Rentals, Taxes and Babies in NYC (New York, Union: for sale, apartments, insurance)

[dt817]

My wife and I are planning to move to Manhattan. We've been wondering about a couple of things...
1. What can we get for ~$4-5,000/month
-we're looking for a concierge building/elevator/washer&dryer/parking in the upper east side or gramercy park
-can we find good rental buildings without having to pay broker fees?
2. What is the tax situation (city, state & federal)?
-if I live in the city, do I still pay the city tax if I work in Westchester?
-what if I lived in Westchester and worked in the city?
3. How do mom's and newborns manage in the city?
-we are assuming that we'll need our own car (b/c of car seat) unless there are taxi's that have car seats?
-will we be able to park a stroller in any good restaurants?

Please answer whatever you can. Thanks for the advice.

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by dt817

My wife and I are planning to move to Manhattan. We've been wondering about a couple of things...
1. What can we get for ~$4-5,000/month
-we're looking for a concierge building/elevator/washer&dryer/parking in the upper east side or gramercy park
-can we find good rental buildings without having to pay broker fees?

you should be able to find plenty in that price range, instead of renting you could consider buying a co-op or condo, and retain some equity instead of just paying rent. Get the sunday NY times, and they have a huge listing of apartments for rent or for sale, rent directly from landlord or find listings without fees, the fees are easily avoided

Originally Posted by dt817

2. What is the tax situation (city, state & federal)?
-if I live in the city, do I still pay the city tax if I work in Westchester?
-what if I lived in Westchester and worked in the city?

it all depends on income, if you can afford 5k for rent I'll assume top rates, NYC 10.3% state??? fed 36% or so.
less living in westchester, you still pay working there

Originally Posted by dt817

3. How do mom's and newborns manage in the city?
-we are assuming that we'll need our own car (b/c of car seat) unless there are taxi's that have car seats?

cars are a pain in Manhattan, taxis do not have baby seats.
some areas are more kid tolerant than others

Originally Posted by dt817

-will we be able to park a stroller in any good restaurants?

more than likely not, but nothing is absolute. When I had young ones, we'd take them to fancy places early and most places were very accomodating, but those same places won't want to see kids at 8pm

[Travelher]

OK, for that amount of money you are fine.
I have three friends w/ children (5 months-15 months) who all live in Peter Cooper Village/Stuyvesant Town and love it.
I also live there and love it, but don't have children--yet. But I plan on it!

Your rent for a 2-bedroom would be under $4K w/ heat, hot water and electricity included.
There are numerous parks inside the property.
This will get you an elevator bldg, with laundry on the ground floor, bike storage and Uhaul container rental (for extra storage) but no door man.

It's a 10-minute walk to Union Square and you are within a 5-10 minute walk from restaurants in the East Village, Grammercy, Union Square.

Your wife will meet LOTS of other young moms with babies and find out where the hot "cafe w/ strollers" options are.
If you have a chance look at the website:
www.pcvst.com

Oh and there are no broker fees either.

There are a couple of garages onsite and I think the price is $300-$400/month. One friend has a car, but the others do not and use ZipCar which you pick up from the same garage. It's a great way to go if you don't need the car very often, for sure.

I don't know about the taxes as I live and work in the city.
You can PM me if you want more information.

And no, I don't work for Stuyvesant Town and I'm not an agent, I just really like where I live and think it's a great place for kids!

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by Travelher

OK, for that amount of money you are fine.
I have three friends w/ children (5 months-15 months) who all live in Peter Cooper Village/Stuyvesant Town

while sty town is a decent place to live I don't recall doormen or concierge services there

[Travelher]

You are right, there is no doorman, that's why I stated that in my reply,
"This will get you an elevator bldg, with laundry on the ground floor, bike storage and Uhaul container rental (for extra storage) but no door man."
As for the concierge service, there is one available on the property, The Villager, but I have been here for years and never had to use it.

I just don't know of any buildings that have the requirements the OP is listing that would also be broker free, so I thought I'd highlight that Stuy Town fit 'most' of the bill.

It's not for everyone, especially at first glance!
But it's a great neighborhood, fabulous place for kids and plenty of kid friendly options with stroller friendly cafes and restos in the area.

[bxlefty23]

please dont bring kids to resteraunts espeically if they make noise
nothing against you but way too many people bring small children that cant behave or ve quiet, and instead of leaving make everyone miserable

[PARISNYC]

Originally Posted by dt817

My wife and I are planning to move to Manhattan. We've been wondering about a couple of things...
1. What can we get for ~$4-5,000/month
-we're looking for a concierge building/elevator/washer&dryer/parking in the upper east side or gramercy park
-can we find good rental buildings without having to pay broker fees?
2. What is the tax situation (city, state & federal)?
-if I live in the city, do I still pay the city tax if I work in Westchester?
-what if I lived in Westchester and worked in the city?
3. How do mom's and newborns manage in the city?
-we are assuming that we'll need our own car (b/c of car seat) unless there are taxi's that have car seats?
-will we be able to park a stroller in any good restaurants?

Please answer whatever you can. Thanks for the advice.

I would recommend the Upper West Side, because it seems very family oriented. Ton's of families with children. You could rent a two bedroom given your price range. My brother has a newborn and lives in a building in the area (10 West End Avenue) with on-site and valet parking on premises and he loves having his car around.

There are plenty great luxury buildings with parking, just look around.

[Viralmd]

Why do you need a car? It's a true money sink in Manhattan and completely unnecessary. Just the insurance will put you into shock, much less the garage, which usually STARTS at $400/month and goes up from there.

And I second the comment about not bringing toddlers/babies to the restaurant. There are lots of babysitters in NYC. If you can afford a good restaurant, you can afford a sitter.

[dt817]

Thanks for the replies, so far. We really want a 24-hr doorman type building so the places you mentioned in Stuyvesant Town, although it sounds nice, would probably not work for us for now. We also want a W/D in the apartment and parking on-site. UWS does sound like a good possibility.
In regards to the comments about bringing babies,etc. to high-end restaurants, we only do it because our baby basically sleeps through dinner and behaves well if he happens to wake up. In Miami, we have probably interviewed about 30 "sitters/nannies" and we were not satisfied with having any of them take care of our baby. What is a good resource for finding help in NYC?

[Viralmd]

Not many buildings allow washers and dryers in apartments anymore, because of problems with flooding. You might find an apartment that's got one and is grandfathered in, but very few buildings permit new washers and dryers installed, even in a kitchen renovation. Just be happy you have washers and dryers in the basement.

Also, most buildings with garages have years-long waiting lists. There's NO need for a car in New York City.