Housing lottery for $285,000 Uniondale home is now open. Here's how to apply.
The lot on Uniondale Avenue where Uniondale Community Land Trust plans to sell a modular home, which is built offsite, and transported to the site. Credit: Uniondale Community Land Trust
Long Islanders interested in a chance at homeownership can apply to purchase a home in Uniondale through an affordable housing lottery until Feb. 24.
Uniondale Community Land Trust is holding a housing lottery to determine who will get priority to purchase the three-bedroom, two-bathroom house, which is nearly 1,700 square feet.
The nonprofit is selling a modular home on Uniondale Avenue to applicants who meet certain income requirements. Modular homes are built offsite — in this case by Simplex Homes in Pennsylvania — and transported to an owner’s land. The Uniondale home will be delivered to the site in April.
The awardee will be able to purchase the structure for about $285,000. The final price will depend on the buyer’s ability to pay. The awardee will not pay more than 30% of their gross income toward their mortgage payment, including principal, interest, taxes and insurance.
That represents a substantial discount compared with other homes in Uniondale. The median price among single-family homes sold in Uniondale was $625,000 in the second half of 2024, according to data from appraisal firm Miller Samuel and Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
“We offer a home, which you get for a fraction of the price, and we're there to help,” said Anestoria Shalkowski, president of the nonprofit’s board.
The structure of the sale will be atypical so that the house can stay affordable long term.
The buyer will own the house and enter into a 99-year land lease with the nonprofit, which will continue to own the land the house sits on.
The model prevents a buyer from quickly selling the house at a profit.
“There’s no opportunity to sell and flip for a high price,” said Jeannine Maynard, vice president of the nonprofit’s board.
When the owner does decide to sell the house, their potential profit will be capped. The future owner will be allowed to sell the house for their original purchase price, plus the rate of increase in the House Price Index for Nassau County, which is measured by the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
The program's design mirrors community land trusts across the United States, in which nonprofits acquire land, build homes and offer land leases, so they can preserve long-term affordability. There are more than 300 nonprofits that follow a similar model nationwide, according to a 2022 report from Grounded Solutions Network, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit that promotes affordable housing.
“We’re not only building affordable housing,” said Joseph D’Lando, the Uniondale land trust's program coordinator. “We’re building permanent affordable housing."
The nonprofit acquired the 4,000-square-foot, Nassau County-owned lot in 2019 for $86,250. The total cost of the project will be about $650,000, said D'Lando, the nonprofit’s only employee. The organization is run by its volunteer board.
D’Lando said the land trust raised money to build the house through a combination of federal, state and local grants as well as fundraising. The home is the second built by the nonprofit and follows a gut renovation the land trust completed on Macon Place in Uniondale, which sold to a lottery awardee for $220,000 in 2021.
The Uniondale Avenue property is the first the nonprofit has built through modular construction. Building the home offsite will minimize the disruption traditional construction would have caused to traffic on Uniondale Avenue, said board member Paul Gibson.
When completed, the new home will serve as an example of the nonprofit’s development capabilities as it looks to acquire future Nassau County-owned properties, Maynard said.
“It gives us an opportunity to show a proof of concept for a modular build,” Maynard said.
To enter the housing lottery, applicants' income must be between 50% and 80% of Long Island’s area median income. For an individual, that means income between $54,700 and $87,500. A family of four could earn between $78,100 and $124,950, according to guidelines published by the nonprofit.
Applicants must be first-time homebuyers, have a credit score of at least 580 and possess at least 3% of the purchase price, about $8,550, for a down payment. They must complete an online information session on Uniondale Community Land Trust's website and pay a $100 application fee.
Potential applicants with questions can contact Long Island Housing Partnership, which is processing applications, by phone at 631-435-4710 or email at homeowner2@lihp.org.
The nonprofit expects to select an applicant in the spring and finalize the sale later this year.
At around $285,000, the selected buyer will get a rare opportunity, said Nicole Burke, a real estate agent, Uniondale resident and former executive director of the land trust.
"You can't beat that anywhere" in Nassau and Suffolk counties, she said. "And this house from the land trust will be completely new."
However, the buyer should keep in mind they won't be able to sell at full market value or build home equity in the same way as their neighbors if local home prices soar, Burke said.
"The model is set up for you to be able to sell that house to another person who's in need," Burke said. "You want to be able to save money and get something that's completely yours."
Long Islanders interested in a chance at homeownership can apply to purchase a home in Uniondale through an affordable housing lottery until Feb. 24.
