Short answer. No. The problem is there is insane amounts of money chasing a very limited pool of real estate. My first place in Manhattan was a sublet. Throug

Short answer. No. The problem is there is insane amounts of money chasing a very limited pool of real estate. My first place in Manhattan was a sublet. Through Craigslist I contacted the person currently on the lease and received an appointment time. I showed up to find 15ish other people there, interviewing in groups of 4. I ended up getting the space. Two days later I banded over first and last months rent a few weeks in advance to moving in to a person I'd only just met, $3,000. The room was just large enough for a twin bed and a dresser, if you stepped over the bed to get to the dresser. And there was someone living in the living room behind a curtain. And this is not at all unusual. And that was just my first place. Got several other crazier stories from my 5 yrs of living in NYC apartments. I loved every minute of it. Technology can make apartment hunting in NYC more fair and transparent, but not more affordable.