Often times, when you are planning your big move, you might have almost everything. You know which city you are going to, you have the perfect neighborhood and the moving company. There is only one thing missing – the perfect house. You just cannot seem to find the perfect place you can call your new home. Well, if your city of choice is New York City and you chose Brooklyn for your new borough, then this article is just for you! In this article, we give you a short guide explaining how finding an ideal Brooklyn home does not need to be such a nightmare. So read the article, and then call your Brooklyn Movers to start your new adventure today!
Finding an ideal Brooklyn home by hitting the streets
One of the cheapest ways to find an ideal Brooklyn home is to skip the broker’s fee. Hit the streets of Brooklyn yourself. This brings a couple of advantages. First, you will get to know the borough better. Second, you can see the building and get the feeling of the surrounding area while searching. And finally, by going apartment hunting yourself, you can speak to the landowner and negotiate with them directly. There are many ways to find out which buildings have apartments for rent or sale – “FOR RENT” signs are just one of them.
Besides searching for an affordable apartment in Brooklyn, you should also try to save money on your relocation. To do that, get Brooklyn moving quotes and compare movers. Pick the one offering the best services at the most affordable price.
Other ways to find your ideal apartment
Another practical way to discover whether a building is in need of new renters is by asking the doorman. If there are vacant apartments, leave your business cards. More often than not you will get contacted. You can even ask for landowners contact details.
Another thing you can do is visit the moving sales during your free time (like the weekend). Ask people there if there are vacancies in their buildings. Networking is cheap and effective!
Look at the bigger apartment building when finding an ideal Brooklyn home
When finding an ideal Brooklyn home, it’s a smart idea to look at the apartment buildings of 15-30 apartments. These are usually rent-stabilized. In the big buildings such as those, it is less likely that the landlord will try to deregulate a vacant apartment. This is a practice that is usually done in smaller buildings with 10 units or less. The goal of an investor is to sell the whole building, so they will spend more money on deregulating the vacant apartments. Bigger buildings seldom do this, so your best bet is to go for them.
Location, location, location
There are many other ways in which you can get a cheaper rent, and using the location of the building is one of the easiest. When looking into a building, look at its surrounding as well. Is the building near transportation facilities? That means that you can probably negotiate a cheaper rent (if the landowner doesn’t already offer it). Some people find living next to elevated train lines, highways, bridges or tunnels unpleasant due to noise pollution, so the landlords have difficulties finding renters for the apartments nearby. Sometimes, there can be a significant rent shift between the buildings next to the train lines and the one two blocks away!
The same thing can be said for buildings near construction sites. Is the building nearby a new metro line or a building construction? You can probably negotiate a lower rent. There are other noise-makers you can consider as well. Is the apartment above a restaurant or a diner? Is it on a busy avenue? All of these can generate noise, so use them to your advantage.
Winter is the right time for finding an ideal Brooklyn home
The location is quite important, but there is another factor you can use – the time of the year. It’s easier to find cheaper rent apartments during winter. This is because the leases usually turn over during summer, and the apartment inventory is full. The rents then skyrocket as the people enjoy the nice weather while looking into apartments. True, winter in Brooklyn can be drab for some people, and there will not be as many apartments as in the winter. On the other side, the landowners will be anxious to start renting their apartments, so you can probably find a nice bargain. Sometimes that does not need to be lowe rent, but a different kind of bonus. Maybe the landowner will over one month rent-free, or the building will pay some of your fees (like the broker fee if you go that way).
Reduce rent by helping them
In the line of negotiating with the landowner, you can also reduce the rent by helping the building. This practice usually helps in smaller buildings, but it costs you nothing to bring it up when negotiating rent. There are many jobs you can do around the building, such as shoveling snow, painting walls or furniture, vacuuming or moping the hallways, doing the building’s recycling – the possibilities are endless. Some landowners will gladly let you take charge of these activities in exchange for reducing your rent, or sharing the cost of repairs with you.
Watch out!
There is a thing to watch out for when finding an ideal Brooklyn home, however. Always make sure you look into the heating your building uses. In most cases, the landlord is the one that pays for the heating. However, some buildings oft to switch to electric heating. The installation is cheaper for the landlord, but this means that your electricity bills will be high. Make sure you talk to the landlord about the ways in which the building is heated.
Hopefully, this guide was informative and will help you in finding an ideal Brooklyn home. We also have a guide on how to buy an affordable Brooklyn apartment, if you are looking to buy one. Just don’t forget to follow important steps when buying an apartment in New York City. Finding an ideal Brooklyn home, or buying one may take some time, so have patience and be persistent. Good luck!