We Buy Houses, Two-Families & Land From Great Kills to Tottenville

Housing Stock

What the South Shore Is Built From

The South Shore is the southern end of Staten Island, from Great Kills Park and Great Kills Harbor on Lower New York Bay, through Eltingville, Annadale and Huguenot, down to Tottenville at the island’s southern tip, with the Arthur Kill and New Jersey across the water to the west. The Outerbridge Crossing lands in Charleston, and the Korean War Veterans Parkway and West Shore Expressway carry most car traffic north.

Until the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge opened in 1964, much of this area was farmland, woods, oyster villages and small summer communities. The decades that followed brought waves of new houses, first detached capes and Hi-Ranches, then semi-detached two-families and townhouse developments. The result is a stock that is newer than most of New York City, almost entirely one- and two-family homes, with driveways, garages and yards.

The older South Shore still shows through. Tottenville has nineteenth-century frame houses near Main Street and the Arthur Kill. Rossville includes Sandy Ground, settled in the 1800s by free Black oystermen. Prince’s Bay has the Seguine Mansion and the old lighthouse at Mount Loretto, and Huguenot has its landmarked stone Reformed Church on Amboy Road.

Property types we see most often on the South Shore

• Detached capes, colonials, ranches and Hi-Ranches
• Semi-detached and detached two-families, many with a tenant in one unit
• Mother-daughter homes with a second kitchen or ground-floor apartment
• Fee-simple townhouses in Arden Heights and Greenridge
• Older frame houses in Tottenville, Pleasant Plains and Rossville
• Wooded lots, side lots and larger parcels near Arthur Kill Road

Zoning

Zoning on the South Shore

Two sets of rules shape nearly every South Shore lot. First, all of Staten Island is in the Lower Density Growth Management Area, which requires more off-street parking, larger lots and yards, and tighter subdivision limits than similar zoning districts elsewhere in the city. Most South Shore blocks are zoned for one- and two-family homes, many of them detached-only.

Second, much of the South Shore lies within the Special South Richmond Development District, created to manage growth after the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge opened. It adds rules for tree preservation, designated open space, wetlands, steep slopes, and City Planning review for larger sites. City Planning has proposed updates to simplify parts of the district, and owners should check the current text for their lot.

Flood zones matter along the shore. Blocks near Great Kills Harbor, Prince’s Bay, the Huguenot and Annadale shoreline and the Tottenville waterfront can fall in FEMA flood zones, which affect insurance and how new homes must be built. City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, adopted in December 2024, allows accessory dwelling units on many one- and two-family lots, but it bars basement and cellar units in high flood-risk areas and limits ADUs in some lower-density districts. Most of the South Shore sits in the zone where City of Yes largely kept existing parking requirements.

We check zoning, the South Richmond district, wetlands and flood maps before making an offer. For any specific property, confirm details with a zoning attorney or land-use professional.

Regulated Buildings

Tenant-Occupied & Regulated Properties on the South Shore

Rent-stabilized buildings are rare on the South Shore. Stabilization generally applies to buildings with six or more apartments built before 1974, and the South Shore’s housing is overwhelmingly one- and two-family homes and newer townhouses, which are not stabilized. If you do own a regulated building anywhere in the city, our rent-stabilized building page explains how we buy them under the 2019 Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act rules.

What we see constantly is the two-family with a long-term tenant, or the mother-daughter home where a relative lives downstairs. We buy with those occupants in place and take over the tenancies at closing. If rent has stopped, see selling a property with tenants who are not paying.

Where We Buy

South Shore Neighborhoods We Buy In

We buy in every South Shore neighborhood. Here is a short guide to each, with links to more detail.

Great Kills

Great Kills wraps around Great Kills Harbor and its marinas, with Great Kills Park, part of Gateway National Recreation Area, on the bay. Hylan Boulevard, Amboy Road and Giffords Lane carry its shops, and the Great Kills SIR station sits near the center. The housing is detached homes, two-families and some waterfront houses. We buy houses, two-families and Hylan Boulevard mixed-use.

