A Mixup in Flatbush

Here's a mix-up with a not-entirely bad ending.

We put down a deposit on an apartment that we really liked, only to later find unflattering information about the broker on the Better Business Bureau, and a seemingly better apartment in another neighborhood.

The agreement we signed said we wouldn't get our deposit back if we turned down the offer to take the apartment, once passing the credit check.

Fueled by our newfound doubts, we were hoping to fail the credit check - which in the long would have foreshadowed disaster for other apartments.

The broker emailed a few minutes ago to say there was a "mixup" and the apartment listed at 1,300 was supposed to be listed at 1,500. So, the landlord, through the broker, asked if we could rent the place for 1,400.

I'm note sure I believe the story, but I said no, and that we'd like our deposit back.

To my surprise, the realtor agreed.

Now, it's January 13th, and we're back to the drawing board on this whole apartment hunting thing.

A (Small) Reduction

There's been some helpful leads coming in, and we're tracking each of them down.

One was for a 1 bedroom apartment on Rugby Road, in Ditmas Park. We know the neighborhood, and in fact, I had seen the apartment a few weeks earlier.

Standing inside the unfinished apartment at the time, George, the super - holding a styrofoam cup of gin and soda - said the apartment was renting for $1,575 a month. To move in, they'd require first month's rent, plus last month's rent.

Oh yeah, and $1,000 for the super himself. When I asked why, George said it was for his "finder's fee."

When a reader suggested that very same apartment the other day, I figured I'd call that super again. The apartment was still available, and it's nearly finished. "I just have to hook up the faucet in the bathroom," he said.

I told him the rent was a little out of our price range.

He paused for a moment, then said he could lower it.

Immediately, I imagined him saying it would drop to $1,400 and how quickly I'd grab it and how I'd sort of feel sorry for everyone else who saw the apartment but passed it up because of the price and how I'd take away from this whole thing a priceless lesson about the value of communicating (i.e. haggling) and how, quite possibly, I may have stumbled upon a solution to fix every other facet of my live.

He said, "I'm authorized to go down to $1,560."

I sigh a little, and said we still needed to look elsewhere.

Mansions for Bloggers

An older reader living in the Lower East Side who is vicariously reliving his apartment-hunting days, thought I as a blogger would enjoy this ad he came across while reading (a physical copy! of) the Wall Street Journal:

Relative Values/Midcentury Memories
Cold War-era houses that the Internt generation could afford

There's one in Phoenix for $599,000; one in Portland, OR for $575,000; and another in Coral Gables, FL for $655,000.

Love and Rent in a Time of Recession

Finding an apartment in a financial crisis isn't easy. But finding love may be.

A friend who's following our adventures here said she wants her boyfriend to move in with her because...she'd then be able to split her rent!

Here's her situation:

Her boyfriend is really nice and they've been dating for a couple of months. Her neighborhood is really nice (it has a "slope," or a "heights" or a "park" in its name). Her rent, thanks to the neighborhood, is about $800 a month.

So, if they move in together, that rent could drop by $200.

And from a love perspective, moving in would prove whether or not this boyfriend is the one.

Our First Lead! (And Second)

Comes from Rachel:

Have you checked the buildings on argyle & westminster between dorchester & cortelyou? Their management company is DSJ Realty, LLC
718-###-####- those apartments are fairly reasonably priced and nice sized - though there is a broker fee involved

The link from the Ditmas Park blog already paying off.

update: skylark28, motivated by some pride for her building, offers this tip:

My apartment building is on Westminster between Cortelyou and Dorchester. It is the best building ever and the Super, Mike is the BEST BEST BEST! Come on over and ask him about any available apartments.

Flatbush and Nostrand: A Gem ?

So, I found what I think is a real gem; so good, I'm not putting its exact address up for fear someone else will snag it!

It's a 2-bedroom apartment, steps away from the 2 and 5 train lines, lots of closet space, and the building seems to be in immaculate condition.

"Oh, you don't want to live there," said a friend, when I told him the apartment was at the intersection of Nostrand and Flatbush Avenue. "There's a premium to not living in the ghetto," this person said.

Was I in the ghetto and not even realize it?

According to police crime figures for the neighborhood - the 70th Police Precinct, it's not that high, compared to the precinct where we live now, in the 67th Police Precinct.

Then again, gentrified neighborhoods do have a tendency to report everything, while plenty of things could go unreported in a community that's desensitized to crime.

Broker Fee: 50% 'Negotiable'

This has to be some kind of record:

Tenants required documents.
1. 3 pay stubs (Minimum requirement 50,000)
2. Employers Letter
3. Credit Report
4. ID
5. Bank Statement

Broker fee: 50% (Negotiable)

Then, again, it is a one-bedroom for $1,380 in Sunnyside.