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May 27, 2009
Neighborhoods for Great Deals?
Hi there! My boyfriend and I currently live in the East Village and are hoping to move out to Brooklyn over the summer. We are looking for a 1-bedroom for 1,200-1,300 per month. Any suggestions on reasonable neighborhoods? We'd love to find something in Cobble Hill or Fort Greene-would you say this is realistic?
Thanks so much! Any tips/suggestions would be much appreciated!
Cheers,
Chantal
Comments
Prices may be 20% off their peak 9 mos ago but I think it would be an amazing score to find a 1br in those areas for <1400. Try a few blocks east in Clinton hill, or south in Prospect heights. Unfortunalty 1br and studios retain their value best in a down mkt so deals will still be tough to come by.
Posted by: Farkus at May 26, 2009 10:08 PM
Even in a soft market that price is near impossible in the areas you mentioned for a decent 1 bedroom - try Kensington, Sunset Park, Lefferts Gardens, Prospect Park / Crown Heights, maybe East Williamsburg.
Posted by: Crownlfc at May 26, 2009 10:49 PM
Also Bushwick and BedStuy.
Posted by: mopar at May 27, 2009 12:44 AM
The average rent in Bay Ridge for a one bedroom is $1300 a month.
Posted by: italiana71 at May 27, 2009 9:15 AM
Not really realistic to spend 1200-1300 in Fort Greene or Cobble Hill. If you're willing to consider a studio, maybe, but even then not likely.
Other places to try:
-Clinton Hill (near Fort Greene)
-Bed-Stuy (a little beyond Clinton Hill)
-Crown Heights, Lefferts Gardens, Prospect Heights, Windsor Terrace (bordering Prospect Park, but not Park Slope)
-Sunset Park, Ditmas Park, Bay Ridge (all a bit further out, but increasingly popular neighborhoods)
Good luck!
Posted by: alsawo at May 27, 2009 9:20 AM
Jersey City!!!
Posted by: Adam Dahill at May 27, 2009 9:40 AM
Search craigslist.
You honestly might find better deals on the Upper East Side, fwiw.
Posted by: northsloperenter at May 27, 2009 9:49 AM
Forget Ft Greene. Half the populace of Tribeca and the West Village has decided to make FG their new home, hence the rents have become ridiculous.
I love Crown Heights and Prospect Heights East and Lefferts.
Posted by: iz at May 27, 2009 9:51 AM
East Williamsburg/Bushwick (Montrose and beyond)
Greenpoint
Clinton Hill
Posted by: dirty_hipster at May 27, 2009 9:52 AM
ALSO A BIG FAN OF CROWN HEIGHTS (Western part), Prospect HEIGHTS and CLINTON HILL.
Windsor terrace is a little sleepy for me but nice.
Posted by: 646 at May 27, 2009 9:58 AM
It would probably be a pretty small and potentially shabby 1 BR for that price range in Clinton Hill, but you might get lucky, who knows?
Some of the Eastern parts of Prospect Heights near Crown Heights would offer some possibilities.
Posted by: 1842 at May 27, 2009 10:02 AM
it's not realistic. for those areas you will need about 1500 minimum until you start seeing livable junior 1 beds and studios -- true one bedrooms are around 2000 and up in cobble hill, possibly slightly lower in fort greene.
Posted by: duckumu at May 27, 2009 10:06 AM
Depends on your priorities, if you want to be closer to Manhattan or Prospect Park but don't need a large apt. or being close to many amenities, you can look at the areas surrounding Park Slope as folks have mentioned. However, if you are willing to consider a bit farther, then in Bay Ridge you can get a very nice sized 1 or even 2 bedroom apartment in that price range, plus you are in a walking distance to transportation, tons of restaurants, bars, stores and parks. I know it's a bit of a leap coming from the EV though, but in the past year I know several single friends that have chosen to rent here because they could get much nicer spaces.
Posted by: mdmh at May 27, 2009 10:22 AM
For sure you'll be able to find a 1-1.5-b.r. in a brownstone in a great part of Bed Stuy within your budget.
When I was looking a couple of years ago, I set up a search on craigslist (brooklyn/at least 1 bedroom/for rent by owner/at least 1 bedroom/max rent a little higher than what I could pay just so I could see what was out there/cats allowed, and bookmarked it. I checked it at least 2x a day and responded immediately if I saw something interesting, introducing myself and my family and said I'd be willing to come see the apartment any time. I saw a whole bunch of apartments and moved within a month to a great place just a few blocks from the Nostrand stop on the A train--a 1.5-bedroom floor-through in a brownstone for $1300.
Rents have definitely come down in the past six months and they are lower than when I was looking in 2007.
Posted by: rf at May 27, 2009 10:22 AM
I second the PLG/Ditmas Park/Kensington recommendations... you'll find some great deals in these areas, and they're all great areas.
