Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've done a good bit of research on this website, and just wanted to try shouting out my details and get some advice.
I just got a job (my first full-time out of college, yes!), I'll be working right near Grand Central. Making 38k (which is low, I know) and I'm worried about finding a good place to live. With that salary, I figure 1,000 and lower is all I can afford. Seems like Queens is my obvious choice considering commute, plus I like food and diversity (I am half-Japanese). Also being part Japanese, I am afraid of danger (haha), and would prefer a safe area. I am from the Baltimore area and frequent that city often, so I know that the dangerousness of cities can be misrepresented via word of mouth and media, but I still want to make safety a priority.
More specifically, I am having trouble finding good websites with apartment listings, and want to avoid using Craigs list, for obvious reasons. I have some cash saved up and would be willing to use a broker+all the costs involved, but only if it means I can secure a good place. I have figured out that in Queens, Astoria, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Jackson Heights seem like good areas to start.
Basically, I am asking for:
1. Good apartment listing websites.
2. The status on brokers (are they worth it, are they honest)/any good websites there
3. Other suggestions for location considering my price range/salary.
4. All other pertinent advice/encouragement would be appreciated - I am nervous about this move; I don't know anyone in NYC and don't have a lot of time to spend settling in.
I know that this is asked a million times over, but I feel like every case is a little different. Thanks for any and all help!
You should definitely look at Sunnyside and Woodside as well (Sunnyside being my top choice between those two). Why aren't you considering roommate situations? I would think this would be ideal for you, especially as a starting place.
A few other neighborhoods that could work for you are Rego Park and Elmhurst. I pesonally don't love either one, but they would be options for you to find a place on your own in your budget and they both have good transportation via subway. Elmhurst is extremely immigrant-based and quite a bit of the shopping along Broadway is ethnic (Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, South American, etc.) Elmhurst is also home to a very large mall, Queens Center Mall. The neighborhood is a good value if you don't mind being in a very non-American, non-hipster place.
If you are willing to even consider roommates (and I think you should) check the Queens section for roommates on craigslist to see what things look like. new york rooms & shares classifieds - craigslist
I could PM you a place to look at reviews of Astoria brokers, if you'd like. Let me know.
The only other sites that I have heard of friends using for apartment searches are nybits and streeteasy. And roommateswantednyc (if you are willing to go for a share).
$350, one week's pay, for everything but rent, you're right, I don't know what that's like and hope to never find out.
WHERE, pray tell, are you getting the number of $350 per week? At $38,000 per year, the OP will be taking home more like $600 per week after taxes, if not a bit more.
P.S. Part of my suspicion regarding your numbers and knowledge is due to the fact that you told someone that 1-bedrooms in Manhattan start at $2,500—a "fact" that everyone knows is not true.
We all know the rule of spending 30%. 30% of $2200 is $660.
Thats not happening here. OP will mostly like be spending $850-$950 for a sutdio or one bedroom in the outer boroughs.
Barring no debt or egregious expenses, I've always used the 40 percent rule, which would put the OP at $880 per month.
Everyone's situation is different. I know some people who spend greater than 40 percent of their income on rent and still manage to save and do just fine. It's all about what else you're willing to sacrifice.
If you're going to be working in Grand Central, I'd recommend Woodside, Sunnyside and Jackson Heights in that order. Sunnyside is nice, but I believe it's a little more expensive than Woodside and Jackson Heights. Living in Woodside would also put you at the 61st Station on the 7, which is an express stop and a quick ride to Grand Central (if a little crowded). I think you can still get a studio for under a $1000, but it'll probably be a little easier the further east you go.
As a new college graduate and at your income level, I would think that you'd need a guarantor as well.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
At $38,000 per year, the OP will be taking home more like $600 per week after taxes, if not a bit more. 