Eltingville

Eltingville is centered on the Eltingville SIR station and the junction of Richmond Avenue and Amboy Road, with the Eltingville Transit Center serving express buses to Manhattan. It is a dense area of semi-detached and detached two-families, capes and colonials, with strip retail on Richmond Avenue. We buy single-families, two-families, mother-daughter homes and small commercial properties.

Annadale

Annadale runs along Annadale Road from the Annadale SIR station toward the shore, with Blue Heron Park and its ponds and woods at its heart. Housing ranges from 1960s and 1970s detached homes to newer two-families and larger houses on wooded lots. We buy detached homes, two-families and land, and we factor in South Richmond district tree and wetlands rules.

Arden Heights

Arden Heights lies inland along Arden Avenue, Arthur Kill Road and Woodrow Road, with Arden Heights Woods nearby, and was largely developed from the 1970s on with townhouse communities and two-families. The page also covers Greenridge, along Arthur Kill Road near Richmond Avenue and the southern edge of Fresh Kills Park. We buy fee-simple townhouses, two-families and detached homes.

Huguenot

Huguenot takes its name from the French Protestant families who settled here, and its landmarked Reformed Church of Huguenot Park still stands on Amboy Road. Huguenot Avenue and the Huguenot SIR station anchor the area, which runs toward the shore and Wolfe’s Pond Park. We buy detached homes, larger houses on wooded lots, two-families and land.

Prince’s Bay

Prince’s Bay, once famous for its oysters, centers on Seguine Avenue and the Prince’s Bay SIR station, with the landmarked Seguine Mansion and Lemon Creek nearby. The page also covers Mount Loretto, the former orphanage grounds that are now the state’s Mount Loretto Unique Area, with the landmarked Prince’s Bay Lighthouse on its bluff. We buy houses, waterfront homes and land.

Pleasant Plains

Pleasant Plains sits around the Pleasant Plains SIR station, Bloomingdale Road and Amboy Road, between Prince’s Bay and Richmond Valley. It mixes older frame houses with newer detached homes and two-families, and still has wooded lots and undeveloped parcels. We buy houses, two-families, older homes needing work, and vacant or wooded land.

Rossville

Rossville runs along Arthur Kill Road and the Arthur Kill waterfront. The page also covers Sandy Ground, the historic free Black community on Bloomingdale Road, listed on the National Register and home to the landmarked Rossville A.M.E. Zion Church, and Woodrow, around Woodrow Road and its landmarked Woodrow Methodist Church. We buy houses, two-families and land.

Charleston

Charleston sits at the foot of the Outerbridge Crossing, once a brick-making and industrial area, now home to Bricktown Centre, newer subdivisions and Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve. The page also covers Richmond Valley, around the Richmond Valley SIR station and Richmond Valley Road. We buy houses, two-families, commercial and industrial property, and land near Arthur Kill Road.

Tottenville

Tottenville is the southern tip of Staten Island and of New York State, with Main Street, nineteenth-century frame houses, the landmarked Tottenville library branch, and the Conference House in Conference House Park on the point. The Arthur Kill and Tottenville SIR stations end the line here. We buy older frame homes, detached houses, two-families and Main Street mixed-use.

Inherited Property

Selling an Inherited or Estate Property on the South Shore

Many South Shore houses were bought new in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s by families who moved over the bridge from Brooklyn. Those original owners are now passing homes in Great Kills, Eltingville and Annadale to children who often live in New Jersey, Florida or elsewhere and have no plans to move back.

Who has authority to sell

Estate matters for Staten Island property are handled by the Richmond County Surrogate’s Court at 18 Richmond Terrace in St. George, across from the ferry terminal. If there is a will, the named executor seeks letters testamentary through probate. If there is no will, a family member seeks letters of administration. Homes held in a trust or passed by a transfer-on-death deed can follow different steps. Your estate attorney will confirm what applies and when a contract can be signed.

