Meet the Owner: Douglas Montgomery of Home NY Real Estate

Douglas Montgomery has worked in the real estate business for 25 years. He said he “jumped” at the chance last year to move his office into the community where he lives, sells homes and volunteers.

Montgomery, who was born in Goshen and moved to Douglaston in 1998, operates , which sells properties in northeast Queens and specializes in tax liens.

“I was always interested in real estate,” said Montgomery, who received his license in 1987. “One thing I liked about it is that every transaction is different. You don’t go into the office and do the same thing every day. You’re always dealing with different people, different personalities and different houses.”

Montgomery first worked upstate for a company known as Village Construction before moving to Queens, where he worked as a broker who managed Housing and Urban Development (HUD) properties.

In 1992, he set up an office on Northern Boulevard in Bayside where he ran his real estate business. Seven years ago, he changed its name from Urban Redevelopment to Home NY.

In the late 1990s, he said he witnessed a lot of fraudulent situations during which investors took properties from homeowners. At that point, he took on tax liens as part of his business.

“Last year, I saved somebody who did not know he was in foreclosure,” Montgomery said. “I helped him pay off his tax lien. If I hadn’t jumped in, he would have lost his house.”

Montgomery primarily sells homes in Douglaston and Douglas Manor, but he also has properties in other parts of Queens, such as Fresh Meadows and Middle Village, and Long Island.

The price range for the properties he sells range from a $300,000 home in North Hempstead to a $1.7 million home in Douglas Manor.

Montgomery said he was pleased to be able to move into Douglaston 14 years ago. He believes it is important to live – as well as work - in the community.

“It’s a wonderful neighborhood,” he said. “Every day, I wake up and feel blessed to be here. The space I’m in became available last June, so I jumped at the opportunity.”

Since moving to the neighborhood, he has become president of the Douglaston Garden Club and a member of and ’s Parent Teacher Association.

Last year, he fought to convince non-profit GrowNYC to set up a green market in the community.

Home NY is located at 40-60 Douglaston Parkway. For more information, call 718-279-8762.