Rentals

I have serious real estate envy. I look at those giant (seriously, giant) condos off the West Side Highway every time we drive back into the city and wonder about the people who get to live there. River views, living rooms bigger than our one bedroom apartment, super sleek kitchens with lots of counter space. Who are all these people in Manhattan who make enough money to afford these palaces and where did they get it from? Some of the places are seriously beautiful. And huge. It's so hard to find affordable real estate here. With rentals upwards of $4000/month in some places and condos over $1 million (for ONE bedrooms!), sometimes it's kind of miserable figuring out what we can afford.

We want to move. We have lived at the same place for years and need a change (not to mention more space). But it's so difficult to figure out where to go! And so many other questions: do we want to rent or buy? Do we want to (and can we afford to) stay in Manhattan? Should we move to the outer boroughs? Should we get an apartment or a house? I never thought about really getting a house, but considering we want space and washer/dryer, maybe that makes sense? So many questions, so few answers!

But we're never going to figure it out if we don't start looking at places. So today we ventured over to a rental building in our neighborhood (not saying which one) to check it out. We were really excited about it because it looks great from the outside - really tall towers, very new, nice drive-in space to unload stuff - and based on the website, also has great amenities including in-unit washer/dryers (man, I miss our Chicago apartment).

One thing that frustrates me about looking for a place to live is that, if you're not immediately on the move, people don't give a crap about you. Well, I'm sorry if it's because you're not getting a commission off us today, but if we like the place and had a great experience with you and come back later when we ARE going to move, maybe we would call you directly. But not if you repeat to us over and over that availability will change (which we already acknowledged and SAID in the beginning) and make us feel uncomfortable for looking now when we're trying to do our research.

Anyway, back to the building. The amenities are fantastic. Great gym, spa rooms, a pool (I really want a pool but good luck with that in this city), and everything is shiny and new. But, for about 1.5 times the rent we pay now, the rooms are SMALLER. How is that possible? I don't know. There were some good things, like the bathroom had more storage space than ours does (we have almost none), there was a walk-in closet (again, I miss our Chicago apartment), the kitchens are much more open and don't feel like a closet, they have high floors with great views and good light, everything is new, and of course, the in-unit washer/dryers. But for the size? I don't think it'll be worth the extra rent per month. It's our first stop though, so we'll have to re-evaluate as we see new places.

Now ... where to go next?