Fifteen minutes ago I spoke with Nelson, the agent who showed me a dreamy little apartment in Fort Greene on Saturday afternoon; I've been approved to rent the place! He's confirming my lease date for me (March 15, hopefully, rather than March 1) within two hours, at which point I'll be able to finalize and confirm my budget -- and will start making confirmation phone calls -- but OMG YAY!
Given the twitter-spam-stream I was running yesterday, the tidbits of information delivered therein, and the many questions about different steps in the process from many of you, I'm detailing the run-down of the day and the things I've learned.
This whole trip was a last-minute whim.
The owner/landlord of a flat I've been interested in for the last 10 days or so (referenced on Twitter as #2, 2 bdrm on Union Street in Prospect Heights) will be out of town this coming week, but offered to show me the apartment if I could come in on the 14th. A colleague took the time to scope out the space for me on Wednesday (thanks, Kelley!) and shared her thoughts - I definitely thought it was worth looking at, so planned a trip. Since I was going to take the day anyway, I contacted agents/landlords of a dozen of the apartments I've been cataloging and was able to arrange viewings for five flats in three neighborhoods. Hooray for productive visits.
Lesson 1 Learned
Driving south through New Jersey is confusing, but I owe a debt of education to the Relay For Life staff of New Jersey -- there must be a Relay in 90% of the towns there, because as I passed the highway signs and drove through the areas trying to find my way back to the destination in question, I never felt lost. "Garfield, Rutherford, Cliffside Park -- we have Relays here! I may have no idea how to get from here to Hoboken, but I know where here is. They've got a Relay, they're good people." (Yes, I'm directionally challenged in NJ even with GPS. It's a case of too many options at every intersection.)
After the adventure of getting to Hoboken, I was able to find my bank without a problem (two blocks from the PATH station where I left my car) and meet with my contact there. I chose PNC in spite of the lack of branches in NYC, because the Virtual Wallet account system is absolutely brilliant -- if I visit a bricks-n-mortar location more than twice a year, there must be a special reason (like arranging traveler's checks for apartment applications), so the distance trade-off seemed worth it. I've been thrilled with the tools, have had zero trouble transferring money between banks or between my PNC accounts, and have handled everything online in my own time. I found the staff super friendly and helpful, *and* learned that a branch is under construction in midtown (34th Street) with the opening planned for the end of May. Win!
After leaving the bank, I was able to navigate the PATH and the subways by myself without a problem all day -- I never once went in the wrong direction. In one instance (exiting at the Washington Avenue station) I was able to use the direction of the train to predict my walking pattern above-ground, and was right! I'm still nervous about successfully getting to and from areas on time during rush hour traffic -- I haven't figured out the trick of understanding the electronically muffled operator voices, and the station signs are hard to see through shoulders -- but I'm feeling generally confident that I can determine the direction I need to go in, and the line I need to be on.
Lesson 2 Learned
When taking the subway, I need to traverse the platform and keep my eyes peeled for signs announcing changes in service. Waiting 30 minutes for a C train that isn't coming can be avoided by looking at the poster on the other side of the pillar I'm standing next to, which indicates to take the A, instead. (Yes, I had Ellington's sax playing in my head for the whole ride, even though I was traveling away from Harlem.)
I fell in love with Clinton Hill and Fort Greene as soon as I turned the corner onto Gates Avenue. Diverse neighborhood -- I heard more accents than I can name, recognized French and Japanese being spoken, and heard a few others I couldn't place. Economically diverse -- housing materials and the outdoor flotsam of life in varying degrees of quality, but all well-cared-for and maintained. Children were playing outdoors (ball in the park); adults were sweeping leaves, arranging trash bins, washing windows; plant life -- trees and shrubs lining the streets -- while dormant for winter, was healthy. But more than that, the neighborhoods passed the eye-contact-hello test.
