items by type - fragile, office, clothing, books, etc. and then starting to pack. I also made a run up to my parents' to drop of the stuff I don't want to get rid of but don't have room for. On Sunday I drove over an hour to Plato's Closet to sell some of my clothing. They took 13 items and I only made $50, but it was worth it. Plus, I-95 was backed up for 10 miles on the way home so my SUV and I got to work the back roads from New Haven and spend some quality time together. I'm gonna miss driving.

My kitchen stuff is in its original boxes and it will stay there. I have some loose kitchen stuff to pack. So that's another 4-5 boxes. Clothing is packed except for what I'm wearing this week and the stuff in my dresser, which I don't have to pack. Computer accessories have to be packed, office stuff has to be packed, electronics have to be packed, and random looseness. I think I'm looking at another 6-7 boxes for that stuff. So altogether, maybe another 12 boxes. Not too bad. The moving company told me they overestimated the weight some. I hope so.

All this moving has also made me unmotivated. I could have the movers pack for me, but I can't afford that. I just want to be at my new apartment with everything magically moved in. I'm working on making that happen.

Goodbye, sweet desk

I'm obsessed with my move now - I think about it at work; I talk about it with my friends after work; I ask my boyfriend to help me pack for it; I dream about it. And when I'm not thinking about the move itself I'm thinking about the things I'm not moving. Like my car and all the furniture I own that won't fit.

It gives me a good chuckle that since college I've actually downsized. In college of course I lived in the dorms, followed by a house and a condo, all with roommates. After college, I moved back in with my parents but that only lasted two months. Then I moved to a big one-bedroom, railroad style apartment that I miss every day. At that time I was working a full-time day job and a part-time night job to pay off bills. When I consolidated to one job, I moved to a smaller attic apartment. Finally a year ago I moved into a house but with roommates. Now I'm basically moving back into a dorm room, size-wise.

As a result, I have to rethink my living style. Much like the buildings in NYC hold people vertically, I'll be storing my stuff vertically. Goodbye storage benches; hello tall bookshelves! Suddenly things I used to take for granted are now weighed by importance - do I really need all that chick lit with me in NYC? Will my guests really need towels? Are pots and pans that important?

I've surprised myself a bit. Being a clotheshorse I thought I would have a hard time getting rid of half of my wardrobe, but inspiration from Clean Sweep helped convince me to cull. I'm also considering buying a storage organization system and seeing if the landlord will give me a break in rent if I agree to leave it behind. But my furniture has been tougher to sort through. Some things, such as my short bookshelves, are no-brainers to sell. But other pieces, like my desk, are tougher. Since college I've been investing in nicer pieces and it breaks my heart a bit to part with some of the beautiful stuff. My boyfriend laughed at me until I asked him how he'd feel about parting with his stereo equipment. In the end, I sold my couch and chair and used that money to purchase a sleeper sofa as well as my desk and matching bookshelf and dresser on Craigslist. Also going are two shorter bookshelves, a storage bench, a CD rack, and my bedframe. I hope to have a tag sale to sell other random items if time and dedication allows.

And then there's the toughest sell of all - my car. God, I love my SUV. It moved me back to the East Coast from Colorado. It's been my savior in the winter and my dependable workhorse. It represents freedom to escape from my house, my state, etc. I know I don't need a car in NYC, and I probably wouldn't want one. But I'm really going to miss it. Not to mention that I'm still paying it off. I have ads up on Cars.com and Autotrader.com and CL of course; and flyers in groceries and coffee shops around town. I do worry about it not selling though. If I run out of options I can try to sell to a car dealership, but I'd make less money and I don't want to end up upside down on my loan. I need the money.

I need it because even though I am selling a lot, I will need to buy things as well. Like underbed storage, tall bookshelves and an armoire-like structure to supplement the one small closet. If space allows, I also want to buy some bathroom storage - a cabinet and a space saver maybe. Also, a small garden shed to use as storage in the backyard. Finding space, anywhere I can.

Supplies in demand

I got mail this weekend from Gentle Giant - a nice FAQ booklet with moving preparation tips. These guys rock. My favorite line was something like 'you can color code boxes so the movers know which room to put them in.' Aha. Well guys, you can put that in, umm, the only room.

The packing tips section was especially interesting to me...oh yeah, I might need boxes at some point. And tape. And bubble wrap. And a Sharpie to label everything with. I read somewhere that movers appreciate boxes of about equal size when possible for easier stacking in the truck. I've done so much research that everything is starting to blur together. My moving estimate included boxes, but when I emailed my rep to talk about it I discovered those boxes were for day-of packing if needed. Not helpful now. I'd have to find boxes somewhere else.

A Google search for 'moving boxes' turned up some wholesalers and a U-Haul link. Ah, U-Haul. I've had one decent and one horrible experience with them. Their box prices looked cheap though, so I decided to give it a shot.

