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  1. Photograph: Jakob N. Layman
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    Jackie Blaze, Nick Maciag, and Daniel Sumbang in their 2BR apartment in the East Village

  2. Photograph: Jakob N. Layman
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    2BR apartment, East Village

  3. Photograph: Jakob N. Layman
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    2BR apartment, East Village

  4. Photograph: Jakob N. Layman
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    2BR apartment, East Village

  5. Photograph: Jakob N. Layman
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    2BR apartment, East Village

  6. Photograph: Jakob N. Layman
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    2BR apartment, East Village

  7. Photograph: Jakob N. Layman
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    2BR apartment, East Village

  8. Photograph: Jakob N. Layman
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    2BR apartment, East Village

  9. Photograph: Jakob N. Layman
    Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

    2BR apartment, East Village

2BR apartment, East Village

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2BR apartment, East Village
Jackie Blaze, 26, freelance art director; Nick Maciag, 27, copywriter; Daniel Sumbang, 27, production designer

Rent: $2,900, including heat and hot water
Broker: Eric Graczyk, Prudential Douglas Elliman (516-263-7601, egraczyk@elliman.com, elliman.com)
Broker’s fee: One month’s rent
Deposit: One month’s rent
Moved in: February 2012

THE SEARCH: “We were mostly using Craigslist [craigslist.org], contacting brokers about apartments that way,” says Blaze. “Eric kept in touch, letting me know he was available in case I needed any help. When we were really ready, I contacted him and he suggested a couple of places. He seemed like another friend. Talking to him [we found] he had the same interests and understood what we were looking for. I respected his advice.”

THE DEAL: Broker Eric Graczyk was able to talk the landlords down from an initial offer of $3,100 per month. “I do a lot of work in the area and I knew that $3,100 was very high for that unit,” explains Graczyk. “My clients also wanted a March 1st move-in, and the landlord wanted an immediate move-in. I used that in our favor to negotiate a February 20th move with a rent of $2,900.”

THE APARTMENT: “We didn’t care about bedroom size,” says Blaze, who explains that the trio hasn’t found time to decorate yet, “but we wanted a good-size living room because we really like to host people and have parties. We’ve lived in the LES and East Village before without any noise complaints, and parties are pretty common on the weekends. It’s pretty spacious. There’s a big kitchen with a huge countertop and a dishwasher, which is good when you have three people in the apartment. You can also tell that it’s all new. That’s rare in this neighborhood. The building’s staircase is marble tile and it’s very clean. With a lot of New York apartments, even if the apartments look nice, the hallways and entryways look rundown. This one is pristine.”

THE NEIGHBORHOOD: “We never have to leave the East Village if we don’t want to,” says Blaze. “There are tons of young people around, and lots of little shops and restaurants. We love Luke’s Lobster [93 E 7th St between First Ave and Ave A; 212-387-8487, lukeslobster.com] and Caracas [91–93½ E 7th St between First Ave and Ave A; 212-228-5062, caracasarepabar.com], and they’re right down the block. I go to yoga and it’s a ten-minute walk. At first I thought the trains might be a problem, but the L actually works out great.”

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