Market Predictions for 2006: Neighborhood Picks
In what is now becoming an annual tradition, we invite you to share your thoughts and predictions for the Brooklyn housing market in 2006. Like last year, we’re particularly curious to hear your neighborhood “longs” and “shorts”. On a risk-adjusted basis, we’re most bullish on Prospect Heights and Carroll Gardens and, relatively speaking, would bet…
In what is now becoming an annual tradition, we invite you to share your thoughts and predictions for the Brooklyn housing market in 2006. Like last year, we’re particularly curious to hear your neighborhood “longs” and “shorts”. On a risk-adjusted basis, we’re most bullish on Prospect Heights and Carroll Gardens and, relatively speaking, would bet against Williamsburg. Overall, though, we don’t think 2006 will look at all like 2005, which was marked by huge surges in prices in some rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods. From where we sit, 2006 is looking like a year for the market to take a breath and digest all the rapid-fire changes that have occurred in recent years. Barring a big move upward in rates, we think prices will more-or-less move sideways. In our own little corner of Brooklyn, the big test will be whether the upscaling of Fulton Street can extend beyond Fort Greene. Man, could we use a gourmet market in Clinton Hill! Anyway, that’s how we see it. But what do we know. We’d rather hear from you.
Happy New Year.
Brownstoner
I am a ‘burb person myself, but I have to disagree about one thing on the Montclair/DP issue – Montclair doesn’t have great schools for the taxes. I looked there, and there are a ton of other towns around the NYC suburban area that have lower taxes and better schools. In fact, I have a friend who grew up there and went to private school because the public school was so scary. I feel like if you’re paying suburban taxes, you should have great schools.
On all other issues, I think it’s a matter of personal taste. I like more green, therefore I like the ‘burbs better. But an urban Victorian is probably just as beautiful.
Good for you. Go post on the Beacon board. The topic is Brooklyn neighborhoods. Why is it so difficult for people to post ON TOPIC?
come on guys, we’re talking about long or short on Bkln nabes, not people’s opinions of living in the suburbs…
RE: the Ditmas/Montclaire thing…
I bought a fabulous grand Queen Anne Victorian with driveway and garage on .25 acre, within walking distance to the Hudson…all for $385k.
Ok, so it’s in Beacon, NY. Great town, but Brooklyn is home. Came back and got myself a pied a terre to keep my connection to the boro, but I really do prefer the quality of life in the burbs. And there are loads of ex-Brooklynites in Beacon anyway.
Hi BrooklynNatural. There are so many variables that go into deciding where to live, it’s hard to decide which is most important. I’m a person who likes to be out & about and I felt we were buying the neighborhood as well as the house. For us, an inter-racial couple, comfort was definitely a big factor. Bed-stuy where I grew up was out because we’d already had issues there. Park Slope, which I see becoming less & less diverse in any sense of the word was out, because I didn’t want to keep explaining that I wasn’t my child’s nanny. Prospect-Lefferts Garden offered the diversity we wanted as well as the neighborhood amenities important to us.
Thanks, Nativegal
StMarks, that’s $1mil in gov’t funds. Here’s a link to the site keeping track of what’s happening in Bed-Stuy.
http://urbanchange.typepad.com/fultonnostrand/
Anon 3:11, you are really quite mistaken about Montclair over Ditmas Park. D.P. IS fabulous…ghetto fabulous. There is a communter direct line that runs every ten minutes during rush hour, there are plenty of great places to shop and eat in the area, and the quality of life is so much better. I can easily get to the city or a Giants game with ease, and I too have a huge backyard, great parks, a garage, and fantastic schools (which I do pay much higher taxes for, but will average down as the youngins enter school age).
You can have your Ditmas/Sunset Park Slope Sty Hillvasent and all of the gentrified and ungentrified cornpokes that come with city living. The burbs are just fine, thanks.
Regarding Fulton Street, in the Federal Transportation Bill passed this year (SAFETEA-LU H.R.3) $4,480,000 was earmarked for the “Design and Construction of Fulton Street from Clinton Avenue to Bedford Avenue” I’m not sure exactly what that money is for but I’m sure it will help improve that stretch.
There’s also $8,000,000 to plan and construct a greenway, bike paths, esplanade and ferry landing in Sunset Park and a bunch of stuff around the Brooklyn Children’s museum.
Check out the details here: http://www.taxpayer.net/Transportation/safetealu/NY.pdf
search for “brooklyn”