Estate situations we handle

• Siblings or other heirs who cannot agree on selling, renting or keeping the house
• Executors and heirs living out of state who need someone local to handle access
• Vacant homes running up taxes, insurance, utilities and lawn and snow care every month
• Houses needing a roof, boiler, kitchen or full renovation before they could be listed
• A tenant or relative still living in the other unit of a two-family or mother-daughter
• Unpermitted additions, finished basements or open permits from past work

We buy inherited homes as-is with the contents inside, arrange access for out-of-state heirs, take over tenancies at closing, and let the estate choose a closing date that fits the court process. Read our guide to selling inherited property on Staten Island, and our Brooklyn inherited property guide if the estate also owns property there. This is general information, not legal advice; your estate attorney should guide each step.

Why Owners Sell

Why South Shore Owners Sell to Us

A direct sale is not right for every South Shore house. It tends to fit when one or more of these is true:

• The house needs more work than the owner or heirs want to take on
• A tenant or relative in the second unit makes showings and a vacant delivery difficult
• Flood-zone status, insurance or an unfinished storm repair is scaring off financed buyers
• The property is land or a wooded lot whose value depends on South Richmond district rules
• There are violations, open permits or liens that need to be cleared at closing
• The owner wants a private sale with no sign, listing or open house

We make a written offer, buy as-is, and let you pick the closing date. If a broker listing would clearly net you more and your house is ready for it, we will say so. Our guide to off-market sales walks through the trade-offs.

Potential

Where the South Shore’s Value Is Hiding

On the South Shore, value is often in the dirt. A ranch on an oversized lot, a side lot next to a house, or a wooded parcel off Arthur Kill Road can matter more than the condition of any building on it. But Lower Density Growth Management Area rules, South Richmond district tree and open-space requirements, and wetlands mapping can cut what a lot can hold well below what its size suggests.

That gap is where sellers get burned. A builder who has not studied the lot may offer high and renegotiate later, or offer low to cover unknowns. We do the zoning and environmental homework first. Our vacant lot page and guide to development site value explain how developers price land.

Your Options

Your Options for Selling on the South Shore

List with a broker

For a house in good condition, vacant or owner-occupied, listing usually reaches the most buyers and can bring the highest price. Expect preparation, showings, and a buyer’s mortgage approval, appraisal and inspection. Homes needing major work, with tenants or in flood zones tend to take longer and invite renegotiation.

Renovate or build yourself

Some owners renovate first or build on an extra lot. That can add value but means permits, contractors and financing, and on many South Shore lots, City Planning review under the South Richmond district. It fits owners with time and capital.

Sell directly to us

We buy as-is and off-market, with tenants and contents in place. You get a written offer, no repairs or showings, and the closing date you choose. You trade the chance of a bidding war for certainty. See how selling to us works and what we buy.

How It Works

How Selling to Us Works

• Tell us about the property by phone, email or the short form. We respond within one business day.
• We review zoning, flood status, tenancies and condition, and visit the property, or arrange access if you live out of state.
• You receive a written offer with no obligation.
• If you accept, your attorney and ours handle the contract, title and any estate paperwork.
• We close on the date you choose and take over any tenancies at closing.

We buy whole properties, not condo or co-op units, and there are no listing fees. Brokers can see our broker page, and more answers are on our FAQ.

Market Context

The South Shore Market Today

The South Shore is a market of families buying houses, many with mortgages and many moving from elsewhere on the island or from Brooklyn. Move-in-ready homes away from the highest-risk flood blocks draw the widest interest. Houses needing major work, occupied two-families, estates, flood-zone homes and raw land draw a narrower field, usually local builders and investors.

That narrower field is where we are useful. You can also explore the Staten Island neighborhoods we buy in, including Mid-Island and the North Shore.