Unfortunately I'm not in NYC yet so it's really hard to know what to look for.
Other than Craigslist, does anyone have any other tips?

it is very difficult.

you might check the village voice's web site and see if there's anything there.

when i lived in new york, i lucked into my best living arrangements via friends, co-workers and word of mouth.

http://www.villagevoice.c...assifieds/ (Anx beat me to it. )

http://www.nydailynews.co...ex.html#t1
“For rent” section

http://www.nypost.com/realestate/
“All property types”

http://www.nytimes.com/pa...index.html

Brace yourself.

When I moved out here, I had good luck using Craig's List to find a three-month sublet. It was easier to just get out here and have a place and then worry about finding a real long-term apartment.

Your thread title sounds like a tag line to a 90's slasher movie

senik said:

not helping. focus here.

senik said:

I'm looking for a place in N.Y too.

Citi-Habitats. They are "brokers" that work for you, but you don't have to pay them. They get paid by the apartment building/landlord if you rent the place. But I do agree with efan...it is almost impossible to find a place unless you are in the city. Luckily when I moved here, I moved in with someone my friend knew who needed a roommate--she was already here subletting from someone else, so she did all the running around looking at stuff. Our apartment was hella small, but it got me here.

Make sure you have all your financial stuff together. You should have access to enough cash for two months rent, copies of your bank statements, a copy of your credit score, and if you have a job lined up, a letter from your employer that shows what your annual salary will be might be useful. A lot of places require guarantors if you don't make X times the amount of rent. (For example, when I moved to NYC I was in grad school, so my parents had to sign as guarantors--luckily they made enough money.)

Good luck!