Brooklyn, NY: moving advice/realtors

The realtor will call your job, so let your boss know ... usually they'll ask for the name and nummer.

How cheaply can one eat and live in Brooklyn and survive?

depends where you want to live and what you like to eat. I imagine you can eat beans and rice pretty much anywhere and do ok, no?

Brooklyn is large...i.e. it would be the 4th largest city in the US if it was a city. You can pay almost nothing and live in a terrifying neighborhood or you can pay millions and live with celebrities. More likely you'll pay somewhere inbetween and live with a bunch of graphic designers.

I can't imagine it would cost any more than living in San Francisco or L.A. You can spend tons of money if you are so inclined, but you can also be fairly prudent. In the summer, you can do lots of stuff for free.

Eh. The price for a decent studio in SF will get you a studio in a crack house in Brooklyn about 2 hours from Manhattan. Rents have really skyrocketed over the past 3 or so years.

burt, teach us how to handle the edginess.

I lived in Williamsburg proper above a brunch bistro and below another brunch bistro.

omg you're amazing can i like, touch you or something?

http://myspace-002.vo.llnwd.net/00713/20/01/713361002_l.jpg

Three pieces of advice: One, use a broker if you can afford it because they have access to better apartments. Two, get roommates to help defray the costs. Three, have ALL of your application materials ready when you go looking at places so if you find something that works, you can go ahead and apply on the spot. Sure it's a painful process, but that's just cuz people want to live here.

As for short-term sublets, I've known loads of people who have done fine by craigslisssst, just use discretion, etc. God knows there are millions of people who have to jet off to Europe for two months and are looking for someone to cover their rent while they're gone.

And advice for teresa:

Hmmmmmm, it is all food for thougth. It is navigating this modern world of coed/cosexuality friendships that has like, blown my mind. The truth is, people have enough friends; certain people are around because the tension is fun, and when that's over or goes too far, that's it. Sometimes people act on it for life filler. People in power like to exercise power in sexual form. It's what they call... gorwing up.

-- J0rdan S., Thursday, April 10, 2008 11:20 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark Link

burt, U funny.

admrl, do you have a space you can swap? Has anyone for that matter done the very intriguing housing swap that people advertise on CL?

In addition to brokers and CL, I think you might find some good stuff just walking around your future neighborhood if you can swing a trip. They are some ludicrous inefficiencies in "edgier" neighborhoods due to some of the landlords not being all that up on prices and not using computers. Right when I was moving, one of my neighbors who did not speak English had a sign up for their two-bedroom apartment with yard in Wburg PROPER. I asked how much they wanted and they told me something nuts like $1400.

woahhhhh.

Wow, that shit doesn't happen down here in South Brooklyn, but then it is fairly posh down here, eh?

For the Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill area, I recco Vita Realty and Brooklyn Heights Realty (both have offices on Court Street). Also Candice at Brooklyn Heights Real Estate. I had decent experiences with all of them when I was looking. There's a dude named Allan Gerovitz at Douglas Elliman who is supposed to be the king of this area, but he is kind of picky about who he works with. Again, if you can afford a broker you should use one because those people really really want you to find a place so they can get their fee.

Or just find a cheap place in Outer Williamsburg, Bed-Stuy or Sunset Park and be perfectly happy except for the schlep into the city and safety.

Three, have ALL of your application materials ready when you go looking at places so if you find something that works, you can go ahead and apply on the spot.

Very key. Among such materials I recommend printing out one of your free annual credit reports from freecreditreport.com (credit bureaus are required by law to provide one free report per year). You can also print out a free credit score by signing up for a 30-day trial membership and them cancelling.

I saved a $50 "credit check" renter's application fee by just bringing the stuff with me.

Except use annualcreditreport.com instead, which is the official one. That freecreditreport.com charges you a sneaky monthly fee for their "credit monitoring service" that you won't notice for months, which I found out the hard way.

haha get one trialmemberships30daycancellationcalendar.xls

Both Adams should move to Queens instead. We're real friendly here.

I'm not moving, just have been offered a very good summer internship that is hard to turn down. I can't swap because my wife has to stay in LA for the most part.

