What will $5.1 million get you in Queens? A sweet beach house in the Rockaways

NYC woke up this morning to the news that the most expensive house in Queens was sold – a home on the south tip of Beach 146^th Street in Neponsit on the Rockaway Peninsula (GMAP). Neponsit is not far from Jacob Riis Park and Fort Tilden, two amazing green spaces in the area. The house itself sold for a total of $5.1 million, which was actually $1.1 million less than the asking price, but $3.6 million more than they originally paid for it all the way back in 1998.

Photo Source:  Jeff Bachner for NYDN

The house, built in the 1960s, has beachfront views, a pool (with an ocean view), half a basketball court, 5 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms, all on a double wide lot (1/2 acre in size). Looking at it from the street, it has a rather modest appearance, especially compared to some of the more opulent homes along the same street. It’s a split-level ranch house (it would not look out of place in southern California) with a simple green lawn out front.

The inside of the home is gorgeous, too, with caramel colored hardwood floors and incredible ocean views through a gigantic picture window in the living room. The feel inside is light and airy, and relaxed, just what you’d want from a beach home, regardless of size.

Photo Source:  Jeff Bachner for NYDN

This is definitely a big moment for the often misunderstood and somewhat reclusive Rockaways, and Queens in general, especially knowing home sales dipped in the borough in 2011. That said, Neponsit is a very affluent neighborhood of single family homes zoned as R-1, meaning no commercial buildings are allowed to be built there; this is a rarity in NYC. It has been this way since the Neponsit Realty Company bought the land in 1910 and only allowed homes to be built that were worth $1.5 million. So, with that in mind, a $5.1 million home doesn’t really seem to be out of the realm of possibilities.

On Curbed, one commenter remarked of this sale, “Nice. Neponsit is the new Hamptons.”

The property was listed by Rockaway Properties agent Lisa Jackson.

King-size sale in Queens: Neponsit beach house sells for $5.1 million and breaks borough record [NYDN]