How to Find the Right New York City Apartment To Rent?

Finding the right rental apartment, especially in a busy place like NYC, is not an easy task. Just collecting all the information you need to have is a huge burden. On top of that, dealing with rental brokers can make your apartment rental search a dreadful process. That’s why it makes sense to get help from experienced apartment rental professionals who can make your search easier, quicker, and less expensive?

Here’s how to search for New York City apartments.

Start your search with a licensed Apartment Information Vendor (AIV). You will set the budget and the neighbourhoods that you are interested in. Here’s why you want to start with a New York City based AIV.

·     An apartment rental service provides a large list of NYC apartments that lets you make a choice based on YOUR needs, convenience and budget.

·     If you are new to renting an apartment in NYC, look for a rental service that provides a comprehensive rental guide.

·   Apartment rental services believe you would prefer to save the hugely expensive broker’s fee. When you are introduced to a property by a broker, you are obligated to pay the broker's fee if you want to rent the apartment, which adds a large cost to you – from one month’s rent all the way up to just less than two months of rent (15% of the first year’s rent!). With the right apartment rental service, you will NEVER pay a broker’s fee.

A good rental service will help you stay organised during your search and be properly prepared for the application process. Timing and advanced preparation are the keys to a successful apartment search.

   

Choosing the Right Apartment Rental Service – What should you consider?

Apartment Information Vendors serve as marketplaces where renters can find the best no fee apartments in NYC with ease and convenience. Using a broker to help you in your search for a rental apartment means that you will, almost definitely, being paying a broker’s commission – or broker’s fee as most people call it.

So when you select a NYC Apartment Information Vendor to help you in your apartment search, look for these additional benefits:

Experienced Service: Does the AIV have the expertise and inventory to help you find an apartment within your budget and neighbourhood needs? Whether you are looking for a rent-stabilised studio or a two bedroom in a luxury apartment building, an apartment information vendor must provide you with a wide selection of apartments to look at.

Reputation: There's probably nothing that speaks louder for the reliability of a service provider than the reviews and testimonials from previous customers. Make sure you look for company testimonials and longevity. If a company has been around for a year or so, watch out. If the company’s roots go back 20 years, then you know they must be doing it right.

Live Customer Service: Getting into the New York City apartment of your choice can be a bit tricky at times. You want an experienced coach to help guide you on the ins and outs of getting a landlord’s approval. When the time comes, you want to be able to pick up the phone and speak with an expert. Make sure you work with a rental service that has a staff of apartment rental experts happy to help you.

Author Bio: The author of this article, Huge Grant is an experienced content writer who has been writing for a number of years on various topics related to the real estate industry. In this article, he focuses on the benefits of searching for a New York City apartment through a reputed apartment information vendor.

------ Thanks for reading RealT Horizon :) ------

Top 3 Real Estate Hotspots of India in the year 2015

The inception of new central government in the year 2014 had brought the country’s development on a roll. The Abki baar Modi Sarkar<link> campaign created a much-needed push for every sector of the economy. While India is ready to become the manufacturing hub on one side, the concept of smart city has found its place in everyday conversation, on the other.

One zone that has been showing maximum development signs is Real Estate.

The #RealEstate industry of the country has shown signs of stable growth; in terms of capital appreciation, new launches, and infrastructure developments. In the competition for becoming a renowned smart city, a majority of states are coming up with new projects, renovating infrastructure, etc.

All of these have transformed the sentiments of both developers and end buyers largely.

Year 2015 is expected to elevate the demand and supply further. The factors to support this growth are:

• The risk of inflation has submerged, and the borrowing rates are expected to be lower than the present levels.

This will support potential buyers wanting to take advantage of home loans in order to make the deal. In addition, due to the stability of property prices plus good offers by developers for clearing inventory, apprehensive buyers are becoming optimistic to purchase their dream house.

• The economic activities are slowly rising.

Central Bank has forecast the GDP growth to be 6.5% in financial year 2015-16. The Corporate India has also announced that they will hire more talent to assist in tackling growing business activity. When we add it together, it means an increase in jobs and thus incomes. This in turn is going to be extremely favourable for all commercial and residential real estate markets, irrespective of the zone.

• The real estate segment has seen a re-orientation.

This has made developers largely focus on affordable homes largely. This is expected to go a long way in covering the present wide distance between supply and demand of the affordable homes.

While almost every region of the country has shown signs of development, three cities have emerged as the most promising ones for investment purposes. Let us look into them in some detail.

1. Mumbai

The Financial capital of the country, Mumbai has shown a strong growth by attaining the 11^th position in the year 2015, which was earlier 20^th & 23^rd in 2013 & 2014 respectively. The reasons behind the increasing popularity of Mumbai are:

• Greater income demographics
• Higher investment activity level
• Equal growth in development among all sub markets of the city

For end users looking to buy a house in Mumbai, the average increase in the last quarter of 2014 was around five per cent among all regions when compared with an increase of just one per cent in the earlier quarter. According to Insite, a quarterly real estate report, the new launches, positive consumer sentiments, developers declaring possession of new projects along with a boost in the infrastructure developments has surged the movement.

The three ideal locations for investment in the city are MMR, Thane, & Navi Mumbai. They have shown an increase of 5%, 3%, & 6% respectively in the last two quarters of 2014, & are expected to continue doing so in 2014. Investing in a property in Navi Mumbai can prove to be extremely beneficial in the present time.

