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Apartment leads in area for a 2 bedroom around 1500 — Brooklynian

Apartment leads in area for a 2 bedroom around 1500

trebleclef 1
trebleclef 1
edited November -1 in Crown Heights/Prospect Lefferts Gardens

Hey everyone,

I'm a new poster here. My roommate and I are looking for a 2 bedroom in areas around prospect park that are safe for two young women (in our early 20s). We can go up to $1500, maybe $1550 if it's great. Basically, we're just trying to avoid east of Nostrand and north of Eastern Parkway. We can live on Eastern Parkway (who wouldn't want to, it's so nice!), just not above it.

The search on craigslist has been a nightmare and brokers basically dominate. I've been told by Lang realty about 6 times that none of the apartments they're listing is available for an Aug. 1 lease. Apparently, they're only showing July 21 leases? We're both currently living in different states but will be moving to the city in late august. We're only available really to see apartments on the weekend, making this really hard. I'm in Long Island, so I can come in late at night on weeknights but it's still difficult. Does anyone have any leads in the area? Or know of rental companies/management companies of buildings I can call?

Thanks!

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Comments

  • xlizellx
    xlizellx

    I have found all of my apartments on Craigslist. You say you want south of EP, so If you put in "Prospect Lefferts Gardens" with 2 beds and $1550 max, you get a lot of properties. Not sure why you say it's been a nightmare...

    I vouch for none of these, though:

    http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/abo/3130880746.html

    http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/abo/3130348752.html

    http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/nfb/3076612630.html

  • trebleclef 1
    trebleclef 1

    (whoops, misread your post the first time) I've literally been refreshing craigslist every day this week on the hour. I've called every possible place in our price range and area and either got brokers telling me they're looking for an earlier lease or that there's a fee, which we can't afford. My roommate is coming down this weekend and we wanted to sign on a place while she's here, which is why I posted.

  • armchair_warrior
    armchair_warrior

    if you guys can't find places in time, roommate for a while till you get the layout of the land would be easier once you guys are all here and stuff.

  • xlizellx
    xlizellx

    Also, as insane as it sounds, NYC is usually a place where you find your apartment only a few weeks before moving. It is ridiculously stressful, but unlike other places ... If you're looking for a Sept. 1 move in, you search in August.

    Good luck

  • trebleclef 1
    trebleclef 1

    Word, I've done the apartment search in NYC before. We're both NYU students moving to brooklyn for our last year. Last year, I had the pleasure of searching for a place in Manhattan. My lease is up Aug. 1 so we want an Aug. 1 lease.

    I know most of our problems has to do with the fact that neither of us are in NYC 7 days a week. But, again, I'm just looking to see if anyone knows of buildings with their own rental offices/managements companies or if they know cool landlords who own quite a few places and would be willing to field a call from me.

  • armchair_warrior
    armchair_warrior

    agree, most of my apt rent either way early or literally a few days before the first day of the month.

  • jeffrey
    jeffrey

    xlizellx said:

    I have found all of my apartments on Craigslist. You say you want south of EP, so If you put in "Prospect Lefferts Gardens" with 2 beds and $1550 max, you get a lot of properties. Not sure why you say it's been a nightmare...

    I vouch for none of these, though:

    http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/abo/3130880746.html

    http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/abo/3130348752.html

    http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/nfb/3076612630.html

    Just following up with more info, as a local:

    None of those are even remotely in Lefferts Garden and do experience a considerably different crime rate than Lefferts Garden (Especially vs Lefferts Manor within that) based on crime reports provided weekly to the Yahoo Lefferts List by the local NYPD liason officer.

    Typical broker neighborhood creep/fudging.

  • trebleclef 1
    trebleclef 1

    On that note, if anyone can recommend a no fee broker that won't completely screw me, that'd be awesome! Dealing with Lang, Rapid Realty and MySpaceNYC brokers has not been fun.

  • the psycho-ologist
    the psycho-ologist

    One smart thing you can do is walk around the neighborhood you are looking to rent an apartment in, and look for signs that say "apartment for rent" or just go up to buildings you like and buzz the super. A supuer can often give you the number for the management company or owner of said building. You can often rent without a broker's fee if you go directly through management. You can also move into the nabe of your choice by just walking through the neighborhood and calling the numbers advertising places.

