We Buy Buildings & Land Across Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bushwick & Cypress Hills

Housing Stock

What North Brooklyn Is Built Of

North Brooklyn grew up as a working waterfront. Sugar refineries, rope works, breweries, shipyards and oil refineries lined the East River and Newtown Creek, and the neighborhoods behind them filled with housing for the people who worked there. That history still shapes what owners hold today.

In Greenpoint and the Northside of Williamsburg, the typical building is a 19th-century two- or three-family frame house, often re-sided over the decades, with brick rowhouses on the better-preserved blocks near Milton and Noble Streets. South Williamsburg, East Williamsburg and Bushwick are dominated by brick tenements and walk-ups, many with storefronts at grade and four to twenty apartments above. Cypress Hills mixes attached brick two-families, frame houses and small apartment buildings along the hills above Jamaica Avenue.

Layered over that older fabric are the loft conversions of Williamsburg and East Williamsburg, a generation of mid-rise rentals built after 2005, and the high-rise waterfront towers of the Williamsburg and Greenpoint shoreline.

Building types we see most often

• Two- and three-family frame houses on 20- and 25-foot lots
• Four- to twenty-unit walk-ups, many rent-stabilized
• Mixed-use buildings with ground-floor retail on commercial corridors
• Converted lofts and live-work buildings
• One- and two-story industrial buildings, garages and auto shops
• Post-2005 mid-rise rentals with 421-a benefits

Zoning

Rezonings, Waterfronts & Industrial Business Zones

The single biggest zoning event in this region was the 2005 Greenpoint-Williamsburg rezoning, which converted much of the former industrial waterfront and a large share of the inland blocks to residential and mixed-use districts. It opened the shoreline to the high-rise buildings now along Kent Avenue and the Greenpoint waterfront, including the Greenpoint Landing project near the mouth of Newtown Creek, and it tied waterfront density to public esplanades and an inclusionary housing program.

Not everything was rezoned. Large manufacturing areas remain in East Williamsburg, along Newtown Creek and in parts of Greenpoint and Bushwick, and the city designates much of that land as Industrial Business Zones, where it has committed not to rezone for housing. Separately, the Broadway Triangle near the Williamsburg, Bedford-Stuyvesant and Bushwick border was rezoned in 2009 and became the subject of lengthy litigation. Farther east, parts of Cypress Hills were included in the 2016 East New York rezoning, which raised density along Atlantic Avenue and Fulton Street.

City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, adopted in December 2024, added the Universal Affordability Preference, removed parking mandates for new housing in much of the region, and made accessory dwelling units easier to permit. Its effect is lot-specific, so we review each property’s district, lot size and frontage before making an offer. Owners should confirm what applies to their lot with a zoning attorney or land-use professional.

Regulated Buildings

Rent-Stabilized & 421-a Buildings in North Brooklyn

North Brooklyn holds one of the borough’s largest concentrations of pre-1974 walk-ups, and a large share of those buildings with six or more apartments are rent-stabilized. On the newer side, many post-2005 rentals in Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Bushwick were built with 421-a benefits that carry affordability requirements for set periods.

After the 2019 Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act, regulated rents can no longer be raised through vacancy bonuses or high-rent deregulation, and major capital improvement and individual apartment improvement increases were sharply limited. Owners of older buildings often face rising taxes, insurance and repair costs against capped income. The 421-a program stopped accepting new projects in 2022 and was succeeded by 485-x in 2024, while existing 421-a buildings remain under their benefit schedules.

We buy regulated buildings as they are, and we do not ask you to clear apartments or change tenancies before closing. Read more on our pages for rent-stabilized buildings and 421-a buildings.

Where We Buy

North Brooklyn Neighborhoods We Buy In

North Brooklyn covers Brooklyn Community Districts 1 and 4 and part of 5, reaching east to the Queens line at Cypress Hills. Each neighborhood has its own building stock and its own reasons owners sell. Here is how we see each one.

Williamsburg

Williamsburg runs from the Williamsburg Bridge and the Domino Sugar redevelopment up through the blocks around Bedford Avenue, the L train and McCarren Park. It is the borough’s clearest example of a former factory district turned residential, with converted lofts, waterfront towers along Kent Avenue and older walk-ups on the inland streets. We buy walk-ups, mixed-use buildings, small multifamilies and redevelopment sites throughout the neighborhood, including buildings with long-term stabilized tenants that sit next to new construction.

North Williamsburg & the Northside

North Williamsburg, long called the Northside, covers the numbered North streets between Grand Street and McCarren Park, from Kent Avenue east toward the BQE. It was historically a Polish and Italian working neighborhood, and many blocks still have 19th-century frame houses and small brick walk-ups between newer condos. We buy frame two- and three-families, small mixed-use buildings on Bedford Avenue and Berry Street, and underbuilt lots that can absorb more floor area.

South Williamsburg, Southside, Los Sures & the Broadway Triangle

South Williamsburg includes the Southside below Grand Street, known as Los Sures for its long-standing Puerto Rican and Dominican community, and the Hasidic blocks south of Broadway along Lee and Bedford Avenues. It also takes in the Broadway Triangle near Flushing Avenue and Union Avenue. Housing here is dense: tenements, walk-ups and mixed-use buildings under the J/M/Z on Broadway. We buy regulated walk-ups, corner mixed-use buildings and development parcels.

