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It's a great area that is so well preserved. I wish there were other similar enclaves in NYC. The housing stock in parts of the City is hideous. Developer overdevelopment, teardowns and hideous McMansions truly ruin neighborhoods. I look at the prices that people are paying for those properties and scratch my head.
I use to live in Glendale. Sometimes when the weather was nice I didn't even drive to work because the walk was so enjoyable. I would walk down Metropolitan and cut down either 71 Avenue or Ascan. I miss doing that.
Because quite frankly, I would argue that an area like Jamaica Estates is closer to "hood" areas than Forest Hills Gardens, and those are really more like areas that are more working class. I mean Forest Hills Gardens is fairly insulated by areas like Woodhaven (the best of Woodhaven IMO is the northern part - houses are better kept and it's cleaner), Middle Village, Rego Park, Kew Gardens Hills, etc. These are all very good middle class neighborhoods. Now once you go further out, that changes, but again, you have wonderful, stable neighborhoods surrounding Forest Hills Gardens, with high ownership rates. That always counts for something in my book, as that means that those neighborhoods will remain stable longer and are less likely to decline.
A lot of the home invasions you hear about are targeted, inside jobs, similar to the last one I heard about in Jamaica Estates. I have heard of no such issues in Forest Hills Gardens. One thing to note is Forest Hills Gardens is private. Jamaica Estates, while very affluent, is not.
1. The people I know live near Kessel, essentially on the border, but still within Forest Hills Gardens, in a detached house. You're going to have a mix. Some folks in finance. Some in the medical field... Some with their own business... Obviously areas that yield good salaries. The person that works for me, she is self-employed, but I am sure she lives comfortably with her husband, who is in the medical field. I've never asked her if he has his own practice or what. They are definitely not transient, as they have been there for as long as she has worked for me. I don't believe they have children though.
2. Well if you work in Manhattan, I think FHG offers some of the best transit options in NYC. I take the LIRR or the express bus when I need to go into Manhattan from the area and it's very quick to Penn Station, which pretty frequent service all things considered. You're coming from NE Queens. I've always said that the food scene is lacking, esp. if you're comparing it to NE Queens, but big deal. You can drive to Long Island or NE Queens or elsewhere for that. I also think Austin St is somewhat overrated for shopping, but again, you have options.
3. While there have been some incidents within Forest Hills that I have heard of, I have not heard of any issues specifically in FHG.
I wouldn't even look in Jamaica Estates for that reason. This will be an all cash purchase or we may have a mortgage for $100-$200k so I'd rather not end up in a situation where our new NYC family home ends up being a long term bad investment. I agree with you regarding home invasions being targeted inside jobs, so we'll have to extra careful particularly since we won't be living there full time. My parents live in Fairfield CT, and I split time between Boston and NYC. We will have a vulnerable family member living there full time. I'm in NYC a few times a month, I'll probably increase my time spent particularly if access to Midtown is convenient.
1. Great, I was hoping that there would be a good mix of professionals, business owners. I have an Accounting related venture as well, so it'll be good to expand the network and be rooted in the community. In NE Queens we have some old timers, however most of the neighborhood has turned over and the sense of community is no longer there.
2. Yes, my office is located in Midtown. I'd prefer to use LIRR and avoid subways at rush hour. My real estate agent is claiming that it's 20 minutes from FHG to Penn., which is as great as living in Manhattan and going from UES to Downtown. I'm not terribly concerned with the dining scene because of the Manhattan access. From what I have seen on Austin Street/Continental Avenue, it's adequate enough for a local lunch/dinner. I agree with you regarding Austin Street shopping, it didn't seem to be that compelling.
3. That's reassuring. As you may know, Real Estate agents can't provide crime stats and I can check the NYPD and other C-D competitor websites so I was not overly concerned about the crime rates in the general area. More or less concerned about FHG section being targeted in any way.
I hope the inventory improves so that we'll have the opportunity to compare and contrast the properties.
Listen. I'm 50 yrs old, life long Queens resident. Know every inch. 30 years ago? Go for it. 2021? Not so much.
As you mentioned, the proximity to "hood" areas is real. Now, many will argue and debate with you what is hood but you got plenty of hood in surrounding areas to be worried enough about making a million dollar real estate investment. Quality of life is a real issue in all parts of Queens these days. The rule of thumb to natives is to be in NE Queens in areas like Bayside, Whitestone and North Flushing if you're home buying. Especially if you are white.
You're just better off going out to mid Nassau county somewhere.
My best friend in high school lived on Kessel Street and at that time (1970s) the streets were private and there was no public parking on them as I recall. Truly a unique neighborhood.
Kessel is still prime realty............still prefer Parkside.
It's a great area that is so well preserved. I wish there were other similar enclaves in NYC. The housing stock in parts of the City is hideous. Developer overdevelopment, teardowns and hideous McMansions truly ruin neighborhoods. I look at the prices that people are paying for those properties and scratch my head.
