Author Archives: DitchTheSpace

Park Slope, officially the most livable ‘hood in New York

Manhattan Maps

A hand picked list of the best neighborhoods for new New Yorkers!

1. Brooklyn’s lovely Park Slope
-Ranked “Most Livable” neighborhood by New York Magazine.
-Affordable & diverse, whether you are a family man or a single gal in the city. Park Slope has become a favorite for new New Yorkers.

2. The East Village
-If you don’t mind living where you play, this is the neighborhood for you. Relish the fact that you can live within walking distance to your favorite bars and restaurants.
-Fun Ditch The Space fact; The village has the highest concentration of bars in the city. And happens to be near NYU, the perfect place for college students and young professionals.

3. TriBeCa
-Boasting one of the lowest crime rates in the city!
-Easy access to public transportation. This neighborhood is perfect if you frequent the subway or are “out in the field” for work.

4. Riverdale, The Bronx
-Avoid the hustle and bustle of midtown and escape just a few miles north!
-Proud owner of the most beautiful Victorian style homes.
-Surprisingly not as far as you think! 30 minutes to midtown Manhattan, sold!

5. Long Island City, Queens
-Queens has a bad reputation for giving hell to commuters, Ditch The Space is bringing the truth to light! This neighborhood is truly up and coming. The crime rates are lowering more every year which makes LIC an easy recommendation from any real estate agent. Basically, an extension of Manhattan, prices comparable.

6. DUMBO, Brooklyn wins!
-With Manhattan rent prices at an all time high, many are crossing the bridge for relief! Dumbo is up & coming, the rent may not always be cheaper, but the view? AMAZING. Known for its waterfront strip, this incredibly creative neighborhood holds some of the best art galleries!

Who almost made the cut?
-Chelsea, filled with celebrities and retail stores.
-Doorman central, the West Village. Greenwich street, between Christopher & Barrow is one of my favorite picturesque blocks in NYC. Have a look if you can while apartment hunting!

Technology for the Home!

Ditch The Space’s top six apps to make life easier.

HGTV Shelf – Download this app for organizing DIY projects, decorating ideas, and home & garden tips. Shelf offers articles and videos for support. This app is great for families, artists, and absolutely essential for do-it-yourself lovers.

Bill Minder – Keep track of your spending habits. Organize your bills and never miss a due date. This app is key for all busy bodies, people that never check their email, and anyone on a strict budget. Instead of receiving alerts from 20 different companies, Bill Minder keeps track of all your bills, in one place. Never pay a late fee again!

Remember The Milk – Created by a mother of four. If an agenda just isn’t enough, Remember The Milk is. Organize your entire schedule with this itinerary style application. Easy to read color coding is the feature that won me over. Effortlessly make it to all your appointments, never miss a game, meeting or bake sale! iPhone and Android compatible so no matter what platform you’re on, you can finally be your own personal assistant.

Amazon Fresh – Grocery shop on the go with your Android! Shop Amazon’s grocery and exclusive aisles, choose home delivery times, view past purchases, and place orders quickly with no hassle. Enjoy convenient new ways to shop, including bar code scanning.

Sonos Controller – For your iPhone, compatible with Sonos HiFi wireless speakers and audio components. Holding your music collection in one app that you can control from any device. Play what you want in every room over a wireless network. The Sonos Wireless System delivers music with sound that is crystal clear at any volume. This intense smart system is great for music enthusiasts and is easy to set-up and control. Highly recommended!

Last but not least, my favorite of the six,

Home Smarts – Anyone who knows the hassle of organizing projects at home; whether a landlord, homeowner, or renter, you will appreciate this one! Keep track of what has been done and what needs to be done. Basically, an in-your-pocket contractor. Record maintenance on your pool, pipes, fireplace, appliances, lawn, etc. This 5 star app offers tips and tricks to keep you sane during renovations and unexpected issues! Home Smarts has everything you need to maintain your home daily & long term.

Show Off Your Space!

A quick “how to” on creating an attractive listing!

A detailed and honest description is most important when advertising your space. Mention which utilities are included in the monthly rent, and be specific regarding appliances & amenities. Do you have a doorman, elevator, terrace, patio, laundry facility, or quick access to public transportation? Even mentioning the great bar downstairs could be the selling point for an interested renter.

best

Take pictures, the more the better! Ditch The Space gives you the tools to upload multiple high quality photographs and videos of your space! These pictures are your “WOW” factor.

Make your bed, clean the kitchen, organize your bathroom, and fix the drapes. Your pictures are the face of your advertisement. Try to stand back and play around with different angels to capture the best and most accurate view of your space. Holding the camera over your head to get a full frame also helps. You should snap a shot of the windows, floors, ceilings, corridors, entry way and lobby to make for a quality listing.

Not much of a photographer?

Check out these beautiful examples for inspiration!

besty best

BEST best

For additional support send questions, comments, and concerns to [email protected]

Tips for Living the Dream in NYC

Finding an apartment in New York City can be just as challenging & exciting as graduating college! Endless paperwork, flights of stairs, and fees? Do not be discouraged. This is only a sliver of what you are going to experience in the city that never sleeps. Ditch The Space is dedicated to connecting available spaces to financially responsible renters. We are the future of seamless subletting and renting.

