Considering a move
Hello, I would love to get some advice from all you seasoned Brooklynites. I am recently divorced and in a major life transition. I have lived in Los Angeles for 33 years. Among other reasons, I am done, done, done with the car culture. This has taken precedence over the weather and please don’t tell me I’m crazy to leave. I am exploring a move to Brooklyn. Rents are not much higher than what’s paid in LA’s more desirable neighborhoods. I have a few friends I plan to visit in October to do some exploring. What are some nice neighborhoods? I currently live in an area that has undergone gentrification, so a hipness quotient is not really what I desire. My primary considerations are safety, cleanliness and quiet. I would also like convenient access to trains (I plan to go into the city), markets, banks etc. I am an artist, currently unemployed. I have a small nest egg. I can pay up to $1500 per mo. until I find work. A studio apt. would be fine. Also, as a former home owner (27 yrs.) I’m not familiar with the ins and outs of the renting process. Should I go with a broker or deal with an apt. owner? I realize this is all subjective but any thoughts would be appreciated. Where to begin?
artsgrrrrl
in Quality of Life 12 years and 9 months ago
8
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8 replies
brokelin | 12 years and 9 months ago
Even getting a one-bedroom doesn’t guarantee you space – 20 years ago I had a one bedroom, the front section of your typical NYC narrow building, he kind with three windows across the front, that was less that 250 sq feet in total. It is hard for many people to wrap their minds around that when I tell them. The kitchen was a tiny space basically in the doorway with few cupboards, the bathroom was tiny but adequate, the bedroom held my queen size futon, one small dresser and a small nightstand, and had the apartment’s only closet, and the living room held a tiny 60″ long sofa, a few bookcases, a wardrobe, a filing cabinet, and a tall cabinet for my dishes. NYers know what this is…but it was way smaller than what most people think of when they think of a studio apartment. That’s NYC. I’m sure it rents for well over 2K now.
brokelin | 12 years and 9 months ago
It is enough for a studio in some places…but there are studios and there are studios. An apartment in a building built as studio apartments, with a kitchen you can cook meals in comfortably, a hallway with a few closets, and a large-ish room with room for a bed, a couch or a dining table, or at least 2 or those 3, is a very different thing than a studio that is one smallish room that was once a bedroom in a brownstone. The room may be charming, with old window trim and a fireplace surround, but it may be 12 feet wide at the most, not that much longer, the kitchen may be in a tiny alove or closet, and the closets may be one in number – a very different space to live in than an apartment built to be a studio apartment. If you lived in NY, you would have seen these already…but I notice that people who live in other cities that don’t have a housing stock of studios that are in 100+ year old brownstones think these are like rooming houses, not studio apartments. It all depends on your expectations…expect that spaces will seem smaller to you than you expect, as they do to anyone coming from anywhere else in the country. You will find decent sized studio apartments further out – it all depends on how long you are willing to be on that train to get to Manhattan, where most of the jobs are, depending on what area of work you are in, and how small a place you are willing to live in. That’s the NYC trade-off – at the same rental price point, space for time spent on the subway every day. The only way to figure out what works for you is to go look at some places while you are here.
artsgrrrrl | 12 years and 9 months ago
Brokelin seemed rather fervent that $1500 wouldn’t be enough but obviously that’s just one opinion. I will definitely check into subletting short-term. Thanks again!
artsgrrrrl | 12 years and 9 months ago
Thanks everyone for your input. What rent should I expect to pay for a studio in a decent neighborhood?