Posted by: sixyearsandcounting at May 27, 2009 10:24 AM
crown heights north
Posted by: more4less at May 27, 2009 10:35 AM
I'm a BIG PLG booster,and there are a lot of young people renting here but, FWIW, my son has a one bedroom on Glenwood Road, near Brooklyn College, which costs slightly over $1000/month--considerably less than my neighborhood. His Street (Glenwood & E. 27th) has a number of well-kept pre-war elevator apartment buildings.
Travel time to Manhattan though, is considerably longer than from PLG or a number of other neighborhoods suggested,although It's no longer than from Sunset Park or Bay Ridge.
Posted by: Bob Marvin at May 27, 2009 10:36 AM
Take a look in PLG. A quick glance at craigslist for the neighborhood turns up this place, a 1br 2 blocks from the park for $1150 : http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/fee/1191037653.html
You'd be right on the B/Q, 20 minutes to manhattan. I don't think you could get even a studio in Ft Greene for that price, and in Cobble Hill you could barely get dinner.
Posted by: Frederick Law Homestead at May 27, 2009 10:40 AM
Oh - how could I forget Red Hook!! The best neighborhood in Brooklyn
Posted by: dirty_hipster at May 27, 2009 10:44 AM
if you refer to it as 'move out to brooklyn' then might as well stay where you are.
Posted by: Petebklyn at May 27, 2009 10:46 AM
I've got a 1.5 br in Stuyvesant Heights on the top floor of a brownstone right now for $1450. It's on a beautiful, clean, quite, green historic block. Stuyvesant Heights is in Bed Stuy, off the A-express train and offers a great value. I'm showing it now. Good luck. Here's the link:
hous-twkqs-1185959129@craigslist.org
Posted by: MacD at May 27, 2009 10:51 AM
I just checked and the link above expired. Here's the link to the new post:
http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/abo/1191220085.html (apts by owner)
Posted by: MacD at May 27, 2009 11:03 AM
Check out Ditmas Park. I live in a pretty big one bedroom around the corner from the Q (at cortelyou) for $800/mo. Although to be fair I think I got an awesome deal :)
Posted by: trr at May 27, 2009 11:22 AM
I would third (fourth?) Bay Ridge. It's a fully developed neighborhood with plenty of amenities, shopping, bars, diverse restaurants. It is among the safest neighborhoods in Brooklyn and well within your budget.
Posted by: setancre at May 27, 2009 11:22 AM
Uh oh - East Villagers are starting to discover Ft Greene - have fun with that!
Posted by: dirty_hipster at May 27, 2009 12:33 PM
DH, must be the freaking flea introducing ft greene to all
Posted by: more4less at May 27, 2009 12:49 PM
For what it's worth, Sunset Park has excellent transit connections -- express N and D means a very fast trip to Manhattan (two stops), much faster than Windsor Terrace via F, or the 2/3 in Prospect Hgts/Crown Hgts, and certainly quicker into Manhattan than Flatbush. My brother found a nice THREE bedroom with a small terrace for I think $1900, across the street from the park itself. He moved there from Crown Heights.
Posted by: southbrooklyn at May 27, 2009 12:57 PM
I also fully agree with the suggestion regarding Bay Ridge. It's definitely not as close to Manhattan, but you can find nice space there and have access to tons of great restaurants and bars. It's very accessible to good transportation into Manhattan (the subway and the express bus into midtown are easy to get to). Also, if you want a car, you could probably find an apartment in your price range that will come with a parking space (it's possible). And now that Park Slope has been bleeding into what used to be Gowanus and Sunset Park, you can easily get there by just driving down fourth avenue for 15 minutes. It might not have the cache of carroll gardens, cobble hill or fort greene, but none of those neighborhoods had any game 10 years ago either. Bay Ridge is on the rise.
Posted by: bkoriginal at May 27, 2009 1:15 PM
Have to defend crown heights north (dean st, st marks,...btwn nostrand and new york ave). It has tremendous housing stk, safe (albeit not as safe as bay ridge), quick access to Man via A/C trains. a nice 3 bdrm, formal dining rm, 1.5 bath, washer/dryer, prewar unit can be had for ~2k.
Posted by: more4less at May 27, 2009 1:16 PM
You might, however, be troubled by Bay Ridge's being VERY Republican.
Posted by: Bob Marvin at May 27, 2009 1:19 PM
Bob, I encourage infiltrating the bastions of conservative BK and splintering them from within with a thousand rainbows of gay love and a million shades of multiracial reproduction. But that's just me.
Having said that, if I were moving from the East Village, I'd want to stay in the downtown brooklyn, PH/CH or greenpoint area. It's less of a shock than those sleepier areas.
Posted by: iz at May 27, 2009 2:21 PM
You aren't going to find many "deals" in Cobble Hill. There's a premium in that area, and supply is usually low (I live there, so I know).
Try Boerum Hill, if you want slightly cheaper (basically, the further from Cobble Hill, the cheaper it will be).
