Moving to Brooklyn? Studying in Brooklyn? New to Brooklyn?
I can help you evaluate neighborhoods, locations, transit, and attractions.
 Brooklyn Botanic Garden, nice to live nearby
I can provide an orientation to one or more neighborhoods, focusing on issues of importance in choosing a residence.
Please note that a tour focused on where you might move might--depending on your budget and lifestyle preferences--cover ground very different from the tour routes I've organized as best introductions to a neighborhood. In other words, you likely need broad strokes rather than the more specific details. I'm happy to adapt the routes once I know more. I've helped people relocating to Brooklyn, whether just after college, in mid-career, or when they're retiring. I've also introduced college/university students, and their families, to the neighborhoods around the institution where they'll be studying. Often, people don't realize how much New York's varied transit system can help them get around. (Hint: buses.) Do remember that Brooklyn is a large place, and a tour that includes many neighborhoods can take a while. Also note that a look at borough highlights, such as in my Brooklyn 101 tour, does not necessarily mean those are the neighborhoods you would (or could afford to) live in. I recommend using public transit to get around, since that duplicates the typical experience. But that can make for a longer tour (say, 5+ hours) if you want to see several neighborhoods. So we can also take taxis/Ubers. Issues to consider include access to transportation, shopping/nightlife, access to parks, safety, neighborhood flash points, connection to other neighborhoods, future new construction, even the location of the library. (See my advice here on safety, and otherwise why location matters.) Sure, real estate agents may provide a version of this service, especially in a truncated area, but I can offer a broader perspective. Consider buying a used copy of the (out-of-date, inherently limited but still useful) guidebook Fodor's Brooklyn. Also see this guide to neighborhoods (and more) from Curbed. These neighborhood guides from the real-estate firm Compass are useful, if promotional. Also, I'm not trying to sell you anything! So I might be able to discuss issues that might be obscured in real estate listings, such as the actual proximity to neighborhood amenities, the size of units, and the history and rent-regulated status of a building. For housing, Streeteasy offers a neighborhood search. Also see RentHop, Zumper, and Naked Apartments. That can help you figure out general housing costs in various neighborhoods, or sections of neighborhoods. A new option is the rental service Blueground, which offers higher-end furnished apartments for a month or more. You also could try Craigslist (click to open categories), but do recognize that not every listing is reliable. |
Some important things to consider Please note that tours like Brooklyn 101 or Brooklyn 202, while great introductions to the highlights of Brooklyn, traverse neighborhoods where housing is expensive. You do not want any of my standard tours; they're too detailed. Rather, we can go faster and see only parts of certain neighborhoods. Please scroll through my Blog for some useful maps and other analyses. If you're on a tight budget, you could request a custom tour focused on neighborhoods you find affordable (please do some research; see links at left), or you could add some of the latter to a tour like Brooklyn 101. For my fees, please click here. But please recognize that this will likely be a custom tour and require additional fees for planning and consultation. Brooklyn can be complicated. For example, I've had people tell me they were interested in Bushwick, but the apartments in that very large and complex neighborhood they--or their kids--could afford were far from the relatively small zone where "Bushwick" has generated buzz. That's why it's helpful to do some research, or to have enough time to explore. New York can be a very challenging real-estate market. Choices of where to live often involve trade-offs/compromises regarding: size of apartment, proximity to transit, access to washer/dryer, proximity to parks, building/unit amenities or condition, proximity to shopping, neighborhood safety, and neighborhood amenities. |