We Buy Bungalows, Waterfront Homes & Lots in Gerritsen Beach

Housing Stock

Gerritsen Beach Housing: Bungalows, Courts and a Waterfront Peninsula

Gerritsen Beach is one of the most distinctive corners of Brooklyn. It sits on a small peninsula at the edge of Jamaica Bay, bordered by Shell Bank Creek on one side and Gerritsen Creek and the Marine Park salt marsh on the other, with the Belt Parkway separating it from the rest of the borough. That geography has kept it tight-knit and somewhat isolated, which longtime residents tend to like.

The neighborhood began in the 1920s as a summer bungalow colony. The Old Section still reflects that: small cottages on narrow courts and lanes, many of them only a few feet from the neighbors, with a handful of streets too tight for regular traffic. Over time most of those bungalows were winterized, expanded, and in many cases rebuilt.

The New Section, built out later, has a more typical suburban street grid, with detached and semi-detached houses, driveways and some larger lots. Gerritsen Avenue runs down the spine of the neighborhood and serves as its main corridor. Across both sections you will find frame and masonry construction, houses that were raised after Sandy, and houses that were not. That mix is exactly why no two Gerritsen Beach properties price the same way, and why a buyer who understands the area matters.

Flood Zones & Rebuilding

Hurricane Sandy, FEMA Flood Maps and What They Mean for Your Sale

In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy pushed the waters of Jamaica Bay and its creeks deep into Gerritsen Beach. Much of the neighborhood flooded, and many homes lost their ground floors, mechanicals and contents. Recovery took years. Some owners rebuilt through the city’s Build It Back program, some elevated their homes on their own, and some properties were left unfinished or sold.

Today almost all of Gerritsen Beach lies within FEMA’s mapped flood hazard areas. That affects a sale in several ways:

• Flood insurance cost and lender requirements for traditional buyers
• Elevation and flood-resistant construction rules for substantial renovations or new construction
• Limits on using cellars and ground floors as living space
• Bulkhead condition on waterfront and creek-side lots

These issues often scare off retail buyers or derail their mortgages late in the process. We review the flood zone designation, any elevation certificate, past permits and the structure itself, and build those costs into an as-is offer up front. If you are unsure how insurance or prior grant agreements affect a sale, check with your attorney.

Zoning & Development

Zoning and Development Potential in Gerritsen Beach

Gerritsen Beach is mapped almost entirely with low-density residential zoning designed for one- and two-family homes. Those districts limit floor area (the total building size allowed relative to lot size), height and the number of units, and they require yards and, in many cases, parking. Combined with flood-zone construction standards, that means development here is usually about rebuilding a better, safer house rather than adding density.

The citywide City of Yes for Housing Opportunity amendments, adopted in December 2024, loosened some rules in low-density districts, including allowing accessory dwelling units on many one- and two-family lots and easing parking requirements. Coastal flood zones carry added restrictions on some of those options, so what applies to a specific Gerritsen Beach lot depends on its exact location and mapping.

Practically, the value drivers on a Gerritsen Beach site are lot width and depth, whether adjoining lots can be combined, waterfront access, the condition of any bulkhead, and whether an existing house can be lifted or should be replaced. We study those factors on every property we review. If you own a lot, a teardown, or a damaged house, we can tell you what we think the parcel supports and make an offer that reflects it. Our what we buy page outlines the full range of properties we acquire.

Where We Buy

Streets and Sub-Areas We Focus On

We buy throughout the peninsula and the surrounding southeast Brooklyn waterfront. In Gerritsen Beach itself, that includes:

• The Old Section courts and lanes, where the original bungalows sit closest together
• Gerritsen Avenue, the main north–south corridor running toward the water
• Blocks along Knapp Street and the Shell Bank Creek side of the neighborhood
• The New Section’s detached and semi-detached blocks
• Homes backing onto Gerritsen Creek and the Marine Park marsh

Just across Gerritsen Creek and the Belt Parkway, we also buy in Marine Park, where brick attached and detached homes surround Brooklyn’s largest park. To the west, Sheepshead Bay offers a mix of houses, walk-ups and waterfront development sites, and Manhattan Beach has larger detached homes on bigger lots. Farther east, we are active in Mill Basin and Bergen Beach, two other waterfront neighborhoods with similar flood and elevation questions.

Gerritsen Beach has limited subway access, with buses connecting residents to Sheepshead Bay and Kings Highway stations. That keeps it residential and quiet, which supports demand from families who want to stay put.

Why Owners Sell

Common Reasons Gerritsen Beach Owners Sell to Us

Every sale has its own story, but in Gerritsen Beach we see some patterns again and again:

• An inherited bungalow or family home that no one in the next generation plans to live in
• A house that was never fully restored after Sandy and needs more work than the family wants to take on
• Rising flood insurance costs or elevation requirements that make renovating impractical
• Downsizing or relocating after decades on the peninsula
• A two-family with tenants the owner no longer wants to manage
• Open permits, unfinished construction or violations that are holding up a traditional sale
• Co-owners or siblings who need a clean, fast way to divide an asset

The appeal of selling to Red Hook Development is the same in each case: one buyer, no repairs, no showings, a firm written offer, and a process that stays confidential from first call to closing.

Your Options

Selling to a Developer vs. Listing vs. Rebuilding Yourself

Gerritsen Beach owners generally have three paths.

List with a broker

Listing can make sense for a renovated, elevated home with clean paperwork. But retail buyers depend on mortgages and flood insurance, and appraisals, inspections and insurance quotes in a flood zone can delay or kill deals. Expect showings, negotiation and some uncertainty.

Rebuild or elevate yourself

If you have the capital, patience and appetite for construction, lifting or replacing a house can add value. It also means architects, engineers, permits, flood-zone construction standards and a long timeline, with all the risk on you.

Sell directly to Red Hook Development

We buy as-is, typically all-cash, without inspection or financing contingencies holding things up. We take on the flood-zone, permitting and construction questions after closing. You trade some of the potential upside of a fully renovated retail sale for certainty, speed and simplicity. We will be straightforward about how our number compares to your other options so you can decide with clear eyes. To start, visit sell your property.

Investment Property

Rental Houses, Small Buildings and Regulated Units

Most Gerritsen Beach rental housing is in one- and two-family homes rather than apartment buildings, so rent stabilization is less common here than in older neighborhoods with large walk-ups. Still, ownership questions come up: tenants in place, informal arrangements in converted spaces, and units whose legal status is not fully documented. We can buy with those situations as they are.

If you also own larger buildings elsewhere in Brooklyn, we buy those too. Pre-1974 buildings with six or more apartments are often rent-stabilized; see sell a rent-stabilized building. Buildings carrying a 421-a exemption keep their benefit schedules and affordability rules even though the program closed to new projects in 2022 and was succeeded by 485-x in 2024; see sell a 421-a building. For tax planning, consult your tax advisor.

How It Works

How Selling Your Gerritsen Beach Property Works

Our process is short and transparent.

• Reach out. Call, email or use our form with the address and a few details. We respond within one business day.
• Review. We look at the property, its flood zone, permits, occupancy and lot. A walkthrough can be quick and low-key.
• Written offer. You receive a clear written offer, typically all-cash and as-is, with our assumptions spelled out.
• Close on your timeline. If you accept, attorneys handle the contract and closing. We can typically close on your timeline, whether that is soon or months away.

You do not need to clean out the house, make repairs, resolve permits or ask tenants to leave, and there is no listing commission. Gerritsen Beach properties often trade by word of mouth among a loyal community; if you would rather keep your plans private, a direct sale lets you do that. If our offer is not right for you, there is no pressure and no obligation.