After a decade of renting a ground-floor apartment, the first-time buyers tested their budget in their favorite Brooklyn neighborhood. Here’s where they wound up.
After a decade of renting a ground-floor apartment, the first-time buyers tested their budget in their favorite Brooklyn neighborhood. Here’s where they wound up.
The New York Times
Real Estate|In Bay Ridge, a Couple With ‘Dishwasher Dreams’ Choose Among Three Apartments to Buy
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Real Estate|The Hunt
In Bay Ridge, a Couple With ‘Dishwasher Dreams’ Choose Among Three Apartments to Buy
ByJOYCE COHENJAN. 9, 2020
After a decade of renting a ground-floor apartment, the first-time buyers tested their budget in their favorite Brooklyn neighborhood. Here’s where they wound up.Related Article
Melanie and Sandro Cozzi grew up a few miles apart — she in Staten Island, he in Park Slope, Brooklyn. After meeting through friends in 2006, they split the difference and moved to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
They lived on the ground floor of a two-family house for nine years, and during that time they married and watched the rent rise from around $1,350 to $1,750.
It was “a very intriguing apartment, with a 1970s flair,” plus a backyard and a front stoop, Ms. Cozzi said. “The street was friendly and threw a block party every year.”
The couple, now in their early 30s, liked living on the ground floor, especially when they had to rush to the subway, but their apartment was small and dim. They saved diligently to buy a place.
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“We were ready for an upgraded interior situation,” said Ms. Cozzi, a music teacher who works primarily in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, and commutes by subway and Citi Bike. “We were ready to not have our friends crash on our couch when they came to visit.”
So she and Mr. Cozzi, who works in Lower Manhattan as an administrative assistant in the financial industry, went in search of a new place with a second bedroom, sufficient space for their dining table and an updated kitchen with new appliances. Their budget stretched into the $500,000s.
One appliance missing from their rental was a must: a dishwasher.
“Dishwasher dreams — that was an ongoing theme,” Ms. Cozzi said. “We had spent years hosting friends and family, washing dishes after those events. We’d had enough.”
The couple intended to stay in their beloved Bay Ridge, “as close to the train station as we could afford,” Ms. Cozzi said.
Among their two-bedroom choices:
No. 1
Ground Floor on Shore Road
This nearly 1,000-square-foot corner unit was in a 1940 building directly across from Shore Road Park, with a common courtyard and gym. It had good light, a dining area and a nicely renovated kitchen. The nearest subway station was about 12 minutes away.
The price was $525,000, with monthly maintenance of a little over $1,000.
No. 2
Bay Ridge Parkway Split-Level
This split-level apartment, in a row of houses built in the 1980s, was about 900 square feet, with six steps leading up to the bedrooms. It had a stacked washer-dryer in the kitchen, storage space and a big backyard. The subway was less than 10 minutes away.
The price was $489,000; maintenance was in the mid-$700s.
No. 3
Fort Hamilton Parkway Corner Unit
This corner unit in a 1934 building was around 1,100 square feet, with a large foyer and a renovated kitchen with a built-in pantry. The bathroom had a separate tub and shower. The subway was two avenues away.
The price was $499,000, with monthly maintenance of a little more than $1,000.
Find out what happened next by answering these two questions:
Which Would You Choose?
Ground Floor on Shore Road
Bay Ridge Parkway Split-Level
Fort Hamilton Parkway Corner Unit
Which Did They Choose?
Ground Floor on Shore Road
Bay Ridge Parkway Split-Level
Fort Hamilton Parkway Corner Unit
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