In person or using Google Maps, find an intersection near what represents your ideal NY apartment location.

Decide how far away from this intersection you’d be willing to live (usually 2-5 blocks in each direction).

Go to your selected area and start walking every street within the “zone” you selected in the previous step. As you walk, check every building for management company signs, avoiding anything that says broker or similar. Write names, numbers and/or addresses while walking; streets can normally be done in one pass, but avenues may require one pass on each side.

When you’ve covered every street, find a place to sit down and call the resulting list of numbers. Simply say, “I’m calling to see if you have any apartments available at (insert address here)”.

With any luck, have a party at your new apartment. I’ve used this seemingly obvious method repeatedly and I’ve never had to pay a broker.