More likely you'll pay somewhere in between and live with a bunch of graphic designers.

-- dan selzer, Sunday, April 13, 2008 7:52 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Link

can't stand those people

adamrl, did you find a sublet yet?

i offered adam my bedroom, but he hasn't gotten back to me in a week or so.

Yea, I was wondering if there were deals to be had in Chinatown for 1 bedrooms...

not brooklyn

Chinatown is notorious for having apartments rarely become vacant.

You two.

God knows there are millions of people who have to jet off to Europe for two months and are looking for someone to cover their rent while they're gone.

Err, yeah, actually I have to jet off to Europe a couple times over the summer. End of June to early July, also various parts of August. I have a place in East Williamsburg / West Bushwick... Actually I haven't moved in yet and have no idea what the place looks like yet, but my friend swears its nice and has central air! When you coming to NY? My rent is like $700/mo.. If you dont find something for the entire time and want to break it up a bit maybe you can take my room for a couple weeks when im gone. dunno

what should I think about applying for a cheap apartment in Midwood?

I wd like to meet adamrl, seems like a perceptive filmdude.

have you gone to visit the neighborhood yet? i like it, based on limited familiarity. we drive through it pretty often and make the occasional stop for pizza at difara and a walk around.

I've been there a few times, but not lately. The apt has to go through "board approval," I wonder what that fee'll be.

My brother just signed to buy a place in Carroll Gardens; his realtor? Someone named "B3th Kug3l".

summer sublet-lookers, i have a classmate subletting her room in park slope this summer. however, it's $925, which may be more than you want to spend.

I thought I might see studios around Greenpoint listed for $1100 or under, but those days are gone, yes?

i think they can still be found? possibly not so much through craigslist or brokers, though?

i haven't seen many studios listed, period, in gpt. that said, i've seen a decent number of 1brs advertised in the 1200-1400 range but i assume that the demand is enormous.

xpost - actually, the listings i've seen were all through local realtors.

my friend in brooklyn seems to have decided that i should live in lefferts gardens. tell me about this place. is it nice? is it affordable? i am not very concerned with safety as i am big and have a pit bull and new orleans has stripped me of all fear. i would like to be able to purchase groceries without using public transportation.

you can purchase groceries in mostly any brooklyn neighborhood without using public transportation

what kind of groceries? like organic produce or spaggetios?

both, preferably.

this whole convenient grocery store thing is very alluring as at the moment i have to get on the streetcar and then walk a mile to get to the store.

there are about five grocery stores within walking distance of my house, and certain people might say i live "out of the way."

i'm not really familiar with prospect lefferts but you can ask about grocery stores on this messageboard? http://www.brooklynian.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=4&sid=69df758d9d26f3a67557f70438e8b120

i'm sure it's safe, especially if you have a dog. i have trouble finding fresh produce in crown heights though and usually have to travel to get it.

you could also move to red hook, which has the best grocery store ever.

all of these neighborhoods with seductive names! every time i worry that i am getting in over my head i think about this guy:

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/153/862541~Crocodile-Dundee-2-Posters.jpg

and realize that everything will be ok.

yeah there are plenty of nice places to live in brooklyn. i've personally lived in
greenpoint
carroll gardens
red hook
williamsburg
crown heights

they all have their charms. sunset park is on my list of places to try.

I feel like studios don't enter the general market that often xposts

I'm past the "trying" stage, I want to move to the place WHERE I SHALL DIE!

lefferts gardens is one of those areas that's supposedly been on the edge of gentrification for years. i know a few people who've moved there because they're hung up on the idea that they need to buy a house and are willing to make some sacrifices in the process. the main complaint i've heard is that it's inconvenient, transport-wise.

transport doesn't seem like it would be too bad if you're near the Q train? but i don't really know.

it probably depends on what part of the neighborhood you're in.

ooh i am very interested in being a gentrifier! yuppiedom is something i aspire to in general. advice on achieving this goal in nyc is also welcome.

my wife hasn't lived in new york for like 10 years so the meteoric rental price increases don't seem quite real to her, so she thinks there is some perfect huge cheap place in a dope neighborhood and we just have to find it.