There are very few private neighborhoods in NYC. Forest Hills Gardens, Breezy Point, Edgewater (Throggs Neck), Fieldston (Riverdale), Pennyfield Estates (Throggs Neck), Sea Gate (Coney Island), Shorehaven, etc., but Forest Hills Gardens takes you back in time. You feel like you are in a quaint village in England. One of the best planned neighborhoods in my opinion.
I know you mentioned Jamaica Estates, but it is not landmarked, so you will see tear downs, though the lots may be larger than what you would find in FHG, but you can't beat those historical homes in Forest Hills Gardens and they are protected.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.Retired
Kessel is still prime realty............still prefer Parkside.
It sure is. Those houses fetch a million and up easily.
Quote:
Originally Posted by New Englander
I wouldn't even look in Jamaica Estates for that reason. This will be an all cash purchase or we may have a mortgage for $100-$200k so I'd rather not end up in a situation where our new NYC family home ends up being a long term bad investment. I agree with you regarding home invasions being targeted inside jobs, so we'll have to extra careful particularly since we won't be living there full time. My parents live in Fairfield CT, and I split time between Boston and NYC. We will have a vulnerable family member living there full time. I'm in NYC a few times a month, I'll probably increase my time spent particularly if access to Midtown is convenient.
1. Great, I was hoping that there would be a good mix of professionals, business owners. I have an Accounting related venture as well, so it'll be good to expand the network and be rooted in the community. In NE Queens we have some old timers, however most of the neighborhood has turned over and the sense of community is no longer there.
2. Yes, my office is located in Midtown. I'd prefer to use LIRR and avoid subways at rush hour. My real estate agent is claiming that it's 20 minutes from FHG to Penn., which is as great as living in Manhattan and going from UES to Downtown. I'm not terribly concerned with the dining scene because of the Manhattan access. From what I have seen on Austin Street/Continental Avenue, it's adequate enough for a local lunch/dinner. I agree with you regarding Austin Street shopping, it didn't seem to be that compelling.
3. That's reassuring. As you may know, Real Estate agents can't provide crime stats and I can check the NYPD and other C-D competitor websites so I was not overly concerned about the crime rates in the general area. More or less concerned about FHG section being targeted in any way.
I hope the inventory improves so that we'll have the opportunity to compare and contrast the properties.
Yes, it's about 20 minutes, sometimes less depending on the train you get. By the time you put on a few songs on Spotify, you'll be pulling into Penn Station, and quite frankly, I find that you don't have plan your trips, as service is frequent enough for a railroad, esp. during the rush. I would say there's a train every 20 minutes or less from the times I use it. With the express bus, you have options too, but there may be traffic. I don't use the subway either. Railroad or the express bus only. Much cleaner and civilized.
Last edited by pierrepont7731; 12-08-2021 at 01:26 PM..
arent the streets of Forest Hills Garden considered private and they can fence off any time?
Quote:
Originally Posted by New Englander
I am not sure about fencing off the streets, but I did see private security patrolling the streets, which was reassuring.
The streets are private meaning a non-resident cannot park their car curbside. I assume there are parking accommodations for non-residents that are coordinated by their resident hosts with whoever deals with that (perhaps the security company that patrols the area?).
It's a beautiful neighborhood to walk through and has the nearby LIRR Forest Hills station so residents can get to Manhattan without having to use the subway.
When visiting (example : house of worship) one can obtain temporary
parking permits to park on street. If not, you may be booted and towed.
Contact:
FGHC ( Tax payers Association )
They require that you apply for parking permits.
They have strict architectural guidelines ( altering property ) as well.
More info on neighborhood:
areavibes.com provides ifurther in depth detail on Forest Hills.
Last edited by Mr.Retired; 12-09-2021 at 05:19 AM..
Or, all you have to do to avoid getting booted or towed away is to write on any piece of paper "Visiting *enter address only*" and put it on your dashboard. I just sold my coop in the gardens and that's what I told visitors to do for the past 16 years and no one ever got booted.
I hope you guys know that Queens is the only county in the United States where the average black household makes more money than the average white household yearly just in case people are wondering about “other demographics” around the vicinity & overall no matter how high or low crime is in New York City forest hills gardens will always be a desirable neighborhood to live in. Despite what happens in the future or what happened in the past Forest Hills overall will always remain and comprise of solid middle and upper middle class people & a nice beautiful neighborhood with excellent urban amenities.
Last edited by Pandemicjoe_; 12-09-2021 at 09:17 AM..
I know a family who lives in FHG. Hungarian Jews. Husband owns PE firm. Wife stays home. They bought the house for around $2.5MM more than 20 years ago. Its not a big house. The area is lovely. If you can afford it.
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