We Buy Houses on Staten Island: Every Type, Every Neighborhood, Any Condition

House Types

How We Look at Each Kind of Staten Island House

Staten Island’s housing is mostly one-, two- and three-family homes, and most of it was built after 1964, when the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge opened. Each type raises different questions for a buyer.

One-family houses

Whether it is a detached colonial in Westerleigh, a semi-detached brick house in Grant City or a high-ranch in Great Kills, we look at the roof, foundation, heating plant, drainage and any additions, then at how the house fits its lot. A one-family that has quietly become a two-family is valued on its legal use, with the cost of legalizing or reversing the change built in.

Two- and three-family houses

For multi-unit houses we look at the certificate of occupancy, the leases or informal arrangements, the rents actually being paid and the condition of each unit. Tenants and relatives can stay. We take over tenancies at closing, so you do not need to deliver the house empty.

Mother-daughter homes

The Staten Island classic. A permitted accessory space adds value; an unpermitted one adds a to-do list. Either way we tell you how we treated it in the offer.

Older North Shore houses

Victorians, Italianate and Queen Anne houses, and early twentieth-century frame homes often need wiring, plumbing, porch and foundation work. Some sit in designated historic districts, where exterior changes require Landmarks Preservation Commission approval. We factor that review into our plans and price.

Townhouse rows and attached homes

The attached and semi-attached rows built in the 1970s through the 1990s in places like Arden Heights, Bulls Head and New Springville are straightforward to value but often need updating. We buy them in as-is condition, including ones that are part of a homeowners association, as long as you own the whole house and land rather than a condo unit.

Where We Buy

We Buy Houses in Every Part of Staten Island

We cover the whole island through three region guides and 38 neighborhood pages. Start with the Staten Island overview or jump to your area.

North Shore

The North Shore is the island’s oldest and densest area, with frame Victorians, walk-ups, storefront buildings and postwar two-families. We buy in St. George and Tompkinsville near the ferry, Stapleton, Clifton and Rosebank along Bay Street, the hilltop blocks of Grymes Hill, New Brighton, Randall Manor and West Brighton around Snug Harbor, and the western stretch through Port Richmond, Elm Park, Mariners’ Harbor and Graniteville. Inland, Westerleigh and Castleton Corners are mostly detached one- and two-family blocks.

Mid-Island and the East Shore

Mid-Island runs from the beach communities along Father Capodanno Boulevard to the island’s wooded center. We buy bungalows and rebuilt homes in South Beach, Midland Beach and New Dorp, detached and semi-detached houses in Concord, Arrochar, Dongan Hills, Grant City and Oakwood, larger homes on the slopes of Todt Hill and around Richmondtown, and attached rows and two-families in New Springville, Bulls Head and Willowbrook.

South Shore

The South Shore is mostly detached and semi-detached houses on wider lots, much of it within the Special South Richmond Development District. We buy in Great Kills, Eltingville, Annadale, Arden Heights, Huguenot, Prince’s Bay, Pleasant Plains, Rossville, Charleston and Tottenville, from village-era houses near Main Street in Tottenville to newer homes off Arthur Kill Road.

Any Condition

Staten Island Houses We Buy As-Is

You do not need to repair, clean, stage or legalize anything before selling to us. These are conditions we see regularly on the island:

• Original 1960s and 1970s kitchens and baths, paneling and carpet
• Oil burners, aging boilers and buried or basement oil tanks
• Roof leaks, sagging porches, cracked stoops and settled foundations
• Water in the basement, sump problems and storm drainage issues
• Flood damage, partial elevation work and post-Sandy repairs left unfinished
• Unpermitted basement or attic units and additions without sign-off
• Open DOB permits, ECB violations and expired filings
• Houses full of furniture and belongings, garages and sheds included

Condition affects price, not whether we buy. We tell you which items drove the number so you can decide whether fixing any of them yourself would be worth it.

