Rentals of the Day: Kensington Picks From Craigslist
A couple of years ago, we knew a lot of people who were moving to Kensington because rentals there were significantly cheaper than in lots of other parts of Brooklyn. When we checked out Craigslist for this batch of rentals, though, none of the apartments seemed like steals. Are there still deals to be had…
A couple of years ago, we knew a lot of people who were moving to Kensington because rentals there were significantly cheaper than in lots of other parts of Brooklyn. When we checked out Craigslist for this batch of rentals, though, none of the apartments seemed like steals. Are there still deals to be had in the area? Here’s what we saw, clockwise, from upper left:
1. Mult. 1-bed, 1-baths, 600-850-sf, terraces, $1600-1700; 955 Coney Island Ave.
2. 2-bedroom plus study, EIK, remodeled bath, $1,900; East 5th St. at Ditmas
3. Spacious studio with new kitchen, wood floor, $950; Ocean Pkwy at Ave. C
4. 1-BR plus office, apx. 1,000-sf; prewar detail, $1,675; East 10th St. at Caton
5. 4-bed, 2-bath, gut-renovated floor-thru, $2,800; Beverly Rd. at East 7th St.
For a reference on price, I own a 2br on Ave C between E. 4th & E. 5th and am renting it out while living abroad. I’m charging my tenant 1340, she’s a friend so I wasn’t going for any profit. That covers the mortgage & rent. Now the board just raised the maintenance by over 100 dollars (to cover rising fuel costs, taxes, etc.) and I am now losing money. When her lease is over, I’ll need to raise to 1450 just to cover. It’s a very nice apartment, in a clean, secure building, but it’s definitely not huge. 900 sq feet. Prices are going up for everyone, and landlords aren’t necessarily out to rip people off.
I used to live in a 1 BR for $1100 very convenient to the train. I moved out and the LL converted it to 2 BR (illegally), and ripped off the new tenants.
Hey, if you live in 102 Albemarle, apt B1, I’m talking to you!!!!
You certainly cherry-picked those selections…there were plenty of more reasonably priced Kensington properties on Craigslist today. That said, I don’t know what the owners are thinking charging so much for 955 Coney Island.
I live in a true one-bedroom for $1200 in Kensington, FYI.
that can’t spell.
Real estate agents.
Park Slopers are being priced out? By who?
To those of you who think that those prices are a total rip-opp, you’re dreaming. Maybe your friends found apartments in Kensington for $1000 last year, but the prices have risen in accordance with the inflation of every other neighborhood. Park Slopers are being priced out of their beloved enclave and think that $1800 for a nice 1 bedroom in District 15 ain’t so bad. The days of the $1000 rent are over in Kensingont.
I’m a real estate agent and, to me, it’s obvious why people are moving to Kensington. It’s the cheapest neighborhood that borders the Park and can get you to the city in a reasonable amount of time on the F train. 1 bedrooms in Park Slope (REAL park slope) average about 2K when the market is hot and about $1600-1700 during the winter. Windsor Terrace rents are nearly on par with Park Slope rents, with 1 bedrooms averaging 1800 when the market is hot ($1500-1600 during the winter). Another desirable neighborhood on the F line is Cobble Hill with 1 bedrooms commanding upwards of $2500/month RIGHT NOW! And this is still the winter!
You can definitely save a lot by moving to Kensington. My data show three distinct areas of Kensington, as far as rent prices go. 1 bedroom apartments closest to Windsor Terrace and Prospect Park (Church Avenue to Fort Hamilton Pkwy and Coney Island Avenue to McDonald Avenue) fetch an average of $1575/month. 1 bedroom apartments in “South” Kensington (Church Ave to Ditmas Ave and Coney Island Ave to McDonald Ave) fetch about $1200/month. 1 bedrooms in the northwest area close to the cemetary (west of McDonald and below the cemetary) command $1000/month. Sometimes deals can be had directly on Ocean Parkway.
These figures are likely lower than the actual average, since our office has a policy of NOT contributing to ridiculous rent inflation. We are agents of the landlords, of course, but we don’t set any pre-determined expectations about what something should rent for unless the landlord asks what the market rate is.
Kensington is a great place to live. It’s one of the few places in NYC that has kept a “melting pot” character. Living in Kensington is like taking a trip around the world! Here are some examples of the kinds of foods you can get in Kensington:
– Some of the best southeastern European food is served up by Old Brick on Church Avenue. Don’t know what “southeastern European” means? It’s a cross between mediterranean, turkish, with a tiny bit of an eastern european influence.
– You can get great Indian food from Madina on Coney Island Avenue. You can watch them make your naan (bread) in a real tandoori oven.
– You can get the best cecina (salted beef that’s great in tacos) from the Mexican meat market on East 3rd just off of Church.
And people don’t blink an eye when you go shopping for saris at the Bangladeshi clothing stores. How cool is that?
Yeah, Kensington’s not as well manicured as our Park Slope suburb, but isn’t that what we love about New York? The grit is what gives us bragging rights.
The overall quality of life is much better. If you’re lucky to get an apartment in one of the detached homes, you get TONS OF LIGHT – 4 exposures! I’d take that over a dark brownstone any day. If you’re lucky enough to find a garden apartment, your yard will likely be twice the size of a brownstone backyard in the Slope. Add to that that Kensington is safe – no one goes there to rob the rich people. And the low population density means that it is easy to park.
There’s so much going on in neighboring Windsor Terrace that yuppy stuff is now within walking distance. You can get really fancy shmancy gifts and home goods from Estelle on Fort Hamilton Pkwy, and there’s a good wine selection at Juice Box on Prospect Avenue. The best informal cafe for food and cofee in all of Brooklyn is quite possibly Crossroads (also on Prospect Avenue). The lucky folks in the northern part of Kensington can get to these stores by walking just 5-10 minutes.
To sum it up, Kensington kicks a$$. Don’t hate what you don’t know, playa.
Starter neighborhood? Oh, fuck you.
And yeah, those are a total rip-off. You can definitely do better.