Midwesterners' Guide -- Finding a Place to Live

Finding a Place to Live

Finding a place to live in North Jersey is much on my mind. My lease is up in a few weeks, and I hope to find a place that's more suitable for me and my two cats. (Well, they're happy just about anywhere, but I'm not necessarily.)

If you want to find a place to live in North Jersey, come prepared with patience, grit and lots of cash. And be prepared to spend lots of cash for as long as you're here.

Rents here are high by any suburban standard. I pay more than $1,000 a month for a largish one-bedroom apartment on the second floor of a circa-1900 Victorian house. Heat's included and there's a bathmat-sized deck that I use for a little herb garden, but otherwise there's nothing special about it. I think I pay a little more because I'm in a rather good neighborhood in a moderately upscale town, but nowhere in North Jersey is a bargain. Even in an area that's considered reasonable locally, half of what we'd consider a three-season cabin rents for $600 a month. This was a truly frightening, depressing place. (How bad? The shower was in the bedroom closet.) My experience is limited, but my personal feeling is that it's very hard to find a suitable apartment for less than $800.

(Our one consolation in Jersey is that it's better here than in the city. There, apartments easily run to $3,000 a month, and the conventional wisdom is that you can't afford to live alone unless you make at least $60,000. Yes, we use American dollars out here, but they might as well be guilders or florins for all the relationship they have to the currency used in the Midwest.)

If you're willing to live in an apartment complex, you might pay a bit less, but I've seen surprisingly few complexes in this part of the state. You also will pay less if you live on the western edge of the state, or in Pennsylvania. If you look in these areas, be sure to get a good understanding of what your commute to work will be like; unless you'll always work an off-peak shift, be sure to ask what the commute will be like at rush hour. If someone tells you that you can make it from Pennsylvania to the George Washington Bridge in 90 minutes, they probably don't mean at 8 o'clock in the morning.

Strategies for finding a place to rent
If you're moving from the Midwest, you're at a bit of a disadvantage because of the great distance. You're not out of the game, though, especially if you have someone here who's willing to give you a hand. If you're making a job-related move, it's fine to ask for some assistance from your new supervisor or the human resources department of the company that will employ you here.

Here are some things that you might consider asking for:

A street map of the county you expect to live in.
The real estate section from the most recent Friday or Sunday edition of the Star Ledger, Newark's newspaper. It has listings for most of North and Central Jersey. (If you're planning to move to Bergen County, ask for the want ads from the Hackensack Record.)
This week's copy of the local newspaper. Most towns have one, and the rental ads often include several nearby towns.
The name and phone number of a reputable real estate agent in the area you plan to move to.
If you're willing to live in a complex, copies of the local apartment guides (there are a couple).

In addition, try to decide what kind of town you want to live in, and how far you're willing to drive to work. Make a list of the things that are important to you and ask your new supervisor (or anyone else in a position to know) for recommendations about towns that meet your profile. Is it important that you be near theaters and restaurants? Do you want to have an all-night supermarket nearby? Are good schools most important? A community of other people in the same socio-economic class as you? Access to the city? Access to nature? An easy commute to your job? A place with a reputation for being safe? Consider the importance and negotiability of all the traits you consider important. Then try to find a town that matches them.

Working with an agent
In my thirty-some-odd years in the Upper Midwest, I never worked with a real estate agent while looking for an apartment. Here it's very common, and in some areas like Hoboken it appears to be prevalent. One of the most important things I've learned here is that you have to ask who's paying the agent's fee. Unless you've told the agent that you want to see only apartments where the fee will be owner-paid, you must ask the question about every place you see. This isn't trivial -- the fee usually is equal to one month's rent. (My personal feeling is that the agent is providing the service to the owner, not the tenant, and so the owner should be the one to pay, but that's a diatribe best left for some other venue.) There may be an additional fee of $40 to $100 to "register" with the company. I'm currently negotiating with an agent who (by neglect or design) led me to believe that the owner would pay the fee on my dream apartment; the truth didn't come out until I was about to sign a lease.

When I moved to Jersey, I worked with a very good agent named Taffy who faxed me listings and who took the time to understand what my needs and limitations were. I believe Taffy was honest with me and helped to set my expectations, which was very valuable to me. With her help, I was able to find a reasonably good match for my needs in three days. Taffy showed me only apartments where the fee would be paid by the owner; I don't recall, but this may have been her company's policy.

Taffy suggested that I also look for places using the newspaper listings and line up as many appointments as possible on my own. I think that was useful, if for no other reason than it gave me something to compare against the apartments she was showing me.

