Commute to downtown Brooklyn with large dogs (Ridge, Victor: to rent, houses) - New York City - New York (NY) - City-Data Forum

jbraz · 08-18-2009, 07:22 AM

Okay so I'll officially be headed to downtown Brooklyn soon, across from LI University. I'm looking for a decent commute to somewhere where I can not make life miserable for my two large dogs 85lbs and my wife. We're 30 yr old business professional, not really too concerned with partying, more concerned with safety. What are some options for having a small yard, nothing fancy. My price range is $2500 2-3 bedrooms. I'm from NC so I know nothing about city living.

Ideally I'd like to keep my commute under 40 minutes.

Fred314X · 08-19-2009, 05:22 AM

Unfortunately for the way Brooklyn has developed, you have to go away from the downtown area to find houses with property for such amenities as yards. The silver lining in the cloud is that you can certainly find neighborhoods meeting your qualifications with a commuting time to downtown Brooklyn of less than 40 minutes...

Borough Park
Bensonhurst
Kensington
Victorian Flatbush (that would be my first recommendation, by the way)
Midwood
Lefferts Gardens
Marine Park
Gravesend
Bay Ridge

Not too shabby a set of options!

UpstaterInBklyn · 08-19-2009, 08:58 PM

The tricky part will be finding a rental with a small yard. Believe me when I say small - we're talking about 12' X 12'. This type of amenity is usually only available with a single or two-family home. All of the neighborhoods Fred listed have a preponderance of these types of homes. The problem is that they are mostly owner-occupied.

Your best bet might be to try to find a homeowner renting out an upstairs or downstairs unit, but the dogs could be a big problem, and this arrangement has its pros and cons, depending on the personality of the homeowner.

Another option, given your ample budget, would be to rent a single family home on Long Island and live in the suburbs with more room for the pooches. There are several available on Craigslist, thanks to the current housing market. The commute to downtown Brooklyn would be relatively easy because the Long Island Railroad goes to Atlantic Ave/Flatbush. But again, two big dogs will be a problem for a lot of homeowners, so it will take some searching.