The Good, The Bad, The Facts…
GOOD: *Lots of space. *Near subways. *Good WiFi. *Close to Whole Foods, Red Rooster, Sylvia’s, and lots of shopping. *New A/C in main room. *Decent food delivery options.
BAD: *Apt is between THREE LOUD, ACTIVE CONSTRUCTION SITES. *Apt is steps away from 125th St Metro-North Station, with trains LOUDLY rolling in from FIVE AM to MIDNIGHT. *Lots of LOUD YELLING & FIGHTS directly outside window. *Apt has faint odor of MILDEW & MOLD. *The ROACHES are GIGANTIC. *Kitchen range only has 2 working burners and Oven DOESN’T WORK. *TV won’t work b/c there’s no Roku remote. (I used my Xbox to connect). *Living room futon is stained, lumpy, smelly, and the support slats break often. *Apt is generally unclean. I spent my first 2 days cleaning and de-sanitizing. *I found empty drugs vials (w/dusty, white residue) hidden in the apartment from previous tenants.
FACTS: *No microwave. *No coffeemaker. *No toaster. *No kettle. *No A/C in bedroom. *No lamps. *No blinds or drapes in living room, so everyone can see inside at all times (including when you exit the shower). *No (true) blackout drapes in bedroom. *Neighbors’ cigarette smoke PERMEATES the walls and smells up the apartment. *Amir is busy, so he responds only when hounded. *No access to mailbox. *No Washer/Dryer in unit. You have to hound Amir for access. (I used a laundry service.) *Experience was so rocky, Airbnb refunded nearly 1/3 of my initial “rent” payment.
If you’re NOT going to be in the apartment much and want to save money, go for it. If you want any rest or comfort, keep looking.