The thought of buying our first apartment in NYC makes me so excited, but as it will likely be the biggest purchase my heartmate and I will likely ever make in our lives, it also gives me cold sweats! To be quite frank, I went into the process of apartment hunting without knowing much about New York City real estate; I just dove head first into it all. It’s safe to say it’s been a learning experience so far! During my hunt I’ve been sharing mini tours of the apartments on my Instagram Stories and I’ve received lots of messages from you guys saying you too are looking, or hoping to start looking, for your first apartments, and what advice did I have. So, in partnership with Uber, I wanted to share a post with what I’ve learned about being a first-time buyer in NYC. House hunting is one of those really exciting but also stressful situations in life, especially in NYC! We’ve loved being able to grab an Uber and use all the in-app functionalities – such as their Share My Trip feature – that make their rides safer and more comfortable and have helped us in our apartment hunt.
1. Think about what is important to you but also be flexible
If I’m honest, we went into our apartment hunt process with a lot of hard lines about what we did and didn’t want. However, as we started to view different apartments we quickly gained a sense of what was really important for us in a home. We were too quick to write off certain units and ended up not even bothering to even view lots of apartments at the start because they were missing one thing we were looking for. I’ve learned that often it is great to take a chance and see somewhere that is perhaps missing one thing but attracts you in another way because you can end up being pleasantly surprised by a space. You never truly know if you will like an apartment until you actually physically walk the unit and the building. Places I’ve thought I’d love from the listing had me wanting to turn and walk out from the moment I stepped inside, and visa versa!
2. Look into the monthlies and not just the sale price
You will find the first question any property website will ask you is to put in a maximum and minimum price. If, like us, you are likely getting a mortgage for your first home, so the total monthly cost (mortgage and monthly building payments – tax, amenities etc.) is just as important as the listed sale price. So, make sure you don’t fixate on the sale price alone but also take a really close look at monthlies. In NYC these can take up a big chunk of what you can afford each month. If you manage to pick up an apartment with tax abetment, or find a building that happens to have low maintenance or common charges, you might be surprised how far your budget stretches vs. buildings with higher monthlies.
3. Get an Uber between open houses
My heartmate and I are always using Uber to get us around the city during our open house tours on Sunday. The apartments we were most interested in kept being scheduled in the same time bracket. You need to act fast in NYC, so we always wanted to be sure that we had enough time to spend looking around each apartment and probably absorb the space. Taking an Uber between listings meant we arrived quicker (avoiding those weekend subway delays – hurrah!) but also in a clearer and calmer state of mind. Often, we would meet at the first apartment (as he often goes running on Sundays and I go to a gym class), and we us the Uber Share Your Ride safety feature. It shares your location with a trusted friend or family member – in my case, my husband – so that he knew when I was going to arrive. Getting a car between houses also means we get to see more of the local streets and neighborhood, which is so important when you are considering buying an apartment in the area.
4. Search yourself and see a wide range of apartments
Make sure you look at listings online yourself and don’t just wait for your broker to send you listings. We were so surprised how many apartments we have been interested in that wouldn’t fit the original criteria we gave our broker. However, when we saw the views or the architectural details, we would consider it – so make sure you dive in and set up email alerts. Like I said, you have to be quick so the more eyeballs on those listings the better to make sure your dream apartment doesn’t slip through the cracks!
5. Measure your current space before seeing other apartments
Having the measurements of your current apartment to hand is so helpful. We often looked at an empty space and thought it felt so big until we measured it, looked at what we currently lived in, and saw that it wasn’t in fact as big as the photos or floor plan made it seem. We even have all the measurements for our bed and sofa, so when we are in an open house we can pull out a tape measure and see how our bed fits. Trust me, in NYC things like that matter because it’s not always a given the bed will fit. #KeepingItReal
Do you have any advice for house hunting? Let me know what I missed below!
// Photography by Will Taylor, this post was brought to in partnership with Uber, thank you for supporting our partners who make our content possible.
14 Comments
Hi Will
Loved this post because I’ve been wanting to start the process of buying here in the city for a while but had no idea where to start. Would love to see more posts during your search.
Happy Holidays!
Dawn
@Dawn – So glad you found it useful. Hope your search goes smoothly!
Monthlies are the worst!! Lol fall in love with a building then check monthlies and I’m like f***!!
@Liam – Urghhh, I hear ya!
Great post Will. We ended up buying something that wasn’t at all what we first considered when we started the process. It’s funny how the process happens but you always end up somewhere you love. Good luck to you both!
@Dustin – Thanks! We’ve definitely widened our parameters since we first started looking!
Couldn’t survive without Uber! Seriously what did we do before we had apps and our phones?! Happy holidays xo
@Tina – Right?! Happy Holidays to you,
Too!
I’d live in any and all of these buildings. Are you doing more IGTV? I liked your real estate videos there
@Marti – You and I both! Yes, there’s a new season of the show coming in 2019! So happy to read you enjoy it. Thanks!
Good luck with the search. Took us almost two years but we’be Been in our place for seven years now.
@Iro – So glad you found a home you love!
You literally answered a question about monthlies that I’ve had for a long time! Just this weekend i was wondering how it all works. Thank you so much!
@Carina – Yay, I’m so glad it was helpful! 🙂