Sales Market

Why rents in Bushwick and Crown Heights aren't quite as crazy as they seem

By Virginia K. Smith  | September 11, 2014 - 12:59PM
image

Don't get us wrong, they are still crazy. In the onslaught of market reports released today—all of which more or less tell us the same thing, that New York rentals are still wildly expensive—real estate brokerage MNS had some particularly jarring numbers, indicating that average rents in Bushwick spiked 23 percent in the past year, and in Crown Heights, 25.2 percent.

To an extent, this tells us something most renters have already experienced firsthand: once-cheap Brooklyn neighborhoods have long since been discovered by developers and well-to-do renters alike. But, as MNS CEO Andrew Barrocas points out to DNAinfo, the rents in question are averages, meaning that high-priced new developments—like Bushwick's Colony 1209, where the cheapest available unit is a $2,262/month one-bedroom—can drag up an entire neighborhood's averages like a smug overachiever ruining the curve for everyone else. In other words, the neighborhood is getting more expensive, yes, but not every landlord across the board has raised their asking prices quite so astronomically.

A few other things we learned from today's reports?

Related:

Brooklyn prices hit record highs, but it's still your cheaper option

10 commandments of a New York City rental search

9 NYC nabes where you can still get a bargain

Renting off the L train: what does it really cost, and what do you get?

9 things you don't know—but want to—about Crown Heights

Major NYC landlord admits "we pushed too far" on rents—take advantage with these tips

Brick Underground articles occasionally include the expertise of, or information about, advertising partners when relevant to the story. We will never promote an advertiser's product without making the relationship clear to our readers.

topics: