Housing info for international students

[Andy]

For anyone interested.
My friends have very good luck finding housing on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ftsany_list/ This is Taiwanese Student Association for tri-state area. You need to sign up to read and post housing listings. Most of the listings owners are Taiwanese students at NYU, Columbia and local colleges so you can get a bit of assurance. Still, you need to do your homework when finding housing.

Disclaimer: I have no info, guarantee, relation regarding these listings. These are random listings I found on the site that I think can be of some guidance.
From: "yinghsuan" <yinghsuan>
Date: Wed May 3, 2006 11:09 am
Subject: Room Available at Manhattan Mid-town West area

Room for rent
Available --Aug. 1, 2006
Rent--$1050/month
Nice location, near everything, (ACE, 123, NRQWFV trains within just
blocks) 24 hour doorman building, laundry at the same floor.

Please email back or Call Teresa @ 9173752061. thanks
Subject: [ One Big room in Elmhurst, Queens for rent ]
Location: 77th St. Elmhurst, Queens (On the intersection of 77th
Street and Broadway.)

Available Now
Rent: 580/month which already includes water, gas and electricity
expense

Transportation:
-Subway: 5 minute to subway station (EFGRV trains: Roosevelt Ave
Station..; 7 train: Broadway Station )
-Car: easy parking on the street.
-30 minutes to NYU or Baruch College. 40 minutes to Pace or Columbia
University.

Detailed Information about the house:
- A master bedroom that includes a private bathroom in a 3 bedroom
house, shared kitchen.
- Size of the room is 9' x 15' (9 feet times 15 feet) .
- Quiet, neat and safe area.
- Laundromat is just in the corner of street.
- 5 minute to Elmhurst two big supermarkets, HK supermarket, China
Town supermarket.
- Plenty of grocery stores, restaurants, pharmacy, hospital, coffee
shops and fresh fruit shops around.
- High Speed Internet Access (RoadRunner by TimeWarner)
- Share with three male roommates.
- Monthly fee: 580/month including water, gas and electricity.
- Other fee: Digital TV + Cable . Air Conditioner.
- One month deposit is required.

Photos and Map:
http://www.cs.nyu.edu/~cwh227/housing/housing.html (http://www.cs.nyu.edu/%7Ecwh227/housing/housing.html)

If you are interested, please contact:
Chine-wen Hsu
Email : smallsun at hotmail.com
Tel : 9178332890Subject: looking for a long-term female roomate-grand ave
Long-term female roomates wanted

Location: Grand Ave, Queens (90-49, 53rd Ave)
Subway: 8 minutes to subway station(grand Ave)
Rental: $540 per month (water and heater included)
Utility: share electricity, gas, cable with another two roomates
($40)
Period: available from 5/22 (1 year preferred)
one month deposit required
Others: 6-8 minutes to Chinese supermarket, Queen's Mall(Macy's & JC
penny), Taget, Best buy
13 minutes to post office, Western supermarket

Please contact with
1. Nancy Kuo (landlord)
Cel: 1-917-838-5216 home:1-718-393-0266
nancykuo48@...
2. Ting
Cel: 646-508-8818
tingtingsho@...One Room Available in a 2-Bedroom Apt for Rent $487
$ 487 monthly (gas, and internet included, but NOT INCLUDING ELECIRICITY)
-Available starting June 1st, 2006
-Location: Elmhurst, Queens.
7 min. walk to Grand Ave. subway stop(G, R, V )and 10 min. walk to
Elmhurst stop.
-CVS, supermarkets, laundry, restaurants, bakery, tea house, etc., all
close by
-You will be renting a private great size room with big windows facing
the back yard on the 1st floor of a house with.
You will share the kitchen and the bathroom with a Taiwanese
female profession.
-Looking for a quite, clean professional office worker (speak
Taiwanese is a plus) who has a 9-to-5 schedule
please e-mail your name and phone number to
nycswap@...

[jimmycc]

Just to give an idea about living expenses in NYC -


DSL - $20 per month
Cable TV - don't have it, so don't know
Electric - $30 per month
Cell phone - $30 - $40 per month depending on plan
Gas (most places include gas and heating in the rent) - $30 per month
Gasoline - $3 per gallon

[jimmycc]

Banking in NYC
---------------------

Banking here can be an experience. There are many, many hidden fees which banks will slap on you. For example, if your balance goes below a certain amt, a $10 fee is charged; another example is if you want a money order, it is a very hefty fee, etc. We also pay for checks (don't buy checks from the bank, buy them online from http://www.checksunlimited.com/)

In NYC, we have many options. We have Chase, Citibank, HSBC, Bank of America, etc.