Everyone thinks this for a while and maybe like 1/100 find it, and it's usually through a connection

To be fair, the rise has been so fast that it's disorienting -- a neighborhood can go from "seems a little sketchy" to out of your price range in like 3 years.

greenford stuyvesant is nice. so is prospect greenforts and greenspect heights. clinton greene too but I think it's prob too pricey now.

have you considered fort ditmas?

You mean Fort Greenmas?

sorry yes

xxxpost man I hope we can keep our current apartment for some number of years, because I just don't know what our neighborhood will cost in that time (bed stuy, to be serious)

xp you might also consider Fort Island City, Greens

a lot of the to-be-gentrified parts of brooklyn (sunset park, bed stuy) are so enormous that it's hard to imagine then completely done over in 10 years

Man, an unlimited Amtrak pass between Philly and NY costs $1350

I bet you could find a big 2 bedroom near 30th street station for around $1000

You'd have a 3 hour commute each day tho

some people do it

incidentally there are people who have nyc -> nyc commutes that are worse than philly -> nyc. like I had a friend who had to do astoria to staten island.

3 hours on a train with seats and a power outlet vs. 2 hours standing on the F

The MTA should build an underwater line to Staten Island

They already have plenty of experience from dealing with the G

Thank you, thank you

we should just trade hoboken and jersey city to nj for staten island, that way we don't have to build anything

unlimited Amtrak pass between Philly and NY costs $1350

for a year? that's almost exactly the same as an unlimited NYC MetroCard

No per month

lol amtrak

i suggested just buying a farmhouse in rural vermont and spending the saved money on ATVs and liquor but no dice. i also suggested living in any other city in the entire country but no dice.

i like sunset park but ppl are like oh, the r train or whatever, it takes forever, like i'd be way out in the provinces riding a mulecart into the city, but i think maybe some of that is new yorkish subway snobbery? idk

incidentally there are people who have nyc -> nyc commutes that are worse than philly -> nyc. like I had a friend who had to do astoria to staten island.

― iatee, Monday, June 23, 2014 10:11 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol there are like 5 people fitting that description and your friend is crazy

sunset park is basically queens but a much worse commute than queens

Sunset Park has dope mexican and chinese food

unless you're used to drinking in Park Slope xp

xxxp R train does take forever. You can transfer to an express N train which is a little faster, though service in that part of Brooklyn can get pretty janky. I used to work on the border of Boro Park/Bensonhurst and it's a long haul.

a lot of the to-be-gentrified parts of brooklyn (sunset park, bed stuy) are so enormous that it's hard to imagine then completely done over in 10 years

eeeehhhhhh 10 years? I can imagine it.

yer forgetting there will be another market crash and possibly two more Sandy-level flood disasters in the interim.

just keepin' it real

the 1% are building those 90-story needle condos in Manhattan for a reason y'know

Yeah tbc I don't really believe that all of Brooklyn is just going to keep gentrifying at the same rate until it's done. I just don't think there is enough yuppiedom to fill the entire borough. Plus there's going to be different demand in the "brownstone" neighborhoods/the ones that have awesome parks, and not all areas do.

bed stuy is brownstone central. I think it's going to get snatched up in pretty short order.

yeah for sure

bed stuy & crown heights def already in the gentrification process, let's not kid ourselves. sunset park will take a little longer.

It seems like the neighborhoods most likely to go that route are either formerly rich neighborhoods (nice brownstone housing stock) or industrial neighborhoods (warehouses to convert to lofts or empty, cheap land to build new condos)

proximity to decent transit also matters, like red hook would be much further along than it is now if there were a train, but only a certain type of person is gonna accept really bad commutes. that's another limiting factor.

I'm interested in what will happen in a place like flatbush. pretty decent transit, right by a huge beautiful park, but filled with dense huge elevator buildings, the exact type that seem least suited to rowhouse lovers or loft renovators. also sandwiched in between two ditmas park and prospect lefferts.

bushwick it is! see yall next month

thanks for the info

aaand here, what thread do the cool new york ppl hang out on

there's not really a new york thread, there are just 20 threads that only new york residents comment on