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You’re probably asking yourself, “Dude, what the fuck is a flex three-bedroom?” Well, my good friend, let me tell you (not without a little preliminary story to explain how we got into this situation). A flex three-bed is a mirage that huge sky rise apartments in Manhattan put in front of recent grads to make them think they’re getting an absolute steal on a place.
At the point we finally decided on our building, we had probably seen 10+ apartments and were exhausted. We walk into this massive marble lobby with a doorman and a front desk, AC blasting and what appeared to be groups of young people walking in and out. So, we were off to a good start.
We then head into the management office where we talk casually about what we’re doing in the city, what price range we’re looking for, building rules etc. Then the broker drops this beauty on us, “The unit that we are seeing is currently occupied, would you guys like to see the roof first?” A roof you say? Sure, why not.
Well, we go up to the roof and it’s like a scene from a movie. Early summer, 36 floors up over-looking Manhattan, tables, lounge chairs, a turf space, grills etc. A view of the whole NYC skyline on one side and the east river on the other. To top it off, there’s tons of attractive girls everywhere sunbathing, drinking and laughing. This guy knew exactly what he was doing from the start.
Not kidding, after that he could have shown us the shittiest apartment in the building and we would have signed on the spot. Now, let’s get into the logistics. He takes out the floor plan and shows us a ONE BEDROOM with a massive living and dining room.
I will do my best to give you a visual. You walk in the front door to a living room with a bay window. The dining room, kitchen, closet and half bathroom are to the left. The full bathroom, natural bedroom and closet are to the right.
From here, he explained that we have to cut the 24-foot living room in half with a makeshift wall. However, this wall cannot go all the way up to the ceiling. NYC building code calls for the top to be at least 12 inches from the ceiling. Oh, and the door is that of the sliding variety that does not lock. Next we have to construct the other wall, and their suggestion? Fucking IKEA closet Units. This cuts off the second half of the living room from the dining room to form two separate bedrooms.
In sum, the first bedroom is the only natural and it is huge. The second bedroom is half of the living room made of the large bay window, one natural wall (living room wall/other side of the natural bedroom wall), the makeshift wall and then the wall made of three massive IKEA closet units. The third bedroom is the dining room made up of the IKEA units, then two natural walls and a continuation of the bay window.
Each bedroom fits a king size bed and are bigger than any other places we saw. Only problem is no privacy. The wall between the two flexed rooms are closet units and paper thin. I live in the room with the makeshift wall so I don’t have a top to it (you can get a top as the broker assured the building would look the other way, but I am too lazy). The third bedroom has no door, you either have to install one or use a curtain or something. The rent is $200-$300 cheaper (per person, per month) than all the places we saw and it has a doorman, gym, roof and laundry so it was an overall good value deal. Nonetheless, we are suckers.
The roof started out as a great perk—we would day drink up there every other weekend last summer. But it’s NYC so we only use it for 1/3 of the year.
This came to an end when a group of people in our building recently went a little too hard on a Sunday and started tearing up the roof and throwing stuff off. They put their foot and now you have to show your key and photo ID to prove you live in the building to access the roof, and are only permitted two guests at a time.
Now, from here I will address the fact that we got duped, I know it, I’ve admitted it and have come to grips with it. There is also solace in the fact that we are not the only ones to do this; there are tons of buildings in NYC that do this and our building is just one example. New grads are just their prey.
Next, this only worked because of how great me and my two roommates get along. I’ve known one guy since we were 13 and the other was our friend throughout college. So, the whole privacy, noise and worrying about stepping on each others toes was literally never a problem.
All this being said, I would never do a flex option apartment again. It just takes the hassle of moving in to the next level. So take this as a valuable lesson and opportunity to laugh at my poor decision of a first apartment..
Respond
I saw a For Rent sign in San Francisco the other day. 2 bedrooms for $4,000. But what caught my eye was that after, it said “for 4-8 people.”
This made me never want to leave my 2 bedroom 2 bathroom, 10 foot ceilings and walk in closets for $1200 apartment ever again
If you’re getting a luxury 2br at that price I’m sure there’s nothing for you to do when you leave it anyways.
Been seeing tons of four bedroom apartments where there’s three bedrooms and the living room is the fourth. I’ve seen some where the living room has a couple living there. You name it, any chopped up living situation, it’s being done in SF/Bay Area.
