Townhouse for $600k?
My husband and I are looking to buy a 3+ BR place so we can start a family (we currently live in a little 700 sq ft Boerum Hill condo). We’re open minded about neighborhoods in Brooklyn (preferred) or Queens but want a commute to mid-town that will be less than an hour. We could…
My husband and I are looking to buy a 3+ BR place so we can start a family (we currently live in a little 700 sq ft Boerum Hill condo). We’re open minded about neighborhoods in Brooklyn (preferred) or Queens but want a commute to mid-town that will be less than an hour. We could swing $600k and it would be a dream to have a townhouse but from what we’ve seen that puts us in Bed Stuy or Bay Ridge. Would anyone have advice on what it’s like to live in either community today? Safety is a question, and value for the money. We’d also love recommendations for other neighborhoods we haven’t discovered.
Mopar — I saw a listing for a Jackson heights townhouse a year or so ago that was asking either low 800’s or high 700’s. I think it was maybe on 85th Street. It looked nice from the pictures. I doubt you will find many townhoues between Roosevelt Ave and Northern Blvd for under 700K, even post-Lehman.
As for Forest Hills, there are some small standalone houses (16′ wide or so) for under 700K the farther away from the LIRR you get — maybe 15 minutes walking.
Adam,
Whats rent like in Jersey City?
I been looking for places in Brooklyn, I love it here. Never considered Jersey City, but I did a quick search and it looks nice!
Oops, wait, I forgot: Jackson Heights has a smattering of standalone and semi-attached houses built in the 1930s. Not many. Probably fewer than 20. I’m not sure what they go for these days.
thanks for clarifying that Mopar – I was thinking where are they hiding all these supposed townhouses in jackson heights.
I bought for that price range in Bay Ridge. I got a cute 3 bedroom home with a yard and garage. I worried that the transition form Carroll Gardens would be tough, but I love my quiet street, the great restaurants, and the park and water being nearby. Now summer is here and I have a garden. I looked in Windsor–nothing in my price range. Sunset–things in my price range were dumps. And Greenwood, just didn’t have much inventory in my price range at the time.
Since everyone keeps bringing up Jackson Heights, I have to mention: It does not have townhouses, which is what the OP asked about. However, you can get a spacious and gracious two- or three-bedroom pre-war apt with a shared garden, elevator, and fireplace for $450,000 to $550,000.
Personally, I would prefer a townhouse in Bed Stuy myself, and that’s what we’re looking for. You will also find two-families in your price range in Ridgewood, but I find the M train unbearable. Two-families in Bushwick are even cheaper, but hard to come by.
I also saw recently saw a brownstone listed online for under $600,000 in Crown Heights near the 4 or 5 trains. It was described as a fixer upper but with all the original details. It may be close enough to Prospect Heights that you have the convenience of the park, the Caribbean takeout places such as The Islands, and that one Mexican place that was reviewed on here recently.
Jersey City sounds great and the weekday commuting times are comparable to Brooklyn.
Can any Jersey City residents (past or present) speak to what it is like when you need to get home late at night?
If it is late and you are drunk in the West Village, taking a cab to Downtown Brooklyn is between $15 and $25. What would cab fare be to Jersey City?
I’m a person who bought a brick rowhouse in Jersey City after 12 years in Brooklyn. The midtown commute on the path is about 25-30 minutes. The housing stock is pretty good and frankly it’s a heck of a lot cheaper (for the most part) than downtown or brownstone Bklyn. There’s no way we could have gotten what we did for what we’d have had to pay in Brooklyn.
While Brooklyn was always my first love/choice I’m very happy with our decision (and the house!).
Downtown Jersey City is nice and pretty convenient. I’m not sure if you can still find a house in your price range. I used to have a house near Hamilton Park, right down the street from McNair HS, which we also heard was supposed to be a very good school. You couldn’t tell so by the behavior of the students. They littered like crazy, even after we got the City to install a street trash can, and would constantly refuse to get up from our stoop until we barged out of the house with our pit/lab.
Hamilton Park is quite lovely but the walk to the Path is long and through the shopping mall. There are some cute coffee shops and restaurants and neighbors are pretty friendly.