Sell Your Brooklyn House
We Buy Houses in Brooklyn: Every Type, Every Neighborhood, Any Condition
Red Hook Development buys Brooklyn houses directly, off-market and as-is, from Greenpoint to Gerritsen Beach. Here is exactly what we buy, where, and how we arrive at a price.
- One-, two- and three-family houses, brownstones and frame houses
- Every Brooklyn region, from North Brooklyn to the southern shore
- Tenants, estates, violations and deferred repairs are fine
- Written offer, no obligation, you choose the closing date
Tell Us About Your House
Four quick fields. We respond within one business day.
Want to share rents, units or zoning? Use the detailed form.
Quick Answers
Who Buys Houses in Brooklyn?
Who buys houses in Brooklyn as-is?
Several kinds of buyers do: owner-occupants with mortgages, small investors, larger developers, and direct buyers like Red Hook Development. We are a Brooklyn developer that buys houses directly from owners, off-market and in as-is condition. That means no repairs, no showings, no listing period and no financing contingency. We look at the house, give you a written offer, and if you accept, the attorneys handle the contract and closing on a date you choose.
What kinds of houses do you buy?
We buy one-family, two-family and three-family houses, brownstone and limestone rowhouses, wood-frame houses, semi-detached and detached houses, and small mixed-use buildings with apartments over a store. We also buy larger walk-ups, rent-stabilized and 421-a buildings and development land. Our focus is whole houses, buildings and lots rather than individual co-op or condo apartments, which involve board approvals and a different kind of buyer. If you are not sure whether your property fits, ask.
Do you buy houses anywhere in Brooklyn?
Yes. We buy in every part of the borough: North Brooklyn, Brownstone Brooklyn and Downtown, Central Brooklyn, East Brooklyn, South and Southwest Brooklyn and Southeast Brooklyn. Each region has a different housing stock, from the frame houses of Greenpoint and Bushwick to the brick two-families of Canarsie and Bensonhurst and the detached Victorians of Ditmas Park, and we have a page for each region and most neighborhoods.
Do you buy houses in bad condition or with problems?
Yes, that is much of what we buy. Houses with roof leaks, fire or water damage, failing boilers, hoarding, open DOB or HPD violations, illegal basement units, expired permits, tax or water liens, tenants who are not paying, estates in Surrogate’s Court and co-owners who need a clean exit. Our price accounts for the work and risk we take on, and we do not ask you to fix anything before closing.
How do you decide what to offer for my house?
In plain terms, we start with what the house will be worth after we renovate it, or what the lot is worth for new construction if that is higher. From there we subtract the cost of the work, the time it takes, taxes and insurance while we own it, the costs of buying and later selling, and a margin for risk and profit. Tenants, violations and title issues change those numbers, which is why we ask about them up front.
What We Buy
Brooklyn Houses We’re Actively Buying
One-family houses
Attached rowhouses, semi-detached and freestanding one-families in any condition, including long-held homes that have not been updated in decades and houses with additions or conversions that were never fully permitted.
Two-family houses
The workhorse of Brooklyn housing: brick two-families in Canarsie, Flatlands and Bensonhurst, frame two-families in Greenpoint and Bushwick, and converted brownstones, with or without tenants on either floor.
Three-family houses
Frame and brick three-families common in Bushwick, Sunset Park, Williamsburg and parts of Bensonhurst, including those with a rental unit that has been occupied for years or a vacant floor that needs a full gut.
Brownstones & limestones
Rowhouses in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Park Slope, Crown Heights, Clinton Hill and the Brownstone Brooklyn neighborhoods, whether single-family, legally two- or three-family or rooming houses, inside or outside landmark districts.
Wood-frame houses
Older frame houses, often covered in vinyl, asbestos or aluminum siding, in Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Red Hook, Gravesend and East New York. Frame houses on small lots often carry development value beyond the house itself.
Detached & semi-detached
Freestanding and semi-detached houses in Ditmas Park, Midwood, Marine Park, Mill Basin, Bergen Beach, Dyker Heights and Manhattan Beach, as well as bungalows near the water in Gerritsen Beach.
House Types
How We Look at Each Kind of Brooklyn House
Brooklyn does not have one housing type. It has dozens, built over more than a century by different builders for different buyers. We price each one on its own terms.
