Smaller house-great neighborhood? Or larger house-okay neigh

amother

Blush

Wed, Aug 29 2018, 10:07 am

What do you think is more important? I’m torn because to buy a house in Brooklyn now is hard. A small house in midwood (sometimes needing renovation!) is close to $1 million! But I’m not crazy about the areas that are cheaper. We are Yeshivish and won’t feel comfortable in Marine Park area or the like....

amother

Aqua

Wed, Aug 29 2018, 11:15 am

Buy the house you can afford in the place you want to live.

That said - consider if places you don’t want to live may be ‘changing’ in a direction that would make them ‘a place you want to live’ in a few years time.

I personally am stuck in a small house - but have no desire to move to a different neighbourhood. The positives outweigh the negatives.

amother

cornflower

Wed, Aug 29 2018, 11:21 am

I think mill basin (Georgetown) is heading in that direction. A relative of mine, who is yeshivish, just made an offer on a house there.

amother

Blush

Wed, Aug 29 2018, 11:46 am

amother wrote:

I think mill basin (Georgetown) is heading in that direction. A relative of mine, who is yeshivish, just made an offer on a house there.

I just am not the type to be a pioneer or live out of town as the lone Yeshivish type among mostly secular or very modern...

amother

Brown

Wed, Aug 29 2018, 11:54 am

amother wrote:

Are you so sure you won't like marine park? Stop by. Look around. Not everyone will look exactly like you, but you won't stick out like a sore thumb either. You might be pleasantly surprised.

jd1212

Wed, Aug 29 2018, 11:55 am

My husband said a friend once told him that when picking a community, if possible of course, being in the upper 50% of “wealth”, preferably 75%, of the people who live there. That it will do a tremendous amount for your self-esteem.

Being the most squeezed family on the block is not a great place to be, especially when it means you may be pressured in other ways beyond your means (vacations, clothing, etc.)

Maybe it sounds crude, but I really think it has a lot of truth to it.

pesek zman

Wed, Aug 29 2018, 11:56 am

amother wrote:

I just am not the type to be a pioneer or live out of town as the lone Yeshivish type among mostly secular or very modern...

Marine park is secular /very modern?

We must not have the same definitions of what these mean

But this is about you. It sound like location and being among like minded is critical for you so go for location rather than size

ShishKabob

Wed, Aug 29 2018, 12:04 pm

I would choose the good neighborhood over the larger house. You never know, but you may be able to add to the smaller house in the future. But good neighbors are priceless!

amother

Blush

Wed, Aug 29 2018, 12:09 pm

amother wrote:

Are you so sure you won't like marine park? Stop by. Look around. Not everyone will look exactly like you, but you won't stick out like a sore thumb either. You might be pleasantly surprised.

I live not too far from there now and I have a Lot of friends and family there. It’s definitely too modern for us (sorry, don’t mean to label, just being realistic about what’s right for us). We wouldn’t use the eiruv like some do, we don’t dress like most do, etc. Just want to feel comfortable and not feel like we stand out.

amother

Blush

Wed, Aug 29 2018, 12:10 pm

pesek zman wrote:

I was referring to Georgetown/Mill Basin not marine pk.

Rubber Ducky

Wed, Aug 29 2018, 12:11 pm

You're choosing your children's friends, so if you have kids, it sounds like the smaller house in the neighborhood of like-minded people will be better for you.

amother

Blush

Wed, Aug 29 2018, 12:50 pm

Rubber Ducky wrote:

You're choosing your children's friends, so if you have kids, it sounds like the smaller house in the neighborhood of like-minded people will be better for you.

That’s exactly a big part of my concern! I know the neighborhood would be much more appropriate for us, especially the kids, it just bothers me terribly to pay $1million for an old, small house when you can get something much better somewhere else. Guess it’s a matter of'oriorites.

Maybe

Wed, Aug 29 2018, 12:51 pm

Will your small house grow ? NO !

Will the neighborhood improve ? what is the trend ?

Can you get transportation to school of choice ?

Last edited by Maybe on Wed, Aug 29 2018, 1:00 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

White

Wed, Aug 29 2018, 12:52 pm

Interesting we are MO and neither mill basin or marine park seemed so MO to us. I could be wrong though.

amother

Aqua

Wed, Aug 29 2018, 1:07 pm

amother wrote:

Think of it as ‘ownership rights’ in a desirable location, rather than a price for an old house. (Also nothing wrong with old houses, if they are still standing, that says s lot).

In other words - the land is valuable.

amother

Denim

Wed, Aug 29 2018, 2:59 pm

I totally get you, OP. Thats been my dilemma for the past couple of years. I finally put down an offer on a house in marine park, then pulled out at the last minute. It's not like it was cheap, just cheaper. If you can really afford the house in midwood I'd say to go for it. Or you can join us, we moved out of town this summer Very Happy

, paid a LOT less for our house, and BH my kids have great friends already.

amother

Jade

Wed, Aug 29 2018, 3:49 pm

I'm yeshivish and live in marine park and a lot of my friends that live in the neighborhood are pretty frum too. There are over a 1000 families in marine park, how can you label it too modern? I can't stand how people think somehow the 20s and 30s are more frum. Sure there is more of a mix of people, but you really don't know the neighborhood if you are basing it on your relatives- they are only one demographic. Plus you make a choice with whom you want to be friends with.

amother

Blush

Wed, Aug 29 2018, 5:55 pm

amother wrote:

For me it woukd bother me to see people carrying on Shabbat with a questionable Eiruv which I hear most people say is unreliable and I wouldn’t want my kids being influenced.

amother

Natural

Wed, Aug 29 2018, 8:45 pm

amother wrote:

I bought a small house in Flatbush. I did not want to go to marine park! I am so happy I did! The location and block is ideal! House is small but I’m hoping one day I will be able to sell and buy something bigger. Al least I own in prime location.

amother

Slateblue

Wed, Aug 29 2018, 8:57 pm

I don't know the neighborhoods, so I can't help with that. But assuming that you could see yourself living in either place - how different are the houses? How would your lifestyle be different in the bigger house? Is there a backyard for the kids? Would you be able to host sleepover guests? Have a Pesach kitchen? If it's just a question of having larger rooms, I'd go for the neighborhood you really love. If you would have to make real compromises with the smaller house, then you might want to choose a larger place.