Other tips and facts
Here are a few other things that will be useful to know:

Rents are negotiable. It never occurred to me that you could say, "That's too high; will you take $75 a month less?" Here you can, apparently. It's also worth trying with agent's fees.
If you see an ad in the newspaper and it lists a real estate company's name, expect to pay a fee unless the ad specifically says "no fee."
Pets are a bigger problem here than in the Midwest. If you have a large dog, your options are going to be very limited. (When asked whether my cats urinate outside the box, I've been tempted to say, "No, but I might." But I haven't assimilated that much yet.) One Jersey native recommends lying boldly if you have cats, denying everything. I haven't done that … yet. But I might.
Agents tend to use something they call a "standard New Jersey lease." It's several pages long -- be sure to read the entire document carefully. It's very restrictive, and you should ask to have any clauses that are objectionable to you stricken from the lease before you sign it. In addition, be sure that any verbal agreements you make with the agent or landlord are reflected in the document. With the lease and all your other negotiations, my advice is to be pleasant, but not to be nice. This is a business negotiation, and you can easily get railroaded into a situation you're not comfortable with. People here won't be surprised if you're assertive, and they won't take offense. (But don't take this as license to be an ass, of course. Be firm. Be ready to say no if you encounter something that's unacceptable to you, but keep your dignity.)
Most leases are for a year. My impression is that the closer you are to the city, the more prevalent this is. If you need a shorter lease, check out the apartment complexes. They sometimes advertise short-term leases as an option, and in general I'd expect them to be better prepared to deal with this kind of a request than the owner of a house, small building or subdivided house would be.
Security deposits usually are equal to a month and a half's rent. If you pay your first month's rent, the security deposit and an agent's fee, the check you write can easily exceed $3,000.
It's valuable to understand the commuting patterns between your new home and your workplace. In general, if you can, it's best to live east of where you work (assuming your job is in New Jersey and not in the city), since most people work in New York or in the nearby cities and suburbs. I commute against the local flow of traffic, and most nights I fly down the road, while the millions of poor souls on the other side of the freeway are moving at a crawl.
If you're planning to fly or drive to New Jersey on an apartment-hunting expedition, do it during the week. Agents, especially, are hard to reach on the weekend. The best option would be to arrive on Sunday and get all the local newspapers and spend the day looking them over, picking your favorites and locating them on your map. Then on Monday morning start working the phone.
This defies logic, but Jerseyans will rarely return a phone call if you leave a message. This is true whether your call is answered by a machine or by a person who's not in a position to help you. If you really want to see a place, leave a message, then call back periodically until you get through to the person who can help you.
Also check out my page of moving tips for ideas on how to make packing and moving more efficient and less stressful.

back to North Jersey

Oh, I suppose this material is ©1997 Shewi.
Most recently updated: 4 October 1997.