Brownstone and limestone rowhouses
Most were built in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and many have since been split into apartments or rooms. We look at the legal use on the certificate of occupancy, the condition of the facade, stoop, roof and mechanicals, and whether the block is in a landmark district, where exterior work needs Landmarks Preservation Commission approval. See our page on selling a brownstone in Brooklyn.
Brick attached and semi-detached two-families
Built in large numbers in the twentieth century across Canarsie, Flatlands, East Flatbush, Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge. These are often owner-occupied with a rental floor, and value depends heavily on the two units’ condition and occupancy.
Wood-frame houses
Frame houses in Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Bushwick, Red Hook and Gravesend are often the oldest buildings on their blocks. We check the structure, the siding, the fire separations and, importantly, the zoning, because a small frame house sometimes sits on a lot that allows a much larger building.
Detached Victorians and freestanding houses
The large detached houses of Prospect Park South, Ditmas Park and Victorian Flatbush, and the freestanding homes of Midwood, Dyker Heights and Manhattan Beach, are usually valued as houses first. Restoration costs on century-old wood and slate can be substantial, which is where an as-is buyer helps.
Small mixed-use and multi-unit houses
A store with one or two apartments above is a common Brooklyn hybrid. We buy those too, along with four- and five-unit houses. Learn more about selling a mixed-use building or a multifamily building.
Where We Buy
We Buy Houses in Every Part of Brooklyn
Each region page goes deeper on the local housing stock, zoning and the situations we see most often there.
North Brooklyn
Frame two- and three-families and rowhouses in Greenpoint, North Williamsburg, South Williamsburg, East Williamsburg and Bushwick. Many of these houses sit in zoning districts that allow more than what is built, and owners here hear from buyers constantly. We are happy to be one written offer you can compare. See North Brooklyn.
Brownstone Brooklyn and Downtown
Rowhouses and carriage houses in Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill, Park Slope, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Red Hook, Gowanus, Columbia Street Waterfront, Wallabout, Vinegar Hill, DUMBO and Downtown Brooklyn. Much of this area falls within historic districts, so exterior work and additions often need landmarks approval, which we factor in. See Brownstone Brooklyn & Downtown.
Central Brooklyn
Brownstones, limestones and detached Victorians in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Stuyvesant Heights, Crown Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Flatbush, Ditmas Park, Kensington, Crown Heights South, Wingate, East Flatbush, Windsor Terrace, South Slope and Greenwood Heights. Inherited family houses and converted rowhouses with long-term tenants are especially common here. See Central Brooklyn.
East Brooklyn
Frame and brick houses, rowhouses and lots in East New York, Cypress Hills, New Lots, Brownsville, Ocean Hill and Spring Creek. The 2016 East New York rezoning changed what can be built on some corridors, so we look at both the house and the lot. See East Brooklyn.
South and Southwest Brooklyn
Brick two-families, limestone rows and detached houses in Sunset Park, Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Borough Park, Fort Hamilton, Homecrest and Gravesend. Long-time owners selling family two-families, often with a relative upstairs, are a big part of what we see here. See South Brooklyn.
Southeast Brooklyn
Semi-detached and detached houses and waterfront bungalows in Canarsie, Marine Park, Mill Basin, Bergen Beach, Sheepshead Bay, Gerritsen Beach, Flatlands, East Midwood, Madison, Brighton Beach, Sea Gate and Coney Island. Near the water we also account for flood zone status and any storm damage history. See Southeast Brooklyn.
Any Condition
Houses We Buy As-Is
You do not need to fix, clean or empty anything. We regularly buy houses with:
- Roof leaks, water damage, mold or failing foundations
- Fire damage, including houses under a vacate order (see selling a fire-damaged property)
- Old boilers, knob-and-tube or undersized electric, galvanized plumbing
- Hoarding conditions or decades of belongings left inside
- Unfinished renovations, stop-work orders or expired permits (see stalled construction projects)
- Illegal basement or cellar apartments and open DOB, HPD or ECB violations (see selling with violations)
- Vacant houses that have been sitting for years
Condition affects price, not whether we can buy. We would rather know about a problem on day one than discover it after contract.
Any Situation
Situations We Work Through Every Week
Most of the houses we buy come with a story. These are the ones we see most often, each with a guide written for that owner:
- Inherited houses and estates in Surrogate’s Court: selling inherited property
- Tenants who are not paying, holdovers or relatives in place: selling with tenants
- Mortgage default or foreclosure: pre-foreclosure options
- Tax and water liens: selling with liens
- Divorce: selling during a divorce
- Co-owners or partners who disagree: partnership disputes
- A loan coming due that cannot be refinanced: maturing loans
If time is the main pressure, our page on how to sell your house fast in Brooklyn explains realistic timelines.
