Emily Nonko

Let's be honest: It's hard out there for a first-time buyer. Unless you're fortunate enough to be gifted with a down payment or a high-paying job, the current landscape of New York City real estate is frankly discouraging. See: high prices, packed open houses, bidding wars, and all-cash transactions. While no one said buying property was easy in this city, it's not entirely impossible. That's especially true when searching for starter apartments.

Winding streets, grassy hills, and freestanding homes on massive lots: This may sound like an idyllic suburban neighborhood far away from New York City, but it’s actually right in the middle of Queens. Jamaica Estates is an enclave that was planned by developers in the early 1900s to be a luxurious, suburban escape from Manhattan.

Trend piece after trend piece, Ridgewood has been hailed as the next "hot" neighborhood for hipsters migrating from Bushwick, its increasingly high-priced neighbor to the south. And while it does have (relatively) cheap rents and some loft-worthy warehouses, there's a whole lot more going on in this picturesque, close-knit Queens community than a spillover of artists and bars from Brooklyn (though there's plenty of that, too).