5 weeks of countless emails, phone calls, and 18 apartments later, we finally found it!!! We have an apartment! And there are no words to describe the weight that has been lifted off my shoulders! I honestly don't wish apartment searching on anyone in NYC! It is the most stressful and exhausting process I have ever been through!
We started looking the first weekend of April. The first weekend didn't go well. We were shown studio and one "bedroom" and when I say bedroom, I am not sure where the bed would go... Also, we were working with a broker, who gets 12% of one years rent, which would have been over $4000! So, after the first weekend, we regrouped!
The second weekend we searched in other locations and found one in Long Island City that we loved. We thought we had found our apartment! We also went to two others, both "nos"... the last one making us a little fearful for our lives! Long story short, we found out Thursday we didn't get the one we wanted. So, back to Craigslist we went.
The third weekend we were getting stressed out, but went and looked at a place in Brooklyn. We LOVED it and thought we had found our apartment for real this time. We applied and sent all the paper work in. Sometimes we (and by that I mean me), forgot to do safety research. I sometimes forget that NYC can be dangerous, because where I live I never worry about that. Another long story short, we realized it was in a super unsafe neighborhood and didn't get it. So thankful for my nannying family and that they watch out for me:), and for my old neighbor from back home who was also super helpful!
Then it the last weekend of April. We looked at two places in Brooklyn on Friday night and didn't like them. We had nothing to look at Saturday. We were panicked. Jane has to be out of the dorms on Monday, May 20th. So time was ticking and we had nothing. We literally didn't know what to do. But then we decided to take that Saturday off and focus on school work. Wednesday was the 1st of the month, we looked and made as many appointments as we could. But, they seemed to go before we could get a chance to even go look at them.
And then this weekend happened. We looked at one in Queens. It was nice, but really small and only 1 bedroom. We then headed into Manhattan and looked at two there. The first one~ I am not sure how you would fit one bed in it. The other had a split bathroom. Yes, the toilet was in one room and the bathtub and sink in a different room...We then went back to school and made appointments for Saturday. My sister Kate sent me 29 apartments from Craigslist. Then Saturday morning I called and made some appointments, so we had 3 at first. The first one we saw was literally 2 blocks from where I live now. It was nice, but we wanted to check out the other one too.
We met the realtor at her office and she drove us to the apartment. We walked in and first thing we noticed was how clean it was. Then we saw the huge, not one but TWO bedrooms, then the bathroom, and the HUGE kitchen. Jane and I have gotten really good at talking without saying anything and we both knew we liked this place.... A LOT! We met the landlord who is an older guy. We told them we were very interested. Jenny (the realtor), then showed us around the area and we told her we would take the apartment. She had another showing at 4:30, so we agreed to met her back at her office to start the paperwork. Jane and I did a little happy dance and then also got happy hour at Starbucks!
Classic Lisa story though. I had all the paper work with me and also had brought my checkbook so I could pay the down payment if we found something. I went to take out my checkbook and had the checkbook.... but with no more checks in it. My checkbook was filled of my old checks and I had left the real one at my apartment. So I ran to the subway, waited for 10 minutes and then decided to cab it. Got to my apartment, ran upstairs and then cabbed it back. My cab driver was a jerk and took me to the wrong place, but I finally got to the office!
We filled out paperwork, got the paperwork to our parents, she called and told him to stop showing the apartment. I wrote the check and so either tomorrow or Tuesday we will be signing a lease!!!!!!
For 5 weeks I have been an emotional wreck. I have lost count of how many meltdowns I had to my mom. I have been crying on the subway, and honestly anything would make me cry. I would wake up and not know what the day was going to bring. I felt terrible we weren't finding anything and that Jane wouldn't have a place to go, come May 20th. I felt like I should have known how to find a place quicker, and the areas that weren't safe. I couldn't sleep and if I wasn't doing homework I was on Craigslist, Renthop, emailing everyone, calling people, doing anything I could think of. I have never felt so out of control and so hopeless. I couldn't figure out what were doing wrong and why we weren't finding a place.
I knew everything would work out... I knew God would provide, but honestly, while I was in the mess of not knowing I couldn't take comfort in that. Because I know God provides, but we also have to do work sometimes. God wasn't just magically going to give us an apartment, we had to look and search for it. Did he get us the right place to call home...you bet. Like my Dad said, sometimes God has a funny sense of humor. Sorry God, still not laughing at this one yet ;) I also learned that I say some really funny things when I am an emotional wreck, crying while waiting for the train. Friday night I told my mom, why even be a good person, because I try to be a good person and look how well that's working for me right now...I hope my mom rolled her eyes at that one! I also suggested we just get lots of tents and live in Central Park.
All in all, was this a learning experience I will never forget....you bet. I learned I have wonderful friends and the most wonderful new roomie ever. There were so many times where we probably should have been bawling, but we tried to find the funny things in the situations. We spent so much time laughing~ I think it was so we wouldn't start to cry! I also have the most wonderful, amazing, loving family ever. The fact that it was actually one of Kate's 29 apartments she sent me that we are moving to, just goes to show you. That my mom would stay up late and look up apartments and also send me cottages she found, just to ease the mood. That my dad would keep my spirits up while we talked, that my Old Buddy would call randomly to see how it was going and ask how she could help. There were so many times when all I wanted to do was just go home and get a hug from my mom... The next time you see her, give her a hug for being such an awesome mom!!!
So now the next step happens,.... moving.....I should start taking bets for how many boxes I am going to need to move all my clothes...and shoes....and scarves...and coats.... So stay tuned for that;) And a big thank you for all the love, support, prayers, sent this way. I am so blessed with the people in my life!!!
Sending Love From NYC,
Lisa
