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Old 08-27-2007, 12:28 PM
 
6 posts, read 43,257 times
Reputation: 11

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Hello friends,



I am contemplating taking a position with a company for an annual salary of up to $150,000. I live in the South, though I lived the majority of my life in the DC region. My question is this, is it worth moving to the largest, most expensive city in the U.S for this salary? I have a wife, two dogs, and a child on the way. I could care less about Manhattan and its nightlife. I need a place to live that is;

1) Safe
2) Affordable to a degree ($3500-$4000 a month)
3) Green space for the dogs, not having to go 20 floors down to walk them (preferably a townhouse/condo with a yard)
4) Close to train- everyone goes commutes by train, I would be no different. 20-30 minutes?
5) Parking for car(s).

Be honest, please. I make a pittance now, but I work five minutes from home, rent a nice house, and my wife and I make about $75k annually. Additionally, she will bring home about $50k in NYC at an area hospital. Options? Opinions? Connecticut, Long Island, Jersey, Westchester County?


Thanks,


Buddy
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Old 08-27-2007, 01:38 PM
 
127 posts, read 633,678 times
Reputation: 73
A family of 3 should be able to make it on $200K in the metro area without much difficulty. Whether it'd be worth it is another story. Your income would be increasing almost three fold, but depending on where you're moving from, it's quite possible that your housing costs would increase just as much or more, and you'd also likely be paying a lot more for utilities, groceries -- heck, most things.

With a kid on the way, you might be interested in good public schools, although you have a few years to worry about that. If that matters to you, stick to the suburbs -- most city schools are bad, or overcrowded, or both. And you want green space, which is certainly more doable in the suburbs.
Then, your problem becomes that, depending on where your job is located, you're not likely to be within a 20-30 minute commute. If you lived, say, in Nassau County (western Long Island), and you were working downtown, your one-way commute would almost certainly be at least an hour.
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Old 08-27-2007, 02:03 PM
 
36 posts, read 153,914 times
Reputation: 18
Default Out look not so good

Quote:
Originally Posted by buddypawl View Post
Hello friends,



I am contemplating taking a position with a company for an annual salary of up to $150,000. I live in the South, though I lived the majority of my life in the DC region. My question is this, is it worth moving to the largest, most expensive city in the U.S for this salary? I have a wife, two dogs, and a child on the way. I could care less about Manhattan and its nightlife. I need a place to live that is;

1) Safe
2) Affordable to a degree ($3500-$4000 a month)
3) Green space for the dogs, not having to go 20 floors down to walk them (preferably a townhouse/condo with a yard)
4) Close to train- everyone goes commutes by train, I would be no different. 20-30 minutes?
5) Parking for car(s).

Be honest, please. I make a pittance now, but I work five minutes from home, rent a nice house, and my wife and I make about $75k annually. Additionally, she will bring home about $50k in NYC at an area hospital. Options? Opinions? Connecticut, Long Island, Jersey, Westchester County?


Thanks,


Buddy
Everything I have seen posted on here it seems like your options are slim on living near or around the city unless you have a nice sized bankroll. 20% down on your town home or condo will set you back at least $60,000 out of pocket on a modest $300,000 place. The good news is you and your wife combined make the required 45x monthly rent at least qualify for the privilege of renting around NYC.
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Old 08-27-2007, 05:04 PM
 
1,529 posts, read 2,776,837 times
Reputation: -80
You should be able to afford a decent area. Bensonhurst, Bay Ridge and parts of Queens for the kid. Maybe even Staten Island.
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Old 08-27-2007, 08:54 PM
 
435 posts, read 1,517,589 times
Reputation: 157
People, the man makes 150k per year. He can afford some nice places

Okay, here's some areas for you and the kiddies:



Brooklyn:
Bay Ridge
Bensonhurst
Borough Park
Midwood
Sheepshead Bay
Williamsburg
Greenpoint
Park Slope


Queens:
Forest Hills
Kew Gardens
Astoria
Bayside
Whitestone
Fresh Meadows
Bellerose
Little Neck
Douglaston
Middle Village
Glendale
Maspeth


Bronx:
Riverdale
Country Club


Staten Island: Everything south of the expressway
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Old 08-27-2007, 09:44 PM
 
6 posts, read 43,257 times
Reputation: 11
Default Thanks

Quote:
Originally Posted by briarwood View Post
People, the man makes 150k per year. He can afford some nice places

Okay, here's some areas for you and the kiddies:



Brooklyn:
Bay Ridge
Bensonhurst
Borough Park
Midwood
Sheepshead Bay
Williamsburg
Greenpoint
Park Slope


Queens:
Forest Hills
Kew Gardens
Astoria
Bayside
Whitestone
Fresh Meadows
Bellerose
Little Neck
Douglaston
Middle Village
Glendale
Maspeth


Bronx:
Riverdale
Country Club


Staten Island: Everything south of the expressway




Thanks Briarwood! I will certainly keep these places in mind.
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Old 08-27-2007, 09:54 PM
 
51 posts, read 266,790 times
Reputation: 17
I would say trust in your gut - go to NYC, as I did, look around, and see (or feel) what your gut tells you. I don't care how good the position looks, or how much money it offers. If you don't feel comfortable there, you won't last long in that job. Or in New York City.
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Old 08-27-2007, 09:58 PM
 
6 posts, read 43,257 times
Reputation: 11
Quote:
Originally Posted by CanuckLawyer View Post
I would say trust in your gut - go to NYC, as I did, look around, and see (or feel) what your gut tells you. I don't care how good the position looks, or how much money it offers. If you don't feel comfortable there, you won't last long in that job. Or in New York City.

What did you think CanuckLawyer as a newbie?
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Old 08-27-2007, 10:28 PM
 
Location: New York City
564 posts, read 1,723,090 times
Reputation: 174
Parts of Brooklyn and parts of Queens are good for apartments, while Country Club in the Bronx will get you a beautiful house. You can also find nice apartments in the Riverdale section of the Bronx.
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Old 08-27-2007, 10:40 PM
 
51 posts, read 266,790 times
Reputation: 17
Quote:
Originally Posted by buddypawl View Post
What did you think CanuckLawyer as a newbie?
I loved it. I am back home now, but I am planning to return soon to take another look, to see if it's where I really want to end up. But lots of people I know hate the city.

You know any lawyers I can contact, bud?

Last edited by CanuckLawyer; 08-27-2007 at 10:48 PM..
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