Roommate Finder in Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY

Roommate Finder FAQs for Red Hook, Brooklyn's Waterfront

• Who looks for a roommate in Red Hook, and how many people are searching?

  Red Hook attracts people who chose it on purpose. With no subway and the harbor on three sides, it draws woodworkers, artists and fabricators with studios in the old warehouses, staff from the distilleries, restaurants and shops along Van Brunt Street, people who work from home, and a number of Financial District commuters who discovered the ferry. Few of them want to leave once they arrive, so shares open up less often than in other parts of Brooklyn. Roomster's roommate finder has 2 people looking in Red Hook today. Tell them how you get around and whether you keep tools, bikes or a car, because in a neighborhood this self-contained those practical details decide whether two people can live together.

• What do Red Hook roommates pay to split a two-bedroom?

  Two-bedroom apartments in Red Hook have a median asking rent of roughly $4,250 to $5,125, so two roommates pay about $2,100 to $2,550 each. Studios have a median near $2,300 to $2,600, which means the saving from sharing is smaller here than in most of Brooklyn; what you gain instead is space, often a full rowhouse floor with a backyard or a loft with room to work. To bring your share down meaningfully, look for a three-bedroom and split it three ways, or take the upper floor of a house, which usually rents for less than the garden level with yard access. Gas and electric are commonly billed per floor in these small buildings, so add them to the budget and agree up front how you will divide them.

• Can I find a roommate in Red Hook if I do not own a car?

  You can, and plenty of residents live that way, but be honest with yourself and your roommate about the routine. Without a car you will rely on the B61 and B57 buses, the ferry from Atlantic Basin, a bike, and a ten-minute ride to the F and G at Smith-9th Streets. Groceries are easy, with a large supermarket on Van Brunt Street, but late nights home from other boroughs take planning. When you write to potential roommates, ask how they commute and how long it takes door to door. Some households share one car and split the costs, which is more practical here than in most of the city because street parking is comparatively easy to find. A roommate with the same expectations about getting around is worth more in Red Hook than one with the same taste in furniture.

• Is Roomster a good roommate finder for people who work in Red Hook itself?

  It is well suited to them. A large share of Red Hook residents also work there, in studios and workshops, at the food and drink producers near the piers, in the bars and restaurants, or at the port and warehouses, and living near the job erases the neighborhood's one big drawback. Those jobs keep uneven hours, with early starts at the workshops and late closings on Van Brunt Street, so matching on schedule matters. On Roomster you can describe when you work, whether you bring equipment home and how you feel about noise, then read the same from others. Once your profile is validated by email and phone, you can message someone for free. Mention where in Red Hook you work; a roommate with the same short walk tends to stay for years.

• Should my Red Hook roommate search include Carroll Gardens and the Columbia Street Waterfront?

  It should, because Red Hook alone may offer only a handful of shares at any time. The Columbia Street Waterfront District, just north across Hamilton Avenue, has a similar feel, with low buildings and harbor views, and puts you closer to the ferry at Atlantic Avenue and to Cobble Hill's shops. Carroll Gardens, on the other side of the expressway, costs more but has the F and G trains at Carroll Street and Smith-9th Streets and far more apartments. A roommate living in either can reach Red Hook's waterfront by bike in minutes. If the person matters more to you than the exact block, set your search to cover all three and decide on the address together once you have found someone compatible.

• How do I find a roommate in Red Hook before I move, when the neighborhood is hard to visit?

  Plan one careful visit and do the rest remotely. Start with a video call to compare budgets, schedules and what each of you needs from the apartment, and ask the roommate to carry the camera outside so you can see the block and the walk to the bus stop. Then come in person at least once on a weekday, traveling the way you would commute, so you learn what the trip is like when you are not sightseeing. Roomster's ID and address checks are free, so you can complete yours and look for roommates who have completed theirs; each profile shows which checks a member has finished. Ask to see the lease and the flood disclosure it contains. Never send a deposit to someone you have not met, however good the photographs of the harbor look.