guess what wrote:
What parts along 1st or 2nd? Is this E Harlem? Is $1100 still possible in Manhattan? What's the best way to look for an apartment w/o actually being in the area. It seems like most of the ads in craigslist require broker fees and that's what 10-12% of a years rent??
Wait, are you looking for a studio or to split a place with a roommate. Renting a studio is generally a bad idea. If you don't have friend who is going to move in with you, then it is tough to find someone with an open room on craigslist. You simply won't be able to get a studio in Manhattan for $1100.
I did look at some open rooms that were around $1100 that were okay. I even looked a place that was $900 which was literally a "walled" (bookcases really) off corner of a basement in a really bad part of the East Village (the worst neighborhood in Manhattan in my opinion).
I highly recommend you post an ad on craigslist describing who you are, what you do, and what you're looking for in a room and roommate.
Another surprisingly good option is to find a really nice, big apartment with lots of rooms and then find people who want to fill it. I spent a little time looking at a 6 bedroom apartment on the UES and tried to fill it with 5 other people from craigslist. It would have worked out nicely, all the people were great and friendly and fun, but I decided against it in the end since the paperwork would have been a little complicated (I didn't have a job at the time) and I found a nicer place (for more money) on the West Side. The rent there would have been $1100, the apartment was newly renovated, it was on Lexington and 86th, I think, which was right by the subway, and it had a washer and dryer in the unit, and a private courtyard. Now that I think about, I really should have taken it.