I currently live in a one bedroom apartment in the Bronx. The lease ends on 11/30/06. I have been in this apartment two years. I absolutely love my apartment. All the appliances are brand new, hardwood floors, huge windows (well I do not like them in my bedroom).
My landlord is great. Before moving into this building I was a bit apprehensive because you hear so much horror stories about landlords. In the almost two years that I have been here, I have had ZERO problems with the landlord. Both father and son team are very responsive, I have never stayed more than a few hours to get a return phone call even on the weekends.
So why do I want to move you ask?
I absolutely hate my neighborhood. Parking around here is horrible. I have gotten two tickets since last November because I parked out on the main street and woke up late (after 7:30am)
The people who live around here have no respect for other people's space. I always have to hear the loud salsa or reggae music at three in the morning.
I work across the bridge in Bergen County, NJ. Therefore, I am contemplating a move there. It is a lot cleaner, and quieter than where I live currently. I would save on gas and tolls. The quality of life there is much higher than where I currently live.
Problem.
Not sure I would find rent that is cheaper than I am currently paying (873.38 per month). This is scheduled to go up 4%.
What do you guys think? Any advise is appreciated.
10 comments:
I think you should move to San Francisco!
Or if you stay there, maybe invest in some earplugs.
But since you only have a buck to your name, you might want to use something around the house for now. Not sure what though. Any ideas? :-)
Well you know I would love to move to New York. I would tell you to write out your total expenditure of living in New York versus living in New Jersey. You should also look at the commute. Will you need a car if you live in Jersey? Will your insurance be cheaper?
You really have to weight the advantages/disadvantages of moving or staying - loving your apartment and finding a good rent are key - however you usually give up something too ( peace and quite and parking space.
Personally I go for quality of living - whats the point of having a great apartment if you cant enjoy it cause of the surroundings.
Big decisions to make..also what you save on tolls and gas can go toward rent so it may even itself out ..
Good luck on your decision
I live in bergen county. if you need help, let me know. I currently have a one bedroom in hackensack and pay $1065 but it includes heat, hot water and parking. There are other places in this area that are nice and cheaper.
kizjones1@yahoo.com
well...depends. do you wanna live in dirty jersey? (lol, it's not dirty i just like calling it that).
if it's cheaper i'd say move, if not, i'd say stack your ends and wait it out. perhaps try someplace else in the bronx? park chester? that has better parking (i know parking in NYC sucks!).
i would do what some of the others suggested. make a list, weigh your options, then decide.
luck!
@ Leighann San Fran is on my list of places to visit.
@ Beauty I would still need my car. Insurance should be a bit cheaper if not the same.
@ Me that is my philosophy with the rent and savings on tolls would even out the expenses.
@ Kizzy I will definitely keep your email. Thanks for offering your help, if I decide to move I will take you up on the offer.
@ Common cents Parkchester is worse. I live a few blocks outside Parchester. Once you get home in Parkchester you have to pay the tolls till 7pm. I walk over there so many times and see lots of people getting tickets.
I think overall if I leave this apartment it would be to leave the bronx all together.
Hmm this is a hard one. Quality of life is definitely the deciding factor.
If it were me, I'd move...only because I'm lazy, cheap and I hate commuting. The cost of gas is on the upswing and I'm sure rent is cheaper in NJ than in NY.
What you're giving up is a fabulous apartment and good landlords. However, shortening your commuting time and saving money on gas/car ins. will be good for your body and your pocket.
How long do you have before your lease is up? If you decide to move, I'd start scoping out a new neighborhood as soon as possible. As the landlords interview you, shoot interview them too! Drive through the neighborhoods at night, during the day and on weekends. This way you can get a feel of what the people and parking is REALLY like. This way you won't be stuck making a last minute decision and moving into something you'll end up hating.
Basically, you have time on your side if your lease has a few months left. You can always find another nice apt and landlord, but you can't control the distance of your job or the price of gas/car ins.
Think of opportunity cost...if you decide to stay, is no parking, periodic parking tickets, loud music at 3am, longer commute, extra $$on gas/tolls/car ins worth the value of a nice apt and a good landlord (which has not been proven to be the ONLY one)?
Hope this helps a little. Good luck!
I mean to say "location" of your job.
Why not at least take the time to go look at some apartments and see if you can find something that costs about the same?
I think you should move if you can afford to pay more in rent. If you can't afford the increase then you obviously should not move. Assuming you can afford the increase you will be in a much quieter place that is closer to where you work, possibly saving money and definitely time getting to work. There are plenty of good landlords out there.
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