i've been living in lefferts garden(between flatbush and bedford) for the last 2 years and love it here. we keep very irregular hours and have always felt safe. i would recommend that you come and check out the neighborhood at a couple of different times of day and see how you feel. depending on your block, it can get kind of noisy in the summer(music and outdoor parties). the subway access is great as is the b41 bus which runs down flatbush ave. there is a group of people who are submitting an application for an elementary/middle school charter with an environmental science theme. the application will be submitted in june and if approved, they hope to start with kindergarten, 1st grade, and 6th grade in fall 2010 and add additional grades each year. otherwise, the school situation seems fairly bleak. there's great caribbean food plus sushi, bbq, and mexican restaurants. we love being so close to the park. all in all, we're really happy here!

Posted by: plger at May 14, 2009 6:50 PM in response to Rutland Road Area

You can buy covers at Lowes or Home Depot. They sell the covers by themselves or with the heating element included. The boxes look very similar so just make sure that the ones you pick up are just the covers. We bought some at each place last year.

Posted by: plger at May 4, 2009 5:14 PM in response to baseboard radiator cover

I was so excited to buy a place and I really wanted a building instead of a co-op. As soon as we went into contract, I started to freak out--the money, my lack of fix-it knowledge, leaving our old neighborhood etc. It has been a year and a half. I love my house. We fix things as we go. We take care of the most crucial problems right away and eventually get to the others. We're slowly learning how to do things ourselves and finding people to hire when it's beyond us. We've made some mistakes along the way and have had to redo some things. Although that can be frustrating, it's part of the learning curve. It is unlikely that you will make such a huge mistake that it will seriously compromise the house. I wouldn't go back for anything. It really will all seem worth it once you settle in there.(We have even managed to take some trips in the last year.) Like other posters have said, what you are feeling is normal--you will be fine.

Posted by: plger at January 5, 2009 10:47 AM in response to First Time Homeowner Anxiety

in response to guest 3:34, i think that street parking is pretty tough in plg. when i return home later in the evening, i frequently spend a long time looking for parking. i think you could do quite well renting out the garage spaces and saving someone the headache of endless circling....

Posted by: plger at June 6, 2008 1:41 PM in response to How Much is Commercial Space Worth?

Serious answer: no.

Posted by: plger at November 22, 2007 8:20 PM in response to House of the Day: 325 East 17th Street

I moved to PLG from PS. There are obviously not as many shops/restaurants her in PLG. However, I now own my own home and that is a fabulous thing. Due to the difficulty of finding parking spaces, I walk all over PLG and LM at all hours and I have never had a problem. The HOTD looks gorgeous and I'm sure that someone is going to be delighted to have it. Some of us would just really rather have our own building than continue to live in apartment-style co-ops/condos. I'm really happy to be in a neighborhood where you can still buy a house for under a million(not this house, of course, but there still are some.) I enjoyed my 10 years in PS too--it really is possible to like both neighborhoods.

Posted by: plger at November 8, 2007 11:16 PM in response to House of the Day: 49 Rutland Road

We got "serious" in Dec. '06.(We had been to our first ever open house in Dec.'05) We made 30-40 appointments to look at 2 families in about 7 different neighborhoods plus went to tons of open houses from Dec. '06 until March '07. We saw the house we wanted in April, put in a bid(slightly below asking), went into contract in May and closed in mid-June. It was the only place we both loved and we still love it. We investigated a lot of neighborhoods and ended up in Prospect-Lefferts Garden which I knew very little about when we started the whole process. Maybe there are neighborhoods you haven't explored that could be right for you. I think luck plays a bit part--right place/right time/right house. Good luck!

Posted by: plger at November 5, 2007 7:03 PM in response to How long did it take you to find the right house?

