• C++ Programming for Financial Engineering
    Highly recommended by thousands of MFE students. Covers essential C++ topics with applications to financial engineering. Learn more Join!
    Python for Finance with Intro to Data Science
    Gain practical understanding of Python to read, understand, and write professional Python code for your first day on the job. Learn more Join!
    An Intuition-Based Options Primer for FE
    Ideal for entry level positions interviews and graduate studies, specializing in options trading arbitrage and options valuation models. Learn more Join!

Housing in NYC non-Mahattan

yandong

Joined
1/7/09
Messages
21
Points
11
I'm looking for a shared apartment(with one or two of my classmates) , one hour commuting distance to CMU NY campus(55 broad street), with cost around $500 per month..

Any suggestions? I have heard Astoria and Elmurst in Queens are good places... what about Jersey City?

Generally speaking, finding a $500 safe shared housing outside Manhatten should be common practice right? any advices welcomed!~!:D=D>
 
Check craigslist to have an idea. Astoria is very nice place, but pricey. Also, Brooklyn, New Jersey and Staten Island are closer to the downtown area.

Do you mean $500 per person? If it's all together 500 it will be close to impossible find something reasonable.

Your username suggests that you are Chinese. Check websites in your language which deal with renting apartments. This is usually by far the best place to find amazing deals.

Good luck!
 
Pick up a Tsing Dao Daily News, World Journal Daily, you will find tons of apt info there. If you will commute to downtown Manhattan, Brooklyn would be a good choice. It takes me about 40-45 mins from Brooklyn (two stops away from Chinatown in Brooklyn) and midtown office everyday. For $500 you can easily find a shared house with your own room, sharing kitchen and bath with others. Or check MITBBS, New York area, I think I saw some posts looking for roommates.

Astoria is a very nice community, but hard to fit your budget. Elmhurst should be more convenient to live if you live on Chinese foods/grocery.

Do some research before you sign the lease, some areas are not that safe. Good luck.
 
Thanks a lot buddies for your inputs!!

I ll check out the resources!!

Would you advice what is the usual steps for renting a house, as for a int'l student?
Contact the agency--> know more in detail about the placement--> pay reservation-->go live there?

Sorry I m really inexperienced in term of this even in China so I don't know what's the procedure... How could I make sure the agency is trustworthy? Is it totally OTC or there are some regulator on them so that my money is not in hazard?..

Another thing is, sorry for my innocence, is Brooklyn a very dangerous place compared to Queens? I haven't checked out Brooklyn is b/c everyone told me it's dangerous place..=.=

Thanks!!
 
Avoid all agencies. You don't need to pay any additional fees to find a room in Brooklyn on this market.

Brooklyn and Queens are equal. It all depends on the neighborhood where you live. As a rule of thumb - stick with your people first time. Chinese communities are relatively safe in general.

The best solution for you is to come to New York, stay at your friends or at hostel for the first week. This time should be sufficient to find something suitable. Usually, if you rent just a room, not apartment, you don't need to sign any paperwork. You might find something which works for you at the very first day of search.
 
If you don't mind spend extra money, agents should be a good choices.
I would recommend you put down everyone on lease, to protect yourself. I always did----make everything clear before you move in and also in case of any dispute, you have the contract with you. It's normal practice to sign lease. Better you see the par/house yourself and negotiate all conditions with landlord. Then put down deposit.....
It's buyers market now---at least the Chinese community. It's easy for find a nice apt, but extremely hard to find nice roommates :)
 
Thanks Max, Yan He!! Profoundly appreciate your help!

I guess maybe coming down to the city and start finding one is a reasonable choice...

Could you advice me what are the good Chinese communities around? As far as I know, Elmurst, Flushing(maybe too far away right?), anywhere else? Where are the Chinese communities in Brooklyn? I guess the China Town Mahattan should be very expensive and not considered right?

Regarding to roommates, I have 1-2 close friends heading to NYC together, so that it should be fine for us as we already know each other very well =)
 
N train 8th Ave station is Chinatown in Brooklyn, you can try Bay Ridge, Kings Highway, they are all close to subway.
 
Note that when you sign a lease, you have an obligation to stay at the apartment for the certain period of time. If you don't sign a lease, you can notify your landlord month in advance and move somewhere else if you don't like the place or can find a better deal.

As to your close friends, when people come to America their priorities and views of the world change quickly. Some of them might decide to move somewhere else (like Boston, Europe, etc) after a few month. Make sure you don't stack yourself with an expensive lease. It won't be hard to find good roommates quickly. On a top of that you can lose your close friends because of unexpected dispute.

Thus, as Yan He suggested, if you sign a lease, make sure that three of you sign it and understand that this is an obligation to pay the rent for a certain period of time (usually 1-2 years).
 
Back
Top