Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I moved from the greater Toronto area in Canada, to NYC this past August.
I am now looking to purchase a home in NYC. I am looking at single family detached homes under 500k, and 2 family detached homes under 650k.
Area's I am considering are Richmond Hill, Ozone Park, Woodhaven and Briarwood. I need to be able to walk to the train within 15 minutes and be door-to-door from home to my office in Union Square within 1 hour.
Are there any other areas other than the above that you would consider given my budget? Should I be considering south brooklyn (Canarsie, Flatboosh, Sheepheads Bay)?
What steps should I be taking in purchasing a home here; i.e. any obvious things to look for? I am trying not to buy a recent fix-up and flip type home as I feel the work done in them are shoddy and purely cosmetic whiles driving the price way beyond what it should be (tons of examples of this in south Jamacia queens).
Briarwood would be perfect but a bit *almost if not* impossible on your budget. Whatever u do stay far away from the flip houses. The work is poor. Briarwood is close to the subway and within the commute time. U are also close to restaurants, shopping etc on the F /E line. Good luck.
Lookout for homes that have removed load bearing walls and beams (slopped floors are good indicators). Try to buy on blocks with mostly owner occupied. Don't even think to buy a house without a designated driveway even if you don't own a car. Queens village, bellrose maybe another option within the budget.
Talk to atleast two diferrent banks/mortgage companies. U can tell them your salary, monthly debt payment, credit score and available downpayment. They should be able to give u an idea of how much u can afford and what your payment would be without running your credit.
Use a conventional loan if it is at all possible! It is harder and takes longer to get rid of PMI payments on FHA loans. I think now u have to pay PMI for a set number of years before it can be removed, even if your property had the required 20% in equity.
Haggle to reduce or eliminate some of those damn fees.
If u see something in the house that u like (a piece of furniture don't be ashamed to ask for it to be included in the sale lol. Some of these old houses have beautifully crafted solid wood tables, dressers etc.
NYC ACRIS website is a good website to find out information about a house. Eg liens, owners, previous purchase price any additional mortgage (home equit loans etc on the property).
The Department of buildings on queens blvd is very helpful in answering questions. Obtaining opened, closed permits info. They have an owners night with employees giving free info on what to expect when buying when is a permit needed for addition etc.
Ask the seller if they have a survey. It eliminates the cost of getting a survey done.
Many of the contractors buy their construction material, tiles, kitchen cupboards etc in flushing queens and add a 200% markup.
I grew up near where Ozone Park and Richmond Hill meet. Unless things have changed alot (and I am fairly sure that is a no), they should be in your price range. My mom sold the old family house 2 years ago for under 400K but it needs lots of work.
I live near Sheepshead Bay now, the general area is now but must out of your price range as far as I know (not sure about houses, 2BR condos seem to ask around 600K)
Trying to find a realtor to work with is a PITA. Seems like they want me to find the property on my own, and then they simply show up to sign the documents and collect the commission.
Don't try to find a house in Queens while you're living in Toronto. Move here into temporary housing for a few months and do your house hunting from your local base.
Good luck
Edit: Oops sorry. Thought you said you were moving this August
Its tough to find the right hood in queens, as most is overpriced in the better neighborhoods.
Briarwood is not to bad as it could be near the train. Woodhaven would mean a bus to queens blvd for the train , or the train at jamaica avenue. Some of the public schools could be bad, depending where in woodhaven.
I just dont like the jamaica avenue trains, j m z . It does go thru some rough neighborhoods on the way to the city.
For $650k, you might be able to find a 1 family in east elmhurst or jackson heights. These homes are brink with a rentable basement/ 1 flr apartment, with a comversion.
The nearby 74th and roosevelt avenue subway station has 3 express lines to the city!
Woodhaven and Richmond Hill are decent and relatively affordable, just try to stay north of Jamaica Ave if possible. The J/Z train service both areas. It's not the fastest, but it's okay and will get you downtown in 45 minutes. Or you can take it a few stops to the E and take that to midtown (50 minutes). There are also 2 express buses to midtown Manhattan on Woodhaven Blvd. (Costs a little more, but it's a really nice and super-comfortable ride)
To get to Union Square, you can either take the J to the L at Broadway Junction or the J to the 4/5/6 at Brooklyn Bridge. Both are just under an hour.
The best public elementary school in the district is PS 254, so check the DOE site to see if the houses that you're looking at are zoned for it. There are also good Catholic schools.
My husband and I bought our house in Woodhaven a block away from Forest Park 7 years ago and love it.
Kew Gardens is also really nice and is right next to Richmond Hill, but it's pretty pricey.
Good luck with your search!
Last edited by Raginrivers; 01-29-2017 at 06:52 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