	Finding a Place to Live
	Finding a place to live in North Jersey is much on my mind. My lease is up in a few weeks, and I hope to find a place that's more suitable for me and my two cats. (Well, they're happy just about anywhere, but I'm not necessarily.) If you want to find a place to live in North Jersey, come prepared with patience, grit and lots of cash. And be prepared to spend lots of cash for as long as you're here. Rents here are high by any suburban standard. I pay more than $1,000 a month for a largish one-bedroom apartment on the second floor of a circa-1900 Victorian house. Heat's included and there's a bathmat-sized deck that I use for a little herb garden, but otherwise there's nothing special about it. I think I pay a little more because I'm in a rather good neighborhood in a moderately upscale town, but nowhere in North Jersey is a bargain. Even in an area that's considered reasonable locally, half of what we'd consider a three-season cabin rents for $600 a month. This was a truly frightening, depressing place. (How bad? The shower was in the bedroom closet.) My experience is limited, but my personal feeling is that it's very hard to find a suitable apartment for less than $800. (Our one consolation in Jersey is that it's better here than in the city. There, apartments easily run to $3,000 a month, and the conventional wisdom is that you can't afford to live alone unless you make at least $60,000. Yes, we use American dollars out here, but they might as well be guilders or florins for all the relationship they have to the currency used in the Midwest.) If you're willing to live in an apartment complex, you might pay a bit less, but I've seen surprisingly few complexes in this part of the state. You also will pay less if you live on the western edge of the state, or in Pennsylvania. If you look in these areas, be sure to get a good understanding of what your commute to work will be like; unless you'll always work an off-peak shift, be sure to ask what the commute will be like at rush hour. If someone tells you that you can make it from Pennsylvania to the George Washington Bridge in 90 minutes, they probably don't mean at 8 o'clock in the morning. Strategies for finding a place to rent If you're moving from the Midwest, you're at a bit of a disadvantage because of the great distance. You're not out of the game, though, especially if you have someone here who's willing to give you a hand. If you're making a job-related move, it's fine to ask for some assistance from your new supervisor or the human resources department of the company that will employ you here. Here are some things that you might consider asking for: A street map of the county you expect to live in. The real estate section from the most recent Friday or Sunday edition of the Star Ledger, Newark's newspaper. It has listings for most of North and Central Jersey. (If you're planning to move to Bergen County, ask for the want ads from the Hackensack Record.) This week's copy of the local newspaper. Most towns have one, and the rental ads often include several nearby towns. The name and phone number of a reputable real estate agent in the area you plan to move to. If you're willing to live in a complex, copies of the local apartment guides (there are a couple). In addition, try to decide what kind of town you want to live in, and how far you're willing to drive to work. Make a list of the things that are important to you and ask your new supervisor (or anyone else in a position to know) for recommendations about towns that meet your profile. Is it important that you be near theaters and restaurants? Do you want to have an all-night supermarket nearby? Are good schools most important? A community of other people in the same socio-economic class as you? Access to the city? Access to nature? An easy commute to your job? A place with a reputation for being safe? Consider the importance and negotiability of all the traits you consider important. Then try to find a town that matches them. Working with an agent In my thirty-some-odd years in the Upper Midwest, I never worked with a real estate agent while looking for an apartment. Here it's very common, and in some areas like Hoboken it appears to be prevalent. One of the most important things I've learned here is that you have to ask who's paying the agent's fee. Unless you've told the agent that you want to see only apartments where the fee will be owner-paid, you must ask the question about every place you see. This isn't trivial -- the fee usually is equal to one month's rent. (My personal feeling is that the agent is providing the service to the owner, not the tenant, and so the owner should be the one to pay, but that's a diatribe best left for some other venue.) There may be an additional fee of $40 to $100 to "register" with the company. I'm currently negotiating with an agent who (by neglect or design) led me to believe that the owner would pay the fee on my dream apartment; the truth didn't come out until I was about to sign a lease. When I moved to Jersey, I worked with a very good agent named Taffy who faxed me listings and who took the time to understand what my needs and limitations were. I believe Taffy was honest with me and helped to set my expectations, which was very valuable to me. With her help, I was able to find a reasonably good match for my needs in three days. Taffy showed me only apartments where the fee would be paid by the owner; I don't recall, but this may have been her company's policy. Taffy suggested that I also look for places using the newspaper listings and line up as many appointments as possible on my own. I think that was useful, if for no other reason than it gave me something to compare against the apartments she was showing me. Other tips and facts Here are a few other things that will be useful to know: Rents are negotiable. It never occurred to me that you could say, "That's too high; will you take $75 a month less?" Here you can, apparently. It's also worth trying with agent's fees. If you see an ad in the newspaper and it lists a real estate company's name, expect to pay a fee unless the ad specifically says "no fee." Pets are a bigger problem here than in the Midwest. If you have a large dog, your options are going to be very limited. (When asked whether my cats urinate outside the box, I've been tempted to say, "No, but I might." But I haven't assimilated that much yet.) One Jersey native recommends lying boldly if you have cats, denying everything. I haven't done that … yet. But I might. Agents tend to use something they call a "standard New Jersey lease." It's several pages long -- be sure to read the entire document carefully. It's very restrictive, and you should ask to have any clauses that are objectionable to you stricken from the lease before you sign it. In addition, be sure that any verbal agreements you make with the agent or landlord are reflected in the document. With the lease and all your other negotiations, my advice is to be pleasant, but not to be nice. This is a business negotiation, and you can easily get railroaded into a situation you're not comfortable with. People here won't be surprised if you're assertive, and they won't take offense. (But don't take this as license to be an ass, of course. Be firm. Be ready to say no if you encounter something that's unacceptable to you, but keep your dignity.) Most leases are for a year. My impression is that the closer you are to the city, the more prevalent this is. If you need a shorter lease, check out the apartment complexes. They sometimes advertise short-term leases as an option, and in general I'd expect them to be better prepared to deal with this kind of a request than the owner of a house, small building or subdivided house would be. Security deposits usually are equal to a month and a half's rent. If you pay your first month's rent, the security deposit and an agent's fee, the check you write can easily exceed $3,000. It's valuable to understand the commuting patterns between your new home and your workplace. In general, if you can, it's best to live east of where you work (assuming your job is in New Jersey and not in the city), since most people work in New York or in the nearby cities and suburbs. I commute against the local flow of traffic, and most nights I fly down the road, while the millions of poor souls on the other side of the freeway are moving at a crawl. If you're planning to fly or drive to New Jersey on an apartment-hunting expedition, do it during the week. Agents, especially, are hard to reach on the weekend. The best option would be to arrive on Sunday and get all the local newspapers and spend the day looking them over, picking your favorites and locating them on your map. Then on Monday morning start working the phone. This defies logic, but Jerseyans will rarely return a phone call if you leave a message. This is true whether your call is answered by a machine or by a person who's not in a position to help you. If you really want to see a place, leave a message, then call back periodically until you get through to the person who can help you. Also check out my page of moving tips for ideas on how to make packing and moving more efficient and less stressful.
	back to North Jersey
	Oh, I suppose this material is ©1997 Shewi. Most recently updated: 4 October 1997.