QUEENS — The travel guidebook company Lonely Planet named Queens its No. 1 destination in the U.S. for 2015 — raising a few eyebrows. Yet locals know that Queens has a lot to offer, and it's still one of the best places for real estate bargains — at least for now, as areas like Jackson Heights and Long Island City have begun to take off.
To celebrate Queen’s top billing, this week’s column is dedicated exclusively to open houses taking place in the borough.
110-20 71st Rd., Apt. 321, Forest Hills
2 Bedroom/1 Bath
Co-op
Approximately 926 square feet
$389,000
Maintenance: $804 per month
Open House: Sunday, Jan. 18, 1-3 p.m.
Lowdown: After longtime renters moved out, the sponsor gut-renovated this sizable apartment in the Barclay Plaza full-service building in Forest Hills and put it on the market, said Madeline Castrese of Corcoran Group.
“It’s a beautiful building, meticulously maintained, and a lovely apartment. It has a lot to offer for someone on a budget,” Castrese said.
The renovation enabled the owner to carve out a new room that has two exposures (west and south) and works as a large home office or second bedroom, yet the apartment is still “generously proportioned.” The windowed kitchen has 14 cabinets above and below its granite counter. There are double closets in the main bedroom and off the foyer in the living/dining area.
The post-war, doorman building of 186 units has on-site laundry. There’s a waitlist for parking.
Location: Barclay Plaza is on a quiet residential block between 110th and 112th streets, but it's only a block and a half to Queens Boulevard’s many retail and service options. It’s also only two blocks to the Forest Hills-71st Avenue express stop for the E, F, M and R trains.
“For somebody who commutes to Manhattan, it’s seven stops, 20 minutes to Midtown,” Castrese said.
Why put it on your open house calendar? Two bedrooms in a new condo development in Forest Hills recently surged to $1 million, so the second bedroom adds significant value to an already well-priced apartment. “Forest Hills is very desirable. [This building] is in a prime location,” Castrese said, adding, “and being a sponsor unit, it’s especially appealing to people who are very private as you don’t have to go before the board for approval.”
6334 Fresh Pond Rd., Apt. 5C, Ridgewood
1 Bedroom/1 Bath
Condo
Approximately 617 square feet
$490,000
Common Charges: $453 per month
Real Estate Taxes: $47 per month (abated until 2030)
Open House: Sunday, Jan. 18, 1-3 p.m.
Lowdown: Until this new building’s units went on the market in December, Ridgewood didn’t have many condos for sale — and those few that were on the market were likely in pre-war buildings, said Chris Pepe of N.C. Pepe Corp.
“The developer has done 30 to 40 projects mostly in [North Brooklyn], but this is his first in Ridgewood and it’s the first of its kind in Ridgewood,” Pepe said, adding that the initial weekend of open houses attracted 350 people on Saturday and about 200 on Sunday.
The building has 26 one-bedrooms and just two two-bedrooms, one of which is still available. What sets unit 5C apart is its “penthouse level,” L-shape, and an 802-square-foot wrap terrace off the corner bedroom. All the other one-bedrooms just have Juliette balconies, Pepe said.
Its kitchen also is open and the only unit not to include an island. Although there’s a common roof deck, “it’s set back and not above [this apartment].”
Other common amenities include a gym and private caged storage for each apartment. Parking spaces are available for rent.
Location: The building is a little more than a block north of Myrtle Avenue and is on the border of the newly designated Central Ridgewood Historic District, which consists of several brick row houses built by German immigrants before World War I. Rosa’s Pizzeria, across the street “is where everybody goes.” There are Vietnamese and Latin restaurants along Fresh Pond, and “several bars,” Pepe added.
The nearest train is the Fresh Pond Road M station, three blocks away. The L train is about a mile west on Myrtle.
Why put it on your open house calendar? This is the place “if you’re looking for something affordable in a good location that’s brand new” that’s also a good investment, Pepe said. “It’s an up-and-coming area. I know other developers building similar projects to be released in next two to three years. But right now, we’re the only units. We’re a monopoly.”
11-02 49th Ave., Apt. 2D, Long Island City
2 Bedrooms/2 Baths
Condo
Approximately 1,198 square feet
$1.2995 million
Common Charges: $815 per month
Real Estate Taxes: $30 per month (abated until 2023)
Open House: Sunday, Jan. 18, noon to 2 p.m.
Lowdown: This “pristine” split-bedroom apartment is a resale in the full-service L Haus building, which opened in 2010, said Christopher Austad of Douglas Elliman. “I always look for wear and tear [on resales], but this place has none. People come in and go ‘wow’ with the white oak flooring, top-line appliances, and the stone in the baths.”
The open living room has floor-to-ceiling windows, and since it’s on a corner with a northwest exposure, “it’s very sunny and good for evening light.” If concerned about privacy, the building’s lobby has vaulted ceilings, so this unit is higher than one would expect for a second-floor space, Austad noted.
It’s also sizable, at nearly 1,200 square feet, “compared to new condo developments the past two years,” and the entry foyer is spacious enough for a bike or stroller.
Amenities include a roof deck, a 1,700-square-foot fitness center with a yoga room, 24-hour doorman, media room, and a large landscaped yard and lounge with a “playground, water feature and grills. It’s very green and fresh,” Austad said.
Location: Sweetleaf Coffee is across the street, and the gourmet Food Cellar grocery store, which is less than a mile away, opened recently, noted Austad, who has lived in the neighborhood for 13 years. The parks along the East River are about three blocks west.
The G and 7 trains are within two blocks, the latter is just one stop to Midtown. A Long Island Railroad station is a few blocks past the Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue 7 station. There’s also easy access to the Midtown Tunnel, the Long Island Expressway and bridges. “It’s perfect, you can get anywhere you need to be via public transit, car or bike,” Austad said.
Why put it on your open house calendar? “It’s a bright corner unit” that is reasonably priced for the market, Austad said, adding, “most other condos in Long Island City don’t have outdoor space or they’ll have a small gym. [This building] has it all.”