Posted by: broadwayron at May 27, 2009 2:28 PM
Chantal,
I'm curious why you're re-locating to Brooklyn. As others have mentioned, if it's primarily to save money, you might honestly be better off in some areas of the UES, Washington Heights, Inwood, etc, where you can find one-bedrooms in your price range and be much closer to places in Manhattan you like.
Moving to Brooklyn only really makes sense if you're also looking for a different lifestyle than what you had in the East Village. Most of the Brooklyn neighborhoods you've heard are "cool" are every bit as expensive as Manhattan.
Posted by: alsawo at May 27, 2009 2:51 PM
That's not really true alsawo, while Manhattan rents have come down from their recent highs, they are still much, much higher than Brooklyn rents for comparable apartments in size and good locations. You get much more in terms of space and often amenities in Brooklyn (depending on the location of course) for the same price. What you get in Manhattan is the Manhattan location, but you might be on a loud, busy street and will almost certainly have a much smaller place, most likely lacking any charm. That's the trade off...
Posted by: 1842 at May 27, 2009 2:57 PM
1842, you're right, but my point is that while you may get more for your money in Brooklyn, you don't necessarily save money.
Posted by: alsawo at May 27, 2009 3:07 PM
"still much, much higher than Brooklyn rents for comparable apartments in size and good location"
A one bedroom in Ft Greene would be a 3 bedroom in the East Village (comparing sqft). Very little in Brooklyn is comparable to Manhattan in size.
Do 200 sqft studios even exist in Brooklyn?
Posted by: dirty_hipster at May 27, 2009 3:22 PM
There are plenty of Replicans in Bay Ridge but everyone I know here voted Obama. And my gay friends here call it Gay Ridge. So I'm not really sure that Bay Ridge is still the Republican strong hold it used to be.
Plus Repbulicans don't bite or smell for that matter and some happen to be very nice.
Posted by: italiana71 at May 27, 2009 3:23 PM
alsawo,
I am much much closer to southern midtown and lower Manhattan in Bed-Stuy than I would be in Washington Heights. And you can park a car on the street without making parking a fulltime job in Bed-Stuy, which is just impossible uptown. I'm an old fogie but I like it better here than in Manhattan, and my 13-year-old daughter does too.
Posted by: rf at May 27, 2009 3:27 PM
italiana71,
I'm not prejudiced--some of my best friends are Republicans, but, honestly, don't they smell, at least a little, and doesn't Dick Chaney, for one, bite? :-)
Posted by: Bob Marvin at May 27, 2009 4:48 PM
No, Dick Chaney shoots you in the face.
Posted by: italiana71 at May 27, 2009 5:55 PM
Sorry folks, Clinton Hill 1 beds were that price a few years ago, I know cause that was my rent in CH in 2003...
My suggestions: Ditmas Park near the Newkirk Q train, possibly near Cortelyou Q (the strip at Cortelyou is pretty good in terms of restaurants, cool stores, a food co-op) - both of these places will put you a 5-10 minute bike ride from Prospect Park, and in the vicinity of Coney Island Avenue - which has a great smattering of Middle Eastern, Russian, and Jewish food stores/restaurants; Prospect Park South, which is the back side of Prospect Park, on the Parkside Q (more of a Caribean flavor, in terms of shops & food); Bed-Stuy you can probably find a big place for that price or slightly higher - depending on accessibility to the subway (A or C versus the G) and the part of the neighborhood; Bed-Stuy at the border of Williamsburg and Bushwick, around Broadway and Marcus Garvey Avenue, on the JMZ train.
Good luck, Chantal!!
Posted by: Inquisigal at May 27, 2009 6:59 PM
We have a 1 BR listed on craigslist for 1300- full floor of a private house (our house) with a small patio. South Slope/Greenwood- 18th between 4th and 5th-
Craigslist Ad here:
http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/abo/1189176187.html
Posted by: Park Place at May 27, 2009 10:28 PM
thanks so much guys!! we are indeed looking to brooklyn because of the rumored lower rent prices. we were hoping to get more for our money, and heard that brooklyn is "greener" than manhattan (we are both from virginia).
i think we might go out this weekend and just walk around different areas of brooklyn. we don't really care about cool vs. uncool neighborhoods, we are just hoping for a place with a living room--and windows! :-)
thanks again for your help!!
Posted by: chantal at May 28, 2009 3:12 AM
given my username it's no surprise that i would suggest that you can definitely find an apartment in bensonhurst that fits your criteria.
Posted by: 11214 at May 28, 2009 6:34 AM
We moved from the city and looked in Park Slope for a long time before deciding to rent in Bay Ridge and couldn't be happier. We found a large 2BR fully renovated apartment for less than run down 1BR's in Park Slope. You can easily find nice sized 1BR's and maybe even a few 2BR's in your price range. If you're unfamiliar with the area and plan on checking it out, 3rd ave & 5th ave are where most of the restaurants / shops and bars are (both nice but I prefer 3rd), and you may also want to walk down to Shore Road by the water - bike path, parks, etc.
Good luck!
Posted by: nyj85 at May 29, 2009 5:20 PM
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