Finding an Apartment in New York City

I got the news I was moving to New York City 16 days before I had to start my internal medicine rotation at Mount Vernon. It was holiday time so you can say I was feeling a tad overwhelmed. I hopped online to hotpads.com and started looking for places in the Upper East Side. For those of you who don't know, there are TONS of AUC students living in the UES and I just wanted to be near them since I desperately missed their beautiful faces.

This is NOT my place, but I did take this when I found out I
was approved for my apartment.

 Here are a few tips I'm willing to impart on apartment hunting in NYC:

Rule #1 (the most important rule): GET A ROOMATE!!!! NYC is the most expensive city in the country and getting a one bedroom or studio is astronomical. Students living alone pay anywhere from $1750-$3000 a month in Manhattan.  However for those who get a two or three bedroom apartment, each person ends up paying $1000-1200 at most. Had I more notice, I would have definitely tried finding a roommate.

Rule #2: Brokers are expensive and you most likely have to go through them to find a long term living situation, but they are not necessary in "doorman" buildings.  If you have time, you literally can just walk around to every tall apartment building in the city with a front desk and doorman and ask about room availabilities. Again, if you are looking for a one bedroom it's going to be expensive, but if you've got one or two other people living with you, the price is much nicer for all. And what's even better is you don't have to pay a broker fee! Someone offered me this advice beforehand, but again since I was in a bind for time...

Rule #3: Craigslist is not always terrible. Yeah, there are some sketchy ads on there, but if you have a friend in the city to check out the place beforehand, then give it a shot. Craigslist is actually a very good option for those of you who only need to live in the city for a month here and there. Also you should check out sublet.com for that same reason.

Rule #4: If you do use a broker, just go ahead and use mine. I can vouch for him. His name is Evgeni, he's a young, friendly, good looking Russian guy who specializes in the Upper East Side. He asked for my specifications, price range, and then proceeded to find me 8-10 places where I could easily have lived in any of them. His fee is 12%, be sure to arrange that with him beforehand (or any broker for that matter). Or if you want, you can ask to be shown places that have a broker's fee of one month's rent and he can do that as well. Evgani's number is 646 248 0320. Go ahead and say you know me, I really don't mind even if you don't.

After one day of exhaustive apartment hunting I ended up with a beautiful studio on 85th and York. It's one of the few walk-ups with an elevator, the laundry room is directly across from my door, and I'm a 10 minute walk from the subway. Please enjoy the pictures below.