Realty Check
Tough talk on all things housing -- booms, busts, bargains and more -- from "Nightline" correspondent Vicki Mabrey
Vicki Mabrey is a correspondent for "Nightline" based in New York. She covers real estate as well as a range of national stories.
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Home, Sweet Home
July 28, 2008 2:07 PM
Joining “Realty Check” today is “Nightline” segment producer Maggie Burbank. The 28-year-old has lived in New York City for the last six years. Though she loves the Big Apple, the Massachusetts native is quick to point out she’s a Red Sox fan to the grave. Maggie’s living large, albeit in a small Brooklyn apartment:
In four days, I am due to re-sign my lease for the fourth time. I live in an adorable little apartment in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. It’s a neighborhood I love so much and I really don’t want to be anywhere else. But my apartment is feeling a little…small. I am really bad at square footage, but I’m guessing it’s around 250 or 300 sq ft, and it’s starting to feel a little like the walls are closing in on me. When you look at the restroom in your office and mentally arrange your furniture in it, only to realize it’s significantly bigger than your apartment, well, that just stinks. Oh, and my place is also mouse infested. Okay, maybe not infested. But Toby, as my hungry little mouse is named, won’t seem to leave. And while we used to co-exist quite peacefully, he no longer respects that when I get home from work, it’s my time to have the apartment. When I wake up I often find evidence of Toby in my kitchen -- and he seems completely uninterested in all those strategically placed traps. I am kind of getting sick of having a rodent for a roommate.
So I decided I would check out what apartments are available in my neighborhood. Maybe I could afford an upgrade. It seemed so dreamy – the idea of a bedroom that could fit a big dresser! A real kitchen! A functional refrigerator! (yes, I have a dorm-sized fridge) Maybe I could even bring up one of those old couches my parents want to get rid of!
Boy was I wrong. The whole reason I moved to this neighborhood from nearby Park Slope, Brooklyn was to get away from ballooning rental costs. Three years ago, Prospect Heights was an area in which I could afford to live alone. I ended up falling in love with it, and still would rather be there than the “nicest” neighborhood in Manhattan. I fell in love with the playground across the street, the Red Sox-friendly sports bar and grille where they know my name, the strangers on the sidewalk that say hi to you when you walk past them. When I first moved into my “junior one bedroom” (which realtors call a small studio with a separate bedroom that fits a bed, and…well that’s pretty much it) I paid $1050 a month. Now I pay $1113. It’s in a pristine brownstone with a live-in landlord downstairs who cares deeply about the building and so responds to all problems immediately. It has beautiful details, high ceilings, parquet floors, huge window sills. I love it and have been so lucky to have found it.
But I couldn’t get it out of my head that I wanted a bigger apartment, even if it meant a larger open space without a separate bedroom. So I started looking around Craigslist for apartments in my neighborhood. I jumped on the postings that said things like “AMAZING HUGE STUDIO” or “*exposed brick*new appliances*great location*” or “SPACIOUS AND SUNNY!!!!!!!!!! STEPS TO TRAIN AND PARK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” When I looked closer I realized that, yes, they were steps to the train and the park, but probably like 7,000 steps. And the ones I actually went to see could only be considered “huge” or “spacious” by Toby. I also noticed that the area considered “Prospect Heights” has moved way north and east into Crown Heights and Bedford Stuyvesant. My boyfriend just moved into an apartment in what is now called “Prospect Heights” but just a couple years ago was probably considered “Crown Heights.” Despite getting more bang for your buck there, it’s just not the safest area. I felt frustrated and deflated.
It seemed the only apartments in a safe location that were at least the size of my current apartment were now going for more than $1500. While you may think a producer at “Nightline” can live in the lap of luxury, I just can’t swing that. Not even close. My grandfather died a year ago and left me a little less than $20,000 thinking that could be a down payment for an apartment. Maybe in Providence, RI or Portland, OR, but in New York City? Not a chance. Isn’t everyone talking about how this is a buyers market? Isn’t there a recession looming? Sometimes it feels like New York City exists in its own reality, unaffected by the economic woes of the rest of the country.
More than anything, I just don’t get it. I went to a great college, and within 6 years of graduation I am producing at ABC News “Nightline.” But the prices of everything around me keep going up and up and I just can’t seem to keep ahead of my expenses to save anything. Who the heck are all these people who can afford to buy apartments in this city? There are cranes sprinkled across Manhattan’s skyline building even more apartments in the city’s most exclusive neighborhoods. And for me, the thought of living in a decent one-bedroom in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn is still just a pipe-dream.
