The Queens neighborhoods of Sunnyside, Ridgewood and Long Island City are in position to be some of the hottest real estate markets in New York City this year, according to a report by StreetEasy.
This prediction was made after the three neighborhoods ranked among the top ten areas to have the biggest increase in searches from 2024 to 2025 on StreetEasy.
Sunnyside ranked seventh among New York City neighborhoods with a 43.7% search increase from 2024 to 2025. Its median asking price of $475,000 and median asking rent of $2,695 were the cheapest among the top 10 neighborhoods. In addition to affordability, Sunnyside is an attractive area thanks to the numerous and diverse dining options in the neighborhood and its easy accessibility to the rest of New York City.
Despite its low housing prices compared to other hot neighborhoods, Sunnyside experienced a 7.8% jump in rent, from $2,500 in 2024 to $2,695 in 2025, and a 10.7% rise in asking price, from $429,088 in 2024 to $475,000 in 2025. Consequently, those interested in finding a place to live here should act quickly before these numbers continue to go up.
Even with a 43.4% annual search increase, Ridgewood ended up dropping in the list from first last year to eighth this year. Still, the neighborhood’s historic buildings, converted loft spaces and newer residential developments remain very popular among prospective buyers and renters. Ridgewood has a strong reputation for its food and arts scene, thanks to a cluster of restaurants, cafes and creative venues in the area.
Ridgewood was also the only neighborhood on the list to experience a drop in the median asking rent, down 1.4% year-over-year, from $3,251 in 2024 to $3,205 in 2025. The median asking price also went down 2.9% over this period of time, from $1.3 million in 2024 to $1.26 million in 2025.
Long Island City, similarly to Ridgewood, dropped in ranking from last year’s list despite a 43.3% increase in searches. After ranking third in the 2025 list, Long Island City fell to ninth in this year’s list. Even with this drop, Long Island City is still popular among people shopping for a home in New York City. The neighborhood stands out for its amenity-rich condo buildings, wide variety of accessible subway and ferry lines and close proximity to Manhattan and other parts of Queens.
The cost of living in Long Island City is much higher than the borough as a whole, but the home prices in the neighborhood have been kept fairly stable thanks to continued increases in the inventory of new developments. The median asking rent has gone up 5.5% year-over-year, from $4,119 in 2024 to $4,345 in 2025, while the median asking price fell 4.6%, from $1.15 million in 2024 to $1.09 million in 2025.