We also have Bank of China and China Trust Bank.


------------------------------------------------------------

One important tip is so have an account balance that is greater than what is required to avoid fees. For North Fork Bank (which I use), that amt if $5,000. If the combined account balance in checking and savings is above $5,000, then I do not get penalized; otherwise, I get continuously charged.



Jimmy

[Peik Looi]

It is certainly good knowledge that we can buy checks online. Over here, we are a lot more conservative especially with the local banks. Also the utilities estimate would be useful when I negotiate the rents with the owners.

Thanks for the information.

[Andy]

FYI
=================
Large two-bedroom apartment in the Norwood section of the Bronx available.

The apartment is in a clean and well-maintained building of approximately 40 units. It is a two minute walk from the D train’s last stop at 205th Street. The door-to-door commute from the apartment to the Grad Center (34th Street) is 45 minutes. It is a pleasant twenty minute walk to Lehman College, a little longer to the Bronx Botanical Garden. The neighborhood park with eight tennis courts, Sunday soccer games, and playgrounds galore for kids is five minutes away.

If you like to cook, you can take advantage of stores well-stocked with Mexican, South Asian, Caribbean, and Albanian foodstuffs, as well as traditional grocery stores and green grocers.

The apartment has two sunny and large bedrooms, four closets, a good size living/dining room and an eat-in kitchen. The building is quiet, as is the neighborhood. There is a laundry in the building, and the super is friendly and responsive.
We are currently paying $1,050 rent.

If you are interested or have any questions, you can contact me at the numbers below.

Thanks,
Rob Sauté
718 994-0520 hm
212 817-8789 wk
rsaute@gc.cuny.edu

[Eddie]

Hey Andy, it's really helpful that you list some 'filtered' listings here, I feel more comfortable choose one out of these as it's selected by a local with insightful knowledge, so could I trouble you to keep posting the ones you think are okay, sorry to add extra burden to you. :P
Cheers

[Andy]

These are listings circulated among various PhD depts at my school. It's by graduate students and for graduate students so it's filtered somewhat. I'll forward whatever listing comes my way. Be sure to act fast. It's summer time and foreign graduate students are coming to the city to prepare for the Fall so the need for housing is very high.

[Andy]

Here is the students' forum at my school. There are dozen of housing listings there. Be sure to check it out or post. Most of the locations are in Manhattan so the price is above average.

http://www.cunydsc.org/bulletinboard/viewforum.php?f=4

[Eddie]

Hey Andy, I'm going to make an application to 'International House' for the rooms there, do you have any advice for me on their services? :D
Cheers

[Andy]

Hey Yang,
Did you take a look at this Baruch's info site http://zicklin.baruch.cuny.edu/admissions/grad/faqs/mba-and-ms-miscellaneous-information/is-there-housing-on-campus

It seems International House is in Riverdale which you need to take a subway to get down to Baruch.

There is a housing in front of Baruch Campus (literally across the street) called Student housing. I don't know if they have a website..you can call and inquire. It's very convinient to live there...

There are several others...I look at their rates and it seems very student-friendly (in NYC anayway). If you don't do much cooking then it's a nice place to live.

[maxrum]

I've made some research recently. A room in Manhattan (not fancy one) will cost you about $550 - $700. You also can get a nice room in Brooklyn or Queens for about $400-$500, but it will take you about an hour to get to Baruch. Nevertheless, I found that studying in the train is not the worst thing in the World. Just make sure that you rent a room within walking distance to the train. Avoid buses! They are so slow, I had some experience with it before.

[alain]

Regarding studying on the train, I did a lot of studying on the train on my previous master and plan to do the same now. It's just a matter of getting used to it.

[Andy]

just to be clear, when you guys talk about "train", it means New Jersey transit train or Path train right? :D
If you guys mean "subway", then I don't think it's a good place to study with lot of people moving and out of the subway cars, noise etc...
My subway line is the D line and I found it very good to take a nap. It's express and underground :-)

[maxrum]

I'm talking about a subway. I get used to study there and found it more productive than studying at home ;)

[alain]

I'm talking about any train. I used to take the A line to Far Rockaway long time ago and I did a lot of study there. The same with the LIRR and NJ Transit.

[Eddie]

Max wrote:
A room in Manhattan (not fancy one) will cost you about $550 - $700. Hi Max: so where exactly have you looked? I've been looking at the Craigslist and I've never seen anything i that price range in Manhattan. Please inlighten... ...:smt115

[maxrum]

Craigslist usually has rooms in this price range. Not apartments, though. Put price limits in your search: for example $300-$550 and than click Manhattan. You will see some rooms. Anyway, it takes some time before you can find a good deal. And, of course, it's better to go and see a room in person before you rent it.