I know what you’re thinking. In the grand scheme of things I am incredibly lucky. And you’re right. I love my job, I love living in New York, and I love my sweet little apartment. I should celebrate all that I have. But if you want to celebrate with me, don’t bring too much champagne. It won’t fit in my fridge.
July 28, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (13)
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Write more about the mice in your place!
Posted by: Skinny Burglar | Jul 28, 2008 3:38:49 PM
If only all blogs were as funny and well-written as this post! Even though this girl likes the Red Sox I'm willing forgive her because of her writing.
Posted by: Tim G. | Jul 28, 2008 4:05:29 PM
Your grandfather was a pretty great guy! Also, maybe next year you can move in with your boyfriend and between the two of you, you can get a larger one-bedroom...
Posted by: Durbs | Jul 28, 2008 4:42:58 PM
Jon Lester is an Ace.
Prospect Heights is a lovely neighborhood.
Maggie deserves a bigger apartment.
Posted by: Ramon AC | Jul 28, 2008 5:18:43 PM
You should probably claim Toby as a dependent. Then, use the extra tax money for a bigger place. I agree, who the heck can afford to buy a place in NYC?
Posted by: Amy Wilder | Jul 28, 2008 7:05:34 PM
oh dear margaret - how things have changed since you first moved in!! have you signed on for more time?? if not, don't give up - things always seem to work out. trust me on that one......
Posted by: jodala | Jul 28, 2008 8:40:21 PM
Love the idea of taking Toby as a dependent; love the idea more of moving with your boyfriend to even bigger space, preferably in Westchester!
Posted by: steve | Jul 28, 2008 8:57:23 PM
Excellent observations on a troubling topic. Imagine a low-income family trying to get by in that neighborhood- the kids would be sleeping in the bathtub!
Posted by: LT | Jul 28, 2008 9:45:25 PM
Informative, engaging, eloquent...these are just a few words that come to mind after reading this talented young woman's writing.
It sounds like the people want to hear more about Toby (that selfish bastard). You should write about how he's immune to Riddex. Either that, or Mr. Riddex also invented the screen door submarine and the helicopter ejection seat.
Posted by: Ben W-M | Jul 28, 2008 11:33:54 PM
Hey Mags, Imagine. The high life. A non-dorm sized fridge. To this day I have no idea how you discern what is good enough for primo space in your fridge. Hey - maybe you should charge rent for space in your fridge - then you can move on up!
Posted by: av | Jul 29, 2008 10:45:24 AM
ben w-m (undoubtedly a nom de blog as nobody has a last name consisting only of letters) needs to lay off toby. if the little guy can hit "w-m"'s weight, throw out runners and handle a pitching staff, he might be tek's replacement behind the plate. or is w-m luring us off the toby trail in hopes that toby might sign with a certain bay area team?
Posted by: teed | Jul 29, 2008 5:34:59 PM
I really appreciate your story. While my rent is not as much as yours in NY, moving to Portland from a small city I've been living in Idaho for the last 6 years, has really shown me how lucky I was to only be paying $460 for a two bedroom apartment in Idaho.
When moving to Portland, I was disgusted with seeing that one bedroom apartments were starting out at $1190...Although I'm only here on a short term basis, it has really made me question, especially in the decline of our economy, and seeing how hard working individuals with minimal income struggle to get by in the bigger cities they were possibly born into or stuck in becuase there isn't enough for them to move away....why hasn't anyone really questioned, WHY people can charge what they charge;WHY are the only buildings and homes going up through out the United States designed to cater to the upper class society? And we can't just simply say: because it's NY or San Francisco, or Portland, etc...because when we do, we overlook how it's not about the city or about the particular state, but it's about greed and in that greed we have others that are struggling just to get by in apartments far less expensive than ours, but in locations that are run down and dangerous...
We're lucky, you know, even if we still feel the pinch because of the rising cost of apartments. I think about what it would be like if I wasn't making what I am at my internship...I realize even more so now how lucky I am since starting a personal documentary on my own about Street Performers and how some of them sleep on the streets until they've raised enough to get a room for a night...Good people, full of talent, suffering in a city that is filled with apartments too expensive for the average wage to afford...
Thank you for posting your story
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