Stories From Apartment Hunting in Manhattan

Apartment hunting in Manhattan was a trip.  Now, we are pretty much seasoned apartment hunters given how many times we have done it over the years and Chicago is pretty large city.  But holy wow was it crazy, confusing, and just an experience.

We had the dilusion that we would be able to find a no-fee apartment by ourselves without a broker.  Hahahahahaha!  After months of scanning the web and trying to find buildings and property management places during our walks we gave up.  We did find buildings with no fee apartments... but there was no way we could afford them.  We did find apartments online... but they were bait - generic listings by realtors to get you to call them.  So finally, we just made an appointment to go in and meet with a broker.

We thought we were just going to see what was out there in our price range.  But basically, if you find a place you need to get your application in immediately so that it is in the top of the heap.  Good apartments move fast.  We sat there with the broker as he poured over the database of listings to find a few that meet our qualifications (which had taken a beating).  Then he passed us off to his partner with a set of keys and a good luck.

The broker that took us around mentioned how he walks fast and "zig zags" through so to let him know if we needed to slow down.  We set off at a solid pace for the subway.  Dan was wearing Jaime and I would soon be very grateful that it wasn't me.  We took the 1 from their office at Times Square to the first apartment at 86th St.

We zigged.  We zagged.  We ran up flights of stairs.  We snuck into a building.  We huffed and puffed and tried to keep up with the broker dude.  We were all over the Upper West Side.  We saw a six story walk up above a bar.  We saw a cockroach in a bathtub.  We saw a quintessential NYC walk up on a tree lined street.  We saw a pre-war elevator-building with a doorman.  We saw the smallest bedroom ever.

Back to the huffing and puffing upstairs.  We consider ourselves to be pretty fit.  I mean, I am not working out nearly as much as I used to but still, I can keep up with walking.  But this was the most exhausting day.  I was beyond sore.  After the fourth walk up, where the broker didn't break a smidgeon, I was trying to huff and puff quietly to not totally embarrass myself.  It might have been at this point that I mentally crossed off all the walk ups.  This would also be the point where Jaime decided he was hungry. 

And the point where we realized that while we started out intending to just get the feel for working with a broker and what was in our price range, we saw a place that could really work.  A doorman, pre-war, double closets, laundry... and an elevator.  And if I was going to start working the first week of November, it would be awesome to be settled.  So after deliberation while sitting on a bench on Central Park West, nursing Jaime, sipping on an iced latte, sharing a cookie... we decided to go back to their office and put in an application.

Finally, we were headed back home.  But after being out for nearly 8 hours, we really had to go the bathroom.  Sometime, ask Dan about taking Jaime into the bathroom at Penn Station... apparently the smell hit them as they walked in and Jaime made the most awesome face expressing "wtf!"  And it should be said - that kid is a trooper!  He was out with us all day and barely fussed at all, just hung out and enjoyed the ride.  The brokers were very impressed with how good he was.

Then the most ridiculous application process for an apartment began.  We had to give them more documentation than you might provide for a mortgage.  They needed printed and signed letters of reference.  The lease signing appointment started off with an interview.  It was madness.  And then it was over.

The apartment was ours.  We were finally moving into Manhattan.  Now to just get past the tropical storm headed our way.