U-Haul leases its name to local franchises, so I hit up the franchise in my town first. When I arrived, I saw that they had several packages to choose from. I started by asking the guy behind the counter for a moving box package recommendation which was a mistake. He had to ask his coworker, who asked the manager. The service was slow. Finally I made the decision for them only to find out they were out of one of the box sizes. They offered to substitute a bigger, more expensive box. I left empty-handed.

Next stop: UPS store. There are three in my town but one has been particularly helpful with my eBay mailings so I hit that branch. They also had multiple moving box packages which were wisely named things like 'studio,' '1BR apartment' and so on. But the packages were not cheap - about $45 for the studio package. It included one closet box (hanging storage for clothes), five large boxes, five medium boxes, two kitchen boxes and two linen boxes, plus a roll of tape and a 3-foot roll of bubble wrap. Or maybe that is cheap, I have no frame of reference here. The last two times I moved, I just went to Bed Bath and Beyond and Costco and grabbed from the box piles. Cost: free. I told my UPS guys I'd think about it and left.

I decided to do some begging and box cruising. I hit Costco first, but the pickings were slim. I keep forgetting that it's almost back-to-school time, so college kids and their parents had picked over the piles. Also, the fall is the second most popular moving season behind spring. I had been beaten to the punch.

So my next option was hitting the houseware stores, liquor stores and groceries. You have two options when getting boxes from stores: you can Dumpster dive, or you can politely ask the shipping clerks if they'll set aside boxes for you. I always try the latter first. I went to Linens N Things and Bed Bath and Beyond. Linens N Things asked me to come back at 9 the next morning...no good, I have to work. Bed Bath and Beyond had a waiting list for boxes. I signed up, but I was about the 10th name in line. Also not very promising.

A couple of the town liquor stores offered me some smaller boxes, which I took. They would be good for the random stuff. Finally, I stopped by four groceries. Each said basically the same thing - come back at 7 AM during the week or 6:30 AM on the weekends, and the boxes go fast from June - September. I'm not surprised. I made a mental note to come back on Saturday.

My friends gave me two additional recommendations: Craigslist (they really do have everything) and Boomerang Boxes. I checked both out but the idea of spending money on boxes seems so weird to me. I guess I am being pretty cheap about this.

In the end I lucked out. My aunt had just moved and offered to give me her boxes. These boxes rock - heavy duty, with UPS printed on the side. That was perfect because I was worried they would have the movers' name printed on them, which my moving company might not like. Even better, they shut in such a way that no tape is needed. I only need about 10 boxes but my aunt gave me 20. I'm set.

Moving on

Despite the mini-hell of the last few days, I am very excited to finally be moving into New York City. Now that I know I'm moving, it's time to find movers! I asked friends and relatives for their recommendations and picked up some good tips on how to pick a company:

- make sure the movers are registered with the DOT and licensed for interstate moving
- check their Better Business Bureau report
- call and ask for an estimate. If they don't ask for a general manifest before giving you an estimate, run!
- check to see if the estimate is binding or non-binding
- do they charge by hour or weight? Interstate moves should be charged by weight, and you can request to be there when they weigh the truck
- make sure insurance is offered and read the policy carefully. If you pack yourself, you may not be eligible
- this site has a decent breakdown of things to remember

After talking to a few friends, I had a pretty good idea who I wanted to go with - Gentle Giant. Two of my couple friends and one single friend had used them and loved them. One couple bragged about how they ran back and forth to the truck while unpacking. Sounds insane to me. They're also one of the best northeast corridor movers by reputation. My current roommate said they're all athletes and row crew. Rock on.

I picked two other companies to call - Two Men and a Truck and the local VanLines affiliate. They had mixed reviews, but I wanted to get more than one estimate. I was originally thinking of calling Mayflower as well until my friend told me a horror story about the movers showing up a day late, losing her stuff for 5 days and finally delivering it with 25% of her stuff damaged during a move from New Jersey to Iowa. No thanks.

Two Men and a Truck seemed pretty nice by phone and their estimate was decent. Around $1000 to move everything or I could pay by the hour. I vetoed the latter. The man I spoke with gave me some good information about moving to New York City. I said I'd call them back. They tried to pressure me into putting down a non-refundable deposit immediately to hold a slot. That annoyed me.

I left a message for VanLines after getting hung up on the first time during a transfer. Not too promising. They called back the next day and estimated about $1150, and I would have to share a truck since I wasn't moving a lot. The company was mostly for house moves, not tiny studio apartment moves.

I got a person at Gentle Giant, but had to leave a message for their interstate crew. The guy called me back 15 minutes later but the day was over before I could call back. The next morning, I called back and spoke with them. The guy gave me a light sales pitch that basically rehashed what my friends had told me and talked about their dependability. He also warned me that his estimate would come in higher than my other estimates. My friends had warned me about that as well but the consensus was it was worth it.

I have to say that Gentle Giant really sold me by phone. They just seemed nice, even if they are in Red Sox country. I asked about 15 questions, some really silly, and the guy was polite and funny in answering them all. So when I got the estimate of $1400 I was ready to go even though it was the highest. I knew my stuff was going to get there safely. I called back and put in my deposit. Let's hope it goes as smoothly as the sales pitch.

