Realty Check

Hot Sales and Listings…Along with the Latest Real Estate News in the Hamptons and Beyond

Money never sleeps. If you thought the Hamptons luxury market might be taking a winter nap, think again. While the rest of the Northeast is busy pretending pumpkin spice is a food group and battening down patio furniture, the East End is gleefully trading properties like it’s Monaco in July. This past week delivered more eyebrow-raising sales than a Sotheby’s contemporary art auction—and with significantly fewer berets.

We’ll start small—literally—with a 600-square-foot cottage that just fetched the GDP of a small nation.

The $2.7 Million Cottage That Could
Cottage 3 in East Hampton’s cute Bayberry Cottages sold in five days for its full ask of $2,695,000, proving once again that in East Hampton, size is strictly a philosophical concept. The one-bedroom “cottage”— a tasteful jewel box priced like a trust fund—achieved a record-shattering $4,491 per square foot, leaving the previous record-holder (a 1,100-square-foot two-bedroom) looking slightly bloated and embarrassingly affordable.

Charles Warren of Engel & Völkers, who listed the property and also quarterbacked its meticulous renovation, credited the sale to “design decisions, beach aesthetics and polished interiors” 

Before Warren worked his magic, the cottage languished on the market in 2019, listed at $1.35 million to the sound of widespread yawning. But after the full aesthetic resuscitation—new cedar shake roof, refinished floors, a mahogany outdoor shower, designer lighting, and enough Carrara marble to encourage a small Renaissance revival—the cottage has become East Hampton’s most glamorous postage stamp.

This is the kind of perfumed little property that makes Manhattan couples say things like “It’s small, but we’d only be there on weekends,” as though a $2.7 million dollhouse is an act of restraint. 

Waterfront Escape Finds Buyer
If waterfront luxury had a show-off cousin, this would be it. Sprawled across nearly three acres on Flying Point Road in Water Mill South, this glass-and-stone stunner doesn’t just sit pretty on Mecox Bay—it owns the view, with sightlines stretching to Channel Pond and the Atlantic.

Designed by Barnes Coy with interiors by Italian minimalist master Massimo Castagna, the nine-bedroom, 11-bath estate is a masterclass in high-design flexing. There’s a floating steel and glass staircase (because why not), floor-to-ceiling windows, and more imported stone than a Roman villa. The kitchen? Gaggenau everything, with a butler’s pantry and pocket doors that vanish into an alfresco dining setup complete with Lynx grill.

“Representing my buyers on 951 Flying Point Road was an incredible honor,” says Michaela Keszler of Sothebys. “This modern Water Mill estate is a true architectural masterpiece, with nine ensuite bedrooms, over 11,000 square feet of interior space, and nearly three acres of waterfront grounds. From the retractable glass walls to the infinity-edge pool and rooftop deck with triple water views, every detail reflects world-class design. Helping my clients secure this one-of-a-kind property was a career highlight.” The last asking price was $29,995,000.

A Record-Breaking Bayfront Estate Sails Off in Westhampton  
From miniature to mega: 59 Shore Road in Westhampton has officially closed for $14.9 million, setting a new record for bayfront sales outside the incorporated village. Westhampton, long the bridesmaid to its flashier Atlantic-facing siblings, has been quietly undergoing a glow-up—and The Point is its manifesto. Enzo Morabito of Douglas Elliman represented the seller, and Lauren Spiegel, also Elliman, brought the buyer. “In all my years as a broker, I’ve never come across a better home on the bay, or anywhere out East. This place is completely maxed out and looks like a brand-new house. It’s actually my second time selling this property as  the first was eight years ago and seeing it again now only reinforces how truly special it is,” said Morabito. 

Spread across two acres with 380 feet of Moriches Bay frontage, the estate offers water views so cinematic that even diehard oceanfront snobs might reconsider their loyalties. The main house, over 8,000 square feet and designed by Craig Arm with interiors by Bunny Williams, checks every box: soaring ceilings, sun-flooded rooms, and enough glass doors to ensure that Windex’s quarterly forecast looks promising.

