The Hunt
They Didn’t Need Fancy Amenities or a Garden, but Closets Would Be Nice. Which Brooklyn Condo Did They Choose?
After years of living in an apartment with no closets, a couple decided it was time to move when the rent rose to $2,800 a month. Here’s what they found.
For more than a decade, JV Mercanti and Joe Ferrari rented a sunny railroad apartment in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Unlike many of the neighborhood’s ground-floor units, which had paved yards, this one came with a wraparound garden, which the couple revamped with their landlord’s permission.
They cleared the overgrowth, transforming the space into an oasis of herbs and native perennials, and left their extra iris bulbs in a box out front for neighbors to take. “Now our irises are all over the neighborhood,” said Mr. Mercanti, a theater professor and director at Pace University.
“It was a joyous place to live,” said Mr. Ferrari, who was so inspired by the garden that he quit his job as a retail executive and opened a garden shop called Tend Greenpoint.
The couple, now in their mid-40s, knew many of their neighbors and held many dinners and parties at home. But the building was on a loud corner, and the apartment had no closets. Also, the only interior door was to the bathroom.
That was a problem, because the couple didn’t keep the same hours. “Sometimes I watch horror movies, and that drives Joe crazy if he is in the bedroom listening to folk rock,” Mr. Mercanti said.
[Did you recently buy or rent a home? We want to hear from you. Email: thehunt@nytimes.com]
One day, they calculated how much they had paid over the years in rent, which had risen to $2,800 a month from $2,100. Alarmed by the number — more than $400,000 — they decided it would be prudent to buy. So they began the hunt for a one-bedroom, with the help of a friend, Christophe Tedjasukmana, an associate broker at the Corcoran Group.
With a budget of up to $800,000, they couldn’t afford Greenpoint — or rather, “there were things in their price point, but they weren’t large enough,” Mr. Tedjasukmana said.
The couple hoped to find a place close to the G train, so Mr. Ferrari could walk from the Greenpoint Avenue station to his store and Mr. Mercanti could transfer to the A/C to get to his office in the financial district. They also wanted a bit more privacy. Otherwise, they were flexible.
“A bedroom door was a necessity, but everything else was kind of negotiable,” Mr. Mercanti said. They weren’t interested in fancy amenities and were willing to forgo garden space — Mr. Ferrari had plenty of plants to tend at his workplace.
They considered some ground-floor duplexes, which did often have garden space, but in one case they saw water on the floor of a basement utility room, which was enough to scare them off.
Among their options:
No. 1
Modern Bedford-Stuyvesant Condo
This contemporary, back-facing, boxy one-bedroom was about 625 square feet. The apartment had an open kitchen, floor-to-ceiling windows, a washer-dryer and a smart thermostat. It was in a newly refurbished two-building complex from 2006 with a gym and a furnished roof deck. The condo was within walking distance of the G train, but in a drab part of the neighborhood. The asking price was $645,000, with monthly charges of less than $300 (assuming a tax abatement until 2036).
No. 2
Prewar Fort Greene Co-op
This one-bedroom co-op unit was around 700 square feet. It had an open living-and-dining space, original prewar details, refinished hardwood floors, a wood-burning fireplace, a soaking tub and a linen closet. But the view in the bedroom was of a brick wall. The eight-unit 1930 building was just a few blocks from the G and A/C trains, and it had basement storage and a common roof deck. The price was $695,000, with monthly maintenance in the high $700s.
No. 3
Renovated Clinton Hill Condo
This one-bedroom was around 650 square feet, with plenty of exposed brick, a decorative fireplace, a small balcony off the living room, a washer-dryer and a private backyard with artificial grass. The apartment was in a newly renovated six-unit building a few doors down from the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and a 15-minute walk from the G train. The price was $749,000, with monthly charges in the mid $700s.
Find out what happened next by answering these two questions:
Which Would You Choose?
Modern Bedford-Stuyvesant Condo
Prewar Fort Greene Co-op
Renovated Clinton Hill Condo
Which Did They Buy?
Modern Bedford-Stuyvesant Condo
Prewar Fort Greene Co-op
Renovated Clinton Hill Condo