BuyingBy2012

I think most people know of Midwood for two reasons: (1) Di Fara's Pizzeria and (2) the Jewish Orthodox community. The neighborhood isn't exactly the most glamorous place to visit if you are from out of town (other than Di Fara's), but if you are looking to settle down and want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, then its not a bad place to consider.

My girlfriend and I are keeping a blog of our home search and if you want to read our full report on Midwood, you can check it out here:

http://iwantawalkup.tumblr.com/post/1251127164/review-midwood-brooklyn

I think it is a little deceiving judging all of Bay Ridge and Fort Hamilton in one post, but I really like one particular area of Bay Ridge, so I will still give it 5 stars. Bay Ridge is known for having families that lived in the area for multiple generations and therefore the average age tends to skew a bit old. However, I think that this tends to apply more to Fort Hamilton and the southern parts of Bay Ridge more than the northern sections. If you stick close to Owl's Head Park, the residents appear to skew younger and the streets are a little bit more lively. Couple that with Bay Ridge's great schools and gorgeous homes, and the neighborhood is tough to beat.

My girlfriend and I are keeping a blog of our home search and if you want to read our full report on Bay Ridge, you can check it out here:

http://iwantawalkup.tumblr.com/post/1030935655/field-report-bay-ridge

Gowanus is a relatively small neighborhood nuzzled between Park Slope and Carroll Gardens with good schools and fairly reasonably priced single family homes. Sounds like a dream until you consider that the crime rate is higher than average due to the housing project in northern part of the neighborhood, the canal that runs through the streets has been selected as a Superfund site (i.e. toxic) and the 9th street overpass and BQE make the southern part of the neighborhood practically unlivable.

Thanks, but no thanks.

My girlfriend and I have been keeping a blog of our home search, so if you want to check out our full review of Gowanus, you can check it out here: http://iwantawalkup.tumblr.com/post/1069525165/review-gowanus-brooklyn?ref=1

My girlfriend and I just checked out Borough Park this past weekend and our general opinion was that the portion of the community that wasn't Orthodox didn't really have much of a voice and it just felt like there was no diversity. If that's not a big deal, Borough Park is pretty ideal. Good schools, very safe neighborhood, close to Prospect Park, relatively cheap homes, great falafel, etc.

We have been keeping a blog about our search for a home, so if you want to read our full report on Borough Park, you can check it out here:
http://iwantawalkup.tumblr.com/post/1156549342/review-borough-park-brooklyn?ref=4

My girlfriend and I checked out the neighborhood last week and couldn't be more impressed. Not only are there great schools and single family homes on every corner, but its got that same laid back, community vibe of Williamsburg.

We have been keeping a blog about our search for a home, so if you want to read our full report on Greenpoint, you can check it out here:
http://iwantawalkup.tumblr.com/post/997894515/brooklyn-greenpoint-review