So, yall know we're in the midst of an apartment search. Only that search has come to an end. Almost unbelievably, our browsing turned up three great options, and we were (luckily) approved for all three right away. So...here we are, with three hungry brokers waiting on our decision, and no easy way to make it! Each apartment perfectly meets some, but not all of our needs. Now it's just a decision-tree making game, and I hate those. I always lose.
So, you guys wanna help, HGTV House Hunters style? Check 'em out, and tell us what you think. These are real, actual apartments we're considering, so I didn't include addresses for later security. But the pics are real, the stats are real, the whole thing is realer than House Hunters ever was. Each of the images below is a gallery, so if you click on it, it should take you to the next picture.
If you have questions, comment away and I'll respond (or put them on Facebook). So without further ado, with kitchy names and all, our choices:
1. The Spacious Duplex with the Dreamy Backyard
Location, location, location. The first, is in an area called Windsor Terrace in Brooklyn. Super beautiful neighborhood, but a bit small feeling, and further out than we had initially hoped to go. It's still only a 7 minute walk to the train, and one of those trains is a good one, that gets into Manhattan pretty conveniently. Buuuut, it would be a 30 minute train ride to Lou's school, and there's no great transit option to our doctors. Bret's commute would stay about the same, in the 45 minute range. On the other hand, it's close to the highway, so good for airport accessibility, leaving the city generally, and visits from family. In fact, it's so close to the highway you'd think it would be a detriment - it's actually across the street. But since the highway runs below the neighborhood, not alongside it, it's pretty quiet.
Space. The apartment is the real draw here: It boasts only two true bedrooms, but both are good sizes. The kitchen is huge by our standards, with plenty of counter space, gas range, and a wee dishwasher. (It sort of looks ridiculous in the photos. We've had one in other places, and it was fine, but this kitchen is big enough for the real thing, so I'm not sure why the went small). We were so excited to see a big (by NY standards) private enclosed backyard. The kitchen sink looks out over the "yard" (okay, it's all concrete, but we would cutify the crap out of it), and I can just picture letting Lou actually go out to play while I cook or wash dishes. I mean, crazy suburban talk. That's not even the clincher: there is a whole other floor. The apartment has a huge finished basement - the size of the whole main floor - that would make an amazing living room/rec room/guest room/office. There's even a washer dryer, though it's one of those washer/dryer combos that I don't think actually work that well. Like this. For blog purposes, this one is a dream; I'll be able to paint and craft outside and in, and it's a neat layout to play with.
Price. Originally, this was the most expensive, but we were able to negotiate it down to within shouting distance of the least expensive: the one the in the best neighborhood.
2. The Small Spot in the Killer Location
Location. The second apartment is in Park Slope, the sort of long-time haven for over-educated progressive types, if you know anyone like that. It's steps from the Park Slope food co-op, where you must get your food, across the street from the laundromat, close to like 6 major subway lines and in the best school district in Brooklyn. Sample PTA meeting agenda item: Gender in Elementary Education. That sort of thing really works for Bret and I, as does the incredibly easy access to food, services, salons, you name it. Winter is coming, and with my thin skin, I need things to be only steps away, or I'll freeze before I get there. But this kind of toniness does come at a cost: It is significantly less diverse, across every metric, than our current neighborhood. At the risk of sounding spoiled, which we are, this isn't really our type of scene. We like the "emerging" neighborhoods we usually land in, and this neighborhood is well-established. We were, frankly, shocked to find this place in our price range.
Space. The apartment itself is a little weird, but it's cute, has plenty of closet space, and has three bedrooms. One is very small - about 75" x 93" - but we can probably find someone small to put there. No outdoor space whatsoever - not even a fire escape. The other two bedrooms are a more workable size: One's about 9' x 12', and the other's probably more like 15' x 12.' The best "upgrade" from our current situation would be a dedicated dining space, which one imagines will be better than eating in the hallway next to the bathroom. Though there is a fair amount of storage space, it's a tiny bummer that there are no closets in the actual bedrooms - they're all lining the back hallway. Other than the additional storage, the small extra bedroom and the dining space, the apartment offers few other perks from our current spot: No dishwasher or washer/dryer, and no more counter space (though I already have ideas on how to remedy that). One other drag, which matters when you're hauling laundry and recalcitrant children around, is that it's up a floor. Only one, but we're really spoiled by our current first floor status.
