OuterB on Queens Real Estate

A little blurb from the Real Deal came through my RSS reader regarding the indictment of Whitestone-based D & T National Appraisals, Inc. and its 54 year old CEO, Donato Odato, which led me to something called the Mortgage Fraud Blog, published by The Prieston Group (TPG), a mortgage risk management consulting company. TPG has a press release that indicates that these appraiser creeps were indicted on not one, not ten, not 100 but 397 counts of the following:

• second- and third-degree forgery
• criminal possession of a forged instrument
• first- and second-degree falsifying business records
• first- and third-degree identity theft
• first-degree scheme to defraud

• fifth-degree conspiracy

Eeuw.

According to TPG, Donato Odato, if convicted, faces up to seven years in prison. The corporate defendant faces a fine of up to $10,000 for each felony count conviction or “double the amount of the illegal gain.”

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown says that they had been investigating this situation for nine months, acknowledging that this kind of mortgage fraud - artificially inflating the value of Queens homes - screws everyone involved, lenders and purchasers alike.

More creepy details, from the Queens District Attorney:

Odato, as the chief executive officer of D & T National Appraisals, Inc., recruited licensed appraisers over the Internet and offered them positions with his company as part of a ruse to steal their personal identity information. Thereafter, it is alleged he would forge the names of the prospective job seekers on numerous appraisals that he filed in connection with residential mortgage applications.

It is further alleged that Odato took advantage of the Internet’s anonymity, as well as his own background as a former licensed assistant appraiser, to fraudulently induce lenders and other real estate professionals to use his company’s claimed appraisal services. It is alleged that instead of actually doing the appraisal work, Odato would simply concoct information on real estate values from various sources and then inflate the values to match mortgage applications.

Related:
Queens, NY appraisal firm indicted in allegations of inflated appraisals [Mortgage Fraud Blog]
Queens appraiser indicted [The Real Deal]
Queens Real Estate Appraisal Firm And CEO Indicted In Alleged Scheme That Inflated Real Estate Values [.pdf, Queens DA]

Happy November! After you cheer on the runners this weekend during the NYC Marathon, check out these open houses:

Bellerose
House: 3 bedroom/2 bath
$579,000
254-1 87th Road
Sunday November 4, 2-4 p.m.
NY Times listing [Coach Realtors]

East Elmhurst
Condo:

2 bedroom/1 bath
$379,000
22-15 79th Street
Sunday November 4, 12-2 p.m.
NY Times listing [Prudential Douglas Elliman]

Fresh Meadows
House: 4 bedroom/3 bath
$788,000
166-21 67th Ave
Sunday November 4, 3-5 p.m.
NY Times listing

Long Island City
Condo: 2 bedroom/1 bath
$570,180
Citiview Condos, 41-32 44th St, #4E
Sunday November 4, By Appt Only
NY Times listing [Douglas Elliman]

Whitestone/Beechhurst
House: 5 bedroom/4 bath
$1,150,000
2-68 149 Place
Sunday November 4, 2-4 p.m.
NY Times listing [Prudential Douglas Elliman]

Elmhurst
Co-op: 3 bedroom/2 bath
$325,000
94-31 59th Avenue, #1D
Sunday October 28, 2-4pm
NY Times listing

[Bellmarc Realty]

Little Neck
House: 4 bedroom/3 bath
$899,000
325 Cherry Douglaston
Sunday October 28, 1-3pm
NY Times Listing [Edna Marshaal]

Long Island City
Condo

: 2 bedroom/1 bath
$570,180
41-32 44th Street, #2E
Sunday October 28, 12-3pm
NY Times listing [Prudential Douglas Eliman]

Whitestone/Beechhurst
House : 3 bedroom/3.2 bath
$1,249,000
160-37 10th Avenue
Sunday October 28, 2-4pm
NY Times listing [Laffey.com]

And since I’ve been gone, more links for you!

Here are some nice maps of new developments in Long Island City, Astoria, Whitestone, Fresh Meadows, and College Point. [StreetEasy]

Photo evidence that Bjork and/or Matthew Barney are in town. Whenever I think of those two, I am reminded of this McSweeney’s gem. [Curbed]

Sleaze Alert: Dennis Gallagher, a Queens Republican, has been charged with rape. Um, eeuw. [City Room]

There are over 22,000 public bridges in NY State. 2,000 of them are “structurally deficient”, which was the designation of the 35W bridge in Minneapolis that collapsed this week. Three bridges in the city are rated as “poor” by the city, including the bridge at Willow Lake at 76th Road in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens. [NY Times]

Mayor Bloomberg signed into law a new anti-graffiti law. [City Room]

Hats off to Chef Darren Lawless of the wonderful Il Bambino, to be the only Astoria restaurant to be included in NY Mag’s 2007 Cheap Eats issue. I can vouch for the deliciousness served here.  Other Queens eats include Burmese Cafe and Frisby in Jackson Heights and Little Pepper in Flushing. [NY Mag]

The trees might be gone at St. Saviour’s, but activists won’t give up on the site. [Times Ledger]

Douglaston House stays in its historic district. [Queens Chronicle]

Forest Hills preservationists are looking for buyers to save two of the century-old townhouses on the East side of 72nd. [NY Daily News]

Queens loves surfers!  Brings me back to my California roots. [nyc.24.us]

ConEd loves Queens… leasing 120,00 square feet of space in Jamaica! [Globe St.]

Apricots are available this weekend at the Sunnyside Farmer’s Market. [City Room]

Apologies for the late posting - your writer and editor has been very ill this week but is on the mend. So, I return now with Open House listings!