2. New Delhi

The capital of India, Delhi has been on the growth radar since beginning of the year 2014. It showed a strong positioning in the real estate market by being on the 14^th position in 2015, which was earlier on 21^st position in the year 2012 & 2013. The factors that led to this surge are:

• Mixed income demographics
• Excellent infrastructure & connectivity
• Great infusion of both retail & commercial spaces

For the investors looking to invest in the city, the fact that there is now a stability in the new government & various key policy announcements have been made in the real estate front at the Centre have created a positive sentiment. According to Insite, this has increased the capital growth by 3% since the last two quarters of the year 2014.

If you are looking to buy a house in Delhi, the three areas that have shown high growth are - Delhi West, Gurgaon & Greater Noida. The percent increase they showed were 5%, 4%, & 4% respectively.

In the present scenario, investing in a property in Delhi West can be seen as beneficial in terms of returns.

3. Bangalore

The Electronic capital of India, Bangalore is popular as the haven of property seekers. New launches & development of the micro markets were on an all-time high last year. This trend continues to grow in 2015 too. Bangalore stood at 17^th position while it was 19^th & 20^th in 2013 & 2014 respectively. The reasons that led to this rise were:

• Most of the micro markets being extremely affordable
• IT sector dominates the city, making it an ideal location for millions of employees
• Continuous infrastructure development

For the property seekers’ wanting to buy a house in Bangalore, the infrastructural growth & increasing economic activity in the city has been the major driver of growth. According to Insite, Bangalore’s real estate market increased at a rate of 5% in the last quarter of 2014; making it come in the list of the top cities to invest in.

For someone looking to buy a house in Bangalore, the three key areas that have shown a constant growth are Bangalore East, Bangalore West, & Bangalore South. The increase percent in the last quarter for these were 7%, 5%, & 5% respectively.

Looking for a property in Bangalore East is good for buyers expecting high future returns.

* The insights are from the PWC report on emerging trends in real estate Asia Pacific 2015.

Factors like new project launches, high infrastructure developments, stable government, & growth of micro markets, etc. have led to the change in sentiments of developers & buyers. This has led to an increased effort to maintain the demand & supply equilibrium. The current surge can be expected to grow further this year.

2015 has announced itself as the year of real estate.

Author Bio: Tripti writes on the behalf of 99acres.com. Her articles talk about new developments in the real estate industry. She is an avid fiction reader, craftsman & a keen observer. Being someone who just observes without having a point of view, she keeps herself updated in real time.

Disclaimer: The above article & the insights it provides are based on the author’s analysis based on published reports. Though the information & analysis are perfectly thorough and highly informative, RealT Horizon takes no responsibility for the investment decisions based on the article. Readers are suggested to analyse themselves & invest accordingly.

------ Thanks for reading RealT Horizon ------

Go Green & Buy Green to Save Some Green

Are you planning to buy a home? Why don’t you consider buying it green? Cost of a green home doesn’t differ hugely from that of a non-green home. But the energy-efficient features of a green home will start providing savings almost instantly. With the cost of electricity, water & gas fluctuating, finding out ways to safeguard our environment while saving money every month is undoubtedly a win-win situation. Even the top realtors recommend their clients to go green.

If you wish to go green, here are some tips for you:

1. Water Heating System – Water heater consumes more or less 20% of residential energy use in the United States. Conventional electric water heaters are simply guzzlers & most of them are outdated. A solar water heating system can be a great alternative to conventional heaters & radiators. By using solar water heating system, you can significantly save on energy bill & also ease environmental effect.

2. Solar Panels – These are the most powerful energy savers. They should be installed either on the ground or on the roof so that they can collect sunrays. DC electricity produced by solar panels passes through special type of converter that converts the electricity into usable voltage that can be used for running household appliances. The price of such panels has dropped recently. In spite of reduced rate most folks avoid them as they are difficult to install. But if you already have installed the panels in your home, then you can surely sop up the sun & save cash each month. Similarly, if you’re planning to buy a home & if your real estate agent informs you about a home that already have solar panels installed, you can surely go for it provided other criteria match your requirements.

3. Green (House) Windows – Even the windows of your home can let you save energy! Heat gets away through windows during winter & vice versa during summer. If the windows of your house are properly sealed with double or triple panes, you can efficiently regulate the temperature inside your home & that in turn reduces energy consumption.



4. Right Insulation – This is a very important aspect of going green. Properly insulated walls & roof can keep the heat inside during winter season & outside during summer season. Green insulation is usually made of recycled textile, wool or anti-allergen materials. So if you’ve not yet insulated your house properly, you must do it immediately.

Apart from the above mentioned ways, there are other items too that can also help you go green & save money. & those are:

- Timely upgrading heating system & air conditioning system can help a lot in energy savings. Old units of such appliances consume huge amounts of energy.

- Usually more amount of water is used in older toilets. So renovation of the older unit can let you save on water consumption.

- Old lead paint is not good for health; you must avoid using such paints in your home. Less volatile organic compounds or VOCs are environment friendly. You can use such paints to paint your home.

According to the real estate agents, buying a green home is undoubtedly a good investment both money-wise & healthy-wise.

Author Bio:

The author Alex Scott has been in real estate industry for more than 10 years, & worked with some renounced real estate agencies in USA.

------ Thanks for reading RealT Horizon J ------