I agree with Antolin, Flushing North Bowne Park is a jewel . Great schools, lots of grass. Moved here and been a broker for almost 20 years.. Wouldn't move for anything. As for finding 1 family in Queens $700K-should be no problem. Figure out how long you want your commuting? how -train or bus? and to where? and zero in. People having problems getting financing are the ones that don't have the income. Have income? down payment? good credit? Check with a mortgage broker or Bank and Go for it.

We are in North Flushing, near Henry. We are in District 25, only slightly less rated than 26. But all other stuff is the same, and we love it out here. I think buying in the North Flushing/Bayside/ Whitestone/Northeast Queens area is a good call, especially since NYC is growing, and detached houses on grassy lots are simply not being built. Added to this, the LIRR is will be shunting passengers to Grand Central thanks to the ESA plan, due in 2013, which will make express stops like Bayside and Douglaston golden. It is simply a great area, and manny of my neighbors are second, even third generation decendents of the original homeowners. We bought our 11354 property 7 years ago in 2001 so our experience won't help much, but I can tell you that I intend to go out feet first. Oh, and tell NO-ONE about Bowne Park, the beautiful little jewel in the midst of North Flushing, once you see it.

The house next door to me detached 1 family, 3 bed, 1.5 bath, 3850 sq ft is selling for 677k I believe. The address is 152-08 Bayside Avenue Flushing 11354. Nice area, nice backyard, and ample parking.

Good luck.

I bought my house last year for under $700K, I would be happy to answer any questions about the experience - feel free to e-mail me.

Hi there. I'm Henry. We purchased our home in area code 11358 (Flushing/Bayside area) back in 1997. We loved the schools in the area. School district 26 is the best in Queens. Its quiet and not too crowed also. We first talked to a bank to find out how much we could afford and then looked for an agent in the area. As I recall we saw about 3-5 homes and fell in love with the one we have today.

Nowadays I can send you email and information of whatever area you are interested and what is important to you.

Queens and Brooklyn are huge. In Queens there over 900 - 1 family homes under $700,000. These are homes with 3 or more bedrooms, garage, and private driveway. You will need be a little more specific to narrow down the number of homes you want to look at.

In Brooklyn there are 161 - 1 family homes

Please let me know if you have other questions

Henry