East Williamsburg

East Williamsburg sits east of the BQE around Grand Street, Graham Avenue and Bushwick Avenue, and includes one of North Brooklyn’s main industrial areas near Newtown Creek and the Morgan Avenue L stop. Graham Avenue’s commercial strip and the residential blocks around Grand Street hold walk-ups and frame houses, while the industrial blocks hold warehouses, lofts and garages. We buy both, and we pay close attention to manufacturing zoning and Industrial Business Zone rules on the industrial side.

Greenpoint & Greenpoint Landing

Greenpoint is Brooklyn’s northernmost neighborhood, bounded by Newtown Creek, the East River and McCarren Park, and served by the G train at Nassau and Greenpoint Avenues. Its core includes the Greenpoint Historic District, and Manhattan Avenue remains its main street. On the waterfront, Greenpoint Landing and other towers near Commercial Street grew out of the 2005 rezoning. We buy frame houses, mixed-use buildings on Manhattan and Nassau Avenues, walk-ups and industrial lots.

Bushwick & East Bushwick

Bushwick stretches from Flushing Avenue to Broadway and out to the Queens line at Ridgewood, served by the L, M and J/Z trains. Knickerbocker Avenue, Wyckoff Avenue and Myrtle Avenue are its commercial spines, and Maria Hernandez Park and Irving Square Park anchor its residential blocks. East Bushwick, toward Broadway and the cemetery belt, holds more two-families and smaller buildings. We buy walk-ups, mixed-use corners, rowhouses and former industrial buildings near the Morgan and Jefferson Street stops.

Cypress Hills & Highland Park

Cypress Hills sits at Brooklyn’s eastern edge, along Jamaica Avenue and Fulton Street under the elevated J/Z and bordering the cemeteries that give it its name. The Highland Park section, on the ridge north of Jamaica Avenue, takes its name from the park there, which also holds the old Ridgewood Reservoir. Housing is mostly attached brick and frame one- to three-families plus small apartment buildings. We buy family homes, two- and three-families, corner mixed-use buildings and lots along the 2016 East New York rezoning corridors.

Why Owners Sell

Why North Brooklyn Owners Sell to Us

Many North Brooklyn owners bought decades ago, when Greenpoint and Williamsburg were factory neighborhoods and Bushwick was overlooked. Their buildings are now worth far more than they paid, but they are also older, more regulated and more expensive to run.

• An inherited frame house or walk-up that the family does not want to manage
• Rent-stabilized income that no longer covers taxes, insurance and repairs
• Open violations, facade work or a lapsed certificate of occupancy
• A loft or industrial building whose use no longer matches its zoning
• Partners or siblings who want to divide an estate cleanly
• A lot that could be developed, without the time or capital to do it

Whatever the reason, we keep the process quiet. No sign, no listing, no tenants walking through with brokers.

Potential

Where North Brooklyn Value Is Hiding

In North Brooklyn, value often sits in what a lot could become rather than what is on it. A two-story frame house on a lot zoned for more floor area, a one-story garage on a mixed-use block or a corner taxpayer under the J train can be worth more as a site than as a building.

Other value sits in stabilized buildings with long-term tenants, which carry steady income and can work well for a buyer with a longer horizon. And in industrial areas, a clean, well-maintained manufacturing building can be valuable precisely because the Industrial Business Zones make that kind of space hard to replace.

We run a full review of zoning, unused development rights, landmark status and regulatory status for each property, and we explain how we reached our number. Owners should confirm development potential with their own zoning professional.

Your Options

Listing, Developing or Selling Direct

Listing with a broker

A broker listing can work well for a vacant, renovated townhouse or a condo. For an occupied walk-up, a frame house with violations or an industrial building, it often means months of showings, buyer financing contingencies and renegotiation after inspections, plus commissions and closing costs.

Developing it yourself

If you have a buildable lot, developing it can capture the most value, but it requires architects, filings, financing, construction management and time, often several years. It also carries market and interest-rate risk.

Selling directly to Red Hook Development

We buy as-is, with tenants and violations, for cash, on your timeline. You trade some top-of-market upside for certainty, speed and privacy. Many owners compare all three paths and choose the one that fits their situation. See what we buy for the full range.

How It Works

How Selling Your North Brooklyn Property Works

• Tell us about the property. Address, building type, units and any known issues. Use the quick form or our detailed seller form.
• We do our homework. We review zoning, rent rolls, regulatory status, violations and comparable sales.
• We walk the building. One visit, on your schedule, with notice to tenants as required.
• You get a written cash offer. Clear terms, no financing contingency.
• We close when you are ready. Often in three to six weeks, or later if you need time.

Market Context

North Brooklyn Market Context

North Brooklyn has gone through more change in two decades than almost any part of the city. Waterfront rezoning, the L train’s popularity and the conversion of factory space into apartments, offices and studios have reshaped Williamsburg and Greenpoint, while Bushwick and Cypress Hills have drawn steady investor interest.

At the same time, rent regulation changes, higher interest rates, insurance costs and Local Law facade and energy requirements have changed the math for owners of older buildings. That is why many owners now ask for a direct offer before deciding anything. We are glad to give you one, with no obligation. If your property sits outside these neighborhoods, see our Downtown and Brownstone Brooklyn and Central Brooklyn pages.