answer:You should start looking as soon as possible. Explore each neighborhood (both during the day, and during the night) so you can get a feel for what it’s like- don’t go by what people tell you. See for yourself. I would say use a broker if you can afford it because they can line up several places for you to see all on one day. If you have time to go to places whenever it’s convenient for the owners instead of convenient for you, then you can probably forgo the broker. Most of the ‘hoods you mentioned are peppered with subway stops, so I wouldn’t worry too much about the commute if I were you, just make sure there’s a subway stop within walking distance, doesn’t matter which line, almost all of them go to Manhattan (since you don’t care about adding a few minutes onto your commute, which switching trains might do) Brooklyn is a great place to live if you do your research, so good luck!