Apartment Hunting Pointers

Whether you need a new apartment, workspace or office, parking space, or temporary sublet, the search for space can be even trickier here in Brooklyn than it is in Manhattan. There isn't some magic database out here that gives you all the units and sizes and management companies attached to addresses, like there is across the river. It can become even more complicated when you consider that there are sometimes cultural, linguistic, and religious barriers that can stand between you and that space you just have to have (that is, if you can find it). Unless you are teaching yourself Yiddish during your lunch break or Polish after work, chances are you are going to need a little help finding a place to sleep in Brooklyn.

In order to find the perfect space, you'll have to work at it — usually with a broker that knows the turf, unless, of course, you have already lived here for years, or are that rare lucky case that strikes gold on the first Saturday of your search. Nevertheless, if you are setting out to tackle the search on your own, here are a couple of great places to start.

base4space.com
Recently launched space search engine with a lot of promise. Easy to use and comfortable interface. I hear rumors of Base including an affordable housing section. This should really set the record straight regarding what affordable truly is...
Craigslist
Old faithful. You can find just about anything you want on this site, but finding space can be tricky. Just don't make this the only place you look.
Backpage
Village Voice's answer to Craigslist.
Billburg
Hit or miss...this site is usually overrun with listings from brokerages with interest in the site.
ListingsMania
A newcomer to the space search engine. It is fairly easy to use and there seem to be fewer bait-and-switch ads as, say, Craigslist.
Expo.Live
Microsoft's answer to Craigslist. Personally, I haven't used it too much. It's kind of annoying to look at.

For even more options, check out the lists compiled by Curbed a few months back — The Official Alternatives to Craigslist List and The Official Alternatives to Craigslist List (Redux).

Comments

I like StreetEasy.com and they're a cool, local shop. Not enough no fee listings, though...

Posted by: Scott T. at June 13, 2006 2:38 PM

Wait a sec. I need to know Yiddish or Polish to get a place in Brooklyn? You talk crazy talk. What a ridiculous, baseless crazy-ass thing to say. We're not in the shtetl here. I think English should do poeple just fine.

Posted by: evildiscussor.blogspot.com at June 13, 2006 6:51 PM

It is merely a suggestion "Evil Discussor"... I'm sure you'll find plenty of English speaking "poeple" in Bk to help you along your way....
and yes....i do talk crazy talk.

Posted by: justiNYC at June 13, 2006 7:16 PM

Fine. I'm not mad at you. It's just that I recently got a place in BK and I only speak English. Barely not so even that good even.

Posted by: evildiscussor.blogspot.com at June 13, 2006 9:26 PM

I remember the good old days when folks waited for new issues of the Village Voice at Astor Place to get the newest apartment listings. That old custom seems like a lifetime ago....

Posted by: Anonymous at June 14, 2006 12:24 AM

Don't even bother listening or taking anything written in CURBED seriously. It's all pathetic gossip that is meaningless and useless.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 14, 2006 6:43 AM

Here's a great apartment-finding tip, I actually did this: Get a realtor's license. Seriously. It only takes 40 hours, 2 tests (that a trained monkey could pass) and about $200. Get a broker to "hire" you (believe me, they'll hire anyone) and voila - access to millions of apt. listings. Then quit and let your license expire.

Posted by: anon at June 14, 2006 1:48 PM

Hey Moron it is easier to find an apartment if your monkey ass knew what you can afford. Getting a real estate license to find an apartment is exactly what a monkey would do. Voila!!! Bet you feel good because you wasted all that time. A smart person with a real estate license is laughing at you all the way to the bank. Idiot

Posted by: Anonymous at June 14, 2006 2:35 PM

Hey - try
http://www.carolloclassified.com

Posted by: CF at June 14, 2006 3:57 PM

WWW.LISTINGMANIA.COM

Listing Mania's Mission Statement

We believe in one basic principle, that people should be allowed to advertise their rental and property listings for free on a site that was made specifically for NYC and the surrounding areas. This does not mean free until we're a dominant force in the market, but we mean free forever. Being non-corporate we can accomplish that as we answer to nobody but you.

It's simple, fast, direct and free. No nosey registration is required, no annoying e-mail confirmation.. just post as you would talk to someone on the street. We don't hide behind elaborate tools and odd marketing campaigns, we just focus on bringing the customer and broker together as fast and easy as possible.

The listings expire every 7 days so you'll find hot NEW inventory every day. Click on any borough link on top and you instantly have a site geared toward that area. Also, we can always be reached when you have questions or comments.

Our objective is to prove to you, through our actions and support, that we are on your side and actually appreciate you choosing us as your #1 website for Real Estate in NY. Together, we can move into this new age of free advertising with everyone making money and everyone being treated fairly.

Sincerely,
The Team

News Brief for June:

Throughout the month you will see exciting features unveiled, all custom built to fit our pledge to keep things fair and respect your privacy! They include, state of the art search tools, a unique editing system, the introduction of New Jersey as a town, live video feeds & virtual tours and much more! These are all improvements to what is already a very popular and high traffic site.

Posted by: webmaster at June 18, 2006 8:49 PM

Now if only there were a way to do simple filters (e.g., by price) on listingmania, it might actually be useful..

Posted by: Scott T. at June 25, 2006 4:35 PM

There are several new cool real estate listings sites out there:

CitiKeys.com
ListingsMania.com

It seems that CitiKeys has a better interface than CL

Posted by: Mike-Best at July 17, 2006 12:48 PM

Shouldn't we write
WWW.LISTINGSMANIA.COM
in English?

Posted by: Mike-Best at July 17, 2006 12:52 PM

Guess what,
WWW.LISTINGSMANIA.COM
now has a whole bunch of simple filters.

Go give it a try!

Posted by: Mike-Best at July 31, 2006 10:42 PM