Realty Check

Hot Sales and Listings with a Dollop of Hamptons Gossip 

Wax up those surfboards! Fire up those grills! Fake-tan those beach bodies! Summer is officially here! The weather forecasters are predicting a hot one, so make sure you set aside plenty of time for the beach and pool.

July: The New August?
Also hot, according to some real estate agents we know, is July. Whereas in previous years, of course, August was the prime month for rentals, according to some July is now more sought-after. Why? Crowding and traffic, apparently. Hm, not our favorites either…

A Dacha in Southampton
The Hamptons house of Ahmet Ertegun, the legendary music executive, and his interior designer wife Mica has just come on the market asking $52 million. Erica Grossman at Douglas Elliman and Tim Davis of The Corcoran Group have the listing.

Ertegun, who worked with such luminaries as Ray Charles and the Rolling Stones, founded Atlantic Records. He sold the company to Warner Bros in 1967 but stayed on as chairman. He died in 2006, while his wife passed away last December.

The Erteguns built the roughly 11,000-square-foot house in the style of a Russian dacha because the site reminded the Romanian-born Mica of nineteenth-century Russia. The copper roof and the yellow siding are typical of dachas. The house was designed in 1990 by Jaquelin T. Robertson.

This being Southampton, not St. Petersburg, of course the 5.5-acre grounds include a private dock on a creek that leads to Shinnecock Bay as well as a 75-foot-long outdoor pool and manicured gardens with cherry trees.

The ten-bedroom house includes classical features such as columns and Palladian windows. The living room is designed as a two-story cube, one of the ideal ratios for rooms as theorized by Andrea Palladio. But, after seeing the original plans for the house, Ertegun had the room enlarged to accommodate an orchestra. One would expect nothing less from a music legend.

More Agency
The Agency, founded by Mauricio Umansky in Beverly Hills in 2011, is opening a second office in the Hamptons, this time in East Hampton. It’s being managed by veteran agents Rylan Jacka and Randi Ball. The first office, owned by Dana Trotter and Tyler Whitman, opened last summer in Bridgehampton. “Inspired by architecture, design, and landscape, Rylan is in a never-ending pursuit of the perfect Hamptons home and property. From the surf cottages in Montauk and Amagansett to the timeless estates in East Hampton, and the historic whaling homes in Sag Harbor, to the bucolic farmhouses in Sagaponack, Rylan has a deep knowledge of the different hamlets,” his bio reads. 

Long Island native and former city resident Ball has focused on Amagansett and East Hampton for the past 10 years. Her bio says, “With a background in journalism and marketing from the University of Maryland, Randi honed her skills in boutique advertising firms and production companies before transitioning to real estate.” Other Agency offices on Long Island are in Bay Shore and Huntington. The Agency is one of the fastest growing brokerages in the country; the Los Angeles office is featured on Netflix’s Buying Beverly Hills.

Osprey House
One of our favorite designers/builders/flippers, the team of Heiberg Cummings, has just finished their latest project. While the team usually focuses on Sag Harbor, their newest property is on Shelter Island. Asking $11.25 million, Osprey House is represented by Stacey G. Cohen at Saunders. Set on half an acre, the 4,500 square-foot house includes five bedrooms, four bathrooms, and a half bath, as well as a gym and sauna on the lower level.

As always, every aspect of the property has been thoughtfully designed and curated by the team with its signature casual, coastal elegance. Materials include antique Turkish stone sinks, reclaimed wood, polished concrete, and classic clapboard, while the eat-in kitchen features brushed brass surfaces. Four fireplaces warm the interiors and the rooftop terrace overlooking Smith Cove; the rooftop also includes a rooftop bar for epic sunset parties. Perched on a hill, the property offers wonderful views of the bay, Sag Harbor, and North Haven.

Outside is a deep-water dock on the 98’ of water frontage and a waterside 12’ by 25’ gunite pool. There is also a separate patio among the hardscaping and the manicured gardens. The house, part of the South Ferry Hills Association which includes access to private beaches, is located near the South Ferry, making day trips to the South and North Forks simple and convenient. 

Open House
Listing brokers James Peyton and John Frangeskos of The Corcoran Group, along with Black Mountain Capital, hosted a recent open house at a newly constructed Talo Builders masterpiece at 11 Dering Lane in East Hampton. Sponsors included Land Rover, Feline Vodka, Rustik Cakes, La Parmigiana, La Hacienda, Homestead Window Treatments, Stone Castle, Talo Builders and Corcoran. Hamptons Real Estate Showcase magazine was the media sponsor. A big shout out and thank you to the event organizer, Carrie Brudner of Black Mountain Capital! 