Bayside
House: 7 bedroom/4.5 bath
$1,050,000
215th Street
Saturday August 4, 12-4pm
Sunday August 5, 12-4pm
NY Times Listing [NY Times Classified Listing]

Beechhurst/Whitestone
House: 3 bedroom/4 bath
$1,225,000
160-13 Cryders Lane
Sunday August 5, 1-3pm
NY Times Listing [NY Times Web Listing]

Forest Hills
House: 3 bedroom/1.5 bath
$729,000
95-13 68th Ave
Sunday August 5, 12-4pm
NY Times Listing [NY Times Web Listing]

Glen Oaks
Co-op: 1 bedroom/1 bath
$190,000
69-14 Little Neck, #A
Sunday August 5, 1-4pm
NY Times Listing [Century 21]

Jackson Heights
Co-op: 2 bedroom/ 1 bath
$385,000
The Madison, 3506 88th St, #4G
Sunday August 5, 12-2 pm
NY Times Listing [NY Times Web Listing]

OAKLAND GARDENS

$231,000

74-40 220th Street, Oakland Gardens, NY

Two-bedroom, one-bath co-op, 600 square feet, with updated eat-in kitchen, renovated bath and stand-up attic. Windsor Oaks building is pet-friendly. Maintenance: $687. Asking price $230,000; on the market for five weeks.

Broker: Carollo Real Estate

Source: New York Post – 7/26

WHITESTONE

$1,400,000

4 North Drive, Whitestone, NY

Four-bedroom, two-bathroom, 77-year-old center-hall colonial with h/w floors, 2 fireplaces, an eat-in kitchen, a den, a finished basement and a 2-car garage. Taxes: $6,000. Asking price: $1,500,000; on the market for one week.

Broker: Carollo Real Estate

Source: New York Times – 7/27

Caught this listing on Craigslist - it’s a huge home in a gated community in Whitestone for $4.2 million. It’s on a 9,000 square foot lot. The ad doesn’t mention the square footage of the house, though, but I suspect that it takes up most of the property. 4 bedrooms, 4 full bath, SubZero and Viking appliances. A fancy house.

Related:
$4200000 Huge Center Hall Colonial with a Gorgeous Waterview [Craigslist]
Carollo Real Estate listing

On Friday, amNY’s City Living section highlighted Whitestone.  It’s more than just a town with a bridge - did you know there are wild parrots living there?  There are a lot of nice old homes there, and some new ones, too.  Check out the pictures - they’re very nice!

• City Living:  Whitestone [amNY]

Apparently the best places to raise your kids in Queens are Jackson Heights, Whitestone, and Bayside [streeteasy.com]

Joey in Astoria has been splogged [Joey in Astoria]

The nicest section of Forest Hills to live… is where you live [Forest Hills 72]

New Concrete Building Material Lets Light In [Sellsius Real Estate]

Eventually, there will be a commuter rail station in Sunnyside.  The big dig is coming along. [MTA]

There’s talk about a Historic Preservation Tax Credit [Historic Districts Council Newsstand]

Moving Up, a show on TLC, is casting for homeowners in Queens who are interested in being on the show. [NYHouses4Sale]

FOREST HILLS

$195,000

67-35 Yellowstone Boulevard, Forest Hills, NY

One bedroom, one bathroom in a prewar doorman building. 750 square feet with a dining area, windowed kitchen, h/w floors. Maintenance $445, 50% tax deductible. Asking price: $199,000; on the market for 30 weeks.

Broker: Century 21 Benjamin

Source: New York Times – 6/22

WHITESTONE

$260,000

199-40 21st Avenue, Whitestone, NY

Two bedroom, one bathroom corner co-op in the Clearview Gardens complex with a courtyard. 800 square feet, with new kitchen appliances, dishwasher, washer/dryer, new bath, new hardwood floors. Maintenance $719. Asking price $274,900; on the market for 25 weeks.

Broker: Carollo Real Estate

Source: New York Post – 6/21

HOWARD BEACH

$297,000

151-15 84th Street, Howard Beach, NY

Two bedroom, two bath condo. 950 square feet, with combination living/dining room, dishwasher and balcony with skyline views; Heritage House development features laundry and security. Common charges $461.99, taxes $341.41. Asking price: $299,000, on the market for one week.

Broker: Carollo Real Estate

Source: New York Post - 6/28

FOREST HILLS

$975,000

111-01 75th Road, Forest Hills, NY

82-year-old brick townhouse. Renovated kitchen and baths, living-room fireplace, family room, h/w floors, finished basement. 1-car garage. 19-by-100-foot lot. Taxes: $4,144. Asking price: $975,000, on the market for four weeks.

Broker: Terrace Realty

Source: New York Times - 6/29

Whitestone

$981,750

162-17 13th Avenue, Whitestone, NY

New wood colonial. Four bedroom, two bath with a family room, fireplace, marble bath, radiant heat, central air, a finished basement, and a 1-car garage. 40-by-100-foot lot. Taxes: not yet assessed. Asking price: $1,179,000; on the market for 1-week.

Broker: Re/Max Millenium

Source: New York Times – 6/22

BEECHHURST

$1,075,000

14-52 157th Street, Beechhurst, NY

New three bedroom, three bathroom stucco colonial with an eat-in kitchen, h/w floors, finished basement and a 2-car garage. 50-by-80-foot lot. Taxes: not yet assessed. Asking price: $1,169,000; on the market for 15 weeks.

Broker: Julia Shildkret Real Estate Group

Source: New York Times - 7/6

MALBA

$1,400,000

4 North Drive, Malba, NY

Four bedroom, 3 1/2 bath center-hall Colonial on a 75-foot-by-115-foot lot, with living room with fireplace, formal dining room, eat-in kitchen, full finished basement, private driveway and two-car detached garage. Taxes: $6,000. Asking price: $1,500,000, on market one week.

Broker: Carollo Real Estate

Source: New York Post - 7/5