I'm from the suburbs of upstate, and Malta/Ballston/Saratoga are small enough that you always know someone while being big enough that you don't know everyone. When you pass someone in the street, you nod, smile, and say hello, recognizing one another as neighbors, and acknowledging companionable presence. Being casually friendly, in other words. As I wandered the streets of this neighborhood and visited shops, I smiled, nodded, and said hello or good morning -- about half of the time, I was greeted first. Friendly, welcoming, happy neighborhood -- honestly not what I was expecting from "big bad New York City."
On to Apartment #1 (Junior 1 bedroom in a brownstone on Grand Avenue in Clinton Hill). The neighbors were friendly and welcoming - the guy living on the first floor let me in, and told me "the apartment is great, and Mitch is the best landlord ever -- great place to live." The landlord was easy-going and professional, and the space was sweet. Tiny, but not smaller than expected, and well-laid out. I liked it enough to fill out the forms, pay the fee, and leave a copy of my application packet (rental, employment, and financial history, credit report, and references) with Mitch.
With an hour before my appointment to see Apartment #2 (the instigation of the day), I walked the neighborhoods for awhile. Clinton Hill is north of Prospect Heights, so I headed south and zigzagged the streets. There were lots of people outside taking advantage of the weather, and I was able to put my rusty Spanish greetings to good use (earning some smiles for my effort). I saw a lot of shops and businesses that were doing a steady business, and passed some seemingly lovely restaurants.
Then I crossed Eastern Parkway on Washington, and walked along the park for a couple of blocks. No people, suprisingly. I turned East, and headed into Crown Heights, crossing Bedford and Norstrand, zig-zagging back to Union. In just those few short blocks, the vibe of the neighborhood completely shifted. Everyone seemed wary -- little interaction, little conversation in general, and no one returned my greetings. When the people I passed did meet my gaze, it was with a challenging, "size me up" attitude. Now, if I hadn't just come from a super-friendly neighborhood that completely blew away my expectations, this might not have seemed so cold. But to be met in that regard at noon on a sunny Saturday afternoon didn't make me feel comfortable at the prospect of walking through the area at 2am on my way home from a gala, or a night out with friends.
I called landlord #2 and landlord #5 (a sunny 1bdrm on Bedford in Crown Heights) and said "thanks but no thanks," and walked back up to Udom for lunch. Udom is a little Thai restaurant that I've heard great things about -- it's got a lovely ambiance (small tables, a fireplace, a slight tang of incense in the air), a solid menu (several variations on the dishes I've come to think of as standard Thai), and the staff are lovely. I ordered pineapple chicken curry -- and it was gorgeous. I'm no gourmand, but I think I have pretty well-formed tastes, and I was thrilled. Verdict: I'll miss the Thai Garden in Saratoga because it's been my favorite for years and has wonderful memories attached, but I've found a Brooklyn counterpart.
After lunch, I walked to the Atlantic station, and took the train down to Sunset Park -- the 53rd St stop. I had leads on a couple of apartments between 3rd and 4th avenues, one on 57th St and the other on 39th. Herein lies the danger of neighborhood shopping from books, maps, and web reviews -- occasionally you strike out big time. I walked a zigzag between 2nd and 5th down to 60th Street and all the way up to 25th Street, and knew almost immediately that the neighborhood wasn't for me. Very loud and dirty, lots of people who were interacting in small groups but not with anyone else, and no one I passed acknowledged my existence. I'm not sure if there's been some racial tension in the area, but there was definitely some isolationist behavior exhibited. In contrast to Clinton Hill, where I was immediately welcomed, it didn't strike me as a place where it would be easy to join a neighborhood, where being part of a larger community was so blatantly valued. In part, I worry because that was a bit of a knee-jerk reaction and I particularly want to keep an open-mind going into this. But at the same time, I passed hundreds of people within the 4 mile loop that I walked and felt invisible -- as for living in that environment, I've been there, done that, and burned the t-shirt.
