Room for one more….

We’ve been talking abut New York’s apartment scene a lot lately, because it’s always fun to do that, but also because it contains so many absurdities. Never is this more apparent than when you’re desperately checking Craigslist to find a sublet that is affordable and not one of those “seeking a quiet foreign non-smoking student” ads. A tipster dropped off something off in our email that she came across while looking for a place. It’s a dream in price and location (Carroll Gardens! $500/month!) but is not-so-much a dream in every other way. (more…)

Winter is a time to stay inside. Check out some of the best Brokelyn Real Estate listings right now to find your winter hibernation station. Up first, a taste of home in Greenpoint. Sure, no matter what you do, your apartment never feels as homey as mom’s house, but head to Diamond St., a peaceful, quiet block in Greenpoint, and feel like you’re Upstate, far away from the rough and tumble city lifestyle. This 1BR for $1850 Diamond St. includes heat, hot water, and even electricity. Snuggle up and bake cookies during the holidays with your boyfriend (or whatever) and then wash all the dirty batter bowls in your DISHWASHER!

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• Moving right around the holidays seems pretty awful, but maybe that’s the secret to finding a good deal on awesome spacious pad because there are some great looking apartments in the Brokelyn Real Estate listings right now. First up we found this 2BR in Kensington for $2,100. With enough counter space for an artisanal buffet and a roomy living/dining room combo, plan on hosting the New Years party. A few blocks from the F & G at Church Ave., there’s even a little porch where you can sip hot toddies. (more…)

Yesterday we told you about housing resources for folks displaced by Hurricane Sandy. If you escaped her wrath but are still in the market for a new place, here’s a few good deals from the Brokelyn Real Estate listings.

• First up, we found a 2BR in “true” Prospect Heights for $2,000. According to the broker, who admits that it sounds too good to be true, the apartment is equipped with a washer/dryer in the unit and it’s just a block away from Vanderbilt. With one master suite and one smaller room, the space would work for a share or a couple with a small child. Cats are welcome.   (more…)

• This week’s apartment roundup begins with a modern 1BR in Crown Heights for $1,922.  The images appear to show the same apartment as the MARK PLUS building promo video, so this may not be the exact layout of the unit, but it is described as a loft duplex. Located on St. Marks between Classon and Franklin, the space would be a good starter home for a newlywed couple looking to settle in to an up and coming neighborhood. The building boasts a long list of amenities we old, dilapidated warehouse and brownstone dwellers have long forgotten exist such as video intercom, on site gym, common court yard, parking and an elevator. (more…)

• We begin today’s apartment hunt with a 3BR in Kensington for $2,500, which has a cute private balcony off the living room. Looks like the kitchen and bathroom were recently renovated with nice shiny new tiles and appliances. Parquet wood floors, ceiling fans, and at least one of the bedrooms has a double door closet… This place is a find for couples recently inducted into the stroller-pushing club but not fancy-pants enough for the Slope. (more…)

Any apartment for under $700 a bedroom catches our eye, especially if it’s new construction. So what’s the story with all of these Red Hook places that just hit our Brooklyn apartment listings? According to the broker at Brownstone Listings, nine brand new units — three 3BR at $2000, three 3BR at $2150, and three 2BR duplexes at $2400 — will be available for move in October 1 and 15. Here’s a look inside: (more…)

McKibbin lofts. Photo by Emily Paup.

I don’t want to come off like an egoist, but the place I live is kind of famous: the McKibbin Lofts. Located on the very western edge of Bushwick, these otherwise unimpressive buildings (one on each side of the street) have been the subject of their very own New York Times profile and have a hilariously unnecessary Wikipedia page. They’re known more for their parties and permissive attitudes of the residents than interesting architecture, and they’re wrongly maligned as a bedbug haven. But there’s a good trade-off for the grief. For a place with 12-foot ceilings, modern-ish kitchens and laundry rooms, a 10-minute walk to Williamsburg, a 10-minute bike ride to the waterfront and a two-minute walk to Roberta’s, the rent is stupid cheap. How cheap? I share a four-bedroom apartment for $2,500 a month. Want in? There are some things you should know first.  (more…)

Schermerhorn House, photo via Brownstoner

Ever dream of trading in your windowless room-that-doubles-as-an-arts-studio for a deluxe apartment in the sky, or maybe just something mouse-free with a window? If you’re like me, or the Jeffersons, consider heading over to a seminar on affordable housing for artists at The Schermerhorn, a newly constructed condo/artist haven, on Tuesday at 6pm. The event will provide details on the the 100 subsidized studio apartments up for grabs in the 217-unit building. That’s right: 100 apartments, just for artist types. So what makes this building different from every other walkup in Brooklyn?  (more…)

Find out how Emily Farris got a huge room in Windsor Terrace for $200.

We’re down in Austin for SXSWi interactive this week, on a panel called The Broke Diaries. (Thanks for inviting us, Nichelle!) One of our fellow misers is Emily Farris, the lifestyle editor of the Kansas City Free Press who used to live in Brooklyn and now rents a room in Windsor Terrace for $200 a month. Better still, she found this crazy deal on Craigslist.

Here’s a pic of her ridiculously spacious room, and how she wangled it: (more…)