Living in Brooklyn

If you are new to the area, some of the terms used by agents and in listings can be confusing. Here's a primer on typical living arrangements and lifestyles here in Williamsburg.

Apartment Living

Apartment living is the most common form of living in the big city. From ugly high rises towers to shabby vinyl or aluminum clad three family brownstones, apartments are housed in buildings of all sizes and shapes - all offering the key component - convenience. Typically tiny and poorly maintained, inner city apartments are generally boiling hot in summer and freezing in the Winter. Unless you're lucky enough to find yourself in one of the new poly clad and spray-creted remodeled buildings that are popping up all over the Burg. The polystyrene adds "insulation on the outside" which is very effective, if not a little ugly and extremely flammable.

The 2 or 3 bedroom apartment
Very few of these genuinely exist - most are one bedrooms with a few dodgy new walls thrown in to "create space". If you come across a decent one of these then try and get in there no matter what it takes and never leave.

Railroad apartments
These are great - this is where we take regular two bedroom apartments (one whole floor of 3 or 4 family building) and turn them into 2 apartments: Everybody benefits from this simple conversion - it's twice as much rent money for us but hey lto be fair, it creates more living space in the inner city - which is cool right? Sometimes when our maintenance guys aren't too busy with the constant repairs that their own shoddy work creates - we further subdivide the one bedroom railroads into studio apartments.

Studio apartments
The best deal in the city - yep because that's 4 times the rent that we made originally and you young hipsters get to live, work and sleep in one room! It cannot be denied - there something quintessentially Dylan-esque about living in a shabby one room apartment in New York City.

Studio apartments
Living in a loft was a fringe fashion when it first emerged in New York during the 1940s, as artists and designers moved into unused industrial buildings so that they could work in their places of residence inexpensively. What began as a radical alternative to conventional accommodations has changed the face of urban housing city-wide. Features include high ceilings, wide-open space, ceiling to floor windows and one key component—enormous flexibility. Realistically, renting a loft will be the only time you have the opportunity to design your own space, without owning it. You have the ability to customize the space the way you like—whether you desire an open, airy feel or prefer separation. In most cases, you have the freedom to add bedrooms, an office or the popular choice, a studio; the possibilities are endless.

Basements and cellars
Basement and cellar living has become more popular as the inner cities get more and more crowded. Although they can be dark and crampy and sometimes only accessed through another tenants space they do have many positive features. They're often cheap (more drinking money) generally damp (reduces dandruff) cold all year round (a big plus in the summer)

Van and cars
Vans and cars: Living in your car is not as bad as you might think.