Any Situation

Owner Situations We Handle on Staten Island

Inherited and estate houses

Executors and administrators make up a large share of the owners we talk to. Authority to sell comes from the Richmond County Surrogate’s Court in St. George: letters testamentary when there is a will, letters of administration when there is not. Siblings often disagree about selling or price, and a written offer gives everyone one number to discuss. Heirs who live in New Jersey or farther away do not need to fly in; we can arrange access through a neighbor, a relative or a lockbox. While the house sits vacant, taxes, water, insurance and winter heat keep adding up. We buy estate houses with contents, repairs and occupants as they are. Read the Staten Island inherited property guide.

Tenants and relatives in place

We buy with the second unit occupied, whether by a tenant on a lease, a month-to-month renter or a family member paying little or nothing. Arrears and holdovers are factored in. See selling with non-paying tenants.

Liens, arrears and foreclosure

Unpaid taxes, water charges, judgments and mortgage arrears are usually paid from the proceeds at closing. If you are behind on the mortgage, read options before foreclosure; the process is the same statewide.

Divorce, co-owners and relocation

We work with both spouses’ attorneys, with co-owners who need a clean exit, and with owners who have already moved to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida or the Carolinas. See selling during a divorce.

Island Rules

Staten Island Zoning and What It Means for Your House

Zoning matters to a house sale on Staten Island more than most owners expect, because it decides whether an extra unit, an addition or a second house on the lot is realistic.

Most of the island is part of a Lower Density Growth Management Area, which adds stricter requirements on parking, yards, lot size and driveways for new homes. Large parts of the island also fall under special districts: the Special South Richmond Development District across much of the South Shore, the Special Natural Area District in wooded and sloped areas such as Todt Hill and Emerson Hill, and the Special Hillsides Preservation District on the steep North Shore slopes. Some of the citywide City of Yes for Housing Opportunity changes adopted in December 2024 apply differently or not at all in much of Staten Island, including backyard accessory units outside the Greater Transit Zone.

For you as a seller, this mostly shows up in price: an oversized lot is worth more only if something can actually be built on it. We research the lot before we make an offer, and you should confirm anything you plan to rely on with a zoning professional or attorney.

How We Price

How Our Offer Is Built, Step by Step

There is no secret formula. Every offer we make on a Staten Island house comes from the same handful of inputs.

• Finished value. What the house would sell for once updated and legally in order, based on recent nearby sales of comparable houses.
• Work required. Repairs, systems, code and permit work, and the cost of legalizing or removing any extra unit.
• Flood and site factors. Flood zone, insurance cost and any elevation work; for larger lots, what the LDGMA rules and any special district allow.
• Time and carrying costs. Taxes, insurance, utilities and financing while plans are approved and the work is done.
• Transaction costs. Our closing costs now and selling costs later.
• Risk and margin. A reasonable cushion for surprises behind the walls and a return for the capital at risk.

Because we pay for all of that, a direct offer will usually be below what a fully renovated house would list for. The question is how it compares with what you would net after doing the work yourself, or after selling to a financed buyer who will ask for repairs and credits.

Honest Comparison

When You Should Not Sell Your House to Us

We would rather lose a deal than have a seller regret one. Listing with a good local broker is likely the better move if:

• Your house is updated, legally matches its use and would appraise cleanly for a buyer’s lender
• It is outside the high-risk flood zone or has well-documented flood history
• It can be delivered vacant and you are in no hurry
• There is no estate, lien, co-owner or occupancy issue to work through

Staten Island has a deep pool of owner-occupant buyers for houses like that. If yours fits, we will say so. If you want both options in front of you, get our written offer and a broker’s estimate and compare the net.

How It Works

Selling Your Staten Island House to Red Hook Development

• Send the address and a few details through the form, by phone or by email; we reply within one business day
• We review records and schedule one visit, or arrange access if you live out of state
• You receive a written offer, with no fee and no obligation
• Attorneys handle the contract; in most cases we pay all-cash with no financing contingency
• You pick the closing date, and we take over any tenancies at closing

If speed is your main concern, read how to sell your Staten Island house fast. If you are comparing buyers, see how to vet cash home buyers on Staten Island. You can also start with our seller form or see everything we buy.