[Yusheng]

If you are Chinese, I think living in Flushing or Elmhurst(both of them belong to Queens) is a better choice. It's very convenient. Chinese supermarkets, Chinese restaurants, Chinese barber's store and so on. As far as I am concerned, I feel very comfortable to live such place. And the time spent in transit is not that long. It takes about 40-50 minutes(at most, 1 hour) from Elmhurst to Baruch College(door to door). If interested, Here is a useful link (http://classifieds.worldjournal.com/homeindex_2.3.php?at_ban%5B%5D=NYQ&lc_code_seq=4&mct_desc=%A9%D0%AB%CE%AF%B2%B8%EE&lc_code_desc=%A6%ED%AEa&search=GO)

Max wrote:
A room in Manhattan (not fancy one) will cost you about $550 - $700.

Hi Max: so where exactly have you looked? I've been looking at the Craigslist and I've never seen anything in that price range in Manhattan. Please inlighten... ... :idea:

[Peik Looi]

Hello,

Does anybody knows how to get to Baruch from 52-15 92nd Street, Elmhurst? I need help on how to get to the college. Any useful links to this area's amenities e.g banks (very important), supermarkets, etc. would be helpful too.

Also, any idea how much it would cost to take a cab from JFk to Elmhurst?

I heard over BBC that Queens is about to be designated a crisis area for power shortage? Gosh, now I understand why the renters/landlords emphasized on the windows. Then again, I could be mistaken.

My landlord just raised the rent by 50, and I have not even moved in :( ! Is inflation bad in NY or are they citing it as an excuse to raise prices?

[maxrum]

Also, any idea how much it would cost to take a cab from JFk to Elmhurst?

They have a flat rate $45 if I'm correct. This is for yellow cab. There are a lot of other people proposing to give you a ride at JFK, but you'd better stay with yellow cabs. It's safer and cheaper.

I heard over BBC that Queens is about to be designated a crisis area for power shortage?

It's not all Queens, it's just a small area over there, so most likely you are not going to be affected. And it does not happen often.

My landlord just raised the rent by 50, and I have not even moved in :( ! Is inflation bad in NY or are they citing it as an excuse to raise prices?

It's a very strange landlord. Something is not right there. I never heard of raising rent by 50%. Every year I fight with my landlord to not rise my rent and we are talking about 3%-7% raise. 50% is rip off.

Unfortunately I don't know Queens, so I cannot answer on your first question. I think Andy should know better that area.

When are you coming, by the way?

[Hien]

Also, any idea how much it would cost to take a cab from JFk to Elmhurst?

They have a flat rate $45 if I'm correct. This is for yellow cab. There are a lot of other people proposing to give you a ride at JFK, but you'd better stay with yellow cabs. It's safer and cheaper.

You might be able to save even more if you take the AirTrain to Jamaica station (about $5, I think), then from there take the subway to Elmhurst ($2)...you will cost you under $10. Might be abit inconvenient though.

http://www.panynj.gov/airtrain/

[jimmycc]

I live very close to that community; so, I know it very well.

It's a large Chinese community.

Banks
-----------
3 HSBC's clustered in the same area
1 Citibank
China Trust
Asia Bank
North Fork
Chase

Subway
-----------------------
Grand Ave/Newtown
R or V trains

Supermarket (All Chinese)
------------------------------
Kam Lun
Hong Kong Supermarket
New York Supermarket


Tons of Chinese restaurants




Department Stores
----------------------
Target
Best Buy
Macy's
JC Penney
and alot of others in the mall

[Andy]

My landlord just raised the rent by 50, and I have not even moved in :( ! Is inflation bad in NY or are they citing it as an excuse to raise prices?It's a very strange landlord. Something is not right there. I never heard of raising rent by 50%.
Max, she meant the raise is $50, not 50%, which is a crazy case. Still, once you signed a contract, you can't just raise it. And I think Sangfroid mentioned some time ago that she signed the contract. So you can even bring this to court if you feel like.
Every year I fight with my landlord to not rise my rent and we are talking about 3%-7% raise. 50% is rip off.
If you live in rent-controlled building, your rent is regulated by the NYC Rent Guidelines board and they just passed an increase of rent for rent-controlled tenants. The board voted, 5 to 4, to allow increases of 7.25 percent on two-year leases and 4.25 percent on one-year leases. For tenants who pay for their own heat, the allowable increases are 6.75 percent and 3.75 percent. The increases, the highest since 2003, apply to leases renewed between Oct. 1, 2006, and Sept. 30, 2007.
Unfortunately I don't know Queens, so I cannot answer on your first question. I think Andy should know better that area. When are you coming, by the way?
Max, when did I become Queens resident expert ? :D I know diddy about the area and I'm looking into areas in Queens where I can move to in the future. Chris, Yan, Bridgett, Jimmy, Frank know those areas well.

