Moving to NYC this Fall, looking for advice (Inwood, Washington Heights: apartment, rental)

[AWingpilot]

Hi everyone,

I posted here a little while back and got some helpful advice but I am looking for some more specific information to get started with living in NYC.

Summary:
Graduated and starting with an accounting firm at $57K a year with a $5K signing bonus if I pass the CPA beforehand.
Moving from VT, lived in NYC LES (Orchard/Delancey) last summer, subletted, apartment was crap but location was nice.

Ideal Scenario:
One bedroom studio in Manhattan
Ideal locations are LES, West Village, Chinatown, Astoria, Hoboken in that order

Secondary Choice:
Myself and 2 roomates in above locations and Alphabet City

I would absolutely love to live by myself in a studio. Some people tell me I can make it work, others say its impossible as I will spend all my money on rent and be miserable etc.

I am considering using a broker, it doesn't seem a good idea to use craigslist or just google searches and hope I get lucky.

Questions:

What broker(s) would you recommend for me, if any, for the above locations? Can I simply call them up and just inquire or do you have to commit to pay for that?

I see links like these at sites like Renthop and I feel like with some prices like this I could make it work, but is that the reality with taxes and everything? Excuse the naive questions as I said I am brand new to this.

If anyone has similar stories about starting out and ideal neighborhoods for a young professional, please let me know.

Thank you,

Nick

[Henna]

The landlord will expect to see proof that you make 40x the monthly rent, so, no, you cannot swing a $2000/ mo studio. The most you should be spending (and that most landlords will allow you to spend) is $1425. That's 57000/40.

I don't know the rents in Hoboken but you might get a studio in Astoria for that. Forget about Manhattan unless you want to live in Inwood or Washington Heights, or live with roommates.

[usamathman]

I think your best bet would be to do with a roomate situation. As Hanna stated in her recent post, most studio's in manhattan will be out of your range. Inwood/Wsh Heights studios run anywhere from $950 - $1200 per month not including utilities.

57K is a decent starting salary, but your take home pay after taxes would be in the neighborhood of $2500 month. I know many including myself who make in $75K+, and still choose the roomate situation to save $$$. Check out craiglist to get a good idea of the rental prices.

I would try the roomate situation for a few months and once you get a solid budget together than you could move on long term rental.

Best of luck with the move.