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Thanks for all of the replies - Queens is currently the only borough on my radar. No desire to ever live in the Bronx again, for many reasons. Not a fan of Brooklyn as a whole, and been there, done that with Manhattan (plus I want to live in something bigger than a closet and keep my car).
Lots of good neighborhood suggestions here. Thank you!
I just started thinking about this yesterday so obviously the idea needs refining and lots of thought. A friend suggested we go in on a 3 family, a unit for me, a unit for his elderly mom, and one to rent out. I like the idea and found something in JH for just north of a million. Couldn't do that on my own, but in partnership, maybe. We're going to talk some more about it.
do not go in with a friend, too many ways it can go wrong. better to get in with mom.
I'm just saying. I think Woodhaven is in decline and has been for some time. I personally would not buy there unless it was north of Jamaica Avenue near the park, and even there I would be weary. I would pick Middle Village over Woodhaven in a heart beat, but Middle Village will cost much more. For the OP there's the M train or the QM24 and QM34 express (West and East Side) buses to Midtown. I mean really... The OP is coming from Astoria... Woodhaven is a step down from that perspective. Astoria has good restaurants... Middle Village while mainly Italian has some good spots as well.
Most of Middle Village does not have the M train, especially the more desirable parts of it. If you are near certain parts of Metropolitan Avenue, you have restaurant row (not near the M). Otherwise, there isn't much there.
I gave an approximate estimate of monthly carrying cost. I would go to home depot's website to see the cost of a boiler, replacement window etc to guauge an idea of what it would be for unexpected issues.
My maintenance (for 900 sqf) covers all my utilities (electric, water and gas) other than internet. It's below $1000. My friend's who pay for home heating say their bill is a minimum of $200 a month. I think your estimate for independent bills is a little low, and your estimate for maintenance is a little high.
I just started thinking about this yesterday so obviously the idea needs refining and lots of thought. A friend suggested we go in on a 3 family, a unit for me, a unit for his elderly mom, and one to rent out. I like the idea and found something in JH for just north of a million. Couldn't do that on my own, but in partnership, maybe. We're going to talk some more about it.
Be careful. You need to have an iron clad agreement and really think through almost every scenario imaginable. My dad did this in Loisaida, back in the day. We shared a four family brownstone on one of the nicest blocks in Alphabet city. (It's worth $7 million now.) But it was a money pit due to its age. (1850's) His partner / friend had more means than we did. He was a trust fund baby, artist who did not actually need the money. So he was able to and desired to spend money in ways that were unimaginable for people who actually worked for a living. The relationship was very strained. After our tenant had a fire in the kitchen making it unrentable and waiting a year for the insurance money....Let's just say, we had to walk away, we lost our shirts, and the friendship did not remain. Business and friendships do not mix. Think long and hard about this.
FWIW, plenty of dog crap on the sidewalks of Tribeca, I see it every day
Dog crap is a problem across the city. People of all classes are nasty, but some are worse than others. I'm guessing with all of the doorman buildings in TriBeCa, the staff is too lazy to clean up after their nasty co-op or condo owners. Woodhaven is just dirty, particularly the areas south of Jamaica Avenue. That's where it becomes like day and night in terms of the curb appeal and overall cleanliness. As I said, the residents don't seem to care about upkeep. North of Jamaica Avenue however looks much better and is better kept. I think the overall income is lower south of Jamaica avenue too which perhaps makes things look dirtier since things like cracked up sidewalks and run down houses makes things look dirtier and more run down.
Dog crap is a problem across the city. People of all classes are nasty, but some are worse than others. I'm guessing with all of the doorman buildings in TriBeCa, the staff is too lazy to clean up after their nasty co-op or condo owners. Woodhaven is just dirty, particularly the areas south of Jamaica Avenue. That's where it becomes like day and night in terms of the curb appeal and overall cleanliness. As I said, the residents don't seem to care about upkeep. North of Jamaica Avenue however looks much better and is better kept. I think the overall income is lower south of Jamaica avenue too which perhaps makes things look dirtier since things like cracked up sidewalks and run down houses makes things look dirtier and more run down.
But Woodhaven is itself a working class neighborhood. And guess what anyone with a budget of less than 400k looking for a single family house can't be too picky. It is what it is, but from my experience Woodhaven is safer than Bushwick was. This is because most of the homes are single families and owner occupied so they and their kids don't tend to act out as much vs places loaded with rental apartments. Part of the dirtier look I think comes from the fact that the overwhelming majority of houses aren't brick and as the aluminum/vinyl siding gets dirty with time it tends to look ugly unlike masonry which has a more rustic look as it ages.
But hey at least people are trying to turn it into a brickstone neighborhood and if history repeats itself transplants in the future would pay millions for those stone facade homes. Just take a look at the Audi and the former concrete turned lawn. Too bad the guy ran out of money 3 feet of the way in. https://www.google.com/maps/@40.6905...7i13312!8i6656
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