New York Magazine - USA (2019-09-16)

66 new york | september 16–29, 2019

problem solving

LuxuryRentalsManhattan

Asyou’dimagine,thissitecullslist-

ingsfromluxurybuildingsacrossMan-

hattan(andpartsofBrooklyn),where

youcansearchbyconventionalmeans

(priceandneighborhood)andalsofor

specificamenities(likeSub-Zeroappli-

ancesandin-buildingbowlingalleys,for

instance).

BABEsList

Althoughlong-termrentalsareocca-

sionallyfeatured,thebulkofthelistings

inthisweeklycuratedemaillistare

gearedtowarditinerantworkersinthe

artistcommunity,meaningsubletsor

weeks-long transatlanticapartment

swaps.

ListingsProject

Overthepast 16 years,whatstartedas

a personal,crowdsourcedapartment-hunt-

ingguideforartistStephanieDiamondhas

evolvedintoa weeklyreal-estateemailthat

goesouteveryWednesday.Diamondand

hersmallteamvetpotentialrentersand

landlordswhopostonthenewsletter.

Flip.lease

Thissiteallowspeoplelookingfor

apartmentstoconnectdirectlywithpeo-

plelookingtomovebeforetheirleaseis

up.Becauseleaseholdersareoftendes-

peratetofindsomeonequickly,some

usersfindthatthey’relikelytofindmore

reasonablerentsherethanonother,more

commonlyusedplatforms.

TRY A

CRAIGSLIST

OR

STREETEASY

ALTERNATIVE

IFYOUDOUSECRAIGSLIST,

SEARCH FORSHORT-TERMSUBLETS

“WhenI waslastlooking,I decidedtocheckCraigslist’s‘short-termsublets’section

becauseI figuredtherewouldbehigher-qualityplaceswithlesscompetition.I was

right:I founda 1,400-square-footWilliamsburgapartmentandendeduptaking

overtheformertenant’sleaseafterit wasup.”—MELISSAMASH,founderofDagneDover

BOOK A

SURF

LESSON

AND AN

UNDERTHETABLE

APARTMENT

MIKE REINHARDT,

founder, Locals

Surf School

“There’s a lot on offer

in the Rockaways on

the typical sites like

Zillow, but there are

far more deals to

be had through the

local market, which

outsiders don’t

normally have access

to. We’ve been

connectors in that

way. At least ten

times a year, we get

a request from

someone who maybe

took a lesson, saying

that they’re looking.

They’re often month-

to-month, under-

the-table deals.”

SIDESTEP

BOKES

AND GO

STRAIGHT

TO THE

MANAGEMENT

COMPANY

EMMANUEL

MANOLIDIS, accountant

“If you go directly

to huge management

companies like

Stonehenge and

UDR, you won’t need

to pay a broker’s

fee. The last time

I moved, I just went

to Stuy Town’s

website—they’re the

management company

for this group of

110 buildings in the

area. Their website

shows maps of the

buildings and available

units. We called them

up and said, ‘Hey,

we’re interested in this

one,’ and they were

like, ‘Okay, cool,

we’ll take you.’ ”

ASK

TODD

ANYTHING

If you frequent the

r/NYCapartments

or r/askNYC Reddit

communities, you’ve

probably benefited

from Todd Rohulich’s

wisdom. Several

times a day, the

Douglas Elliman

broker (who goes

by tmm224) offers

advice on everything

from the new tenant-

protection laws

to issues surrounding

lease takeover,

fielding queries

as specific as: “Where

should a recently

divorced 35-year-old

male live in NYC?”

SHAREAHOMEWITHA

SENIOR CITIZEN

ANIRBANKARAK,graduatestudentatNewYorkUniversity

i learned about the New York Foundation for Senior Citizens’ home-

sharing program through an email they sent out through the university. It’s

essentially an affordable-housing opportunity for both parties with some

companionship built in. I didn’t know what to expect, but I also didn’t want

to go through the brokering process—I didn’t have credit history or guaran-

tors. The foundation got in touch with me and asked what I was looking for,

my budget, and the schedule I follow. Ultimately, I was connected with David,

a man nearing his 80s in Rego Park, Queens. We’d sometimes go out to lunch

or I’d pick up stuff for him—it saved money for both of us. I went through

a similar process to find a second roommate uptown, closer to school.

Lee spends most of her time in the kitchen watching TV, so when I cook,

we’ll chat about our day or big storms that might be coming up.”

“I used to be obsessed

with this cul-de-sac

street in the Village,

Patchin Place. I’d often

open the gate and walk

down; it’s open to the

public because it’s

where e.e. cummings

lived. One day there was

a small sign that had the

name and phone

number of a real-estate

company. It was the

number to a woman

who’s the Realtor for

that block, and it was

my ticket in. A few

months after I moved

in, the other apartment

on my floor opened up,

and so my best friend

moved in next door.”

LURK

WHERE YOU

WANT

TO LIVE

EMMA STRAUB,owner

of Books Are Magic