I did a bunch of research a couple of years ago. I have no idea if these all still exist, but here are some that I found(they're in relatively near neighborhoods...):

1. Bed and Breakfast Marisa phone/fax(718)399-9535 cell(917)865-7428
contact: Billy Tashman jupti@hotmail.com
288 Park Pl., Brooklyn, NY 11238
*children welcome
www.brooklynbedandbreakfast.net

2. Garden Green phone(718)783-5717 fax(718)638-7854
641 Carlton Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11238
Rooms: 2 guest rooms and 1 guest apt
*children 7 and older welcome
www.virtualcities.com/ons/ny/n/nyn7601.htm

3. Regina’s B and B phone(718)834-9253 fax(718)834-1298
16 Ft. Greene Pl., Brooklyn, NY remanski@earthlink.net
Rooms: 6 guest rooms
www.bandb.about.com/cs/findnewyork/a/brooklyn.htm

4. Saints and Sinners B and B phone(718)855-9614
contact: Frances
54 Strong Pl., Brooklyn, NY 11231
Rooms: 2 double rooms, 1 single room

5. Baisley House B and B phone(718)935-1959
294 Hoyt St., Brooklyn, NY 11231
Rooms: 2 double rooms, 1 single room

6. Angelique B and B phone(718)852-8406 or (718)923-0060
405 Union St., Brooklyn, NY 11231 sspoerri@citilink.net
Rooms: 6 guest rooms
*children welcome
www.bedandbreakfast.com/brooklyn-new-york.html

7. Nia-Yoga Bed and Breakfast phone(718)965-2355
604 5th St., Brooklyn, NY 11215
Room: 1 guest room
sqlblue2.cul.columbia.edu/jim/nia-yoga_bed_and_breakfast.htm
*there is no www in this website address

8. Akwaaba Mansion phone(718)455-5958
347 MacDonough, Brooklyn, NY 11233
Rooms: 4 guest rooms
www.akwaaba.com

Good Luck!

Posted by: plger at October 25, 2007 5:34 PM in response to Affordable Hotel or B&B near Ft. Greene

In response to 9:24, my last landlord gave us a renewal on our lease as the building was on the market to offer us a degree of security. I guess it just depends on what kind of person your landlord is and the history you have with him/her. As to 10:03, I certainly may be wrong. It's what I have been told by friends who have had their buildings sold. I would love to know what other folks have heard regarding owner-occupation rights in NYC.

Posted by: plger at October 10, 2007 1:02 AM in response to Rental legal question

If it sells, the new owners should honor the terms of your lease UNLESS they are planning to occupy your unit themselves. If that is the case, I believe they do not have to wait until the end of your lease. Once there is a serious buyer, you may want to try to find out their intentions. Keep a good relationship with your landlord so that he will keep you up-dated. The whole process could easily take longer than your lease has left. If it does, try to get your landlord to let you sign another year's lease(another good reason to stay on good terms with your landlord....)

Posted by: plger at October 9, 2007 8:30 PM in response to Rental legal question

When I was a kid, whenever I worried about a purchase my mother would say "don't worry,it's not a house and lot". Years later, when we signed the contract for our house, I woke up one night, in a cold sweat, realizing that this WAS a "house and lot". My telling you to relax will not do a bit of good, but it WILL work out.In a few months you'll find it hard imagining not living in your own place.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at January 5, 2009 2:29 PM in response to First Time Homeowner Anxiety

Bob and all;

Perhaps I'm the scrooge in the group, but...

.....I wonder if all the encouragement in this thread is well-advised. To me, it smacks of the advice being given out by mortgage brokers a couple of years ago: "You can't lose in real estate"..."Don't worry about the payments right now...".

None of us know this person's financial situation nor their budgeting discipline, except that he or she is anxious enough about it to solicit advice on an anonymous forum. Perhaps it's just natural nervousness at being a first-time buyer (which I also went through), or perhaps the person is really in over their head, and, absent a course correction, is headed for a dreary existence. Who knows?

Given the lack of specifics, is it really prudent for folks to tell them that everything will be alright? I think not. Wouldn't it be better to give them some normal financial "rules of the road"?? If they have followed these guidelines, then they will indeed be alright. Otherwise, they might be headed for an existence they didn't bargain for.

