Most Important Apartment Amenities?
Not sure this is the right forum, so please move it if it's not.
Starting full time in IB this summer and starting to think about apartments, but I don't have any experience. Just wondering, what would you all say are the most important amenities? Are there any must-haves, like central AC or something? I also hear laundry in the building is nice. Also, is it worth it to trade off some amenities for a closer location (maybe a 10 minute walk difference)? Any advice is much appreciated.
Doorman is a must.
I'm just a student and have never lived in NYC so please enlighten me, why does a doorman matter?
You need someone to pick up your laundry or your supermarket/amazon order while you work 70+ hours. It is relatively easy to find places that offer this service.
In-unit laundry is more than a must for me, did too much basement laundry during college (pain in the ass and not what u wana be doing when u have down time).
Honestly, just make sure you don't skimp on your mattress.
Doorman is an absolute must have. The incremental value add of someone signing your packages etc. is huge. If you don’t have laundry in your unit then having it in the building doesn’t matter - you’ll send it out. Walking distance to the office isn’t a big deal because you’ll take a car home majority of nights. If you’re just graduating and living with friends, there’s almost always a discrepancy in rooms - do not take the room with the fake wall to save money. Splurge on the nice room. You’ll thank yourself when you can actually sleep.
How do you find the room with the real wall?
Sometimes places split the living room into a bedroom and that is the fake wall and not a true bedroom.
24-7 doorman (or concierge as some fancy apartments now call them)
Unit laundry
Gym
Thick walls and ceilings
x100
SEX DUNGEON
I normally split these out into things I can pay for (and take into account in apt price) and those that I can’t:
can pay for:
- laundry - plenty of services to send it out, just lookup the costs and decide if for you. Obviously much cheaper to do in unit, but the rent price is usually a premium, and if you have roommates it’s a bit of a pain in the ass to do laundry and share the unit (especially if you all work similar hrs)
- gym - building gyms usually suck. I prefer to be close to a nice gym (equinox) than pay for that as part of my rent
can’t pay for (as an outside service):
- doorman - as others mentioned, to sign for packages, etc. Honestly it isn’t necessary as many buildings without doormen have a locked lobby and most package deliveries are just fine in these places (they just drop off in lobby) but generally very useful
- air conditioning - you’ll need it in nyc. I wouldn’t worry about central air, window units are fine if you are trying to save some money. But some form of AC, at a minimum in your bedroom is needed
- dishwasher - depends on how much you plan on cooking. If in banking it probably won’t be much so this isn’t important
- rooftop/pool/recreational space - this isn’t a must have, but is nice to have when trying to relax a bit. Finding a pool in Manhattan (that isn’t super crowded) is basically impossible outside of residential buildings. Being able to bbq and hang out by the pool is a great benefit.
In order of importance to me:
Another piece of advice I have is to get the cheapest unit in the nicest building you can find. This means you get to take advantage of all the amenities and know that everyone else in the building is fairly put-together but also don't have to be dropping a ton. Much better than the alternative which is getting the nicest place in a not so nice building.
Based on personal experience here's one that should be great for a first year:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/421-Broome-St-New-York-NY-10013/2071…
What New Yorker uses Zillow?
I don't use Zillow I just used it to show the rental price
I've never lived in New York, so this is a legitimate question: what other platforms do you recommend?
For me in building laundry is huge. I think one thing that I found underrated, while not an amenity, has been high ceilings. I grew up in the suburbs, so the high ceilings make me feel like the space is a lot larger than it is. I think a doorman is great and having one of those amazon delivery/luxor machines for packages is nice.
How much are you guys paying for an apartment with a doorman? Seems pretty expensive especially for a 1st year...
If you have 3 people, it is very doable.
https://newyork.craigslist.org/search/mnh/apa?query=doorman&min_price=4…
Communal opium den is a hard requirement.
A bathtub overlooking Central Park is a must.
.
It’s listed for $33 million
https://www.google.com/amp/s/therealdeal.com/2021/03/08/220-central-par…
Would be unreal porking a chick while looking out at that view
How important is the part of the park it looks on? i.e. is it ok if my tub is on 110th looking south towards midtown, or does it have to be south of 96th?
I think 15 Central Park West is pretty baller.
https://streeteasy.com/building/15-central-park-west-new_york
https://15centralparkwest.org
Having a 75 foot pool in the building is the dream for me - wow.
Sauna room, zero gravity float tank, and easily accessible gym are my top 3. Ever tried DMT?
I heard DMT was pretty cool. Have you tried it?
It was a Joe Rogan reference, I have never taken it no.
Amenities are overrated. Prioritize location (close to social activites, not work) and square footage (indoor/outdoor). Better to be in a large, no amenities apartment in the west village than a closet in downtown brooklyn with a crappy gym/rooftop you never go to.
Cool read: How Much Do Amenities Impact Your Rent? (priceonomics.com)
Laundry in unit
AC
Gym
Security Guards/ Doormen
lol its funny you listed AC. who would move into a place without AC? damnnnnn
I'm building an apartment building in the PNW right now and we don't have AC in the units. I understand it's pretty standard for the market, we have vents that let you plug in a standalone AC unit if you want, but you don't really need it, the summers are fairly mild.
Not something people usually mention, but just the general quality of the management company/landlord. How well do they maintain things, how quickly do they respond when there's a problem, etc. Do some due diligence on that if possible. If nothing else, make sure there aren't a ton of reviews online describing what a nightmare it is to deal with them.
One of the most important things since they can be efficient, understandable to negotiate with, or at a minimum just very professional with treating tenants, definitely worth looking into.
Does anyone have advice for renting an apartment in NYC sight unseen?
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