What's Flatbush like?

A lot of Caribbean immigrants. Transportation so so. Not one of the cleaner neigborhoods out there... A mix of attached and detached houses. Often the name gets used to describe several neighborhoods.

Specific cross streets would help.

It's sad to say but I don't know Brooklyn at all. I just noticed that there appears to be some places that are really affordable. like http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/366571-coop-3400-snyder-avenue-flatbush-brooklyn but I don't know if it's to good to be true.

There is also that "Flafbush Gardens" commercial all over TV.

These apartments exist, but you're getting pretty far from Manhattan, and you're talking about some marginal neighborhoods - Linden Blvd area definitely dirty, some crime, not a lot going for it. You're getting out far enough that something like Jersey City might make more sense.

now1225,
Where do you live currently? What neighborhoods (or cities, for that matter) have you lived in and loved? What are you looking for in a neighborhood? Whatever you like, there is probably an analog for it in Brooklyn. If you want park access, PLG can be great. If you want restaurants and nightlife, try Prospect Heights or Fort Greene or Williamsburg. Did you enjoy living on Martha's Vineyard? You might like Red Hook. Moving from Tribeca? See DUMBO. Upper West Side? Try Park Slope. Chinatown? See Sunset Park. Riverdale? See Bay Ridge. Etc.

In short: Brooklyn? Try brownstoner.com.

Tina
(Brooklyn broker)

I’m grew up in the West Village, and my mom still lives there. I moved to Forest Hills (18 blocks away from the train) for one year and hated it since it took me an hour to get anywhere. I moved back to Manhattan and now live in Spanish Harlem. The area is okay, (it definitely leaves me wanting but that’s okay since I can get downtown fast) but the building I live in is falling apart so I would like to get out. I know it’s bad that I have lived all my life in NYC and only know Manhattan.

If you think Forest Hills is far, avoid flatbush unless you can be right off the express stop.

What sort of price range are you looking for?

That would help...

Under 300,000, I know that's a hard one

There's nothing wrong with not having explored Brooklyn yet. You have the rest of your life to do it!
Next - did you like Forest Hills, aside from the commute?
Ideally: prewar apartment building or postwar or brownstone?
Which are you most likely to do on a weekend afternoon: go to a restaurant for brunch with friends, go for a bike ride/long run, or work on your novel/blog/art at home?
Also, would you consider renting while you explored the borough?
Tina
(Brookyn broker)

now1225, this is what Flatbush is like: http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/106961-house-1306-albermarle-road-ditmas-park-brooklyn

[Ditmas Park is a subneighborhood of Flatbush, the latter being a vast, vast swath of Brooklyn, that being a city that only the dead know.]

You might want to consider Midwood. It's still very affordable and extremely clean, safe, and quiet.

Forest Hills was very nice but quite honestly every day I came into Manhattan. My family and friends are all in the city, upstate NY, CT and NJ. We use Manhattan as our meeting place (the West or East Village). We rented a 3 bedroom apartment that was gigantic and no one ever wanted to make the trip to Forest Hills to see it. The first time my mom saw it was the day before we moved out. So as far as what I would do on the weekends would be to come into the city. Right now I usually take the train to my mom’s area so that’s almost an hour from Spanish Harlem. I probably wouldn’t rent in Brooklyn just because if I’m going to keep renting I’d probably just stay in Manhattan then.

Well, don't think your friends would be any more inclined to trek into Flatbush.

Not expecting them to, usually I just use my apartment as a place to keep my stuff, go to sleep and that's pretty much it. Just hoping to find a place that is relatively close to the city and safe.

Flatbush gardens used to be Vandeveer projects. not good.

Flatbush is neither "relatively close" to the city nor safe.

"now1225, this is what Flatbush is like: http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/106961-house-1306-albermarle-road-ditmas-park-brooklyn

[Ditmas Park is a subneighborhood of Flatbush, the latter being a vast, vast swath of Brooklyn, that being a city that only the dead know.]"

Ditmas is pretty - or at least it is NOW, I remember when everything was burnt out - but the areas he noted are nowhere near. He's talken Linden territory, a very different neighborhood.

Agreed that Flatbush is neither close nor relatively safe.

if you're just looking for affordable brooklyn close to quick transportation to the city, i would suggest parts of prospect heights within walking distance of the 7th ave Q train or east williamsburg near the graham ave or grand st stops.

Any reason you wouldn't move to Williamsburg? Very convenient to the West Village, the L connects to everything, lots of Manhattanites willing to come visit (not the case when I moved there in 1989!). Rentals getting cheaper every day. It doesn't look like Forest Hills, or the West Village for that matter, but it's a heck of a lot closer to the stuff that matters to you than any of the other places we're discussing.

Tina
(Brooklyn broker)

i know exactly how you feel...but rather than buying in a neighborhood far from Manhattan why not rent for a couple of years...Betina Equities has a number of studios and small one bedrooms on the upper east side..below 96th street...their studios start at $1700 and I saw they have some one bedrooms for $1800..You were raised in Manhattan and didn't like Forest Hills..you'll definitely not like Brooklyn.