Use word of mouth. Start any search with your friends, family, work, or school connections. Like jobs, the best apartments in New York City often come through personal connections and social networks. Email everyone you know and tell them when you are moving and what you are looking for. Ask them to email everyone they know. This approach takes some time, but is definitely worth it.

Give yourself some time. If you can move to the city and stay with friends, or sublet for a few weeks or even a month, do so. This will give you some time to get the lay of the land before deciding on a place to live.

Determine your budget. Your percent of rent in relation to your income in NYC could be higher than the standard 25%. Many New Yorkers spend between 30% and 40% of their post-tax income on rent, especially those making under $60,000 a year. A simple rent calculation is to double your income, and remove two zeroes. So, if your salary is $40,000 per year, the amount of rent you pay should very roughly be around $800 per month.

Look at the right time. The apartment rental market is most active during the summer, especially in August and September. The first and last week of each month are the best times to look. Usually tenants give 30 days notice at the beginning of the month. By the end of the month, owners are getting desperate if places are not filled.

Narrow your search. Form a picture of the kind of place you are looking for and can afford. Then stick to your guns and focus your search on that picture. That way you'll know when to pounce on a place, and when to walk. To keep from getting overwhelmed, try focusing your search on one or two neighborhoods.

Visit neighborhoods. Walk around each neighborhood and plan to spend some time there. Find a cafe or park and observe the environment to see if you like it. Try using the transit you would be using to go to work or school at different times of the day to determine if the commute will work for you.

Ask questions. When visiting apartments ask questions about noise, morning and evening light, neighbors, electrical and plumbing age, pests, as well as security. Also, be sure to ask whether or not the heating and utility costs are included in the rent. Heating costs in the winter can easily be as high as $300 a month.

Consider your commute. Easy travel to work or school should not be undervalued. As you will quickly realize, rent prices are almost always higher near subway stations, especially those in Manhattan. One common trade-off is between apartment size and commute length. You can get a much bigger place if you're willing to walk further or take a longer train ride.

Be ready to decide. Apartments do go quickly in this city, so come prepared to make a decision. It's a good idea to carry copies of your credit report and be sure to bring along any roommates who will be making the decision with you. All this being said, don't let people push too hard. If you need to think about it, take your time, but understand that the apartment may be gone by the time you decide.

Stick to your price. It is important to decide how much you can afford to pay for rent before you begin looking. When dealing with a real estate agent, it is a good idea to be clear about your budget, and to stick to it. If they offer to show you an apartment that is above your maximum, tell them that you're not interested. Remember: the higher your rent, the higher their fee.

Know your rights. Obviously, a lease is a legal document. Before signing one, you should know your rights as a tenant. Given all the things that can go wrong with an apartment (plumbing, leaky roofs, pests, noise, theft, etc), it's important to understand what your landlord is and isn't responsible for. Fortunately, the State of New York provides a great online Tenants' Rights Guide.

Fee vs. No-Fee
Real estate agents charge a fee for their services. The standard realtor fee in New York is 15% of the first year's rent. For a $1,000 / month apartment, that's $1,800 up front and out of your pocket. Given these sums, many people try to find no-fee apartments. No-fee apartments are apartments that are being rented out directly by their owners. Sometimes the owners are individuals and sometimes they are companies that own apartment buildings.

No-Fee Brokers
Given the current fervor for finding no-fee apartments, many real estate agents have jumped on the no-fee bandwagon. It is not uncommon for apartments to be listed as no-fee that are actually being rented by a realtor, who is being paid by the owner or landlord. As they say, there's "no free lunch": the presence of a broker will usually be reflected in a higher rent price.

Finding No-Fee Apartments
Finding a good no-fee apartment is not always easy. Backpage and Craigslist have large no-fee sections, as do many other online listings sites. There are also companies (many of whom lure in customers through online listings) that provide lists of no-fee apartments for a small ($100-$200) fee, which they claim will be refunded if you don't get your apartment through them. Some of these companies are legitimate, but there are many that are not, providing poor-quality listings and then refusing to refund your payment at the end. As always, be careful before handing over your money. One of the best ways to find a no-fee apartment is simply to find someone whom you know to be moving out of his or her apartment, and contact their landlord directly. Another option is to contact the companies that manage large apartment buildings. If you find a building that you would like to live in, look for the contact information of the building manager (usually right by the mailboxes in the entrance) and give them a call. There's a good chance that they'll know of an upcoming opening in that building, or in one of their other similar properties.