Psst! Wanna Buy a Restaurant?
Surfside Inn, a longtime Montauk hostelry on Old Montauk Highway, has been relisted for sale. Close to downtown Montauk, the restaurant and inn is listed with Hal Zwick and Jeff Sztorc of Hamptons Compass Commercial asking $7.25 million. 

Just across from Umbrella Beach, the 0.43-acre property offers spectacular ocean views from its indoor and outdoor dining areas. The 5,100-square-foot building includes 11 guest rooms on the third and fourth floors. The restaurant seats about 70, with a lounge area, bar, and outdoor dining on a deck and covered porches.

The inn was originally a telegraph station by the Point. Old family friends of this writer Hilda and Knowles Smith moved the building to the old highway in the early 1920s and called it the Wyandanch. Other names for the inn over the years included the Ocean View, the Anzac House, and Surf & Sand; during WWII Coast Guard officers were billeted there. No wonder that its motto is “Montauk, the way it used to be.” 

Such an offering includes grandfathered commercial space that cannot be replicated elsewhere, but, of course, the potential exists to reconfigure the guest rooms to be larger and the restaurant to be rearranged. There is also an apartment for the owners, as well as a detached garage in the rear. 

Showroom Opening
Bakes & Kropp Fine Cabinetry, a premier luxury kitchen design and manufacturing company, is excited to announce its move to the prestigious Architects & Designers Building (A&D) at 150 East 58th Street. With longstanding relationships and over a decade in New York City at the New York Design Center, the move marks a new era for the Bakes & Kropp brand as they look to further elevate the kitchen design experience amidst the familiarity of a well-acquainted city.

“We’ve been in New York for ten years, and it’s such an important market for us. As we’ve grown over the last decade, our transition to the A&D Building felt like a natural, synergistic move,” said Bakes & Kropp Co-Founder and Head of Design Bob Bakes. “It’s one of the most luxury kitchen-centric buildings in the world that houses many of our current partners, so we wanted to curate a new and inspiring experience for our clients.”

“The A&D building is a hub for everything kitchen-related in New York City and beyond, and our move is an exciting step forward, as it aligns perfectly with our vision to create exceptional spaces for our clients,” explained Bakes & Kropp Co-Founder Paul Kropp. “The space provides the ideal platform to showcase our expertise and serve as an inspiring hub for designers and homeowners alike.”

Bakes & Kropp is known for defining fine cabinetry across the United States and serving as an integral partner to homeowners across the country. The new Manhattan showroom is joined by additional locations in the Hamptons; West Palm Beach, FL; Long Island, NY; Plymouth, MI; and Bay Harbor, MI. 

Ch-Ch-Changes
Brown Harris Stevens welcomes Ronald Reed, who brings over 30 years of experience in architecture, art, design, building, sales, and client representation services. His rich breadth of experience, coupled with his community expertise, makes him uniquely qualified to help Hamptons buyers and sellers achieve their real estate goals. Originally from NYC, Ron previously worked as an architect for many iconic residential projects with Voorsanger Architects, and he was part of the Design-Build team for LaGuardia Airport. Ron and his wife are full-time residents of Sag Harbor. Ron is actively involved with his community and is an active member of the Sag Harbor Board of Education and the Sag Harbor Village Planning Board.

The Eklund | Gomes Team at Douglas Elliman is growing their Hamptons division with the addition of Dominic Couzens to the team. Dominic will be based out of Elliman’s Bridgehampton office, working alongside E | G Hamptons leading team members Kyle Rosko and Marcy Braun. He was previously with Compass, where he was a member of The Breitenbach Advisory Team. A top agent and thought leader on the East End, with a keen understanding of how technology and data are key to success in today’s digital age, Dominic is quick to leverage the latest innovations and identify the most promising opportunities in the market. 

If he isn’t working hard for his clients, you can find Dominic playing or coaching basketball, enjoying time in nature, or nurturing his passion for the arts and philanthropy.

The Eklund l Gomes Team at Douglas Elliman was recently recognized as the #1 Mega Team in the United States, with over $3.77 Billion in sales nationally during 2023.