13 Things No One Tells You About Buying An Apartment In New York City

For some, living in New York City satisfies a temporary fix , a checkmark on life's bucket list. For others, it's forever .

Maybe you were born and raised in New York, or maybe you showed up one day and never looked back. Either way, for those people who are in it for the long haul, spending money on rent every month is daunting. And if you're lucky enough to be able to do it, buying an apartment in New York is a solid investment that can be even cheaper than renting .

However, there are some things that happen if and when you decide to take the plunge. Things that you might not necessarily have realized until you're knee deep in paperwork and brokers' business cards.

They are:

1. Your weekend plans completely change.
"I would love to have brunch, but I have 10,000 open houses to go to."

2. HGTV becomes your worst enemy.
Watching people buy mansions in other parts of the country with your studio budget will make you cringe.

3. ... And binge watching it will make you consider picking up and leaving New York altogether.
"But look at what I could get in Iowa!"

4. Your priorities will change.

"Big kitchen" changes to "anything with counter space" real quick.

5. But your standards shouldn't.

6. The process is a lot like dating .
Looking ... different in photos is equally as awkward on a date as it is at an open house, for example.

7. It takes forever.
Figure out how long you think it should take. Now triple it.

8. A lot of people have lots of cash.

All cash offers are real, and they're more than a little discouraging.

9. The board interview is not as scary as it seems.

10. You will be forced to become independent in completely new ways.
Remember the rental days when your building was responsible for ... everything? LOL.

11 .You will learn a lot.
Even the most financially clueless people have no choice but to grasp some understanding of the housing market and all that goes with it when it's all said and done.

12. You will also want to quit. A lot.

Weekend after weekend of attending open houses is daunting and can feel like a waste of time. It's not.

13. It's totally worth it in the end.
Owning a piece of real estate in the greatest city in the world and knowing you're making an investment when you write that check every month feels really freaking good.