Realty Check

JAY-Z & BEYONCÉ BUY IN EAST HAMPTON
An exquisitely outfitted home by prominent Hamptons builder Jeffrey Collé has sold after eight years to superstar couple Jay-Z and Beyoncé. The 12,000 square-foot abode on Georgica Pond first hit the market in 2009 – that cursed year – when it was listed for $39.5M. It just sold for $25.92 million, a more than $13M reduction. No expense was spared in the 7-bedroom Georgica house, which is sited on the footprint of a Stanford White residence. Features include a 30-foot double-height ceiling in the drawing room, parquet floor made from ancient French oak beams and Louis XV fireplaces – the real thing sourced in France. Not your typical spec house. The couple also recently scooped up an ultra-modern estate in Los Angeles for a mind-numbing $88 million. Located on about two hillside acres in a prime pocket of Bel-Air, the multi-structure compound comprises six boxy, glass-walled pavilions that together span around 30,000 square feet. They also own an 8,300 square foot penthouse in Tribeca which they purchased in 2004 for $6,850,000. The property was listed by Lori Schiaffino of Compass.

Elie Tahari Asks $45M
For the first time, fashion designer Elie Tahari has listed his oceanfront Hamptons estate in Sagaponack for a cool $45 million. Tahari cites his reasons for selling saying, “I’m so focused on my business right now that I haven’t been there for the last two summers. Maybe it’s time for someone else to love it as we have.” According to the Wall Street Journal, Tahari and his ex-wife purchased the property for $12.1 million back in 2005. Listing brokers Keith Green and Ann Ciardullo of Sotheby’s International Realty are marketing the 2.5 acre property with partially approved plans to expand the home to eight bedrooms and 10,000 square-feet. The extension was designed by Stelle Lomont Rouhani Architects, which also designed Calvin Klein’s house in Southampton. The estate also includes an outdoor dining area, a basketball court, a 60-foot lap pool, a 200-year-old barn, and 250 feet of beachfront.

Carnegie Cottage
Built in 1899 for former judge Alonzo Castle Monson, the historic Southampton cottage at 92 Coopers Neck Lane later belonged to Virginia Beggs Carnegie, who named it Clyden after a river near the Carnegie family’s Scottish hometown. The grand 12,000 square-foot home has 11 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms and sits on 4.6 acres, which also include an in-ground pool and tennis court. The property was on the market for $37.5 million two years ago, but is now listed at $29.5 million. The listing is with Tim Davis of The Corcoran Group.

MOVING ON
Author Steven Gaines’ Hamptons home is on the market for the first time in 25 years. It features four bedrooms and 3½ bathrooms, plus details that include dramatic walls of glass, a fireplace, a pool and a double-height, 70 foot-long great room. The Wainscott contemporary is where he wrote Philistines at the Hedgerow: Passion & Property in the Hamptons, The Sky’s the Limit: Passion & Property in Manhattan, Calvin Klein’s biography, Obsession: The Lives and Times of Calvin Klein and his latest, a memoir titled “One of These Things First”. It’s also the former home of Bill Higgins, who owned the Wainscott gay disco “The Swamp.” Gaines says he will split his time between Manhattan and the Hamptons. The listing is with Bonny Aarons at Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

CNBC Anchor Buys in BARN & VINE
Emmy Award-winning Carl Quintanilla, of CNBC’s Wall Street news shows “Squawk on the Street” and “Squawk Alley,” and his wife, Judith Chang, a former producer for CNBC and MSNBC, who now works as a design manager for Ralph Lauren have spent $3.2M for a new 4,269 square-foot home on nearly one acre at Barn & Vine in Bridgehampton. The seven bedroom, 6.5 bath home – one of the development’s customized “Manor” models – was listed at $3.325M. Barn & Vine, so named because of its proximity to Channing Daughters Winery – we’re not sure about the barn – is known for its concierge service in which someone makes life easier by stocking the fridge and making restaurant reservations. And its management company takes care of estate maintenance. When can we move in?! Quintanilla and his wife join other news anchors such as Matt Lauer and Katie Couric who also own homes in the Hamptons. The listing belonged to Aaron Curti, Raphael Avigdor and James Peyton, all of Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

Billy Joel Denied
According to 27east.com, Billy Joel was recently denied his request to renovate his Bay Street property in a 3-2 straw vote. Mr. Joel’s goal was to raise and rotate his home via a backyard variance, aiming to make his home and his warehouse aligned. The chairman of Sag Harbor’s ZBA voted no stating that Mr. Joel’s neighbors opposed the project because it would “block their views and disrupt the street’s character”. While it was a 3-2 straw vote, with one additional member recused, the decision still remains a bit unofficial, the formal decision will be made during the ZBA’s October 17th meeting, although it is expected to yield the same outcome.

Madonna Moves to Portugal
Part-time Bridgehampton resident Madonna announced on her Instagram that she has picked up and moved to Portugal. Variety reported that she has purchased a $8.9 million-dollar historic estate, Quinta do Relogio, in the gorgeous hilltop village of Sintra, just 20 miles outside of Lisbon. The 16,000 square-foot “mini-palace” was built and designed in the Moorish Revival style in 1865 by architect Antonio Manuel da Fonseca. Previously owned in the late 1800s by D. Carlos de Braganca, the future king of Portugal. The stunning and eclectic 4-story homestead boasts 4 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms, a 1,110 square-foot cottage, and a secondary 4,700 square-foot residence, but will need to undergo some renovations on the structural work. Designed with romance in mind, the estate also features several springs, a small lake, fountains, and lush vegetation.