    I found my building that way. I did not pay a broker's fee and got into nice management company owned building with porter service etc. My apartment is even sunny and brighter than my last one. I also got it in the neighborhood of my choice.

    Just know that MOST not all, but MOST brokers lie like rugs, when it comes to location and amenities. It is best to google map places, check postal zip codes, and inquire on boards like this to ensure where you are moving is actually the neighborhood where you want to live.

    Craigslist is generally a nightmare, and will often bait and switch in terms of location, price and amenities.

    Craisglist also usually works on a last minute (1 to 2 weeks before move in date) basis.

    As for Brokers:

    beware and read YELP dot com to check for brokers. You will get an ear full about Rapid Reality.

  • xlizellx
    xlizellx

    jeffrey said:

    Just following up with more info, as a local:

    None of those are even remotely in Lefferts Garden and do experience a considerably different crime rate than Lefferts Garden (Especially vs Lefferts Manor within that) based on crime reports provided weekly to the Yahoo Lefferts List by the local NYPD liason officer.

    Typical broker neighborhood creep/fudging.

    True -- but all she said was south of EP and near the park -- all of these places have that. She didn't say she wanted PLG.

    I get that....to find my CROWN HEIGHTS apartment, I searched craigslist with the keywords "PROSPECT HEIGHTS" and "FRANKLIN AVENUE". If I searched Crown Heights, I would have gotten Brownsville or Bed Stuy or East Flatbush...

  • jeffrey
    jeffrey

    Oh, totally. Sorry, was more a comment about the headline location within the listings themselves.

  • cool the kid
    cool the kid

    Whew... 1500 for a 2 bedroom. Good luck. Thats even a good deal in a bad neighborhood.

  • the psycho-ologist
    the psycho-ologist

    Cool The Kid said:

    Whew... 1500 for a 2 bedroom. Good luck. Thats even a good deal in a bad neighborhood.

    YES!

  • eastbloc
    eastbloc

    Agreed. We have two-bedroom, 1000' floor-throughs on Sterling and Franklin and the market rent is about $2200.

  • armchair_warrior
    armchair_warrior

    ah you could always get a 1500 bedroom on my side of town and its safe but not cool :p or edgy.

    It is rank 4th safest area in nyc.

    http://newyork.craigslist.org/search/aap/brk?query=bensonhurst&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk=&bedrooms=2

  • trebleclef 1
    trebleclef 1

    eastbloc said:

    Agreed. We have two-bedroom, 1000' floor-throughs on Sterling and Franklin and the market rent is about $2200.

    Wow, these are Manhattan prices! If I had that kind of money, I'd be all set.

  • trebleclef 1
    trebleclef 1

    armchair_warrior said:

    ah you could always get a 1500 bedroom on my side of town and its safe but not cool :p or edgy.

    It is rank 4th safest area in nyc.

    http://newyork.craigslist.org/search/aap/brk?query=bensonhurst&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk=&bedrooms=2

    Haha very, very tempting. How long is the commute to greenwich village? That may be the make or break factor...

  • nadaoneal
    nadaoneal

    Try padmapper.com - click the "show more filters" button so that you can specify no broker fee. I was able to see a number of apartments in your price range in your preferred area.

    I agree with the others that you'll have more luck closer to the move-in date, and that $1500 for a 2 bedroom is going to be difficult, but I wish you the best of luck.

  • bkchickie
    bkchickie

    There seem to be a number of 2 bedroom listings on Craigslist in (what must be) the area around Franklin Avenue. But, how do you even know where these places are? Just looking at these listings is bringing back awful memories of those first after-college apartments.

    I'm old, because this seems like a lot of work/anxiety/risk for what will work out to be just one year. NYC apartment hunting is so awful, I know that I would just stay where I was for that short amount of time.

    Good luck!

  • bkchickie
    bkchickie

    Additionally, I just saw your requirement that the place not be north of Eastern Parkway. Wouldn't it be better to be on the A/C if you're at NYU?

  • eastbloc
    eastbloc

    I don't understand the "not north of EP" requirement either.

    The best part of the 'hood is arguably north of EP and west of Nostrand.