Bklnite | 12 years and 9 months ago
Take a look on padmapper.com – you can set your filters <=1500, studio, full lease or sublet (which might be a good idea while new to bkln and unemployed) and visually see what's out there in relation to subways, parks, etc. $1500 is not much in some of the most popular & expensive neighborhoods (Park Slope, Bkln heights, cobble hill, etc.). $1500 should get you studios in the places curiositykilledthecat mentioned (except I think you're largely priced out of Prospect Heights with that budget)
curiositykilledthecat | 12 years and 9 months ago
Brooklyn is amazing, and you will love it here. Brokelin offered some good advice, but I have to disagree with the assessment that $1,500 won’t get you much–especially since you indicated you will consider a studio. You should be able to find a nice studio for that in Windsor Terrace, Kensington, Ditmas Park, Crown Heights, and Prospect Heights. All of these neighborhoods are resonably close to Manhattan, safe, and have lots of ammenities.
brokelin | 12 years and 9 months ago
Honestly, $1500 is not much in any area of Brooklyn that has the things you want (safety, cleanliness, quiet, access to markets and trains.) It likely won’t rent rent you anything you want to live in, unless you are quite far out with a longer train ride (like Bay Ridge, or other neighborhoods further out (from Manhattan) than the park). Rents may not seem that much higher here, but I think you may be surprised at how much less a given rent may get you – in terms of sq feet, natural light, quality of renovation (if any), and creature comforts you may be used to (like AC, and sufficient closets, and layout – many small apartments here were cut out of what were once single family brownstones or larger apartments, and are not well laid out at all for living in as apartments). More importantly, you may find that most landlords won’t rent to you while you are unemployed, unless this nest egg is truly not at all small. I say most, because you may find an owner with a small apartment who will take a liking to you and take a chance on renting to you…likely in an owner-occupied brownstone-type building, or at least an owner-managed one, which will be found on craigslist or elsewhere, but not from a broker. Check out some brokers while you are here, and see if my assumption about needing income is indeed correct. They generally want someone in your position (who is usually a student or recent college graduate) to have someone cosign the lease and be responsible if you can’t pay – that’s another option if you have such a guarantor. Many of the broker rental listings for apartments you see online are way overpriced for the market they are in anyway, so most try first to rent on their own for a better rate, and to avoid that huge broker fee the tenant has to pay. Your best bet in moving to NYC is to secure employment before you arrive. You can line up interviews and fly in every so often for a few. If that seems unfeasible to you, and you want to be here while you look, I would suggest you not move your stuff until you have work and can rent a place, but rather leave it in storage (or in your current home, sublet out) and come stay temporarily – in a short-term sublet, or a series of them, or as someone’s roommate in a larger apartment, again as a short-term thing, or longer-term.These are available all over in nice neighborhoods in Brooklyn on craigslist, will be much more affordable, and your lack of income won’t be a problem if you have cash to pay. Just rent them when you are here, not from afar, as there are lots of craigslist, and non-craigslist, apartment scams. Subletting a few places short-term when you first arrive is a great way to check out neighborhoods for yourself to see which ones you like living in. People in Brooklyn won’t discourage you from moving here – we tend to hate car culture, too. Just do it smart, get that job first, so you can rent a nice place, if small, and enjoy your home. Looking for work in NYC can take a lot of time, depending on what you do…be patient, and enjoy the city while you have time. You can always move your stuff here, if you want to move furniture and stuff, once you have a more permanent home – just pick up some cheap basic furniture, like a bed, etc., at Ikea if your places don’t come furnished – it will be cheaper than moving anything much here now. Travel light at first, bring some clothes and stuff you need day to day. Later you can decide if it worth it to move furniture, once you see how much space you will have to put it in, whether it will fit up the stairs to your apartment (lots of couches and beds and other large pieces don’t), and how much income you have…you may decide to sell your furniture in LA and buy it here new, as that if often cheaper than paying a mover. Other stuff you can box and ship to yourself. Good luck. It can seem daunting to move to NYC (just renting an apartment here is a competition), but it is doable if you stay flexible while securing work. Once you do that, you will be able to find a place that works for you, within your means, once you know what your income is.
timber | 12 years and 9 months ago
check out Boerum Hill, and Clinton Hill in Brooklyn – although you’ll find cheaper rents in Bay Ridge but it is further from Manhattan