I did some more research for my next steps:
- cut down on my crap
- write a list of all things I am moving (manifest), make a copy for movers
- label all boxes
- pack everything I can into a box to avoid chowder (I guess chowder is what they call things not packed in a box. Okay.)
- get water/food for movers
- tip the movers!

Woot. Two and a half weeks to go.

Check the tape

With the lease signed (by me at least), the next item on my list was finding out just how big the place is so I can figure out what fits, what has to be sold, and to start calling moving services.

I set up a 9:30 AM viewing time with the broker. I figured that since she lived in the area it wouldn't be a big deal. I'd originally said 9 but my train is never on time, so of course my train got in early that day and I made up to the apartment by 9 easily. I'd already eaten breakfast and I was feeling kind of antsy, so I called her to see if she could come meet me early but she did not pick up.

I used the extra time to watch the cuties walking by, and liked the area more by the minute. But I had to get to work. By 9:45 I was freaking out because I was already pushing it to make it to by 10. I waited a couple more minutes, and then left. I called the broker to apologize and asked her to call me to reschedule. What a pain in the butt.

While I was on the subway the broker left me a message. I listened at work. She was mad that I wasn't there when she made it - 25 minutes late. Whatever. She obviously hadn't listened to my messages. I called her back and apologized again even though it wasn't my fault, because I didn't want our relationship going sour at this crucial juncture. How annoying though. Later on she called me back and was apologetic too, begging off on account of a bad morning. I hope that's the end of the melodrama.

After work we met up at the apartment, which was just as nice as I remembered it, and unfortunately just as small. It turned out the place was 200 SQ feet - so just a bit bigger than the Tudor City place, but it seemed so much bigger with a separate kitchen and of course the outside space added another 100 or so SQ feet. The bathroom was going to be a challenge. I knew it was tiny but seeing it again made me realize just how tiny. I'd hoped to buy a space saver and a storage shelf set but there was probably not going to be room. And it was fully tiled so I wasn't going to be able to install a towel rack without permission from the landlord and help from the super. But it was NEW and it was wonderful. Happy sigh.

I had my camera with me but forgot to take pictures. I also forgot the measure the window for a dowel. Oh well. When I got home, I made a scaled model of my apartment in Photoshop and started placing my furniture. I don't want the place to be cluttered but it looks like I'll be able to fit a bunch - I'll have to sell my desk; all of my bookcases so I can buy taller ones; my bedframe and one of my guitars - without closing the space too much.

Reality check

When the over/under for an apartment's availability is about 24 hours, hope needs to spring eternal. And so does reality. Over the weekend, I decided that I needed to really sit down and think out different situations for my move. I had to seriously decide what the maximum rent I can afford is.

For example, I have a car that I am still paying off. I plan to sell the car but I can't put it up for sale until I find a place. This makes me pretty nervous - what happens if the car doesn't sell in the 30 days before I move? It might take a couple of months to sell. I might need to come back up to Connecticut to show it. Worse, what if it doesn't sell at all? I need to factor that in.

I want to use a professional moving company. I need to get quotes. Do I pack myself, or does a company pack me? Another thing to factor in.

I have a review on Tuesday. Will that affect things? Another thing to factor in.

What about furniture? I want to sell some pieces, but I want to buy things too. Especially if I live in a studio; I want to buy tall bookshelves to use as a divider between the living room and bedroom areas.

I need to eat. That needs to be factored in.

I can live without cable, but how long can I live without Internet? I might get roped into the $99/month phone/cable/internet package, even though I only need Internet. Too bad the phone in that package is a landline. That needs to be factored in.

I came back to $1650 as my limit though it would be cutting it close at my current salary. I'd need an apartment by owner with all utilities included, or a broker willing to only take one month's fee. Otherwise, $1550 was the ceiling and I have no clue where I would get the cash to pay a broker.

And what if I can't find an apartment in my range? That's the scariest scenario. I would have two options: stay in Connecticut or find a new job with better pay. As much as I love Norwalk, I really want to move into the city. And even though I do not make what I am worth, I also really love my job and want to stay there for a long time. Out of the two, I'd take the former. I hope I am not faced with that decision, though.

Moving to save my insanity

I've spent the last month looking for an appropriate topic, and I think I've honed in on the king of the hill, top of the crop, A number ooooonnnneeee - yes, you guessed it, moving to New York City.

It's not like I live that far - Norwalk, Conn., - but the commute is killing me. I'm not insane enough to drive, but I am insane enough to take Metro North. The train has its good points - the monthly ticket is a great value, I can sleep, and the train runs often enough that I don't live by a schedule. But there are the cons too - terrible overcrowding, random train cancellations and delays, the other weirdos on the train, and the lack of etiquette.

Blessed with a steady, wonderful job in Flatiron, and a deep-set independent streak, I'm ready to move down to good ol' NYC. That's right, I'm leaving the boy, the roommates, the Hunk (my SUV) and possibly my furniture behind!

I'll elaborate over the coming days, weeks and months. But for now, suffice it to say that I am excited. And a little bit scared.