Finding an apartment in NYC

One of the most difficult things about moving to NYC is finding affordable housing.... Now what we New Yorkers may call affordable you out of towners may gawk at. "What do you mean the rent of a 400 sq. ft. studio is $1900 per month?" I am not hear to tell you something that you do not know already.... I am here to tell you that your best bet for finding an apartment that suits your needs is to use an experienced Realtor. Yes I know I know.. there are fees and other things... well oh well.. That fee you are charged is well worth it.... I never thought that way until I used a realtor myself to find an apartment for my wife. I knew the neighborhood that I wanted to live in but other than that I knew nothing else... I was asked what my requirements were... amount of rent, location, condition... etc... after a day I was given a list of 5 apartments and was taken out by the agent... I was shown around the neighborhood... all of my questions were answered .... if she couldn't answer them she got back to me within that day... it was a great experience.. She helped me with my credit check .. no fee for that.. and then prepped me for the meeting with the landlord... I got the apartment I wanted and it was a great experience...