need help finding a place to live- lots of questions

[newyorker24]

Washer/dryer in the unit is not common, except for on high-end luxury buildings. For example, 95 Wall in my neighborhood has that but a studio is like $2500 a month.

[grimace8]

Originally Posted by iloveyou

flatbush? how long is the commute?

tremendous. it will get old fast. avoid.

[TurtleCreek80]

You need to re-set your expectations. $2500 for a Manhattan aparments with a w/d in unit is a studio or a 1 bedroom, not a 2. And good luck finding a w/d in unit anyway- extremely rare. Parking in Murray Hill/ Gramercy area is going to be pricey- probably $400-500/mo. And hardly any residential buildings have garage spaces- if they do, there are maybe 20 spaces underground for a building with 300 apartments. Those can approach $1k/mo. Also, had to giggle at your use of the world "townhome"- you need about $4-5M+ to use that word!!

The River terrace or whatever it's called- ok building, but it's across FDR (the highway running up Manhattan's east side) from the rest of Manhattan, so it feels really isolated. Also, FWIW, it's really windy every time I have gone to see friend's who live there- the way it's positioned on the river, it is just freezing there in the winter.

[Henna]

Agree that your budget is off for what you are asking for. Do you really need a 2-bedroom? And 2 bathrooms? Really? That's really asking alot in this city.

If you look in Queens you might have better luck with your budget. If you MUST have 2 bedrooms 2 bathrooms on $2500 you could look in Jackson Heights, where you could easily find that in a renovated pre-war apartment. A garage space will cost you an additional 175-225 per month. Some buildings have garages and some don't. There are quite a few trains that go to Jackson Heights (E/F/M/R/7) but your commute will not be 30 minutes. When all is said and done (walk to train, etc.) it will most likely be 40 minutes.

You might also try Sunnyside, Queens. The commute should be somewhat shorter (maybe 30 min?)since it is closer to Manhattan. I think it MAY be possible to get a 2b/2b there for $2500 but I am not sure. Again you will probably not have w/d in the unit.

Long Island City is the most Manhattan-like of Queens neighborhoods in terms of housing (new tall condo buildings) and a large Whole Foods-like store (it is not Whole Foods, just acts like one). You might find a unit with w/d in it, but not a 2b/2b for $2500. Still, I think it might make sense to at least look at the apartments in this area because you will save money vs Manhattan, parking should be cheaper and your commute will not be too bad since LIC is only one stop from Manhattan (but you will still have to take 2 train lines).