Finding a good apartment “affordably” in New York City: What are the new secrets?

 Powered by Max Banner Ads 

Jesse M asked:


Here’s the thing. I’ve spent literally hours with the Times and The Daily News real estate sections online. I have run every scenario imaginable in both rentals and sales and the results are abysmally depressing…and I’m not just talking about the city. When I moved the search into Jersey and CT, things improved, but not enough to justify the commute. It seems like the right combination of decent neighborhood, convenience, large enough apartment/house/whatever (I have a family), well-kept, and BROADLY AFFORDABLE (I hope you know what I mean by this) just seems not to exist.

I am beginning to get the distinct impression that as I’ve moved into middle age, I’m behind the curve somehow, and there is a new way this is done that I am just not in the know about. Craigslist is not a good answer as it’s full of more scams than real apartments and it’s almost impossible without clicking on every listing to separate actual unfurnished rentals from shares. Nofeerentalbyowner.com is a very good site but they have no pictures so there is no way to judge if the units are really worth the good prices at which they rent them. I’ve heard a few people, most on sitcoms and such making the claim questionable, claim that the obits are a good place to look, but I’ve never seen one actually list the address of the deceased (can you imagine?:

Mr. Peters leaves behind a wife, four children, and a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom, pre-war second story walk-up in Park Slope which rents for approximately $1450 per month. For information please go to (&)* 7th Avenue and ask for Vito).

Someone tell me something really innovative, a very well-kept secret, that others know and I don’t. This cannot really be the market.

Thanks.
Can you recommend one?

new jersey scam