Location. This apartment is a 15 minute walk to Lou's school and convenient to Bret's work - about 35-40 minutes. As for blogging, with no outdoor space, it'll be tough to do certain types of projects, but Bret and I plan to use the second-largest bedroom for our office/guest room, so there will be nice dedicated space there. And a door to close to hide my cardboard hoard and half-completed works.
Price. Weirdly enough, this one is the cheapest, but only by a tiny margin after negotiation on the Windsor Terrace apartment.
3. The One Where Everyone Knows Our Name
Location. The third place is right in our neighborhood. It's on the same block as the subway, so it's actually even more convenient than our place, which we've always really prized for its accessibility. We're on the A/C line, and we find that that gets us to where we want to go about 90% of the time. Then it's not too far from the G, which takes us the other places. This place is a 20-minute walk to Lou's school, and about a 40-minute commute for Bret.
Our neighborhood is very diverse, and it's up-and-coming - or whatever term you care to use for a neighborhood that's become (much, much) more expensive. There are new businesses coming in all the time, new people coming in, and for some reason it's a favorite of the film industry. We've seen a few tapings around, and got to see Robert DeNiro and Anne Hathaway a couple buildings down from us while they shot a film this fall. A perk, if you're into that sorta thing.
Some drawbacks include that it's dirty, loud, and the main drag is treeless. A methadone clinic sits one block away, along with a check cashing place, and there are plenty of empty, boarded up businesses. But, the residential streets are quite lovely, and becoming lovelier all the time, as people buy up brownstones for obscene sums and fix them up. As an indication of how things are changing, Biggie Smalls grew up in this neighborhood. Now, we were thrilled to find a three bedroom for less than $3,500.
The biggest drawback to this location is that we already live here. We know it, inside and out, and although its dynamism is appealing, we get it already. We hope to buy not too far off in the future, and we think it would be smart to test out other areas. And also - we do have a great little community here. People know us everywhere we go, and it's great. But I'm also a little sick of the grocery store always charging more than it's stated prices, and the very loud Friday night sidewalk parties that can last 'til 6 am. I have no illusions that things will be better elsewhere, but we do feel ready for a change.
Space. This is a true three bedroom apartment, and it is a really nice size, with hardwood floors and nice wood trim throughout, two (!) full bathrooms, and a good layout. It's got a grownup dishwasher, not a tiny one. There is laundry in the building, though not the unit itself. There's also a doorman, who will sign for packages. (That's another city perk, but you really can come to rely on it). Oh, and there's an elevator. . While it would provide a lot of upgrades from our current nest, it lacks the outdoor space that the Windsor Terrace apartment provides. The kitchen and bath finishes are, well, pretty crappy, but the floors and trim are nice, and there's lots of light. The kitchen in the pics above is from another unit in the same building. They didn't provide great pics of the actual unit we looked at, so I cobbled together some to give an idea of the finishes and such. Our kitchen would be larger than the one pictured.
Price. Post negotiation, this apartment was the most expensive of the three, but it also offered the sort of full package with three full bedrooms and two full bathrooms. Of the three we're looking at, this apartment feels like the compromise one. It's a compromise location - we love the hood but were hoping to explore - it's a compromise inside as well, with some upgrades but not all....and it's the priciest. Which is always a tradeoff.
Soooooo...which one will they choose? The suburban living that feels like it's as far as the suburbs? The small space in the prime location? Or a big apartment in familiar surroundings? Oh, please help them decide. No, really. They can't choose. Any thoughts in the comments much appreciated!