In sum, what is the point of pitching the benefits of home ownership to someone when we know nothing about their financial situation, discipline and values? Seems to me that this is exactly how we wound up in our current economic debacle.

Posted by: benson at January 5, 2009 2:48 PM in response to First Time Homeowner Anxiety

benson, i might agree with you if the question was "should I buy now or not" but this person has bought already so why not try to give them some encouragement and perspective. I went through a lot of similar thoughts when I bought this fall and I think that my experience is valid for them. I do agree that practical advice is more valuable for them than general encouragement and cheerleading but really if they have already taken the plunge we should be trying to help them I think.

Posted by: wasder at January 5, 2009 3:05 PM in response to First Time Homeowner Anxiety

benson, i think the reason people are being generally 'encouraging' here is because it sounds so similar to feelings new first-time homeowners have felt. i was the same way, still am sometimes! it doesn't matter what the financials are (tho you'd like to think that somebody who was able to get a mortgage in this client must be doing fine money-wise).

my advice to the OP: take that nervous energy and run with it! i wish i was completing projects on my house at the rate i did when i first moved in. I was painting, refinishing, building stuff, cleaning ... now i moslty look around and say I'll get around to it one of these days :)

Posted by: Jimmy Legs at January 5, 2009 3:05 PM in response to First Time Homeowner Anxiety

Cantaffordcarroll:

Here's the thing. Owning your own house is a responsibilty and a joy that will match few othe things in life. Here's the best thing. Since this is your first home you were probably a renter. Didn't you have something that absolutely drove you crazy about your rental? As an owner you have the ability to make sure that things are exactly to your liking. The best thing about home ownership.

There is no doubt that the first year will probably come with many adjustments. You may eat out less. Perhaps the only way that you will be able to see that blockbuster movie is to go see the bargain matinee. But have no doubt, at the end of the day...This is your place and your home.

Embrace the experience and find a handyman.

Posted by: BrooklynIsHome at January 5, 2009 4:52 PM in response to First Time Homeowner Anxiety

OP Here--I think I did everything right. I am not exceeding 25% of my gross income, I got a 5.25 mortgage rate, I put a a good amount down. Yet, I am still filled with terror. I am hoping to have the same experience as most of you--that it will pass with time. I know the fears are both rational and irrational and that change is hard. I guess that I was thinking it was going to be much easier. Everyone says that home-ownership means pride and control and I thinking of renting as carefree. Also, after all that saving, it is scary not to have months of expenses sitting in the bank right now. I worry about rebuilding the emergency fund while saving to redo the bathroom and kitchen. It all seems so much! Thanks to all of you for reminding me to breathe and be patient.

Posted by: Cantaffordcarroll at January 5, 2009 5:21 PM in response to First Time Homeowner Anxiety

Also, anyone have a good handyman to recommend?

Posted by: Cantaffordcarroll at January 5, 2009 5:26 PM in response to First Time Homeowner Anxiety

cantaffordcarroll- I'd be more worried if you weren't having an anxiety attack :-).

Posted by: bxgrl at January 5, 2009 5:31 PM in response to First Time Homeowner Anxiety

Cantaffordcarroll, regarding your initial question here, your plea for advice on how to handle the stress -- make friends with a neighbor or neighbors. That was truly above all else what kept us sane and still proves to be a blessing. We got information and advice from them and if nothing else they were always good for a martini! Your neighborhood will be more social when the weather warms up. Take advantage of it.

Posted by: traditionalmod at January 5, 2009 5:54 PM in response to First Time Homeowner Anxiety

when we bought our house i would sit at my desk at work having palpitations. seriously, it was that bad. it wasn't that we were overextended (that much anyway) but the thought of having that much debt was making me physically ill. thank god it was short lived, i talked myself through it (the valium helped) and five years later we are happy we did it. number one thing to remember-there will always be something that needs to be done-take it slow and don't try to get everything done right away. the house isn't going anywhere. enjoy!

Posted by: czar at January 5, 2009 8:25 PM in response to First Time Homeowner Anxiety