For many New Yorkers, their 2016 new years resolution is to move

By Mayra David  | December 21, 2015 - 3:59PM
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New Year, new beginnings. Does that apply to how we feel about our living situations, too? We asked nine New Yorkers: Would you rather stay in your current apartment, or move in 2016?

  • Up and comer I’d stay right where I am! This neighborhood is up and coming and I own property here. There are new restaurants that are making all sorts of top 10 lists, new buildings are being built or old ones being renovated. It’s safe, it’s convenient. —Qunita, Flatbush (shown at left)

Where everybody knows your name I love my apartment, the building, the people. I’m in a sublet with really low rent because the owner doesn’t have a mortgage. The only problem is that this is a co-op and not a rental building. Everybody is all up in everybody’s business here! I was thinking of renting out my place through AirBnB, just because I’ll be away for the holidays. But I can’t! Everyone will know! —Ellie, Upper West Side

  • Where you go, there I’ll be It doesn’t matter too much to me, I go where my boyfriend goes. We do go out downtown quite a bit, but I work in New Jersey and I think our apartment now is fine. But I guess if it were totally up to me, I would move somewhere a bit bigger, just for a bit more space. —TJ, Hamilton Heights (shown at left)
  • Deal breaker I'll be moving. The apartment is fine and the rent is okay. But the cockroaches are out of control. —Nina, Harlem

  • Price lock guarantee!  My rent is really great, especially for Manhattan standards and we have that rent locked in for another year-and-a-half. It’s a small one bedroom and we just put in some work, actually. It’s freshly painted and we invested in new decor! —Elizabeth, Upper West Side (shown at left)
  • Reality bites I guess if I’m being honest, I’d move, if I could. The reality is, I can’t due to financial reasons. But if I had a bit more money, I’d get my own place, without roommates. I just want my own space. —Kira, Bushwick
  • Stay put! (Or maybe not?) I would stay in my apartment because the location is very convenient with trains, etc. to get to work downtown. I have express trains within three minutes of where we live! Maybe—maybe!—I’d move, but only to Washington Heights because the apartments seem larger in that area.  —Felipe, Hamilton Heights (shown at left)
  • A cure for homesickness I kind of want to leave and move in with roommates. Sounds odd, but there you go. I’m going to school for my master’s degree and the work is extremely stressful and time consuming. I want to live with my friends from school who understand what that means. But also, so we can create a home for each other, since none of us are from here and in fact are all new to NYC. It can be a bit terrifying. —Irina, Morningside Heights
  • Bring it on, 2016!  Possibly, I’m the only person who will say this: I’d move out of the city entirely. I’d like to move somewhere greener and quieter. But my girlfriend is an actress, so any discussion about moving just outside the city ends in tears. So we are staying, for now. I’m giving it another year. —Stephen, Jackson Heights

Verdict: New Yorkers are on the move (unless the rent is good)!

Related:

Recent NYC immigrants describe what makes this city so tough -- and so hard to leave

Your must-read 8-week guide to preparing for a move

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