By Phil Corso
There’s no place like home — especially for 10 pricey blocks in Queens.
A recent report showed some of the borough’s most expensive blocks of real estate were concentrated in areas near Douglaston and Forest Hills.
Of the 10 most costly blocks in Queens, areas in Douglaston and Oakland Gardens made up almost half, according to a report by propertyshark.com, a real estate search engine and research site.
Marketing analyst Laura Gatea from propertyshark.com said the higher prices in the area might be related to its proximity to Long Island.
“The northern part of the borough seems to be a little bit more pricey than the rest of eastern Queens,” Gatea said. “Houses are higher in value there and reside in wealthier areas.”
But Gatea said the staff at propertyshark.com was surprised to have learned that the most expensive block in Queens was actually far into the opposite direction.
According to the report, the priciest block in the borough was located in Belle Harbor/Neponsit in the Rockaways, where the median sale price on the beachfront block, between 145th Street and Beach 146th Street, was $2.5 million.
“We found that the area there is actually very small and in a community that has been well taken care of,” Gatea said.
For the study, propertyshark.com used median sale prices for all of the blocks in Queens with at least three home sales since 2010.
Out of the top 10, Forest Hills blocks took the second, third and fourth spots in a community Gatea said was well-known for pricey homes and well-heeled residents. On those blocks, she said, prices ranged from $1.35 million to $1.66 million. The most expensive sale on those blocks was a single-family home at 98 Ascan Ave., which went for $1.7 million, according to the report.
Other areas in the latter half of the list included pricey blocks in Douglaston, Oakland Gardens and Jamaica Estates.
The priciest blocks in Douglaston included one boxed between Depew Avenue and Poplar Street as well as 240th Street and 243rd Street. Another piece of property between Leeds Road and Thornhill Avenue also made the list.
In Oakland Gardens, top-ranking blocks were found near the corner of East Hampton Boulevard and 56th Road as well as the properties boxed between 64th Avenue, 67th Avenue, 231st Street and 230th Street.
Gatea said areas in Whitestone and Murray Hill were not far behind, ranking just outside the top 10 list with high price values.
Blocks throughout southeast Queens, including Jamaica, St. Albans and Cambria Heights, Gatea said, had some of the lowest values in the borough.
“I think it’s good for Queens residents to see so many blocks doing so well in their area,” Gatea said. “It shows there are really nice communities out there that some people outside of the borough might not realize.”
As for future studies, Gatea said propertyshark.com was working on becoming more familiar with the borough after spending most of its time studying areas in Manhattan before including Queens in 2010.
“Our expertise is consistently growing in Queens,” Gatea said.
She said the study will be updated at the end of 2012, and she expected Forest Hills and Douglaston to remain on the list.
Reach reporter Phil Corso by e-mail at pcorso@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