Here are some tips for living the dream in New York City, from a chronic renter.

  • Communicate like an adult, call for details, email to confirm.
  • Be patient, and tough, & ask for what you want, New York is full of Type A’s; not psychics
  • Except in Little Italy because there, you will find many psychics.
  • Small doesn’t mean bad, all the best restaurants, music venues, and grocers are compact and convenient ..with the exception of espresso lattes and shiny buildings, many things here are small, efficient, and great!
  • People schedule play dates for their kids & dogs, don’t be shy! Meet your neighbors.
  • It is safer to discuss politics rather than Yankees VS Mets.
  • Do laundry, often! Nothing is worse than lugging 50 lbs of clothing up 4 flights of stairs to your apartment, in a classic pre-war townhouse with no doorman.
  • In addition to paying for groceries, and paying for them to be delivered, the young man delivering them will expect a tip.
  • Be aware. If you have the time, walk! Avoid the subways at rush hour and accept the fact that it will take you an hour to do almost any errand in the Big Apple!

You will spend as much time planning a vacation out of here as you will thanking the heavens that you don’t reside anywhere else. There is a deep sense of peace that comes from knowing your place in the world. Though it may be small, like a studio in Midtown, it is entirely your own. Here is a not so small rental available for assignment for about 8 more months. Click on the pictures below for the full listing & details!

MIDTOWN MIDTOWN

Pet Friendly Manhattan

Pet owners everywhere have been going to great lengths, for many years to get approved in new condo’s and apartments. To make life easier, Ditch The Space has many listings that are pet friendly, we even provide a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ option on the listing! The inspiration for this post was meeting a Dalmatian in a gypsy cab this morning, yes the dog was in the cab with me.

2014 is in full swing, people all over NYC are adjusting and making arrangements for this somewhat new infatuation with puppies! It seems on every corner in Brooklyn there is a dog friendly something, or other, including pet taxi’s. While this is exciting, are we forgetting the difficulties of having a dog in the city? Delicate paws on hot, summertime pavement, barking at the neighbors every move, dog hair on your pea coat before a meeting (thanks Montana, the lovable taxi-dog I mentioned earlier) and of course, cleaning up after them! Pet friendly Manhattan is on the rise. The traditional “pet deposit” is losing steam. More and more buildings, property owners, real estate agents and landlords are going pet friendly! Need to ditch your pet friendly space? Click here and don’t forget to select ‘Yes’ on the pets allowed tab!

Featured Pet Friendly Listings

Pets Allowed 3 Pets 4 Pets Allowed

 

Stressing out about bringing your dog into the big city? Need to smooth it over with the neighbors? Socialize! Introduce him/her to the neighbors. As long as your dog is friendly enough and trained for this type of interaction, your neighbors will most likely love your best friend, too! A neighborly gesture goes a long way in the ever blatant, not-knowing-your-neighbors city we live in. I have a large dog and I find comfort in letting new neighbors know we have extra security on our floor.

What to do when you’re finally settled? Get familiar with your neighborhood. Ditch The Space’s favorite, pet friendly parks include Central Park, with over 20 on and off leash play areas, and The East River Esplanade Dog Run, found on The East River at E. 63rd Street. Sign up for the Central Park Conservancy Paws newsletter for more dog related news!

Brooklyn is way ahead of the game, offering hotels, restaurants, parks, and luxury buildings that are all pet friendly! Manhattan got the memo and is following suit to the new, hip, pet parent trend.

The perfect window sill for a kitten!

Pets Allowed

Upper East Side one bedroom

Liberty Green $6000 per month

The Super Bowl & Sublets in New York City

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New Jersey’s Met Life Stadium is hosting their first Super Bowl! On Sunday February 2nd, 2014, between 70,000-100,000 people will enjoy the NFL’s first cold weather, open-air stadium Super Bowl game. Advertisement dollars in the millions mark have been spent, many thanks to the NFL Commissioners. With that being said, hotel rooms in Super Bowl host cities are always at least double the price. Here in New York and New Jersey, some establishments are reporting increases as much as three to five times the standard price. Many hotels in the greater New York City area typically have a two to three night minimum, with some, amending that policy to a three to four night requirement due to the high volume of reservations. As hotel rooms sell out, prices increase and guest policies become even more strict. Well done, NFL. And welcome to the marketing and media capital of the nation.

Desirable locations such as Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Hoboken, NJ are getting anywhere from $3,000 – $28,000 per person for a Super Bowl related stay! Insane, I know. Hotel rates are incredibly high (increasing more everyday) and only put you up for a few days. Not too appealing? Ditch The Space has you covered. Consider this..

Sublet an apartment!

RENTAL RENTAL RENTAL

Why? Well for starters, there is no possible way to be a successful tourist in this city, in such a short time. Subletting gives you the freedom to stay in a space for at least thirty days. Enjoy the comforts of a private home and avoid the busy hotels! Not to mention the lovely incentives offered; many of our listings at www.ditchthespace.com currently have flat screen TV’s, beautiful furniture, and discounts on spaces with special circumstances.

Sublets are simply an easy way to get a good deal.

2 bedroom 2 bathroom

This listing has 1.5 months left on the lease, offering a 10% urgency discount on the first month’s rent. Click the picture above to see the full listing.

TINY