Real Estate

Recently,  we had some friends and family in town and because it was so damn cold outside, we spent a lot of time cooped up in our 800 square foot apartment.  And any 800 square foot apartment that contains a jumperoo gets small very quickly--and then it starts shrinking. 

No one actually came out and said, "How can you live like this?" but it was the subtext in every conversation we had. 

I saw their point.  The things I love most about my apartment, my neighborhood, my borough, and my city are not obvious when it's too cold to go to the park or linger over cookies outside the bakery or window shop on 7th Ave or wander down the boardwalk at Coney Island.

Recently, we started exploring other housing options in the city.  We went to see that rare species, a house vaguely close to where we live now that costs less than a million dollars and it was...awful.  The whole thing tilted backwards, hadn't been updated since the 70s (or maybe the 60s), and was at the very top of our price range--not including the hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs the house would likely need.

So, just for kicks, we started looking at listings to see what the same amount of money could buy us in the suburbs.    I know I'm late to the party here, but good Lord, it's a paradise out there!  The square footage!  The backyards!  The 1.5 bathrooms!  It's enough to get us in the car to take a look for ourselves.

We're not ready to do anything rash.  There's a lot to consider: a commute from the suburbs would give my husband much less time with the kids (and would mean more solo parenting for me).  My own professional life would be affected: my teaching certification in NY state is already a mess because I haven't been working; who knows what would happen in a brand new state?  Also, there's the fact that almost all our friends are here in the city.  How hard will it be to build a new social life?  Finally, there's that plunging housing market that gives one pause over just about everything.

Besides, what would I call my blog?

Comments

[midlife mommy]

There's a lot to be said for the suburbs, but I hear you on the commuting thing. My commute is horrendous -- 42 miles one way. But Lordy, it is safe to take a walk at night. And very quaint -- with all of its own special features (even our own bakery). And quiet -- we get to hear chirping birds from our deck.

I don't think that you would need to change the name of your blog -- wouldn't you always be a Brooklyn Girl at heart?

[cat, galloping]

ooh! could we end up neighbors?!

[Toni/taquita]

BrooklynGirl in the Suburbs? Moving doesn't change who you are. If I was suddenly transplanted to the midst of NYC, I would still be a country girl.

[Suz]

No need to change; I agree with Midlife Mommy. I wish you much luck with your decision.

[Julia]

If you safely qualify for a good, reasonable loan, and don't plan on moving again in the near future, then the "slump" actually works to your favor. Don't get in over your head and stay put until the proverbial sun comes out again and you could even turn a pretty penny.

[Amanda]

BrooklynGirl:Relocated

Once you go 'burbs you never go back ;)

[cat]

*slaps forehead* NO!!!!!

I will not lose another person to the burbs... The market is terrifying. The house next to ours if for sale though, it's under a million!

Want the number? The back yard is pretty sweet, no idea what the indoor looks like, but it was remodeled so it's not a hole I know that. You'd be my next door neighbor and there is rental income in the building.

Just saying...

[swissmiss]

Oh, you'd still be BrooklynGirl. After all, you can take the girl out of Brooklyn but you can't take the Brooklyn out of the girl. Or something like that.

Good luck thinking it over. My brother and his family are out in the burbs (of Chicago) and it did take them a while to build a social network, but now they're the social butterflies.

[Tara]

I live in Queens...but I am a Brooklyn girl I grew up there. In Brooklyn the streets are straight you can't get lost, in Queens every street has a curve in it, you think you are going around the block and you end up on Staten Island. We won't get into Place, Road, Street, Ave!!!

Brooklyn Girl you could move to West Virginia and you would still be Brooklyn Girl.

[SarcastiCarrie]

Social Life: Once you put The Boy into school (pre-school, play-school, library program, etc), it falls into place, PLUS if you move to a family-friendly neighborhood, it's right there...across the safe street.

[Rebeccah]

We moved from a 700 sqft Park Slope garden apt to the spacious Pacific Northwest, which is kind of an extreme version of moving to the burbs. But when we got here, we were drawn to a Brooklyn-like mixed-use urban neighborhood and an apartment that is nearly identical to a place I shared with roommates in Cobble Hill.

Once a Brooklyn Girl, always a Brooklyn Girl.

[wavybrains]

Have you thought about the NY suburbs? My grandmother lived in Rockland county and the commute wasn't terrible for my grandfather --he was a short walk from the train stop. They never owned a car and managed just fine in their little town--the train, buses, little stores etc.

[Toni]

800 square feet? When you said in previous posts that your apartment was small...I was thinking 1500 sq ft. Wow. Not to harp on it - but wow :)

I agree with everyone above - you'll always be BrooklynGirl - whether your in Brooklyn physically or not.

A million dollars for a house? That leans? I'm glad I'm not living in NY...I think I'd have a heart attack.

[Cecily]

Why not toss NYC to the curb and move to an affordable city? In philly you can buy a nice house for well under a million... and still be in the city. Plus, you'll be near me! :)

[Brooklyn Mama]

Ohhhhh, I hear you. Boy, do I hear you.

[Jozet at Halushki]

I have an absolute love/hate relationship with the suburbs. I think that moving to a medium sized city and having more square-footage plus a yard is perfect.

