Apartment Rentals in New York City – what you need to know.
Monthly Archives: April 2008
I missed the whole NYC punk scene. Actually, I didn\’t know it was an American movement — I though it was from England, what with the Souixie Soiux, the Clash and the Sex Pistols — and I was surprised when I heard about CBGBs for the first time. By the time I was hanging in the East Village (\’86/87), the…
I think the New York Observer has the most fun info about what\’s happening real estate-wise of any news source in the city. I\’m not a buyer so I ignore most of the sales news, but I enjoy the stories about what else is happening. The April 28, 2008 edition has a story about a man after my own heart:…
I\’ve seen those commercials on TV for businesses where you can get a free credit report. DON\’T FALL FOR IT! They\’ll charge you a fee for something else before you can get it, and besides, you have a right to a free report from the credit companies without a middleman. The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you a right…
My title for this post is a famous snarky poem by Ogden Nash called \”Geographical Reflections\” that everybody used to know. Everyone probably laughed back when Nash wrote his little ditty, but New Yorkers aren’t laughing at the Bronx now. I saw this in the New York Observer by Tom Acitelli: From 2001 through 2006, over 23,380 Manhattanites relocated to…
These photos are from a New York Times article from Oct 21, 2007 which I saved because it helped us in RDNY.com\’s Listing Dept to understand what 300 square feet looked like. The article is about how popular studio apartments have become in the buyer\’s market because sale prices have gotten so high, but what attracted me was how these…
These numbers are from a bloomberg.com report by Sharon L. Lynch that also had info about sales. I\’ve extracted only the rental data: Manhattan apartment rents climbed 5.5% in 2007 to an average of $3,310 a month for all sizes of apartments south of 96th Street. Vacancy rates remained around 1% for the third consecutive year. New properties with doorman…
Ryan R., who works in the RDNY.com Listings Dept, wrote this about his neighborhood. He\’s from Arizona and loves NYC for its color, history, and variety. Whenever I tell people where I live (57th Street & 11th Avenue) they always say the same thing: \”Whoa.. What\’s there to do out there?\” Well, I figured I\’d take a moment to tell…
Bryan, one of the wizards on the tech team at RDNY.com, let me know about the inaugural Brooklyn Flea Market held on Sunday, April 6 in Fort Greene: The Brooklyn Flea Market that the Brownstoner started last weekend was BIG. My girlfriend did more business selling her custom jewelry in 7 hours than she usually does in a month. There…
There are 499 places in Manhattan, 4 places in Brooklyn, and 1 place in Queens that are what the city calls privately owned public space. That happens when builders get exemptions to local zoning laws in exchange for providing open space for public use. This post is for renters and non-renters as a tip to help you know your rights…
The Straphangers Campaign has done a survey about the cleanliness of the trains and found that the L and the 7 are the cleanest in the city. The number of clean subway cars improved slightly since 2005, according to the ninth annual \”subway shmutz\” survey by the Straphangers Campaign, released today. The best performing line was the L, with 88%…
From the New York Observer comes this great photo and more proof that things are happening in Queens: Adopting the slogan “Downtown Has Moved to Queens,” the former Lower East Side stalwart [Robert Pritchard] is partnering with developer Michael Waldman to open what he called a “rock ’n’ roll supper club, similar to a Bowery Ballroom or a Mercury Lounge…
Have you noticed that many buildings have begun to mention a LEED certification in real estate articles? RDNY.com members tell us that living in a green apartment is important, so we always mention when a building has earned a LEED certificate. LEED stands for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It’s an independent rating system that’s been accepted nationally…
When I listen to the traffic reports, I always hear the same names: Major Deegan, Van Wike, the Kozkewsko, etc. I’ve always wondered who those people were and how people get big things named after them. I found out that knowing someone helps (no surprise there), and sometimes it helps to be a hero. Major Deegan, Bronx: Maj. William F….