Downsizing in Forest Hills, Queens

Forest Hills at a glance

Queens Community Board 6 describes Forest Hills as a community of both low and high density residential buildings. Curved streets and Tudor-style buildings cover the neighborhood's midsection, which is taken up by the planned community named Forest Hills Gardens.

The Gardens were founded in 1909 and designed by Grosvenor Atterbury and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., according to the Forest Hills Gardens Corporation, a membership organization for the community's property owners.

Sources: Queens Community Board 6, Forest Hills; Forest Hills Gardens Corporation.

Co-ops, condos and homes in Forest Hills and the Gardens

• Co-op and condo apartments. The community board notes many rental, co-op and condominium apartment complexes throughout Forest Hills. A co-op is shares plus a proprietary lease, run by a board with its own rules; a condo is a deeded unit under a declaration and by-laws. Rental buildings are a third category, so confirm what a building is from its offering plan or the seller's attorney.
• Homes in Forest Hills Gardens. The Corporation oversees approval of all exterior changes, and its by-laws make record owners members who pay assessments. Ask for the assessment history, the rules on exterior work and how they affect any renovation before you commit to a house or apartment there.
• Elevator or walk-up. Ask about steps to the entrance and to laundry or storage.

Read the co-op and condo buying guide and the comparison of home types before touring, and remember that brokers cannot give legal advice, so a New York attorney should review the contract.

Sources: Forest Hills Gardens Corporation, architectural regulations; by-laws.

Getting around Forest Hills

The MTA's R line map lists Forest Hills-71 Av as a local and express station, the end of the R line, with E and F transfers and M service on weekdays roughly from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. It is marked accessible.

The Long Island Rail Road also has a Forest Hills station. The MTA lists it as an accessible station with connections to the Forest Hills-71 Av subway and to the Q23, Q60, Q64 and Q74 buses. For train times, other bus routes and a door-to-door trip, use the MTA trip planner.

Sources: MTA, R line map; MTA, Forest Hills LIRR station.

Health care near Forest Hills

Long Island Jewish Forest Hills, a Northwell Health hospital, is at 102-01 66th Road. Northwell describes it as a 312-bed community teaching hospital with an emergency department that is a 911 receiving site and a state-designated Stroke Center. Confirm that your plan and doctors participate.

Source: Northwell Health, Long Island Jewish Forest Hills.

Everyday life in Forest Hills

• Forest Park. NYC Parks lists it at 506.86 acres. See NYC Parks.
• Austin Street and Continental Avenue. Community Board 6 names this as one of three shopping areas, alongside 108th Street and Metropolitan Avenue.
• Forest Hills Library. A Queens Public Library branch at 108-19 71st Avenue. See the branch page for hours.
• Forest Hills Older Adult Center. Queens Community House runs a center for adults 60 and older at 108-25 62nd Drive. See its older adult centers page.

Storms, flooding and insurance in Forest Hills

Risk varies by block and by building level, so check each address. Queens County was among the counties in the federal disaster declaration for Hurricane Sandy in October 2012.

• Use the city's Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder. The city explains its six zones on its evacuation page.
• Look up the flood insurance map at the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. Evacuation zones and FEMA flood zones are separate maps.
• Ask about a separate flood policy, since standard homeowners, condo and co-op policies exclude flood. FloodHelpNY has guidance.

Our flood and storm insurance guide has more.

Property taxes and local government in Forest Hills

Forest Hills is in Queens County, and the city bills property tax. Owners 65 or older with combined income of $58,399 or less may apply for the Senior Citizen Homeowners' Exemption on a primary residence, covering one to three family homes, condos and co-ops (co-ops apply separately), by March 15 (March 16 in 2026). Enhanced STAR reduces school taxes for owners 65 and older within its income limit, and a buyer registers with the state. A co-op or condo building can apply for the city's tax abatement on owners' behalf. Forest Hills Gardens assessments are separate from these taxes. Transfer taxes on a sale can be estimated in the net proceeds calculator, and costs and money and the senior property tax exemptions guide give more detail. A New York lawyer or CPA should confirm figures for your situation.

Sources: NYC 311, SCHE; NY Tax Department, STAR; NYC Finance, co-op and condo abatement.

Questions to ask before you buy in Forest Hills

• Is the address inside Forest Hills Gardens, and what are the current assessment and the exterior-work rules?
• If I plan renovations, has the Architecture Committee approved similar work at this address?
• Is this apartment a co-op, condo or rental? What do the financial statements show about reserves and planned assessments?
• What is the co-op flip tax, and how long does board approval take?
• Is there an elevator, and how many steps are there to the front door?
• Which is closer to my door, the subway or the LIRR station, and what are the entrances like?
• What do the evacuation zone finder and FEMA's map show for this address?

Start with the downsizing plan. To be introduced to an agent, get matched with one on the operating team at eXp Realty. Introductions go only to agents on that team, so this is not a search of the whole market.