That’s what I’m talking about

Just found this great post over at Et Cetera about an artist who bought a 400 sq ft Chelsea 1-bedroom and lived there while he renovated it into an unbelievable space. I’ll let you click over to see what he paid, but trust me it’s a lot less than you think. This is a perfect example of how to think small and live big. This guy’s place is probably worth well over $1 million now, just 5 years after he bought it. Hats off.

UPDATE: I just noticed that Et Cetera’s post was based on this New York Times article that has its own audio slide show. Check it out.

Find someone special

Alright, has everyone found their ideal, tiny New York apartments? No? Well here’s my last difficult-to-follow tip for how to score that perfect place. Find someone to live with…preferably someone with whom you can share a bed. Probably the last thing you wanted to hear. You’ll have to abandon your vision of striking out on your own in the city, mixing it up in the singles scene, and any hope of actual privacy. But it’s essential to at least have a roommate if you want to stretch your resources and decrease the strain you put on the planet. So get to it. Place those personals, call your friends…do what you have to do to find someone you can tolerate splitting a small space with. From now on, I promise posts will be less like parental nagging (“when are you going to find a place? when will you get married?”) and more practical useful insider tips for living well and being green. In the meantime, good luck finding that special someone.

Finding a place

Without question, the most difficult part of living in New York City is finding an affordable apartment that meets a basic standard of quality. The only way to describe the real estate market is ruthless. I won’t spend time on horror stories. If you’ve been here, you know and if you’re just coming, you’ll soon find out. Unlike most other lifestyle decisions/tips this blog will talk about, finding the right NYC apartment often just a result of dumb luck. But there are some things to keep in mind that will help you find a place without breaking the bank, and just might keep your carbon footprint low to boot. So without further ado, here are 5 tips to help you find the apartment of your dreams. (Okay, maybe keep you from the apartment of your nightmares.)

1. Be aggressive and ruthless. Remember how I mentioned the crazy market? You have to adjust to it. Most brokers won’t think twice about screwing you for thousands, so be prepared to do the same to anyone else you encounter if given a good opportunity. I’m not advocating doing anything illegal, but just throw decorum and the normal niceties of doing business out the window. And if you see something good, take it IMMEDIATELY.
2. Craigslist is your friend. One major goal should be avoiding a broker’s fee, especially if you may want to move again soon. The best way to do this is to get on Craigslist and stay on top of every ad in your budget and desired neighborhoods. Some good places will literally be listed and rented within hours. If you can refresh every 10 minutes, you might just might get one.
3. Think small. You will be shocked by the size and price of the apartments you see, particularly if you’re looking in Manhattan. In some ways, the smaller the better. You see, keeping things small will help with several things. Your rent will be lower. You’ll use less energy. You’ll buy less stuff. All good ways to stay in budget AND be more earth-friendly. Most New Yorkers spend 1/3 of their income on housing. If you want to stretch your budget, don’t just try to beat it, see if you can get down in the 20%-25% range. It will feel tight at first, but you will adjust fairly quickly.
4. Stay near the trains. This will increase your rent, but you should more than make up for that in the saved cab fares, or worse yet, parking/gas/insurance. Make it a goal to live in a neighborhood where you don’t need a car. Now sell your car. It will be okay, I promise. You may even find it oddly liberating.
5. Ask everyone you know. The holy grail of apartment hunting is a rent controled place. This means the rent will never go up, and is likely about 1/8th of the market rate. There are very, very, few of these left. The next best thing is rent stabilized. This means the rent can only go up by a pre-determined amount each year, and they are also increasingly rare. Talk to people you know about apartment leads in general. You’ll often find a steal through a personal connection that might not be available to the general public.

This may be the single most important decision you make if your goals are living above your income and lowering your impact. Put some time and energy into it.