Virginia K. Smith

When most of us think of new condo developments, "affordable" isn't the first word that springs to mind. And while this fall's onslaught of new condo units will feature quite a few high-priced options for the one percenters out there, the New York Daily News also reports that "more than half of the 2,500 new apartments slated to hit the market in Manhattan this fall will be geared toward first-time and price-sensitive buyers."

For a starter apartment, a post-war (without assessments) is a solid bet (NYT)

An easy way to alienate your neighbors: incessant drilling for a "geothermal well" (DNAinfo)

If you're anything like us, when you see renderings for new developments, your first thoughts are usually along the lines of "wow, that's expensive," followed by, "why are all the people in these pictures see-through?"

If you've got a little more than $4,000 a month to spend on rent, you can get a pretty nice place in NYC, from smaller, more centrally located apartments in buildings loaded with high-end amenities like swimming pools (or hotel spa access) to entire townhouses fit for a family in the outer boroughs. We've scoured the current listings in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx for options in your price range that'll suit just about every taste.

Don't get us wrong, they are still crazy. In the onslaught of market reports released today—all of which more or less tell us the same thing, that New York rentals are still wildly expensive—real estate brokerage MNS had some particularly jarring numbers, indicating that average rents in Bushwick spiked 23 percent in the past year, and in Crown Heights, 25.2 percent.