Are you a property owner that wants to sell their condo, investment property or needs to rent an apartment or retail space in New York City? Call or text me: Sam Moritz, licensed real estate agent, 203–209–3640.
Do you know a property owner that might need real estate help? Refer me! I provide great and professional real estate services across all five boroughs.
For many years I, maybe like many New Yorkers wondered: what’s it like on Staten Island?
When the landlord asked me if I wanted to rent an apartment on this faraway borough, taking on the listing seemed like it could be an impossible task. I live in Williamsburg and most of my real estate business is in North Brooklyn.
“It won’t be hard, Sam,” the landlord said. “Come out one time, take pictures, talk to the clients on the phone, and then my super will open the door and show them the apartment.”
Well, that did sound pretty easy.
I had lived in New York City for the first nine-ish years of my life, and had lived for the last ten-ish years in Bushwick and Williamsburg since graduating from my college. I had never once gone to Staten Island. But this sounded like a potentially easy deal and a fun adventure.
The morning I went there, I took the L train into Manhattan from Williamsburg, transferred at Union Square for a downtown four train and got off at the Bowling Green station, in the financial district. I then boarded a never-before-seen (for me) very nice MTA bus (it was like a combination of a standard MTA bus and a coach bus), which charged me a separate $5.75, aside from the subway fare. The bus drove through the Hugh L. Carrey tunnel from downtown Manhattan to Brooklyn, and then onto the Belt Parkway, and then over the Verrazano Bridge. I got off at the first stop after crossing the Verrazano, and then I walked five minutes to the apartment (house). The whole commute from Williamsburg took me about an hour.
Sim1c: Express to Staten Island, nicer than a normal MTA bus.
My commute
You’re going to think I’m crazy for saying this — but I thought Staten Island had sort of a beachy vibe, at least in this area by the bridge. It was sunny, calm, and peaceful. If I had been dropped off without knowing where I was, I could have thought I was maybe somewhere on Long Island (yes, I just wrote that haha). The smell of salt water hit me as I walked on the sidewalk (yes, it may have sort of been from the East River — but it’s salt water nonetheless!).
The apartment that I would be working on was nice, too. A duplex, on the second and third floor of a small building. Sunny, airy, and spacious, it felt kind of like some beach bungalow— for $2100 / month (tenant paying the broker fee). Yeah, I know, it’s Staten Island, but a nice space is a nice space.
What did I learn following my expedition to this out-of-the-way borough? Staten Island is a mellow, cool place. As the landlord said when we he showed me the apartment: “Sam, look, this is the country,” and then he sort of laughed. For New York City, it is sort of the country. I definitely felt like I was pretty far away from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, Williamsburg, and Bushwick — and could get to those places pretty easily.
If you’re looking for a quiet place to live or invest — who knows, maybe you want to check out Staten Island?
Are you a property owner that wants to sell their condo, investment property or needs to rent an apartment or retail space in New York City? Call or text me: Sam Moritz, licensed real estate agent, 203–209–3640.
Do you know a property owner that might need real estate help? Refer me! I provide great and professional real estate services across all five boroughs.