Author: Brett
Fueled by sensible home prices and city living (albeit, the outer boros), we returned to Bayside, Queens for another look.
On this trip, we took in two open houses: both condos in Northern Bayside. The first was a 3BR/2BTH in The Kennedy Street Quad complex on Corporal Kennedy Street. While our daughter slept in the car and Andrew watched our son stare at passing cars and shout, “Car! Car!” like some miniature carnival barker, I raced in to take a peek. The building itself was nothing special: your typical 1950s brick fare. Still, as I walked in, the friendly super warned me to be careful not to slip on the wet floor.
This spacious unit was empty, freshly renovated, and awaiting new appliances. At $409K, it seemed like a real steal. Located on the 1st floor, it was bright and felt more like a ranch house than an apartment. Then I noticed the lack of a washer and dryer and remembered that it was just an apartment unit. The agent, clearly shocked that anyone was attending this open house, asked me to sign in, then realized that she didn’t have a pen (memo to self: bring writing implement to OH!). She did have a couple of flyers on hand and I almost barfed when I saw the monthly maintenance fee: $1392.36. I don’t even care if an indoor parking spot is included (at an additional $45.90/mo.) It was a nice apartment, but this was no luxury building, mind you. There was no actual doorman or concierge present. After he saw the maintenance fee, Andrew did not even bother going in.
Next, we walked across the street to an Open House in the Bayside Condo Townhouses. This 3 BR/1.5 BA triplex condo in a gated community had a full finished basement with laundry (yay!), a Jacuzzi tub in the full bath and a fairly updated kitchen. The price was also reasonable: $629K for what really was like an attached townhouse plus the maintenance fee of $327.94 (and don’t forget your annual taxes of $2600). The unit was nice and felt roomy, yet I was distracted by the abundance of cat toys and yes, cat puke caked on the rug upstairs. I hate to sound catty (oh, yes I did!), but if you were this agent, wouldn’t you just grab a paper towel and scrub a bit? I bet you even cat lovers (and cat lovers feel free to chime in) are not fans of the cat puke. Anyway, yet more evidence that even in this shitty market, some sellers continue to think that their houses will sell themselves. Even without the cat puke, the backyard faced the Clearview Expressway. But if you like white noise and won’t be using the backyard, then maybe this is the place for you. Otherwise, if you are looking for a townhouse, we did see some attached houses in the area as well, like this one close to the train. At least you can avoid the maintenance fees. Also, we weren’t sure why the area was gated. Who were they trying to keep out, the other middle-class commuter-folks paying “luxury-style” prices across the street? Unfortunately, both properties are situated too far north to walk to the LIRR, but the express bus stops right outside, and shopping at The Bay Terrace is also a short walk away.
With both kiddies now awake, we headed further south to meet an agent and to see some detached single-family houses.