2BR, Upper East Side

Emily Hand, 26, sommelier; Kristen Troyansky, 25, facility and sales development coordinator
Rent: $2,200
Broker's fee: 15 percent of first year's rent ($3,960)
Broker: Morgan Turkewitz, Citi Habitats (516-314-6309, mturkewitz@citi-habitats.com; citi-habitats.com)
Moved in: September 2011

THE SEARCH: "I found Craigslist to be exhausting, and 99 percent of the listings were just complete B.S.," says Hand. "There was one place in the Financial District in a swanky new building—a studio that had been converted into a two-bedroom. We looked at the broker and were like, 'Are you kidding?' Then I found Morgan through a family friend. I hooked up with her around April, and in May she found the place I'm currently living in. Our apartment never really went on the market. Morgan heard about it through another broker, and she gave us an exclusive first look because she knew Kristen and I were looking in this neighborhood and price range."

THE SPACE: "It's completely remodeled—the kitchen, the bath, the floors, the windows. The kitchen has counter and cabinet space, a new refrigerator and gas oven, and more storage than I know what to do with, which is great because the apartment doesn't have any closets," says Hand. "There are actually two common areas. There is the living room, with the couch and the TV, and there are French doors leading to the back room, which we're using as a dining room/dressing room. I think that room is my favorite because of the windows. They take up almost the whole back wall; they're almost floor-to-ceiling."

THEIR FAVORITE NEIGHBORHOOD SPOTS: "Fairway Market (240 E 86th St between Second and Third Aves; 212-327-2008, fairwaymarket.com) just opened; it's on our way home from the subway," notes Hand. "There are great restaurants and bars. We've been frequenting Ryan's Daughter (350 E 85th St between First and Second Aves, 212-628-2613), and there's a great sushi place called Amber (1406 Third Ave at 80th St; 212-249-5020, orderamberuppereast.com)."

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