Realty Check – April

French Twist
Sagg General Store has a new owner. Pierre Weber of Bridgehampton’s Pierre’s Restaurant will rename the old standby, which has been a general store since 1878, “Pierre’s” and will keep it open seven days a week year-round. While it will remain a general store, the pastry chef will be offering such Frenchified fare as quiches and croissants. He plans to gut the interior but will keep the Sagaponack building’s history in mind.

Lowered Expectations
As news outlets proclaim new price adjustments of the high-end Hamptons market, two financiers have lowered the price of their homes. Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein has slashed the asking price of his Parsonage Lane by $4m from $17m to $13m. The 7 bedroom house is one of two local houses owned by Blankfein and his wife, Laura. The couple purchased the other larger Bridgehampton property in 2012 for $32.5m. Real estate tycoon Jeff Blau has also shaved the price of his Bridgehampton manse from $32m to $27m. Corcoran’s Susan Breitenbach has inherited both listings.

Washington Will Sleep Here
High-profile power couple – Washington, D.C. lawyer Bob Barnett and his wife, CBS “Sunday Morning” correspondent Rita Braver – have bought a home on Cedar Street in East Hampton. The $2.52m property (down from its $3.45m 2015 asking price) sits on half an acre. Among his legal duties, Barnett has handled book contracts for such Beltway regulars as Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Bob Woodward.

Perks Galore
Hamptons agents take note: instead of reducing the price of your listing, why not add some irresistible perks? The buyer of the $85m condo encompassing the entire 45th floor of The Atelier, a new high-rise on New York’s West 42nd Street, will get a $2 million dollar construction credit, along with a live-in butler and private chef for a year. As if that weren’t enough, they’re also getting a $1m yacht replete five years of docking fees, two – count them – two Rolls Royce Phantoms (a convertible and hardtop), weekly dinner for two at Daniel Boulud’s Restaurant, Daniel for a year, season courtside tickets to the Brooklyn Nets, and last, but certainly not least, a Hamptons mansion summer rental. The Atelier itself boasts a startling array of amenities including tennis court, golf driving range, lap pool, sauna, multi-media lounge, billiards room, gym, yoga studio, basketball courts, and full daily breakfast. The only thing missing is the beach.

Home with “The View”
Joy Behar, co-host of The View, has listed her 4,000sf East Hampton home for $3.8m. She purchased the rustic-style Roberts Lane house in 2012 for $2.875. The house, which sits on .78-acre, sports a double-height foyer, great room with vaulted ceiling, and four en-suite bedrooms including the first-floor master.

EnTicing New Senior Managing Director
Corcoran has hired Chris Tice as Senior Managing Director of their Sag Harbor and Montauk offices. Chris joined the firm seven years ago as an agent in the Sag Harbor office, after a distinguished career in sales and marketing management that included executive positions at Sony Online Entertainment, American Express and Cablevision. Chris also has extensive experience as a real estate investor having owned properties in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and the Hamptons.

High Spirits
After years of waiting, Sagaponack farmer Dean Foster has gotten approval to convert a barn on his Sagg Road property into a wholesale vodka distillery. The farm is already producing barley, potatoes and rye, which will go into making the spirit. The facility will be allowed to manufacture, at most, 35,000 gallons per year. After the first batches have been delivered, Foster’s next step will be to get approval for a tasting room. Bottoms up.

Barn Raising
Architect and designer Mark Zeff has published a cocktail table book detailing the design process behind his East Hampton home. Calling his residence “Blackbarn,” Zeff told Architectural Digest that the structure “is the purest expression of my creative worldview.” Brimming with pictures of the antiques and curios that define Zeff’s “ultimate sanctuary,” the pages also reveal the surrounding landscape by season.

Historic Inn
Hill Street’s historic Village Latch Inn has been sold for $23m by proprietors Marta and Martin White who oversaw operations for nearly 40 years. A hotel since 1901, the 5 acre, 7-building enclave has hosted VIPs including Joe Biden, Jackie Kennedy, Al Gore, Sara Jessica Parker, and Michael J. Fox. Its main building was designed by Sanford White. Esther Paster of Douglas Elliman represented both buyer and seller.

High Honors
Halstead Property congratulates John Scott Thomas for being Broker of The Year 2015 for all the Hamptons, and John Manley for being Broker of The Year 2015 for Southampton. John Manley also produced the highest rental transactions company wide. These accomplishments helped make 2015 “Halstead’s Best Year Ever.”