Uniondale Community Land Trust is holding a housing lottery to determine who will get priority to purchase the three-bedroom, two-bathroom house, which is nearly 1,700 square feet.
The nonprofit is selling a modular home on Uniondale Avenue to applicants who meet certain income requirements. Modular homes are built offsite — in this case by Simplex Homes in Pennsylvania — and transported to an owner’s land. The Uniondale home will be delivered to the site in April.
The awardee will be able to purchase the structure for about $285,000. The final price will depend on the buyer’s ability to pay. The awardee will not pay more than 30% of their gross income toward their mortgage payment, including principal, interest, taxes and insurance.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- Uniondale Community Land Trust is holding a housing lottery through Feb. 24 to sell a modular home for $285,000, which is far below market value for the area.
- The selected applicant will purchase the home from the land trust but lease the land it sits on from the nonprofit.
- The affordable housing program, which mirrors other efforts around the country, opens up home ownership opportunities for lower-income buyers while restricting how much the home can be sold for in the future to preserve affordability.
That represents a substantial discount compared with other homes in Uniondale. The median price among single-family homes sold in Uniondale was $625,000 in the second half of 2024, according to data from appraisal firm Miller Samuel and Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
“We offer a home, which you get for a fraction of the price, and we're there to help,” said Anestoria Shalkowski, president of the nonprofit’s board.
The structure of the sale will be atypical so that the house can stay affordable long term.
The buyer will own the house and enter into a 99-year land lease with the nonprofit, which will continue to own the land the house sits on.
The model prevents a buyer from quickly selling the house at a profit.
“There’s no opportunity to sell and flip for a high price,” said Jeannine Maynard, vice president of the nonprofit’s board.
A rendering of a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house in Uniondale available through an affordable housing lottery. Credit: Simplex Homes
When the owner does decide to sell the house, their potential profit will be capped. The future owner will be allowed to sell the house for their original purchase price, plus the rate of increase in the House Price Index for Nassau County, which is measured by the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
The program's design mirrors community land trusts across the United States, in which nonprofits acquire land, build homes and offer land leases, so they can preserve long-term affordability. There are more than 300 nonprofits that follow a similar model nationwide, according to a 2022 report from Grounded Solutions Network, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit that promotes affordable housing.
“We’re not only building affordable housing,” said Joseph D’Lando, the Uniondale land trust's program coordinator. “We’re building permanent affordable housing."
Yearslong effort
The nonprofit acquired the 4,000-square-foot, Nassau County-owned lot in 2019 for $86,250. The total cost of the project will be about $650,000, said D'Lando, the nonprofit’s only employee. The organization is run by its volunteer board.
D’Lando said the land trust raised money to build the house through a combination of federal, state and local grants as well as fundraising. The home is the second built by the nonprofit and follows a gut renovation the land trust completed on Macon Place in Uniondale, which sold to a lottery awardee for $220,000 in 2021.
The Uniondale Avenue property is the first the nonprofit has built through modular construction. Building the home offsite will minimize the disruption traditional construction would have caused to traffic on Uniondale Avenue, said board member Paul Gibson.
When completed, the new home will serve as an example of the nonprofit’s development capabilities as it looks to acquire future Nassau County-owned properties, Maynard said.
“It gives us an opportunity to show a proof of concept for a modular build,” Maynard said.
Eligibility requirements
To enter the housing lottery, applicants' income must be between 50% and 80% of Long Island’s area median income. For an individual, that means income between $54,700 and $87,500. A family of four could earn between $78,100 and $124,950, according to guidelines published by the nonprofit.
Applicants must be first-time homebuyers, have a credit score of at least 580 and possess at least 3% of the purchase price, about $8,550, for a down payment. They must complete an online information session on Uniondale Community Land Trust's website and pay a $100 application fee.
Potential applicants with questions can contact Long Island Housing Partnership, which is processing applications, by phone at 631-435-4710 or email at homeowner2@lihp.org.
The nonprofit expects to select an applicant in the spring and finalize the sale later this year.
At around $285,000, the selected buyer will get a rare opportunity, said Nicole Burke, a real estate agent, Uniondale resident and former executive director of the land trust.
"You can't beat that anywhere" in Nassau and Suffolk counties, she said. "And this house from the land trust will be completely new."
However, the buyer should keep in mind they won't be able to sell at full market value or build home equity in the same way as their neighbors if local home prices soar, Burke said.
"The model is set up for you to be able to sell that house to another person who's in need," Burke said. "You want to be able to save money and get something that's completely yours."
Jonathan LaMantia covers residential real estate and other business news on Long Island. He previously covered the business of health care for Crain's New York Business.
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