I don’t know how anyone lives in New York or San Francisco. Those places are just yo expensive for normal humans
No need for a car so factor out not having a car payment/insurance/gas… but yeah, it’s still stupid expensive. You learn to manage.
How’d y’all decide who gets the real bedroom? And what does a 1bdrm go for in NYC?
We came to a mutual decision to roll dice for the big bedroom and all agreed that there would be no prorating based on room size since (incredibly stupid, but again we get along and were completely fine having equal odds). Varies from location but our neighborhood a typical 1-bed costs $2,500-Whatever. But that price is also assuming only one tenant.
In a shitty area? $3600
I have a small one bedroom (~450 sqft) in the east village for $2200, which is actually considered a good deal. Well worth it.
That is a pretty good deal. I did a 1-flex in the area for $3600 where I paid $1700. Moved out last October to Hoboken. Still miss some of the bars/restaurants in that area
Amenities like gym/roofdeck/doorman in an “affordable” Manhattan apartment building are a total ruse. Just commit to a sketchy walk-up in the Lower East Side and wait for the inevitable cynicism that comes with living in NYC to eat your soul.
Yikes. I would be out on this and that’s coming from a guy who just signed a lease on a 2 bedroom in DC for $3600/month.
Feel your pain. DC/DMV prices make me want to cry everytime I have to apartment search.
$3600 a month? Whyyyyyyyyyyyyy. That’s hella expensive, even for DC.
Luxury building in Shaw with rooftop pool, dog park (I have a dog), grills etc. Awesome gym and a Giant grocery in the first floor of the building.
It’s 1,100 sq ft with a killer balcony and a view. Believe it or not, that’s a good deal for that area.
For that much space and amenities, that’s not the worst. That area is so sketchy though. There are still random shootings, with some that are close enough to hit the apartment complex I think you’re talking about. Additionally, it’s right nearby the one string of streets in NW that I refuse to run down because of the amount of assaults/muggings that happen after it gets dark.
Really, all of the luxury apartments around Shaw are weirdly priced based off of how “in transition” the area is. But hey, it’s your life and if you can afford that, then by all means.
I think you are thinking of a different complex. This is 7th and P Street NW. I’m not doubting that crime happens (I mean shit I’m from St. Louis), but that particular area just did not give me that vibe at all. There are tons of super nice row houses or luxury apartments mixed in with every type of restaurant and bar, and the whole thing is loaded up with well-dressed young professionals.
That being said, it’s not always those who live in the area that commit the crimes. Luckily, I have garage parking and have a good eye for anything sketchy as I currently live in an actual “in transition” hood in STL.
Yikes. I was just bitching about a 2 bedroom with an office being 1,900$ in downtown Houston. I always recommend moving to the south (read: Houston). You’ll be able to live like a king for what your spending up there for fake walls.
I get Houston is the 4th largest city in America but it’s really nothing like NYC, Chicago, or LA. Would I rather live here than Philly, Atlanta, or Phoenix? Absolutely but for many reasons it’s incomparable to living in the top three.
Get your negativity outta here
Also, how’s baby RunRunner coming along?
Not being negative, just honest. Houston is a great city, and underrated by many in my opinion, but it doesn’t offer the lifestyle of a true metropolis with a densely packed, centralized population.
BabyRumRunner is coming along just fine, about halfway done baking. Thanks for asking.
I feel like every time I visit I’m driving 20 minutes to every place we’re hanging out or eating. I think I’d enjoy living there because of how many college friends I have there, but the layout isn’t ideal.
Get your negativity outta here
Did my undergrad in Houston and lived in Midtown for 3 years. Love that coty, but it doesn’t come close to comparison with NYC. I’ll probably move back to Houston or move to Austin in the next couple of years.
*city
dammit
This 100% has to have been View 34 in Murray Hill.
Total disaster of a place. I can only shake my head at the continuous churn of new grads who get conned into living there (or anywhere in Murray Hill, for that matter).
yeah, i’m gonna need to see some pics.
The man already said privacy is extremely limited as it is, and now you want to infringe on his 4th amendments rights even more by requesting pics? Brutal.
This is so relatable it hurts. NYC apartment hunting is like nothing else.
I suddenly feel ashamed about living alone in a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment outside of DC…
Or just living alone in the DC metro area.
Sup?