Dana Jarry, 27, freelance stylist and designer; Elena Soderblom, 28, bartender
4BR duplex, Prospect Heights
Rent: $4,100
Broker: Bonnie Chandler, MySpace NYC (518-275-5123, bchandler@myspacenyc.com, myspacenyc.com)
Broker’s fee: None
Deposit: One month’s rent
Moved in: March 2012
THE SEARCH: “We were looking for a while because we had a flexible end to our last lease [in West Harlem],” says Jarry. “I got my old apartment in 2005 and everything was great about it: The apartment was affordable and the neighborhood was okay, but we needed to change things up a bit, and both of us were interested in moving to Brooklyn. We looked at Clinton Hill, Fort Greene—which was expensive—and Crown Heights, but Prospect Heights [had] more of the neighborhood vibe we were looking for. We mostly used Craigslist [craigslist.org].”
Soderblom continues, “We started looking in Prospect Heights randomly. We were looking at a place in Clinton Hill and ended up stopping for drinks at Chavella’s[732 Classon Ave between Park and Prospect Pls; 718-622-3100, chavellas.com]. From then, we knew we had to live in their delivery zone.”
“We were actually at Chavella’s and the owner of MySpace NYC was also sitting at the bar and heard us talking about how cute the neighborhood was,” says Jarry. “He hooked us up with Bonnie [their broker], who showed us the apartment. We walked in and kind of knew right there. We were originally looking for a two bedroom, but there wasn’t much on the market at the time. Once we fell in love with this one, we had to scramble to find two other roommates and a guarantor to secure the apartment financially. Be really ready to lay out your money the same day [or] next day as seeing the place. Have a guarantor already lined up if you know your credit isn’t great. Do your research: If there aren’t a lot of smaller apartments in your neighborhood of choice, try finding extra roommates ahead of time to speed up the process and avoid last-minute stress!”
THE SPACE: “Upstairs is the back of the building, with a living room, kitchen, bedroom and full bathroom,” says Jarry. “There’s a deck [overlooking our] private backyard. Downstairs, there’s a second living room we call the rec room, and the other three bedrooms, with an entrance to the backyard. There’s a washer-dryer and a full bathroom.”
THE NEIGHBORHOOD: “We love it,” says Soderblom. “There’s so much opening up. There are lots of new bars and vintage shops. It’s quiet, a quick commute to the city, and within walking distance of the Botanic Garden and Brooklyn Museum.” Jarry adds, “You feel like you don’t have to leave the neighborhood to go out and have fun. Everything you could ever really want in a neighborhood is right here. It’s like our little secret right now, but it’s exploding.”