  • tateinbk
    tateinbk

    I've found Lang Realty to be really strict about not showing places unless you're willing to sign within two weeks. My experiences with MySpace has been they show overly expensive places in remote areas and argue that they're awesome deals. Frankly, if you want something in that price range you probably should be looking in places like Bensonhurst. I think you'll find that a lot of Brooklyn apartments run at "Manhattan prices". $1550 for a two bedroom is not a "Brooklyn price" unless you travel further out.

    Considering your low price point, location specifics, and current out of town status I think you need to start resigning yourself to paying a broker fee.

    I am also very curious as to why not north of EP? Did someone tell you something bad about this area? Do you have actual experience? I would re-think that requirement.

    I also agree with xlizellx and psycho-ologist. Brokers will lie about location. Name the nicer neighborhood next to where you want to be and always google-map the area first.

  • eastbloc
    eastbloc

    Quite true, tateinbk. BTW a "Manhattan price" for a 1000 square foot apartment is a lot more than $2200, unless you're willing to live in Harlem.

    But Brooklyn has a broad gradient of price per square foot, and it's mostly related to how far you are from Manhattan. We do pay dearly for our 11 minute commute to the city from Franklin Ave.

  • tateinbk
    tateinbk

    eastbloc, it's still not reasonable for Harlem. Have you checked Harlem prices lately? But maybe Inwood or Washington Heights.

  • eastbloc
    eastbloc

    Truth be told, I haven't.

    I do think it would be hard to find a place anywhere in Manhattan for less than $25/square foot/month.

    Our last apartment in NYC was in Stuyvesant Town, and when we moved out it was well over $3k per month for about 600 square feet. That's $50/foot and it was a really pretty reasonable space considering its state and amenities. We're actually not paying much more for our mortgage here.

  • cool the kid
    cool the kid

    TrebleClef 1 said:

    Wow, these are Manhattan prices! If I had that kind of money, I'd be all set.

    I am paying about $2100 for a 1BR walk up in a boring but safe part of Manhattan.... so its not quite. City living is (becoming unacceptably) expensive

    Don't forget about Queens

  • trebleclef 1
    trebleclef 1

    eastbloc said:

    I don't understand the "not north of EP" requirement either.

    The best part of the 'hood is arguably north of EP and west of Nostrand.

    We're willing to go west of Nostrand, and above EP but not east and above. Sorry if I said differently.

  • trebleclef 1
    trebleclef 1

    tateinbk said:

    I've found Lang Realty to be really strict about not showing places unless you're willing to sign within two weeks. My experiences with MySpace has been they show overly expensive places in remote areas and argue that they're awesome deals. Frankly, if you want something in that price range you probably should be looking in places like Bensonhurst. I think you'll find that a lot of Brooklyn apartments run at "Manhattan prices". $1550 for a two bedroom is not a "Brooklyn price" unless you travel further out.

    Considering your low price point, location specifics, and current out of town status I think you need to start resigning yourself to paying a broker fee.

    I am also very curious as to why not north of EP? Did someone tell you something bad about this area? Do you have actual experience? I would re-think that requirement.

    I also agree with xlizellx and psycho-ologist. Brokers will lie about location. Name the nicer neighborhood next to where you want to be and always google-map the area first.

    Thanks for the insight on brokers. I've seen places listed in my price range in my areas but just not for Aug. 1. So we're probably early. But the areas I'm looking are quite nice so we're not ruling out areas like bensonhurst.

    As for not above EP, we only don't want to live above EP when it's east of Nostrand. I know a lot of kids who live in Crown Heights/surroundings areas and I'm dating someone who lives in Crown Heights and from what I've been told/seen, east of Nostrand and north of EP is not exactly the nicest area of Crown Heights. We are looking west of nostrand tough.

    That sounds like a good trick, thanks!

  • hdaisy
    hdaisy

    For a two bedroom in that area you'll need to go up to at least 1700. I'd recommend looking for a third roommate and then you may find something in the 2400 range.

    If you want help, contact Elijah Callender at Rapid and tell him Heather referred you. He is honest, hard working, and committed to finding people housing when they are serious about searching...more here: http://www.nakedapartments.com/a/profile/elijah-callender/4g2

  • tateinbk
    tateinbk

    TrebleClef 1: I've seen places listed in my price range in my areas but just not for Aug. 1

    Remember that just because you've seen listings at that price, it doesn't mean they actually exist. Good Luck though.

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