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Douglaston's Suburban Feel Keeps Its Home Prices High

By Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska | February 28, 2017 12:02pm
 This single-family, three-bedroom home at 125 Park Ln. in Douglaston is listed for $1,299,000.
This single-family, three-bedroom home at 125 Park Ln. in Douglaston is listed for $1,299,000.
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Courtesy of Douglas Elliman

QUEENS — For those who enjoy the suburban life but aren't ready to move out of the five boroughs, Douglaston may be a perfect place to live — but be prepared to pay for the privilege if it's a house you're looking for.

The affluent neighborhood located in northeastern Queens, which consists mostly of single-family homes, has a golf course, picturesque waterfront and parks ideal for hiking and biking.

And while there is no subway service in Douglaston, the neighborhood features a Long Island Rail Road station (it takes about 30 minutes to get to Penn Station, according to the LIRR’s website). There are also several express buses that connect the neighborhood to Manhattan.

Yet, despite being located near the border of Queens and Nassau County, homes in the neighborhood still command prices per square foot comparable to those in several popular neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Manhattan, according to Constantine Valhouli, co-founder of the real-estate analytics team Neighborhood X.

This month, the most expensive property in Douglaston — a single-family, three-bedroom home at 125 Park Lane — was listed for $1,299,000, or $820 per square foot. That puts it in the same range as Hamilton Heights where the average price of listings was $734 per square foot and Cobble Hill where the average price of listings was $1,034 per square foot, said Valhouli.

“There are pockets of New York City that are perhaps even more desirable because they are so secluded,” said Constantine Valhouli, the founder of NeighborhoodX, who called Douglaston a “suburb in the city.”

“The upper end of the price range tells you that this is a neighborhood where people will voluntarily pay more to live there," he added.

Homeseekers looking for cheaper options could check the neighborhood's co-ops which were more affordable.  

A 650-square-foot one-bedroom co-op at 57-33 Marathon Parkway was priced at $189,000, which made it the cheapest unit per square foot in the area at $290 per square foot, according to NeighborhoodX. 

The condos listed in Douglaston during February, however, were priced considerably higher than co-ops. A three-bedroom townhouse condo at 62-15 Douglaston Parkway was listed at $788,000, or $518 per square foot.

“From an urban planning point of view it highlights that some areas can thrive without the benefit of public transit,” Valhouli said, noting that “Douglaston has some intrinsic qualities that make it so desirable, like the natural setting and the proximity to water." 

The neighborhood, also known for its good schools, historic districts and 18-hole golf course, has easy access to Alley Pond ParkUdalls Cove Park Preserve and more than a mile of waterfront.

"It's a beautiful neighborhood and its suburban character is an advantage," Valhouli said.