Bayfront listings have been gaining steam for years, but this sale plants a flag: buyers crave water, privacy, and relative proximity to restaurants where they don’t need a helicopter pad to snag a reservation. Westhampton, long ago the “starter Hamptons,” is graduating summa cum laude.

$115 Million Whisper Sale
Now for the main course, served cold and off-market: the blockbuster sale of 408 Further Lane for an astonishing $115 million, the most expensive single-parcel property ever sold in the Hamptons.

The buyer? Billionaire Len Blavatnik, who collects trophy properties the way other people collect keychains.

The seller? Former Yahoo! and Warner Bros. chairman Terry Semel, who purchased the land in 2005 for $43 million and then spent the better part of a decade in a zoning saga so operatic that it should have opened at the Met. If ever a property deserved an IMDb page, it’s this one.

This sale surpasses Water Mill’s Jule Pond estate $105 million record, and further cements Further Lane as the land of rarefied air, where the neighbors include hedge fund royalty, media moguls, and the occasional very confused golfer wandering over from Maidstone.

And Last, But Certainly Not Least
105 & 111 Lily Pond Lane, East Hampton — $66.8 million combined These two adjacent parcels, one oceanfront and one tucked tastefully behind, traded together for $66.8 million. Together they offer privacy, views, and the sort of pedigree that makes even veteran brokers sit up straighter. Lily Pond Lane remains one of the East End’s most powerful, under-the-radar enclaves—if Further Lane is the Hamptons’ gilded runway, Lily Pond is the invitation-only afterparty. Ed Petrie, James Petrie, and Charles Forsman of Compass represented the listing. Dana Trotter of The Agency brought the buyer.

165 Surfside Drive, Bridgehampton — $58 million   
Developer Joe Farrell secured $58 million for his latest oceanfront opus, setting a new high-water mark for Surfside Drive. Farrell—who also just treated himself to a $17 million Montauk oceanfront spread in Ditch Plains, presumably because a man must chase waves where he finds them—is having a banner month.  New York City agent Richard Steinberg of Compass brought the buyer, in collaboration with Greg Gould and Dominic Couzens of Hedgerow Exclusive Properties. Farrell represented himself.

The buyer is reportedly former Celtics lead owner Wyc Grousbeck, who seems to have exchanged his NBA ownership stake for an infinity pool and 125 feet of ocean frontage. Not a bad trade. The property’s 8,600 square feet include a rooftop entertaining terrace spacious enough for a music festival, should one feel inclined.

Mid Ocean Drive, Bridgehampton — $57 million (Off-Market)
Over on Mid Ocean Drive, someone quietly parted with $57 million in the kind of discreet, whisper-light sale that the Hamptons excels at. Details are scarce, which is exactly how the buyers prefer it—they didn’t spend eight figures to share their square footage on Instagram.

Meanwhile, Over on the North Fork
After seven years of careful review and planning by Southold Town, a rare coastal offering is taking shape on an 88-acre expanse of soundfront land with a list price of $23 million. 

This exclusive enclave features just eight estate parcels, each designed to honor the land’s natural beauty while preserving its rural soul. Three of the crown jewels are 5-plus-acre waterfront lots, each boasting up to 290 feet of private frontage on the Long Island Sound. Four additional 2.5-acre lots enjoy deeded water access. The final parcel, a 2-acre lot anchored by the original barn at the entrance adds a touch of agrarian charm to the collection.

What sets this offering apart is its commitment to preservation. More than 60 acres of the property will remain as active farmland, safeguarding the sweeping views and open space that have long defined the North Fork’s character. DeLea Sod Farm continues to cultivate the eastern fields, while the western edge is home to 25 acres of mature vines tended by Sagaponack-based Wölffer Estate Vineyard, infusing the land with both heritage and vitality.

“Personally and professionally, I have always believed in the beauty and value of the North Fork,” said owner Judi Desiderio, a leading East End broker and investor for 37 years, and currently a senior vice president at William Raveis. “I’ve been investing there for 30 years. It’s a hidden gem. In creating Oregon Close Estates it was important to protect and preserve the vistas of rolling farmland. The homesteads that will grace this land will provide future generations a place to gather and enjoy the natural beauty. With only eight generous building sites on this 88 acres and direct frontage on Long Island Sound there’s truly nothing like it.”