[maxrum]

Max, when did I become Queens resident expert ? :D I know diddy about the area and I'm looking into areas in Queens where I can move to in the future. Chris, Yan, Bridgett, Jimmy, Frank know those areas well.

I know that you live in the Bronx, but it seems you know everything ;) So I just guessed :)

[Bridgett]

Chris, Yan, Bridgett, Jimmy, Frank know those areas well.

Ok, I guess it's time for me to jump in to provide whatever I know.
Sangfroid- I live in Queens and it takes me 30 minutes to commute to work in midtown. Most of my activities take place in Manhattan and I don't know the areas in Queens too well besides the basics. But if you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask me and if I don't know I can find it out for you.

Also, here is a BIG hint for you -- Yan is THE shopping expert in Queens, although she lives in New Jersey. She has just done a shopping showcase for me in Flushing, and it was awesome. ;-)

[Peik Looi]

=D> Thanks so much for your information.

Everyone asked how I was managing my pre-departures, not knowing a soul in NY. I said just fine. They were amazed that I could sort everything from here.

Verdict: I told them that I am going to the friendliest FM program and not necessarily the easiest of programs.

Cheers and see you all in NY. :D

Max: I will be arriving on the 31st July in the morning at about 6.40am. Might have some problems if I get held up at customs, since my housemate will want to leave at 9am for work.

Any great ideas on how best to get the keys from her and not be stuck at the door-step with 71kg worth of baggage and not forgetting a massive jetlag???? :shock:

[Hien]

=D>
Any great ideas on how best to get the keys from her and not be stuck at the door-step with 71kg worth of baggage and not forgetting a massive jetlag???? :shock:

If the building that you are renting has a doorman/security guard, it's perfect. You can ask your roommate to leave the keys there. Short of that I'm not sure if there's a safer alternative. Maybe you can ask her to hide the keys somewhere and tell you where they are? :)

[Andy]

Verdict: I told them that I am going to the friendliest FM program and not necessarily the easiest of programs. Guilty on both charges :)
You are the receipient of the friendliest part, I'm the receipient of the not-so-easiest part :- (ask anyone taking refresher and they will tell you)
Max: I will be arriving on the 31st July in the morning at about 6.40am. Might have some problems if I get held up at customs, since my housemate will want to leave at 9am for work. Hadn't you notified your landlord of your arrival well in advance? If so, you could have arranged something like dropping off the key somewhere.
Any great ideas on how best to get the keys from her and not be stuck at the door-step with 71kg worth of baggage and not forgetting a massive jetlag???? :shock: If the schedule or key issue can't be worked out by then, your choice would be to take a nap at the airport until your landlord got home. Rest is all you need because you would have to start going to Baruch after a day or two.

[maxrum]

Max: I will be arriving on the 31st July in the morning at about 6.40am. Might have some problems if I get held up at customs, since my housemate will want to leave at 9am for work.

Wow, it's less than a week left! Are you excieted? Are you planning to take Probability refresher?

Send me an email (I gave you mine in private message, because if I post it here, spammers will send me more junk mail :) ). If you need any help I will give you my cell phone number. I'm going to work on Monday, but Tuesday I'm off and can show you the city if you have nothing to do.

[Peik Looi]

Are you excieted?

Send me an email (I gave you mine in private message, because if I post it here, spammers will send me more junk mail :) ). If you need any help I will give you my cell phone number. I'm going to work on Monday, but Tuesday I'm off and can show you the city if you have nothing to do.

Not really. I have been laden with a lot of work during these last days, and somehow my senses have been dulled considerably.

Pragmatism often reigns in reality. Though I would love to resign earlier and take in for the seemingly last time: white sands, warmth, home etc., exigencies of life sometimes does not permit one this option. That said, replies to my distress call have rejuvenated my spirit, and in a few days time I shall embark on my 2nd longest flight (20hrs) and begin my next chapter. I am also glad to inform you that my housemate has agreed to wait till about 11am.

Alright, off with the bull-crap. Max, delighted that you can take some time off to show me around the city, and I do believe that the orientation and registration for graduate students starts on the 1st Aug, see the below message:

Orientation and registration for new graduate students in the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences will be held on Tuesday, August 1, 2006 at 3:30 p.m. in the Vertical Campus, 55 Lexington Avenue (at 24th Street), Room 14-250. Registration will take place following a brief advisement session, when faculty advisors from each program will be present, along with our office staff, to assist you.

