Brooklynite hunts for Manhattan apartment closer to his office

MJ enlists some help from host Will Taylor in looking for a new apartment in New York City that will make his commute a little easier.

Video Transcript

WILL TAYLOR: I'm Will Taylor, and this is "Find My Dream Room", the show where I help people find their dream apartments right here in New York City. Today, I'm helping MJ move from Brooklyn into the heart of Manhattan to find his dream apartment that's closer to work. I've got a feeling he's going to have a laundry list of wants. I think I can find them, though. Let's do it.

MJ: My name's MJ. I currently live in Brooklyn near Prospect Park. I recently just received a job in Rockefeller Center, so the commute from Brooklyn has become a bit cumbersome. So I'd really like to find a location much, much closer to my office.

WILL TAYLOR: MJ?

MJ: Hi, Will.

WILL TAYLOR: Will. Nice to meet you.

MJ: Nice to meet you.

WILL TAYLOR: How's it going? Should we take a seat? All right. I am excited to hear more about your apartment search. Where are you living right now?

MJ: Right now, I live in Brooklyn right near Prospect Park.

WILL TAYLOR: I love Prospect Park. Tell me why would you be exploring to move, or are you looking to stay in that neighborhood?

MJ: Well, I do love my neighborhood, but I recently got a job in Rockefeller Center.

WILL TAYLOR: Let's go. Congrats.

MJ: Thank you. I'm really looking to be closer to work, hopefully within walking distance.

WILL TAYLOR: So what are your must haves and can't haves?

MJ: I think it's really important, for a studio especially, to have a feeling of separation between living space and sleeping space. Ideally, an apartment with washer and dryer in unit would be--

WILL TAYLOR: That's the New York City dream.

MJ: Right?

WILL TAYLOR: And what's your budget?

MJ: Around $2,000.

WILL TAYLOR: All right. I love that you're saying around. I know that means you have a tiny bit of flexibility.

MJ: A bit of wiggle room. Yeah, I'd say give or take $300.00, but--

WILL TAYLOR: OK. Awesome.

MJ: Closer to $2,000.00 would be the best.

WILL TAYLOR: I don't know if I can promise you everything, but I definitely think I can get you most of what you want. I have three great apartments to show you.

MJ: OK.

WILL TAYLOR: The first one is just around the block. Should we hit it up?

MJ: Let's do it.

WILL TAYLOR: All right, let's go.

All right, MJ. I'm so excited to show you studio number one of the day. And if I may say so myself, it's a pretty good one. It's currently renting under budget at $1,900.00 a month. It's rent stabilized. But please turn around because there's a dishwasher.

MJ: Oh, my god.

WILL TAYLOR: And a combo washer-dryer in unit, which is basically unheard of for a studio, right?

MJ: I've never seen this in a studio apartment before.

WILL TAYLOR: It gets better still. So I know you were looking for a studio that had kind of a slight separation between work, dining, living, sleeping.

MJ: Yes.

WILL TAYLOR: It has that. Tons of natural light with the two windows, and the central air built in as well. So you're not going to be melting in the summer. This apartment is just like, it blew my mind.

MJ: It's giving, for sure.

WILL TAYLOR: Right. It definitely keeps giving. And you have to check out the bathroom as well. So it's right near the entrance. Let's go check it out. Your toilet's actually separate, and it comes with a bidet.

MJ: What is this place? How did you find it?

WILL TAYLOR: Right?

MJ: I've never seen a bidet in an apartment before.

WILL TAYLOR: I don't want you to get too excited, because I still have two more apartments to show you.

MJ: It's going to be hard to beat this one.

WILL TAYLOR: It is. But they're in the same neighborhood. It's just a few blocks away.

MJ: OK.

WILL TAYLOR: So let's go check it out.

MJ: Let's do it.

WILL TAYLOR: All right. All right, MJ. Apartment number two. And this one is actually under budget, and it's a junior one-bedroom, technically.

MJ: Wow.

WILL TAYLOR: So pop your head around in the corner there, so you can see. That's the bedroom. There isn't a closet in there, but you do get a bit more separation, because it does have the full door.

MJ: Yeah. It feels like a one-bedroom apartment.

WILL TAYLOR: Right? And you have this kind of kitchen, dining space in here. There is laundry in building. The current tenant has added them in here. Just check with your landlord. But at least you know you can do that if you've got the option.

MJ: Yeah. It's a great option.

WILL TAYLOR: And then your main living space is through in here.

MJ: Oh, this is nice.

WILL TAYLOR: Right? Tons of light and space in here. And your closet that wasn't in the bedroom is actually here. So that's kind of why this is a junior one-bedroom.

MJ: And this looks like a big closet too.

WILL TAYLOR: Right.

MJ: I Also love the fireplace. And exposed brick, that's just charming.

WILL TAYLOR: The romanticism. The charm.

MJ: I picture it now, me sitting on the couch watching TV, candles in the fireplace.

WILL TAYLOR: All right. I have one more apartment to show you. Let's go check it out.

MJ: Let's do it.

WILL TAYLOR: All right, MJ. I'm so excited to show you the third and final apartment. Come into this really impressively-sized entryway, right?

MJ: Yes. This is gorgeous.

WILL TAYLOR: Now I'm going to be honest from the off. This is slightly over budget. So it's currently renting at $2,200.00, but I wanted to show it to you because when I walked in, the first thing I said was, "Wow", right?

MJ: Absolutely.

WILL TAYLOR: Great space. The kitchen, I love how it's like tucked away back here, but you still, because of this open arch, get the light, right?

MJ: Yes. Definitely.

WILL TAYLOR: So it kind of has that bit of separation, which I know is important to you. One of my favorite things about older buildings like this is they have tons of storage. Like, this place has four or five huge closets. For a studio apartment, that's just unheard of, right?

MJ: No. I've never heard of that. And I have a lot of closet space in my current apartment.

WILL TAYLOR: Right.

MJ: Not something I was looking forward to getting rid of, and I don't have to in this place.

WILL TAYLOR: Also, I know you said you kind of liked zoning. This is more open plan, but I feel like with furniture, you could easily section this up.

MJ: And I like that the bed is tucked away in a nook like this, so it does create that separation, again, of sleeping space and living space, which I absolutely adore.

WILL TAYLOR: I feel like you love this one, but I don't want you to make your mind up just yet.

MJ: OK.

WILL TAYLOR: Go away. Digest it. We'll connect, and you can let me know if you're going to pick anything.

MJ: It's going to be a challenge, but thank you so much.

WILL TAYLOR: Of course. Let's go.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

MJ: Hey guys, it's MJ. I know it's been a minute since we looked at the apartments in Hell's Kitchen together. But change of plans for me, actually. I was able to work with my landlord to get my lease extended a few months. So I don't have to move all of my belongings and lug them to Hell's Kitchen anymore. Hopefully, this spring when I do have to look for an apartment again I'll be able to incorporate some of Will's tips then, or even better, hopefully I'll be able to bring Will along with me for the journey.