Author Topic: Need advice from the New Yorkers/New Jerseyans out there  (Read 6446 times)

cosmie

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Need advice from the New Yorkers/New Jerseyans out there
« on: September 26, 2012, 03:33:20 PM »
I've been offered a 6-month co-op in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, starting this January.

They offer assistance in lining up housing (especially since it's only a 6-month lease), which I'll learn more details about later on. However, I'm trying to get a ballpark figure of what to expect, living cost wise. From a cursory search online, it seems that most 1-bedroom apartments in the area rent from $1,500 to $2,000/month. Is this right? !_!

Also, I'm not going to have the chance to go up there until January (I live in TN), so I'm going to have to get everything lined up remotely. Other than housing, what should I be thinking about/what should I expect?

Thanks for any advice you guys can give!

SpendyMcSpend

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Re: Need advice from the New Yorkers/New Jerseyans out there
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2012, 04:10:51 PM »
$1500-2000 sounds about right for a one bedroom.  You could find a roommate and split and pay about $1000 instead if you share a 2 bedroom place.

SpendyMcSpend

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Re: Need advice from the New Yorkers/New Jerseyans out there
« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2012, 04:11:35 PM »
I would try to live near work so you can walk/bike.  Car insurance is very pricy in NJ as is public transportation.

cosmie

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Re: Need advice from the New Yorkers/New Jerseyans out there
« Reply #3 on: September 26, 2012, 06:07:08 PM »
$1500-2000 sounds about right for a one bedroom.  You could find a roommate and split and pay about $1000 instead if you share a 2 bedroom place.
That makes me cry. Here, $1,500 will get you a 2,000 to 3,000 sq. ft. house on a multi-acre lot. >_<

I would try to live near work so you can walk/bike.  Car insurance is very pricy in NJ as is public transportation.
Car insurance is a non-issue. Since it's a 6-month internship, rather than a permanent placement, I don't have to notify my insurance company of a change of address (if I even take my car). Would it be beneficial to take a vehicle? Or is public transportation robust enough to get by without one?

mustachecat

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Re: Need advice from the New Yorkers/New Jerseyans out there
« Reply #4 on: September 28, 2012, 08:32:34 PM »
Granted, I know nothing about Englewood Cliffs, but I'm shocked it's that expensive.

I feel like you could easily find a place in Washington Heights, which is across the river in Manhattan, for less than $1,500/month. Since you're only staying six months, I'd just sublet a room for $800-$1,000. If you're close enough to the George Washington Bridge, you walk to the NJ bus terminal there and commute in. There's a line that goes right to Englewood Cliffs; an unlimited monthly pass is $98.

If you decide to stay in New York, I would say that a car would be too much of a hassle.

herisff

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Re: Need advice from the New Yorkers/New Jerseyans out there
« Reply #5 on: September 29, 2012, 08:00:44 AM »
Since they're offering assistance w/ finding housing, ask them if anyone there has a room they are willing to rent. For only 6 months having just a room is fine, especially if you take the opportunity to tour the area. Go visit the parks, tourist areas, etc when you're off work - you won't be home very much if you're out having fun. And if you can find a room w/ someone who works close to where you do, maybe you could carpool in together if you throw in towards the cost of gas?

cosmie

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Re: Need advice from the New Yorkers/New Jerseyans out there
« Reply #6 on: October 05, 2012, 05:51:31 PM »
Granted, I know nothing about Englewood Cliffs, but I'm shocked it's that expensive.

I feel like you could easily find a place in Washington Heights, which is across the river in Manhattan, for less than $1,500/month. Since you're only staying six months, I'd just sublet a room for $800-$1,000. If you're close enough to the George Washington Bridge, you walk to the NJ bus terminal there and commute in. There's a line that goes right to Englewood Cliffs; an unlimited monthly pass is $98.

If you decide to stay in New York, I would say that a car would be too much of a hassle.
Turns out I was being too restrictive in my search. I was trying to find something that was < 10 miles from where I'd be working, so that I'd have an easy/quick commute and could possible ride a bike no problem. Expanding that search to 10-15 miles, and all of a sudden the price dropped significantly, to the $800-$1,000 range for a one bedroom.

I've looked a little bit in the Manhattan area (Airbnb has some decently priced rooms to sublet in Manhattan). However, the thought of crossing that bridge twice a day every day for 6 months makes me a bit queasy inside. >_<

Since they're offering assistance w/ finding housing, ask them if anyone there has a room they are willing to rent. For only 6 months having just a room is fine, especially if you take the opportunity to tour the area. Go visit the parks, tourist areas, etc when you're off work - you won't be home very much if you're out having fun.
I found out that their assistance is simply providing the contact details for some previous co-ops. It may prove fruitful, but I'm not too hopeful: an apartment for their co-op was probably the first time they ever had to search for their own apartment.

As for a room to rent, that's a possibility I plan on exploring. My HR contact said she commutes 45 miles one way to work, and said that's fairly common due to the outrageous cost of living in the vicinity of Englewood Cliffs.

I've been digging into NJ MLS, which has proven very useful finding the non-apartment complex listings for rent. Any advice in which direction to look, so that I don't get hit with a massive commute into/out of work?
« Last Edit: October 05, 2012, 05:53:05 PM by cosmie »

mustachecat

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Re: Need advice from the New Yorkers/New Jerseyans out there
« Reply #7 on: October 05, 2012, 06:21:42 PM »
In New Jersey, I think the closer the town is to the Hudson River, the more expensive it will be, so look inland. What about Hackensack? (Note: I know nothing about Hackensack.) It's less than 10 miles away from Englewood Cliffs.

Bakari

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Re: Need advice from the New Yorkers/New Jerseyans out there
« Reply #8 on: October 05, 2012, 09:09:45 PM »
When I lived in NJ, I lived in the city of Lodi, in Bergen County.
It was 15 miles due East of Manhattan, on highway 120 IIRC, so it was a very easy bus ride into the city for work (and the bus lane through the Lincoln tunnel made it faster than driving would have been)

I paid $420 for a trailer space, which I split with my (then) girlfriend 50/50.  Rent included water and garbage, but not electric or gas.

capital

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Re: Need advice from the New Yorkers/New Jerseyans out there
« Reply #9 on: October 24, 2012, 01:41:58 PM »
There are a lot of areas of New Jersey that I would not want to bike through at commute hours. Many roads are wide and built for high speed driving with little accommodation for bikes. Riding over the GW Bridge & up through Englewood Cliffs is a normal route for taking a bike ride out of NYC, though.

Is there any particular reason the GW Bridge makes you queasy? It can be windy in bad weather, but it has a spectacular view, and it looks like there's OK bus service to the office parks in Englewood Cliffs from the NYC-side bus terminal. Living in Upper Manhattan would put you on top of a 24-hour subway system that'll take you to quite a few activities that can be much harder to get to from New Jersey.

Most young people in the NYC area live with roommates, for the obvious financial reasons you see.