How We Price
How Our Offer Is Calculated, in Plain Terms
We would rather show you our math than ask you to trust a number. Every offer we make is built from the same parts.
1. What the property becomes
For most houses, that is the value after renovation, based on what comparable renovated houses on similar blocks have sold for. For some, especially frame houses on wide or deep lots, it is the value of the land for new construction, based on how much floor area zoning allows. We use whichever is higher, and our guide to air rights and development value explains how that second number works.
2. What it costs to get there
- Construction: everything from a cosmetic refresh to a full gut and new systems
- Soft costs: architects, engineers, filings, permits and, in landmark districts, approvals
- Time: property taxes, insurance, utilities and financing costs while the work happens
- Transaction costs: closing costs and transfer taxes on both our purchase and our eventual sale
- Clearing issues: legalizing or removing illegal units, curing violations, resolving tenancies
3. Risk and margin
Construction runs over, markets shift and approvals take longer than planned. We build in a cushion for that, plus a profit margin, because that is how a developer stays in business. That is also why an as-is offer from any investor will be below the price of the same house fully renovated.
Tenants and regulation change the math too. A one- to three-family house is generally not rent stabilized, but an occupied unit still affects timing and value. Rent stabilization typically reaches buildings of six or more units built before 1974, and some smaller buildings that took certain tax benefits. Confirm your building’s status with an attorney.
Honest Comparison
When You Should Not Sell to Us
If your house is renovated, vacant or easy to deliver vacant, has clean title, and you have time, a good local broker listing to buyers with mortgages will often get you a higher price than any as-is buyer, including us. Those buyers are paying for a home to live in, not a project.
Our offer tends to compete best when the house needs real work, has tenants or violations, is tied up in an estate, has development value a homebuyer will not pay for, or when certainty and privacy matter more to you than squeezing out the last dollar. Our page on comparing cash home buyers explains how to compare net proceeds and vet any buyer.
How It Works
Selling Your House to Red Hook Development
- Reach out. Use the short form, the detailed seller form, or call. We respond within one business day.
- We see the house. One walkthrough, or photos and documents if it is occupied or you are out of state.
- Written offer. Price and key terms in writing, with no obligation and no fee.
- Attorneys handle the contract. You use your own attorney. We buy as-is with no financing contingency.
- Close on your schedule. You choose the date, and liens and payoffs are handled from the proceeds.
Questions first? Read our seller FAQ or see everything we buy.
FAQ
House Seller Questions
Do you buy houses with tenants still living in them?
Yes. We buy houses with tenants on one or more floors, including tenants who are behind on rent and family members who are staying in the house. We take over the tenancy at closing and handle it from there, so you do not need to bring a Housing Court case before you can sell.
Do you buy houses with illegal basement apartments?
Yes. An illegal cellar or basement unit is one of the most common issues we see. We price in the cost of either legalizing it, where that is possible, or removing it, and we buy the house as-is so you do not have to resolve it before closing.
Can I sell my house to you if I live out of state?
Yes. Many of the owners we buy from have moved away or inherited a house from a distance. Your attorney can coordinate signing documents ahead of closing, and we can arrange access with a neighbor, relative or locksmith if needed.
Do you buy houses owned by an LLC, a trust or several heirs?
Yes. We just need the people with authority to sign: the LLC’s members or managers under its operating agreement, the trustee, or every owner on the deed or the estate’s court-appointed representative. Your attorney will confirm what the title company requires.
Will you buy a vacant or abandoned house?
Yes. Vacant houses often come with their own problems, such as break-ins, unpaid bills, water damage and violations, and we buy them in whatever condition they are in. If a house has been vacant for a long time, check ACRIS to confirm nothing has been recorded against it without your knowledge.
Do you charge any fees or commissions?
No. We are the buyer, so there is no commission owed to us and no fee to get an offer. You will still have your own attorney’s fee and customary seller costs such as transfer taxes and any payoffs, which come out of the proceeds at closing.
Keep Reading
Related Pages for House Sellers
Region pages, property guides and seller resources for Brooklyn homeowners.
Want an Offer on Your Brooklyn House?
Find out what a developer will pay — privately, with no obligation. Call 718-500-3423 or email bklyn@redhookdevelopment.com.