I tried searching the past posts but couldn't find an answer to this question. I know it depends on the area, but generally speaking what is a good starting salary for a decent full time system admin with a moderate amount of experience?

I'm the LinkMeister today. . . :)

Look at:

http://www.datamasters.com/survey.html#main
http://www.graduatingengineer.com/interview/salaries.html
http://www.career.gatech.edu/employer/graduates/salaries.html

. . .and many more.

Don't get too intoxicated by the really big numbers you might see. You can't always trust the source of this information. Some such outfits are really "headhunters" and they love to build you up, Buttercup. ;)

You'd be lucky to find a job with those salaries at with all the tech companies going out of business.

it depends on what area you are in

I am not looking for a job, I am looking to hire a full time systems administrator.

Then you would need to pay like this:

The work reference / and certifications.