High-end 1BR apartment, Williamsburg

Sam Salmond, 25, musical-theater writer
Rent: $2,650, including hot water
Broker: Rapid Realty NY (rapidnyc.com) 
Broker’s fee: One month’s rent
Deposit: One month’s rent, plus first and last month’s rent
Moved in: August 2011

WHY HE MOVED: “I spent my first two years in New York living in Bushwick. I really liked it, but when I was there, I always referred to Williamsburg as my dream neighborhood. I’d sigh and say: Maybe one day, I’ll live in the magical land of Williamsburg. I decided to suck it up and take the leap. My last apartment in Bushwick was a two bedroom ($1,850 split between two), but I was ready to move on to a new phase in my life where I could write, work and live at home hassle-free.”

THE SEARCH: “I mainly used Craigslist [craigslist.org]. I had a really intense three days where I did nothing but search. I looked at about 12 places: It was fast-paced, frantic and glorious. I found Rapid Realty through a listing on Craigslist, and the broker, Tom, took me to a few places that I’d seen online. I didn’t like any of them and was really discouraged. Then Tom called me, told me about a place that was opening up that hadn’t been listed online yet, but there was only a ten-minute window for me to see it. I chugged my coffee and ran down the street. I knew the moment I walked in this would be my new home. I agreed to take it that same day, and the realty company was really helpful. They kind of held my hand as I went through the closing. They were down-to-earth and seemed genuinely invested in helping me find a place that suited my needs.”

THE NEIGHBORHOOD: “It’s a community of young, fascinating people. The streets are beautiful and there’s an endless variety of restaurants and bars. I’ve been here six months, and every day I walk past a boutique, restaurant or café that I’d never noticed before. Just the other night, my boyfriend and I hosted a wine-and-cheese night for some friends. We know absolutely nothing about wine or cheese, so we went to the Bedford Cheese Shop [229 Bedford Ave at North 4th St; 718-599-7588, bedfordcheeseshop.com], where they put together a five-course cheese menu for us with wine pairings. Then we walked to Brooklyn Oenology [209 Wythe Ave between North 3rd and 4th Sts; 718-599-1259, brooklynoenology.com], where we tasted and then bought some fantastic local wines. After that, we stopped by Whisk [231 Bedford Ave between North 3rd and 4th Sts; 718-218-7230, whisknyc.com] and bought the necessary supplies to serve it with. This was all within a two-block radius of my apartment. I love this neighborhood, because everyone here is devoted to their little niche, and as a community member, I get to benefit from their dedication to their craft.”

THE SPACE: “There are three distinct areas within the one-bedroom apartment—the living room, kitchen-dining room and bedroom. I’m a writer, so I spend most of my day working at home. I’ll write for a while in the living room, then walk down the hall and write in the dining room. Then, I can shut the door to my bedroom and sleep away from it all. Having totally differentiable areas and a separate place to sleep is what keeps me from going totally insane.”

HIS ADVICE: “I would recommend cutting out a couple of days to do nothing but look at apartments. Leave your schedule open, so you can see something the moment you hear about it. Things move insanely fast and waiting an extra day could mean losing a place. And don’t be fooled by neighborhood descriptions online. If anything refers to itself as ‘East Williamsburg’—it’s not Williamsburg. It’s Bushwick!”