This week marks the 5th anniversary of our blog! In case you haven’t heard Brokelyn’s backstory, we’ve always been about bringing you things on the cheap. And as Brooklyn neighborhoods continue to change (read: gentrify), so do the places we have to look at for anything close to affordable real estate. Your more unfortunate real estate listings will call these neighborhoods “the next frontier,” as if no one already lives there. We’ll happily avoid that kind of terminology and instead just bring you apartments across a healthy spread across the Greater Brooklyn Area—decide for yourself where to shack up in order to land (or avoid) the next up-and-coming ‘hood.
This gorgeous 3 bedroom, 1.5 bathroom apartment has a “just-for-you” price of $2,599, which means paying less than $900 per bedroom. It takes up the whole first floor of a house in Bay Ridge. And when’s the last time you got to say your apartment had a “parlor?” That means parlor games, parlor tricks and frequenting any business you can find with “parlor” in the name. It also sounds like you might have partial access to a basement and some parking, but since there’s literally no punctuation in the listing, we can’t quite tell which rooms are which. Best to go and check it out for yourself. It sounds at least generally like a cool spot, the pictures look great, and it’s only two blocks from the 77th St. stop off the R train —which, if you didn’t hear in our last listing, works again!
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This 4-bedroom is in a stellar location in Crown Heights, only a few blocks from the 3 train at Nostrand (or the A/C, a little farther north). And at $3,250, you’re looking at just over $800/room. Not too shabby, right? There isn’t much information in the listing, but the photos sure are seductive with their exposed brick, bay-window detail, and hardwood flooring. And considering the inflation in this neighborhood, a price like this won’t last long. Snag it! Pets allowed.
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For an area that’s definitely evolved beyond ‘next-frontier’ status, check out this Bushwick 3-bedroom for $2,500. The real estate agent is fairly sure that you will “treasure” the value of the your prewar home, which is replete with natural sunlight and ample closet space. One of you gets the king-size bedroom. And while there may or may not be a living room, we have been assured that there is a “living room atmosphere” around the kitchen. All listing jibes aside, the place looks great. It’s only a couple of blocks from the Dekalb L and a few minutes’ walk from Maria Hernandez Park. Pets allowed.
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Don’t be deterred by the agent who seems to think that this Dyker Heights 2-bedroom is “out of town”—which town, lady? It’s actually only 5 blocks from the Fort Hamilton Pkwy stop on the N, which is still very much in Brooklyn. And anyway, the photos look awesome. For $1,875 you get two whole floors: living/dining/MASSIVE kitchen trio on the first, and bedrooms/bathroom on the second. This apartment even comes with a sleeve air-conditioner in the living room (ie. not central, so the bill won’t be outrageous), and has one of those kitchen windows that lets you mix cocktails and talk to guests at the same time. Last but not least, it’s a house with an elevator. Guess even single-family landlords are sympathetic to your couch-moving needs.
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Hey, no-fee! For an already pretty cheap 3-bedroom at $2,300, the added savings of a broker-fee-free find are just the cherry on top of this Bushwick pad. Other cherries for this nifty place include: prewar, pets allowed, funky lighting and bedrooms with windows. Sure, it’s a small pad, but for the price it ain’t half-bad. Right between the Halsey and Chauncey stops off the J train.
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Again, a little dinky on the inside, but for $1,600 this 2-bedroom in Sunset Park puts you at spitting distance from Green-Wood Cemetery. Pets allowed, hardwood floors and decently sun-drenched. Transit-wise, you’re in luck: the 36th St. station houses three train lines (D/N/R) and it’s only a few blocks away. So if you’re looking for a cat-friendly crash pad in a good location without too many bells and whistles, this might just be your ideal spot.