DISCLAIMER: This is by no means a guide to finding apartments in New York City. If you need a guide of the New York housing market, check out my personal favorites StreetEasy and Brick Underground (#notsponsored) or your local New Yorker (not me, though, because I haven’t lived here long enough to have any expertise… sorry!).

Ah, summer. The sun is out, the clothes are lighter in color and fabric, and for me and others around this time, it’s moving season. Not only being more active but also moving to a new home.

According to a 2018 article from StreetEasy, those on the prowl for a new apartment or home tend to be moving between May and September, which is the peak rental season in New York due to a higher inventory; however, you’d find the best discounts during the winter. But, we’ll focus on the summer portion since it’s now summer, and I and many other New Yorkers are checking out the inventory of apartments coming through this year.

With my lease up at the end of July, I’ve begun my hunt to find my next apartment. Though I did enjoy my stay at my studio up on the Upper West Side, it truly is what some would call a “starter apartment.” It’s “cozy” but not too small — I was able to fit my queen bed, a loveseat futon and a long hightop table all within the living space, and then work off a makeshift dresser as a desk — but the kitchenette I believed to be too cramped for an adequate cooking area (coming from a child of someone who’s worked in the food and beverage industry for decades) and the only two enjoyable amenities it had to offer were my super-cool super and an elevator. If there’s anything myself and others have learned while living in New York, especially during the coronavirus pandemic, it’s that you really figure out what matters to you when finding and making your home. And, with the New York rental market being thrown into a frenzy due to the pandemic, I’m looking to take advantage of the plethora of concessions that landlords and property managers have been throwing out there.

So, what am I looking for in an apartment? First thing’s first: size.

Like I mentioned before, I would describe my apartment to be “cozy.” At the time I signed the lease about a year ago, it definitely one of the largest apartments I could afford but as I began to build it into my new home, I began to realize not only how much space certain objects like furniture would take up, but how much space I take up, too. I would describe myself to be a “big guy” — I’m six feet tall on the dot and I have what some would call a “dad bod” (which I’m trying to fix, but we’ll talk about fitness goals another time) — so to say that I personally don’t take up a lot of space would be an understatement. And I didn’t realize this until I moved to New York and crashed at my aunt’s apartment before living in my own place. So anything larger than where I’m living now would be great and if it’s a one-bedroom, that would be heaven on Earth for me.

With a bigger apartment, I hope to find a place with a bigger kitchen, too. I was practically raised in the kitchen because of my mom, and because of that, I enjoy cooking. However, it’s a little challenging when cooking out of a small one like mine. I’ve worked in kitchenettes before — hell, my first-ever apartment in Fort Worth had a kitchenette — but the layout of the one I have now is a little challenging to work with since there’s very little counter space and not a lot of cabinetry. Fortunately, it has a full-size fridge and working stovetop oven, so I can’t complain too much about it. But to have a more open kitchen or at least one with more counter space and cabinetry would be great, and it would be even better if it’s an eat-in kitchen or open layout so I have somewhere to eat other than my loveseat or bed.

Next is location, location, location. As previously mentioned, I live on the UWS, specifically the Manhattan Valley area or where the Upper West Side begins to meet Morningside Heights and West Harlem. Though I’m currently working remotely, my office is expected to open up after Labor Day and I do hope that my team will get to return to the newsroom because I honestly hate working from home. Home is home, not work. With my office building being in Midtown, I’ve been narrowing down my search area to below 70th Street on both the Upper East and West Sides, and going as far down as Battery Park and Seaport, and everywhere in between. Don’t get me wrong — I love the Upper West Side. It has a great neighborhood feel to it and it makes for a great escape from the hustle and bustle of the city with its tranquility as you go further up and away from all the office and business of most of Midtown and Downtown. So, I’ve been also focusing on neighborhoods with a similar atmosphere as the UWS. I’m hoping to stay in Manhattan for the time being since it’s just so convenient to navigate around, and I’m still not totally familiar with Brooklyn, Queens or the Bronx to really consider whether I would call those Burroughs home. I’ve never been to Staten Island and it just seems to be too out-of-the-way for me to consider as well. I have also considered going across the Hudson and living in my birth state of New Jersey, but I may have to save Jersey for the future.

Then, there are the amenities. The building I’m living in at the moment has an elevator and a live-in super. The only thing I’ll probably miss about my building is my super Louis. Great guy. In my next building, not only do I hope to have an elevator and a super as great as Louis, but I’m hoping to find an apartment with its own laundry or at least on-site laundry facilities. I don’t mind doing laundry, as a matter of fact, I find it almost relaxing. But having to lug over a bag of dirty clothes and sheets along with a bottle of detergent and a box of dryer sheets makes the task so much more tedious than it needs to be, especially if you’re walking a few blocks away in either the heat of summer or several inches of snow. So if my next building has a laundry room, that would be a blessing.

Lastly, though I’m not certain when this will happen, I would want to be in a pet-friendly building. I grew up with several dogs in my life and I just love dogs in general. Literally every time I walk past a dog, I’ll say “Hi pup,” even if it’s an aging and decrepit hound with cataracts because let’s be honest — all dogs are pups, no matter how old they are. And I miss having a furry companion laying around to take care of, so when I move into my new apartment, I hope the building allows me to have a dog because it would be great to have the empty hole for man’s best friend to be fulfilled again.

And there you have it: everything I’m looking for when it comes to finding a new apartment for me. I’m honestly not a real estate expert, so it’ll be tough finding everything that I’m looking for in a new place but with how the New York rental market has been changing since the pandemic came around, I’m positive that I’ll be able to find a spot that’ll have everything I’m looking for… I just hope that it’ll be within my budget before the COVID deals disappear!