Seeking Input/Opinions on a Park Slope Rental
Hello all– And a happy spring (???) to you! I’m taking the plunge in “becoming an adult” and finally going to be living alone; my current lease ends May 31. I’ve been a Boerum Hill/Park Slope resident for 7 years and am very familiar with the area and know I want to be within walking…
Hello all–
And a happy spring (???) to you!
I’m taking the plunge in “becoming an adult” and finally going to be living alone; my current lease ends May 31. I’ve been a Boerum Hill/Park Slope resident for 7 years and am very familiar with the area and know I want to be within walking distance of Atlantic Terminal.
I saw a 1BR this morning and am looking to Brownstoner-land in helping me figure out whether I should jump or keep looking. Below are my thoughts…
PROS:
1. Great size, entire 2nd floor in 3 fl brownstone; living room is about 20×20 with a large open kitchen (10×10?) that could fit a small table
2. Bedroom is small around 10×10, but will absolutely fit my queen bed and dresser
3. 2 large closets (bedroom and hallway)
4. private patio – about 10×10 off bedroom
5. on tree-lined block b/t 4th and 5th (great location)
6. free access to another building’s gym about 2 blocks away
7. north/south facing windows (bedroom in back)
8. hardwood floors throughout exposed brick on 2 walls
9. No broker fee
CONS:
1. May 1 rental (I wanted May 15), non-negotiable.
2. no washer/dryer (laundromat on corner – I’ve had a W/D in my apt for years and LOVE it and I know I know, it’s rare and I need to give it up)
3. Small bedroom (does this even matter w/a massive living room?)
4. not a ton of counter space
5. not a new property (I like new construction – this one was renovated several years ago and is still in good shape, tho the stove has seen better days). Also, something I prob have to give up.
6. Tenant pays heat, hot water, electric. Heat estimated at $80/mo in winter from current tenant
The rent is $1900/mo, which is $100 more than I *wanted* to spend. I can afford it, though.
This place will absolutely go once it’s listed. It’s a great place, but do the pros outweigh the cons? Am I missing anything in my analysis? Am I stupid not to take it?
Thoughts, inputs, etc. fellow brownstoners!
Thanks, tons and tons,
Bklynight
If its the entire floor of the building and assuming the building is 20 feet wide and 65 deep…you are looking at around 1200 sq feet of living space. That is a HUGE apartment and at $1900 and absolute steal! Once advertised the apartment will not last……….
it’s never a bad thing to rent the first thing you see.
Why make it a headache if you know what you want?
Do you really think that you’ll find the same space with a washer and dryer and heat/hot water included without a broker fee for a $100 less? Even if you find one of those things, is it worth giving up a private outdoor space? It wouldn’t be to me.
The number one reason landlords increase the rent aside from market is the increasing costs of maintenance (tax, heat/hot water, major improvements). Being responsible for your own heat means that is one less reason for the landlord to increase your rent. Oil costs are going through the roof… that means a lot of people are going to be seeing major increases in their rents as their leases renew.
Best
“entire 2nd floor in 3 fl brownstone”
I’d want to know who lives above. Are you sensitive to footsteps / noise above you?
Just go with your gut. There will be pros and cons to everything. I currently would like more counter space, outdoor space, and a bigger bedroom, but not enough to make me move, given the other many pros of where I live now.
People even have different ideas about what’s a pro and what’s a con. I personally hate exposed brick, and consider a patio door at ground level in a rental in the city to be a security risk I wouldn’t want.
I don’t like paying for heat and hot water in a market that usually has it included, but then I’m usually cold as well, so if you can turn up the heat (if it is insulated well enough to keep the heat in, and not drafty), then that’s a big plus.
W/D in apartment – if you really want it, you should hold out for it. You’ll likely find it mostly in new construction or condos, though – or perhaps an owner-occupied brownstone that has been nicely renovated. Do you have to move right away?
Since you are paying your own hot water, can you install one? Ask. There are some really nice semi-portable apartment-sized ones you can get with easy installation – not as involved as getting a full-size one.
I don’t mind having a laundry room downstairs instead – I think I might even prefer it, as I can do multiple loads at once – even prefered it when I had only 1 W/D for the building in basement, as the noise wasn’t in my apartment when washer was running – but I would now be very reluctant to return to the laundromat, even though I did it for a few decades. And I’m strictly a do-it-yourselfer when it comes to laundry, so sending it out is not an option for me – it may be an option for you.
Nothing wrong w/ taking the first place so long as you know the area, market, etc. which it seems you do.
Since you are paying your own heat I assume that means you can control your own heat? I’d say that’s a big plus!
I don’t see the problem here — take it. Decent sunlight in your preferred location with outdoor space for about 5-6% more than you want to spend but can still afford.
Plus no brokers’ fee on even an apartment at your preferred rent (1800) saves at least $2160 (10% of the annual rent). IMO that’s worth not having a washer/dryer in the unit, especially if you are only by yourself. If it’s convenience you want, go with laundry drop off and fold once very 7-10 days and you will be happy
Thanks for the feedback…
@Snezan: I think it was TL investors I talked to, not Pitchnik. I am horrible at extimating sq footage, but, the (brick) brownstone is the entire floor. There are 3 windows in the front living room. It’s really big…
@BHS: yes, the biggest con is laundry. 🙁 I will have to return to the world of the laundry mortals…
I’ve done some online searches today (and am seeing a place tonight) and basically concluded that other 1BRs in the area are $1700-$1800 +broker, which puts the price above $1900, but then, those inc. heat, so make them comprable. BUT THE PATIO!!!
Oh, is it a bad idea to sign the first place you look (even tho you’ve looked before and lived in the area forever and know what you want?)?
thankyouthankyouthankyou
sounds good to me though I don’t know the exact going rate in the rental market. sounds like the biggest con for you is the laundry not being in the unit which I sympathize with–very nice to have. I prefer a larger living room and small bedroom to the reverse as long as everything fits, which you say it does. low counter space is fine as long as you have room for a table somewhere nearby. I say go for it if you can swing the cost. best wishes!