Why I moved to NYC from LA: I wanted opportunities and a career that fulfills me
- Derek and his girlfriend moved into a basement studio apartment on Staten Island for $1,500 a month
“Navigating the city from a distance was difficult and we ended up with an apartment in Staten Island,” Derek said, describing his apartment search from a hotel in New Jersey.
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Derek Cook was looking to change careers from IT to real estate—and his girlfriend wanted to pursue her dream of being on Broadway. They sold nearly everything and drove cross country, ultimately landing in a studio apartment on Staten Island. Here’s Derek’s story as told to Kelly Kreth.
I was born in a small town 45 minutes outside of Austin, Texas. Most recently I lived in Downtown Los Angeles with my girlfriend.
While in Texas I owned a 1,600-square-foot, four-bedroom, three-bath home on a quarter of an acre that I bought for $195,000. When I moved to Los Angeles, I lived in a 300-square-foot apartment for $1,300 a month with utilities included. There were no amenities, but that was expected given the rent I paid.
In Los Angeles, there are hiking trails and beautiful beaches just 30 minutes away. Having access to nature while living near luxurious restaurants and incredible shops was great.
[Editor's note: Brick Underground's series The Newcomers features first-person accounts about why a renter or buyer decided to take a chance on NYC.]
While living there I explored as much as I possibly could, like eating at Grand Central Market, which is one of the best locations if your group can’t decide on what to eat, and exploring museums. Downtown LA area has so many amazing art museums from The Broad to the Museum of Contemporary Art.
I worked remotely in IT for part of the year, and transitioned to a part-time job so I could have more time to explore the city. My commute was a five-mile drive that took about 45 minutes thanks to LA traffic. I used the time to jam out to my favorite songs and look at the views of the Hollywood sign.
My old neighborhood wasn’t very sociable. When I was nice to any of my neighbors, they were so surprised they would sometimes give us a gift as a thank you.
Why he decided to move
Back when my girlfriend and I were still in high school—we have been together seven years—she told me she wanted to be on Broadway. We set our intentions to live there some day. In October we moved here to make that dream becomes a reality.
As for my goals, I got into real estate when I was 20 and became obsessed with investment strategies. I bought my Texas property after my sophomore year in college. I rented out three of the rooms and lived there while managing the property. I realized I enjoyed working in real estate more than my IT job and decided to make the switch when I got to New York.
Once I got my license, Keller Williams NYC reached out to me, which was perfect since I’m from Austin and Keller Williams was founded there.
After we decided to move, we sold 90 percent of our belongings and packed two suitcases. We then put them in my sedan and made the trek. Moving across the country was not easy; it was scary not to have family, friends, or jobs lined up, but it was also one of the most freeing feelings.
Since we were two broke kids who couldn’t afford to pay a broker, we did the entire search ourselves. [Editor’s note: A broker fee is paid when you hire an agent to show you multiple listings, otherwise a commission for an individual listing is paid by the landlord.] With our limited budget of $1,500, we didn’t have many options. We stayed in a hotel in Jersey for a few days while we searched. Navigating the city from a distance was difficult and we ended up with an apartment on Staten Island.
What he likes about his place
We moved into a 500-square-foot, basement studio apartment in Bay Terrace for $1,500 a month. There are no amenities, and the landlord lives upstairs.
It is cute neighborhood near a park with residents who help each other out. I love the quietness of the area; nothing crazy seems to happen.
My commute increased to 90-minutes: I take a bus to the ferry, then a train followed by a long walk.
I love to explore Manhattan, but on Sundays we go to Oda Café near our place. The kindest gentleman runs it, and it is such a good community with lots of regulars who know each other by name.
For the past six months I have had fun developing new friendships in the city.
While I wouldn’t change my decision to move to NYC for the world—there is truly no place like New York, and the opportunities here are endless—due to personal issues, I have decided to return to the Austin area soon. My girlfriend will remain in NYC and we continue via a long-distance relationship. I will advance my real estate career with Keller Williams out of Austin.
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