Please be sure to file your immunization documentation prior to August 1st in the Admissions Office. You will not be allowed to register without it.

On the evening of August 1st, the Office of the Bursar will be open until 6:00 p.m. for you to pay your tuition. If you are unable or choose not to pay at that time, please keep in mind that you will have only five business days to pay your tuition or enter into a payment plan.

We will be serving light refreshments during orientation and advisement. Once you have registered for classes, join us for wine and cheese back in room 14–250, where you will be able to meet and network with current students, faculty, and alumni. Please call me, Cathy Levkulic, Assistant to the Director of Graduate Studies, to confirm your atten*dance at the event. Our office number is 646-312-4490.

I suppose I would have to get myself a metrocard and make a trip to Baruch on the 31st itself? Also, my bank draft would not be cleared by then, and I have absolutely no idea how long I would have to wait. Wonder if I can ask for an extension of my tuition payment.

Cheers.

[maxrum]

Alright, off with the bull-crap. Max, delighted that you can take some time off to show me around the city, and I do believe that the orientation and registration for graduate students starts on the 1st Aug

As I found out today, we are going have first class in Probability on Monday, and than registration on Tuesday. I'm going to be off both days in this case and can help you getting around. Email me if you need any help or have any questions.

[Peik Looi]

Wasn't Probability to start on Tuesday? :o

[Andy]

Wasn't Probability to start on Tuesday? :o
It has been adjusted to accommodate the Orientation on Tues. If you are registered for Probability refresher, you should have received the email from Prof. Stefanica. It will be announced in the Probability forum in due time. Contact Max via PM for further info.

[Andy]

For the missing members of the 2006 incoming class. If you want to move closer to Baruch, it's your chance.

Small room

9’ x 18’ room available in beautiful, Astoria townhouse with CUNY professor and CUNY graduate student. Modern kitchen and bath, hardwood floors, 4 minutes to subway, 30 minutes to GC, door to door. Males only please. $ 650 Utilities $25-30/ month. (Available last week of August).

Big room

Enormous 14’ x 17’ room available in beautiful, Astoria townhouse with CUNY professor and CUNY graduate student. Modern kitchen and bath, hardwood floors, 4 minutes to subway, 30 minutes to GC, door to door. Males only please. $900. Utilities $25-30/ month. (Available last week of August)
Contact Lucio: lprado@bmcc.cuny.edu

[Yiping_Wan]

Hi all,

I'm looking for house right now. I wonder if there is any traffic search engine for NY? I input start and end address, then the public transportation route will be provided.

I'm looking into Queens area, besides Elmhurst, is flushing, college point, Jamacia, etc convenient?

Expecting any reply. Millions thanks in advance.

Best Regards
Yiping

[Andy]

HopStop.com - Subway Directions and Bus Directions for New York City (NYC) (http://www.hopstop.com/?city=newyork)

[joe_bradley]

Hi Yiping,

I lived in Queens for several years. Of the neighborhoods you mention, Elmhurst is the most convenient to the city. Not only is it the closest, but depending on where you are, you may be able to access two subway corriders (both E/F/G/V and 7), which is handy if one of the lines is undergoing construction. A caution: large parts of Elmhurst are far from the subway line, so make sure you know the address of the place you're checking out. That makes a big difference in housing prices.

Both Flushing and Jamaica are a bit further away (e.g. 30+ minutes to mid-town MH).

College Point has no subway connection, no LIRR connection, etc. IMHO if you live in College point and don't have a car, you might as well be living on Mars.

Joe

[Christian]

Incoming students could do what I did when I came to NYC. Pack one small duffel bag two hours before you leave and have no job, or apartment when you arrive. It makes for a really interesting two weeks before you establish yourself. At least for me it did.. :-)

[Bridgett]

Hi all,

I'm looking for house right now. I wonder if there is any traffic search engine for NY? I input start and end address, then the public transportation route will be provided.

I'm looking into Queens area, besides Elmhurst, is flushing, college point, Jamacia, etc convenient?

Expecting any reply. Millions thanks in advance.

Best Regards
Yiping

Certain parts of Elmhurst can be great - convient for one to get around and get to Manhattan and safe enough. So, be careful when selecting a spot in Elmhurst area. Besides Elmhurst, I also recommand areas like Woodside and Sunnyside, which both are in Queens as well. In my humble opinion, Flushing and College Point would be just a little bit too far away from Manhattan. And... I personally just don't feel too good about Jamaica. I don't see myself living in Jamaica anyway, but it's might just because I don't know anything about it. Hope this helps and let me know if you have more questions.