Rentals of the Day: Williamsburg Lofts
The 475 Kent dust-up had us wondering what loft spaces in the Burg are going for nowadays. Scanning Craigslist, there weren’t a ton of lofts on offer, and rents seem to be all over the place. Number 3 stood out for us as a particularly OK sounding deal: 1. 3 bedrooms, d/w, elevator bldg, $3500,…

The 475 Kent dust-up had us wondering what loft spaces in the Burg are going for nowadays. Scanning Craigslist, there weren’t a ton of lofts on offer, and rents seem to be all over the place. Number 3 stood out for us as a particularly OK sounding deal:
1. 3 bedrooms, d/w, elevator bldg, $3500, S 4th at Bedford
2. Common area plus 1 bedroom, walk-in closet, $2800, Kent at N5th
3. 3 bedrooms, 2 living rooms, garden area, $2800, N 6th betw. Bedford & Berry
4. 650-sf basement space, windows, $1675, Berry & S 3rd
5. 1 BR in recent condo conversion the Sophia Lofts, $3800, Roebling & N 9th
first of all, i’m not a broker or a landowner. although i hope to own property someday. i’m still not sure where…and this blog is really helping me try to figure out where i want to live.
sorry for the long post but if you are considering living in williamsburg i thought it might be helpful to hear about the changes from a true resident rather than a now
i wanna put my 2 cents in about Williamsburg. i moved here in early 2000..i definitely remember going to the L cafe and having drinks in the back garden. it was practically the only place to go…besides planet thai and black betty. my good friend worked at the paint store on bedford. it was cute…but only around the Bedford stop. if you ventured further out there wasn’t much. there was definitely more crime back then. sadly, one of my friends was raped near the waterfront. a few other male friends were hit on the head with a lead pipe and robbed. the crime seems to have surely decreased in the last 5 years.
and the number of places to eat or drink..first there was diner, bonita, relish, dumont, miss williamsburg. miss williamsburg is no longer around (i think it moved to the east village) but the others have stayed and there are a hundred or so new ones. dumont now has dumont burger and dressler. moto. diner opened marlowe and sons. sweetwater. egg. lodge has expanded and has a cafe as well as urban rustic. there are a few great japanese places on north 6th. for music there is death by audio, glasslands, union pool, music hall, warsaw, the concerts in the park. it’s pretty great.
i still live here..AND i still love it. sometimes i think the new architecture sucks and it bums me out. i’m sorta dreading the edge and schaeffer’s landing has to be the ugliest condo thing in NYC i don’t like the ikon or other things on bayard..it IS getting too white.and too expensive. for better or worse… it is not a college campus anymore. families are moving here. BUT there is going to be an apple store, trader joes, a barney’s co-op. i’m welcoming some of these stores. there are supposed to be new trees planted ..right now i think we have one! haha. and with the waterfront and the parks getting some extra care…it should help with the appearance.
i love brooklyn. i’m still single, unfortunately, and this is a good place for singles in the 20-30’s range. the L train leads to Union Square and the Flatiron and over towards Chelsea where a lot of
artists/designers still work. the J train leads to Soho.
When I get married…I would probably rather live in Clinton Hill or Carroll Gardens in a beautiful brownstone..until then. I’ll stay in Williamsburg.
Williamsburg is hideous but there is a great scene there for the young ‘uns (how they afford it who knows) and we love every restaurant we try there. Way better restaurants than Park Slope or Cobble Hill, hate to break it to those ‘hoods. And the homewares and home decor shops are way more chic too. It’s definitely happening.
But every time I’m there I think, where do people live? If you want a house you’re out of luck unless you want a piece of junk. I’d also feel very uncomfortable walking down some desolate street at night if I were a young woman. BUT, fun place to visit. Despite the supposed development of that neighborhood my opinion never changes, that it’s always just a great place to visit not to live.
I think that neighborhoods, unlike books, can be reasonably judged by ther covers. If they appear ugly, raggedy, and low-class,
that says it all.
I miss the williamsburg of the mid-nineties.
There are plenty of desperate folks who think any place is fabulous if it has electric power and reasonably reliable running water. Incredibly, they are willing and able to pay 3,000 a month for any low-class dump is any low-class neighborhood.
what is the matter with people?
This is mob insanity!
It is a real estate mosh pit.
No brains and too much money.
i really don’t think the posters here know the market.
there are tons of beautiful spaces in williamsburg, and because it’s close to the city, with so many restaurants, bars and music venues, it’s in demand.
and, yes, i do think that you can do a windowless room for maybe a kid if let’s say, you need to rent while looking to buy – i have neighbors doing exactly that.
fyi: williamsburg tends to be ugly on the outside and fantastic on the inside (apartments, restaurants, shops and salons especially).
it’s a lot of fun here.
OK, so you turn #5 into a two “bedroom.” Somebody is stuck paying $1900/mo for a windowless room.
PT Barnum strikes again.
all insainly overpriced as usual.
I’m not clueless, I just have some aesthetic sensibilities and I happen to think Williamsburg is a hideous place. That’s all.