I called landlords #3 (2-bdrm loft on 57th) and #4 (newly renovated 1-bdrm on 39th) and said "thank you," but I was looking for a different neighborhood. Which is when I struck gold.
Nelson, who was showing me #4, is an agent with Citi Habitats, and he is by far and away the most helpful person I've worked with (who isn't a friend, that is -- you have all been super!). He knows I'm not from NYC, knows I've been planning special trips in, gave me lots of tips on the information I could include in my information packet, made sure I had explicit subway and walking information so I didn't get lost, and was just generally available to answer my questions and offer tips. When I called, he asked me what I had and hadn't liked during the day. When I explained to him what I'd seen and found desirable, he told me about Apartment #6 (a 1-bdrm on Carlton Ave in Fort Greene) and arranged to meet me there at 4:30.
Lesson 3 Learned
There are people in the world who are exceptional at their jobs because they're exceptional people. Success in sales is about understanding your client's needs so you can tailor your offerings to that need, or shape their understanding of your product to fill a new niche. When finding such people, hold on to them. (I've known this for awhile, but didn't expect to meet anyone in NYC Real Estate who fit that bill!)
Carlton Ave is one of the prettiest streets in Fort Greene. It's a wide avenue, with designated bike lanes and wide sidewalks. The homes tend to be older brownstones set farther back from the street with wide staircases, gated entrances to basement level flats, and street-level courtyards. #6 is at the north end of Carlton (between Myrtle and Park), which is less pretty -- the buildings are townhomes rather than brownstones, smaller and less imposing, but still well set. Above Park is the elevated Brooklyn-Queens expressway, so I was immediately worried about noise -- and then I saw the flat.
It's the first floor apartment, in the prettiest little 3-floor brick building, with a wrought-iron gated courtyard out front. There's a short staircase leading up to the front door, which opens into a wide hallway; a staircase just inside leads to the upstairs flats, and my door is at the end of the hallway. The door opens into a little entryway, with the kitchen just off to the right. It's enormous, nearly as large as the kitchen in my townhouse in Saratoga, with room for a table or an island. Behind the kitchen is the bathroom, nearly 2.5 times as large as my prior bath, with a lovely, deep, soaking tub and a wide window ledge. To the left of the entryway and kitchen is the living room, with a pass through to the kitchen -- it's windowless, but the floor plan is open enough that ambient light filters through. The door to the bedroom is off to the left -- the room is as large as the living room, has two windows, contains the only closet in the flat, and a decorative fireplace. The entire place has been recently renovated, the wood floors and windows are in great condition, the plumbing and heating systems are new -- it's absolutely the most beautiful indoor space I've ever had the opportunity to live in.
But the best part, is that
it comes with outdoor space. The owner has as of yet done nothing with the yard, a terraced-level garden, but is working with a contractor to completely redesign the area when the ground thaws. It's in some disrepair now -- overgrown, weeds, some damaged planting beds, some junk lying around that has to be removed or stored properly. But, it will be a fully functional patio and yard by summertime, with plenty of space for entertaining. Best of all, the garden beds that are already constructed can be repaired for my use as a garden, or I can set out containers! It's a walled garden, so the noise-pollution I feared isn't an issue -- we were outside for a good fifteen minutes, and had no issues.
Nelson looked over the packet of information that I brought and was convinced, he told me "if you want the apartment, it's yours." At which point, I was in raptures over the space, the neighborhood, the garden ... everything but the price tag. Always the catch, right? The apartment is pushing the upper limit of what I've allotted for a housing allowance, so I was afraid to say, "yes, I'll take it" yesterday -- fearing I would have to disappoint myself. It's Sunday morning: now that I've crunched the numbers, asked some clarifying questions, and confirmed the possibilities, I'm off to Staples to fax the application papers. Here's hoping the owner agrees with the agent, because if so -- I have a home.
(12.39 miles walked in Brooklyn; not my record for a day, but definitely high for winter. Today, my legs are killing me.)
First published at TheNines
