It often takes living in several NYC rentals before you figure out what you really want.
And, for a city where rentals are often tough to find in the right price range and where moving can be a real pain, it seems like a formidable effort for the future. But, if you talk with people who are happy in their apartments and who seem to have exactly what they always wanted, you’ll also find people who moved several times before they found it.
It is both different and yet the same regardless of whether you moved to New York City at some point in your life or whether you were born here.
First Considerations
When starting out on the initial quest for a NYC rental, it can be intimidating unless you’ve pockets lined with money, and even then it can be tough to find something you really like. The best apartment can later declare itself unworthy because of not having a view, too much noise, or poor maintenance. Those are all things that it is difficult to know about before moving in. Money is often the biggest consideration, and for many it means starting out in a fifth floor walk-up with a fire escape and a brick wall as the only view. Yet, one dreams.
The next apartment may have an elevator but not a doorman or a view but of rooftops.
But you’ve certainly ratcheted up a notch. We all continue to change, and our need in a New York City apartment change too. Early on, a kitchen may be of no more use than heating water to make coffee and housing a microwave, but down the line, entertaining and cooking may become much more important. You might acquire a dog for which you want more room and a nearby dog run. See how things change?
When To Stay Put
We all get a little inertia when it comes to moving. It’s tough going – getting a new place and then moving yourself there. Sometimes we stay where we are because we are lazy when a new apartment might just be the prescription for a better take on life. The real question is when to keep a place, and the answer is because you like it.
The apartment to stick with is the one, that for whatever reason, provides some excitement every day that you live in it. It has a view so amazing that you pinch yourself at times to see if it is real. It has space that is just right for you and your life style. It might be within walking distance to work or have a kitchen you can cook gourmet meals in. It might cost $1500 a month or $15,000, but there’s something about the place that gets you every day of the week. Those are the keepers, and we all keep searching until we find one.