But I'm not living there.

I miss Philadelphia. But now my kids are convinced they'd miss their playhouse in the backyard and riding their bikes to their friends' houses. Somehow, riding the subway doesn't offer the same thrill.

But I sure do miss my city living.

[Rebekah]

Oh, I so totally understand your "dilemma". All of the space is so incredibly tempting, and at such prices it is hard to ignore. We're out in what I would consider to be "the sticks" this year, and while the extra space IS nice (especially in the kitchen -- oh, the kitchen is heavenly!), when it's too cold to go outside it doesn't really matter if you have a bigger backyard or whatever. Your kid is still stuck inside. And having to pack everyone into the car and drive for who knows how long to get anywhere is such a pain in the ASS, I can't even tell you. It's hard to think that we'll probably always live in an apartment or condo, but I am very much looking forward to getting back to city-living (in our case, San Francisco).

[Missy]

I work in foreclosures and let me tell you if you are going to buy now is the time. You can usually get a nice, big place for a far more reasonable price then you would have a year ago.

[Kate]

C'mon, we've got 3bd/2ba (abt 1250 sq ft) coops around here for under 500K!

Not nearly as funky as where you are, sadly. But it has its charms. And 22 minutes to GCT.

[lulu]

I feel your pain. When my daughter was 8 months old, but not crawling yet, we left Brooklyn after 12 years and moved to Albany. I know that wouldn't work unless your husband found a new job, but maybe you can find the urban part of a town not that isn't too big of a commute.
We've been here almost a year now and though I am still homesick for Brooklyn and all the great food in NYC, this place is not so bad, especially not with a young child.
We can walk to story time at the library (though the other day I had to pull her home in a sled b/c noone shovels and I couldn't get the stroller over the 3 foot mounds of snow blocking every cross walk). We can walk to a really good, NYC-style Italian market. We can walk to the independent movie theater (not that we have time to see movies with a toddler) and we can walk to a very cool cafe for a fair trade latte. We can walk to a couple of pharmacies and a convenience store--so no hopping in the car just to get milk or eggs, which by the way, we get delivered to our front porch--which we never lock--just store our stroller and tricyles there--every week. We can walk to the farmer's market in the spring/summer and fall, and when she starts part time day care in the fall we can walk there in 30 minutes or drive there in about 4 minutes and we never have to worry about parking. In 20 minutes we can be at a big farm to eat at their "local foods" cafe, shop local stuff in their farm store, pick apples, pumpkins, etc., pet the sheep and goats,etc.
Being stuck inside in the winter with a little kid is rough in a tiny Brooklyn apt, and it can get boring here, but it is MUCH easier when you have room to have a slide in the playroom and lots of other space for the kid to move around in. Moving to a place with a lower cost of living has also meant that i am able to stay home longer with our three-years-in-the-making baby and it means that i can work part time instead of full time and so still spend lots of time cavorting with the kid.
We talk about moving back to Brooklyn and have come to the sad realization that that is not going to happen unless we win the lottery.
Good luck with whatever you choose.

[Jill]

I have a feeling it's easier than you think to get reciprocity teaching in NJ. At one point, I thought about moving from NJ to NY state and it didn't look nearly as bad as I'd imagined. NJ requirements tend to be A LOT less strict than NY. (For instance, my friend who teaches in NY can't believe I only need 12 credits to become certified as a department supervisor!)

On a selfish note, I want you to move to NJ so we can hang out or teach in the same school one day!

For the record, my favorite counties are Essex and Morris...Union county also has some pretty parts and the property taxes tend to be a lot lower.

On the flip side, my husband works in NYC and his commute is no walk in the park. It sometimes takes an hour and a half door to door.

Good luck making your decision!!!

[Heather]

Good luck in your decision. I have to say though, We had the luck to stay at a friend's apartment in Brooklyn a few months ago, and while it was small, the area was awesome.

[Diana]

Delurking after YEARS of reading you and cheering you on from afar...I just had to write from my 800 sq. ft. apartment in California to say that we have been mulling over the same dilemma for years! And, yet the siren song of having the organic grocery and used bookstore within walking distance still lulls us into staying here. When you have a baby/toddler (we have a 2.5 y.o.), it's so nice to be able to go places without getting in and out of the car. With two, I imagine the convenience doubles. Yet, I still drool over the homes in the hinterlands...

I have no answer to the dilemma and can only say, "Yes, I hear you."

Best of luck and a belated congratulations on Boy and Girl,
Diana

[Carla Hinkle]

I am very late to this comment but I had no *idea* your apartment was that small.

We live in coastal southern California. We have a 1300 sf, 3-2 house on a 5,000 sf lot. So I have, in actuality, *way* more space than you, plus it hardly ever rains so we can get outside almost every day. And the addition of the 2nd kid has just about driven me bonkers looking for a bigger place. (Of course, here I am looking for my own rare species, a single family home of at least 4 bedrooms for under $2M. Since we got into this market 10 years ago, the mind boggles.)

You are one tough lady for sticking with Brooklyn! Good luck with deciding what to do (even if it is nothing).