I see. I guess I missed the post with their $4k-$5k budget. Thanks.
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As mentioned, I live on the Jersey City waterfront, 4 minutes to World Trader Center, a 29 minute ride to Washington Square Park. While JC is not a suburban environment, it is conducive to having a car. So, I get to go food shopping and other errands by car, like those in the suburbs and not like in a city. The proximity to the city makes doing things there or commuting for work, very convenient, even possibly more so than an apartment in another part of Manhattan. Also most buildings have parking garages. Some even have pools. There are places one can walk to. When I was looking to move to NYC 3 years ago, it was my daughter who has lived in NYC (Manhattan and Brooklyn) for a long time who suggested Jersey City, because it was easier to keep my car (something I wanted to do), and get more apartment for the rental money than some of the NYC apartments. As I wrote, I have a very large patio, rare for Manhattan, and amazing wide open views of the water and Manhattan. Your kids may wish to look into it. I would say that most people living in my building are young adults. I havenât seen any children over age 4, and so itâs a lot of young couples.
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I passed on Jersey city. Any particular areas in Jersey city to look?
Jersey City is really big, and is broken up into the following areas. Most of the âyoung professionalsâ are congregated on the water front / downtown / hamilton park areas for easy access to PATH and therefore NYC. Personally, I like Paulus Hook and Downtown better than Newport (less people, more âburb-yâ feel);
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Paulus Hook, Exchange Place and newport: lots of high rises, right on the water front. Paulus Hook also has brownstones. Many new(er) buildings have great amenities (pool, BBQ, gym, childrenâs play room, etc)
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downtown & Liberty Harbor: lots of brownstones, but tons of big rental buildings going up in the last few years. Close to GROVE Str PATH station. Lots of restaurants and a great scene. Many new(er) buildings have great amenities (pool, BBQ, gym, childrenâs play room, etc)
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Hamilton Park: very residential, lots of brownstones, next to Hamilton Park. Lots of families with young kids (same is true for the 2 areas above)
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The Heights (west of Hoboken), Bergen Lafayette, Lincoln Park, etc: more âinwardâ, and not as easy with transportation (access to PATH), but easier to find entire houses for rent
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When I looked into Jersey City before moving here (was coming from Boston), I ONLY looked on the waterfront. First it is beautiful to be right on the water and the views are great and wide open. Lots of newer type buildings with parking. In my case, just ONE stop to World Trade Center via PATH or there is also a ferry outside my door. Right on the Hudson River WalkwayâŠwalk, run, bike. Convenient to shop by car or by foot. Lots of places to eat out, etc. Yes, lots of young professionals (though I am not one!). Some buildings have outdoor spaces or rooftop spaces. Some offer individual apartment outdoor spaces (I was drawn to my very large patio). Many have pools, but mine does not. There are a lot of high rises, but my building is not a high rise. I work from home and Iâm sitting at my desk looking out at the water and the Manhattan skyline. I can get into Manhattan easily by subway or car. During pandemic, only have used my car (my kids live in Manhattan), but otherwise, the PATH/Subway are the way to go. Very short commute for where your kids will be working. By car, I can get to D1âs apartment in the West Village (lower Manhattan) in 18 minutes. Again, if your kids are gonna be working near Washington Square, the subway ride door to door is 29 minutes.
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I live in Bay Ridge. With that budget they could rent a whole house including a driveway and/or garage in the back, and live just a block from Shore Road, which runs along the river from the Verrazzano Bridge to the ferry to Manahattan, and have money to spare. Express bus (no crowding, comfy seats) to lower Manhattan takes 45 minutes, about the same as the R train where I always get a seat because Iâm at the last stop. The bridge to Staten Island and then 15 minutes to NJ is 5 minutes away.
I moved here on 3/31; I was looking just before the pandemic. I found an apartment (constructed in the 60s; I live on the 5th floor; quiet, good light and no soot with the windows open but no view; 2 bedrooms; well-kept rent stabilized building with 63 units; laundry room on lobby floor) on Streeteasy for $2150. The rental was handled by a broker whom I paid a 10% of annual rent commission. I know thatâs not what OPâs kid and husband are looking for but just to give you an idea. I moved from Bed Stuy where was considerably more expensive but the commute to my job in Bay Ridge was awful.
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Could anyone recommend a good realtor for a rental? The kids decided they could use a realtor.
My younger D moved to Clifton Hill in Brooklyn in January 2020. She and her boyfriend have a cute two bedroom apartment in a 3-story brownstone. They are on the second floor, but have access to a rooftop outdoor space. Their rent is a $3500. Itâs a great neighborhood. I gave my D my old SUV when she was in grad school in Providence. She decided it was a hassle in Brooklynâshe left it at our vacation house last fall.
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Did they have a realtor? My D feels they need a realtor. They have two days to look and many neighborhood to cover. A realtor may be able to guide them through. How do you find a realtor?
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iâm so following this thread - as my s and his gf are doing this in three weeks. they will have around 2 weeks to find something. how does it work with commission/pay for apartment realtors, btw?
@Iglooo, it may be hard to find a broker that can cover all these different neighborhoods in different boroughs. If they know anyone in the city right now, asking them may be their best source of referrals.
@bgbg4us, apartment brokers have, historically, charged a percentage of a yearâs rent or a fixed number of monthsâ rent as a fee. There was something changed statutorily that prohibited brokers hired by landlords for charging fees to prospective tenants and that change was apparently overturned or amended at some point in the last couple of years. The rental market is still pretty soft in NYC. Depending on where they are looking and what they are looking for, and if they have two weeks to look, they could focus on no-fee listings. Many of the large buildings (Iâm mostly familiar with Brooklyn and Queens) have in-house rental people and there is no fee to rent. I suspect itâs the smaller walk-up buildings where landlords list with brokers and there may be fees involved. There are great websites (my kids like Streeteasy) where you can filter for fee/no fee and other factors.
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My kid has only two days to look. What could be the best way to skim through many neighborhoods? Or should they just pick one standard neighborhood, like Williamsburg and focus on it?
Something to consider - with limited time and new to the area - sublet for the summer. Kid will have time to explore neighborhoods, get acclimated to the city, etc. and wonât be rushed into a lease they may regret. Take a look at sublets on the https://www.listingsproject.com/
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My D used a realtor. I will ask if she remembers the name.
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Tell them to check out Hoboken. The town is very walkable with lots of restaurants and young professionals. There are many condos and apartments for rent with garage parking. The Path trains go to midtown with stops close to Washington Sq Park. There are 2 ferry piers and couple of bus lines going to Manhattan.
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@Bromfield2 That will be great if she remembers. Thank you.
@HMom16 Sublet is an excellent idea. Unfortunately, they wonât be there over the summer.
thewolfepack@corcoran.com
for anywhere in Brooklyn
Lana at magnerrealtygroup@gmail.com
for Bay Ridge
PM me for my name to use but of course they will be happy to help anyone!
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In NYC, sublets happen all times of yearâŠ
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Keep in mind crime is up in NYC, subway use is down making it more dangerous. Hearing from people I know who live there, some hotels have been filled with homeless, many who are mentally ill. They should definitely research commuting options right now. The positive is that properties have gone down in value with so many leaving. Iâm hoping this is temporary, before covid I always felt the city was pretty safe.
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I live here, take the subway, and feel safe. Itâs still the safest big city in the country, by far.
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