Roommate Finder in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, NY

Preguntas frecuentes

• Who is looking for a roommate in Sunset Park, Brooklyn?

  Two things pull roommates to Sunset Park. The first is price: a three-bedroom here rents for about what a one-bedroom costs in Williamsburg. The second is work within walking distance, at Industry City's 650-plus businesses on the waterfront and at NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn on 55th Street, which employs more than 5,000 people. Add renters who have been priced out of Park Slope and Carroll Gardens, and Manhattan commuters who want the express D and N at 36th Street, and you have most of the pool. 6 people have open searches in and around Sunset Park on Roomster's roommate finder today. Say in your profile whether you work days, nights or rotating shifts; in this neighborhood it is the first thing a good match will ask.

• How far does a roommate's share go in a Sunset Park three-bedroom?

  Further than almost anywhere else on the Fourth Avenue line. Three-bedrooms have a median of about $3,330 to $3,400 a month, so three roommates pay roughly $1,110 to $1,135 each. A two-bedroom at $2,700 to $3,000 works out to $1,350 to $1,500 apiece, against $2,150 to $2,500 for a one-bedroom alone. Before agreeing to equal shares, walk the layout: some rowhouse floors are arranged railroad-style, with one bedroom reached through another, and the person in the pass-through room should pay less. To keep your share down, look uphill toward Seventh and Eighth Avenues and away from the 36th Street express stop, and ask who pays for heat, because in small houses the gas bill is often the tenants'.

• Is Roomster a good roommate finder for NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn staff and residents?

  It fits the way hospital staff search. NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, a 450-bed teaching hospital at 150 55th Street, runs around the clock, so its nurses, residents and technicians need roommates who understand 12-hour shifts and daytime sleep. You can state your schedule in your profile and look for one of two matches: someone on the same rotation, or a nine-to-five roommate who is out of the apartment while you rest. Homes between about 50th and 60th Streets keep the walk short, with the R at 53rd Street and the N and R at 59th. New residents usually start around July 1, so those arriving for a program should begin looking in April or May, before the summer rush.

• Should my Sunset Park roommate search stay near Fifth Avenue or move up to Eighth Avenue?

  The avenues are different neighborhoods in practice. From Third to Fifth Avenue you are closest to the R, Industry City and the Latino shops and restaurants of Fifth Avenue, and that is where most open rooms and newer arrivals are. The blocks around the park itself, between Fifth and Seventh Avenues in the low 40s, are quieter landmarked rowhouse streets where shares cost more and turn over slowly. Eighth Avenue is the main street of Brooklyn's largest Chinatown, busy from early morning, with its own N station; shares there are plentiful and inexpensive, though many are filled by word of mouth. North of 36th Street the listings start calling themselves Greenwood Heights and the prices follow Park Slope.

• When is the best time to find a roommate in Sunset Park?

  Sunset Park follows the Brooklyn pattern with one local twist. Demand is heaviest from May through August, when leases turn over and new arrivals want a room before September; that is also when the hospital's incoming residents and summer hires at the waterfront campuses are searching. If you are filling a room, post it five or six weeks ahead and expect quick replies in those months. If you are searching and can choose your date, October through February is easier: fewer people are looking, asking rents dip a little, and a leaseholder covering an empty bedroom alone is open to a later start or a lower share. Whenever you look, check walking time to the 36th or 59th Street station, since that is what most people compare.

• How do I check out a Sunset Park roommate before I pay a deposit?

  Because so many shares here are inside owner-occupied houses and long-held leases, start by finding out whose home it is. Ask whether the person offering the room is the owner, the leaseholder or another roommate, how many people live there, and whether the owner knows a new person is moving in. Roomster's ID and address checks are free and optional, and each profile shows which ones a member has completed, so finish yours and favor people who have finished theirs. Once your profile is validated by email and phone, you can message someone for free. Keep the first conversations on Roomster, meet in person or on live video, and never send a deposit to someone you have not met.