Lucy Cohen Blatter

If you're looking for a sparkling new apartment with a gym and a pool, this $2,895 a month one-bedroom, one-bathroom in Murray Hill is not for you. But if you prefer "charm" with your accommodations, read on about this full floor of a brownstone. 

Just because you live in a rental, doesn't mean you have to live with white walls and blah fixtures. But before you start painting or replacing those door handles and ceiling lamps (which is generally allowed), you need to make sure it'll be easy to return everything to the the way you  found it ... or risk losing your security deposit.

The layout of this studio co-op at 55 Pineapple Street in Brooklyn Heights, on the market for $315,000, makes it feel less like a studio and more like a small one-bedroom apartment. And who wouldn't want to live on Pineapple Street?

If your budget falls smack dab between $1 and $ 2 million, you can get a pretty nice place (only in New York, folks). If you're willing to venture outside Manhattan, you may even be able to get a brownstone or stand-alone house. (No neighbors--woohoo!) Here's what's available right now, from an Upper West Side one-bedroom to a four-bedroom house in the Fieldston section of Riverdale.

New York City winters can turn any social butterfly into a bonafide hermit. These tricked-out in-building lounges mean never having to wear your coat to socialize outside the apartment. (And perhaps the savings on a monthly MetroCard will make up for the sky-high rents and sales prices? Yeah, we doubt that too.)