New York City Guide for Searching for an Apartment or Condo
New York City Apartment
New York City Apartment Guide
New York City is famous for a lot of different reasons... it's the city that can't sleep; if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere; home to the best sports teams in the world; the financial capital of the world, etc.... you get the point.
The one thing New York City is also famous for is having very convoluted and complicated apartment terminology. Coming from a place where there are only one, two, and three bedroom apartments, to New York, with it's "Junior 4's" and "Alcove Studio's" is a difficult transition. Simply, it is tough to know what you are getting for your money before you walk into the apartment and actually see it with your own eyes.
See below for a very neat and elegant explanation of the various terms of New York City real estate. Enjoy!
A studio apartment is an apartment that combines all the living space into one room. The living room, dining room, bedroom and kitchen all share space. Studio apartments are generally about 300 to 650 square feet. These apartments can be found throughout New York City.
An alcove studio is a studio apartment with some extra space, called an "Alcove", which is usually where people put their beds. Alcove studios are generally 400 to 700 square feet. These apartments can be found throughout New York City.
One Bedroom apartments consist of one bedroom. They also have a living room, dining room, kitchen and separated bedroom. One Bedroom apartments are generally 500 to 1300 square feet. These apartments can be found throughout New York City.
A Junior 4 essentially is a One Bedroom apartment with a separate area that can be used for dining, an office or a baby's room. Typically, a Junior 4 can is 600 to 1200 square feet. These apartments can be found throughout New York City.
A Convertible Two Bedroom is essentially a big enough One Bedroom Apartment that you can put up a wall to create another bedroom and effectively turn it into a Two Bedroom apartment. There are many companies in New York City who put up (and take down) these walls, some of which come with windows. Only in New York!
Two Bedroom apartments, quite simply, have two separate bedrooms. They also generally have a living room, dining room and normally have more than one bathroom. These apartments can be found throughout New York City.
A loft is an open space and generally have higher ceilings and large windows. Lofts have the greatest flexibility in their terminology because the size varies from 600 to 3000 square feet. Some only have one bathroom, while others have four or more. It is very tough to gauge and always requires substantial due diligence. These apartments are generally located in areas that were formerly manufacturing and industrial areas throughout New York City.
