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Hot Sales and Listings….With a Dollop of Hamptons Gossip  

Hello and welcome to the fleeting few last days of summer! Here are the topics that have real estate tongues wagging right now.

Waterfront in Quogue
Across the canal, two notable and attractive homes are for sale, one in Quogue and one in Bellport. On a peninsula sits a shingle-style residence that almost seems to float on the water. By award-winning architect David Neff, the design vision was to “let the amazing setting do all the talking.” The 5,000 square foot, five-bedroom, six-and-a-half bathroom house, set on 1.24 acres of land, is listed for $10.95 million with Aimee Fitzpatrick Martin at Saunders & Associates.

Waterfront in Quogue

Natural materials were favored for the 2016 build, including cedar and stone on the exterior, by the pool, and the spa. Indoors, wide plank fumed oak floors and cerused oak walls (with chevron inlays) were employed, as well as Neff’s signature playful encaustic cement tiles used as the kitchen backsplash. Outside, there’s copious wood decking, bluestone patios, the stone-surrounded pool and spa, and pretty beach plantings of grasses, bayberry, and the Hamptons classic hydrangea. 

According to Neff, a future buyer will love the fantastic light to be found in the property. “In the early morning, there is amazing light that comes across the water to the east when all the egrets and birds are dancing on the glistening water. And the house takes on an alpenglow as the sun sets over the marsh to the west. By far, this was one of my favorite projects. I hope the new owners will find as much magic as my clients — and I — have.”

A Timeless Southampton Mansion
Tenacre, a timeless example of the Shingle Style, is situated close to the ocean in Southampton on three acres of land. Commissioned in 1920, architect John Russell Pope, usually considered one of America’s finest and most important classical architects, was working in a different mode here, to create a less formal house perfect for the summer months. The romantically sloping gable and relatively loose massing of the building demonstrate Pope’s skill in this mode. In his classical mode, Pope is known for the Jefferson Memorial, part of the National Gallery and National Archives, as well as work at Yale and Johns Hopkins. He designed residences for William K. Vanderbilt, Marshal Field, and Charles A. Gould, among others.

Though obviously changes have occurred in the house over the years, the original owners, J.P. and Elizabeth Knapp, would probably feel right at home. The nine-bedroom, ten-bathroom, two powder room house, now 15,200 square feet, is asking $24.95 million via Harald Grant at Sotheby’s International Realty. The house has had some prominent owners over the years, including hedge fund billionaire John Paulson and Esprit Europe president Jurgen Friedrich and wife Anke. 

Privacy is ensured by tall hedges and mature trees, not to mention a gate entrance. As befits a summer house, numerous outdoor areas are available for both relaxation and entertaining. The entry provides access to all the public spaces in the house, with old-school built-in details and fine finishings everywhere, from the living room, the sunroom, dining room, and library, each with a fireplace.

Bella in Bellport
Bellport has long flown semi-under the radar. Sure — people like Isabella Rossellini have owned there for decades, and even Queen Anna Wintour rented there for a summer, but it’s never made its mark on the wider stage. Now properties like a stunning retreat for a city couple, on the market, may start changing a few minds. Featured on the September 2020, cover of House Beautiful magazine, the house is filled with witty art, handsome finishes, and exquisite attention to detail. Asking $3.695 million, the four-bedroom, four-and-a-half bathroom house, about 4,000 square feet and set on one acre, is represented by Loretta Drew at Old Purchase Properties. The property even includes a guest cottage with bedroom, bath, kitchen and living area.

Bella in Bellport

Off the living room, via a wall of French doors, is perhaps the best part of the property, the back yard. There’s a deck with outdoor seating, a firepit, as well as a 16×48 gunite saltwater pool, hot tub, and an additional deck off the kitchen, with plenty of seating for entertaining.

Living in Bellport Village includes some privileges outsiders may not know about. In summer, residents and their guests can ride the ferry to a residents-only ocean beach on Fire Island called Ho-Hum. They can also get subsidized membership at the Bellport Country Club, with a golf course and five tennis courts. The village also owns a freshwater pond called Peat Hole that is approached by a path through the woods and used by ice skaters in the winter.

Affordable in Sag Harbor
There is a new plan afoot for affordable housing as well as commercial space in the heart of Sag Harbor Village. Developer Adam Potter plans 79 upper-floor affordable apartments with 29,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. The project is being designed by BHC Architects of Melville. Of course, this huge development requires many meetings and approvals from village boards, but so far, everyone is in favor.

Potter is the chairman of Friends of Bay Street, the nonprofit that purchased the Water Street Shops building as a new home for Bay Street Theater in 2020. He then started looking around downtown Sag Harbor to find a place for businesses to move to once the new theater is built. Affordable rental apartments became a part of the plan once the Village Board emphasized that housing is a priority. 62 one-bedroom and 17 two-bedroom apartments are planned.

The plan as it is now involves a single large building behind the parking lot south of Rose Street, with a second building to follow on Bridge Street. Design would follow the typical Sag Harbor streetscape. This is a welcome new project to help address business needs as well as residents.

Ch-Ch-Changes
Tal and Oren Alexander, the brothers who lead one of the country’s most successful teams in residential real estate, recently announced the launch of their new company OFFICIAL. Founded by the #1 sales team by volume in the country two years in a row per The Wall Street Journal/RealTrends, OFFICIAL is designed for the super prime segment of the market. OFFICIAL is operational in New York, The Hamptons and Miami with several new markets launching before year’s end, including Aspen and additional South Florida locations. Tal and Oren Alexander have accumulated more than $7 billion in sales over their careers — over $1.8 billion of that in 2021 alone — making them some of the highest-producing agents and most recognized real estate leaders in the country.

Tal & Oren Alexander

Debbie Quigley is passionate about houses. As a top-producing, award-winning Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices agent, she’s a genuine, optimistic partner who guides clients to success with hard work and honesty. Debbie’s background in law and medicine adds a thoughtful, analytical approach to every transaction. Born and raised in Upstate New York, Debbie’s real estate story began while learning to use a hammer at an early age, thanks to her carpenter father. In 1998, she and her husband relocated to Philadelphia’s Main Line, where she lovingly restored a 100-year-old classic Walter Durham Wissahickon stone residence. In 2009, Debbie purchased her first Hamptons vacation home, and since then, she and her family have spent summers and off-season time out east in Southampton whenever possible. 

Curtis Farnham of Brown Harris Stevens launched his sales career in New York’s fashion industry at Giorgio Armani. While there, his skill in listening and depth of patience proved to be the keys to understanding his client’s needs and fulfilling those needs successfully. Confidently considering the emotional and psychological drivers of luxury sales and integrating them with the client’s end goals has made Curtis a valuable asset within each real estate transaction, whether on the buying or selling side. Curtis married in 2018 and enjoys attending equestrian competitions and races with his partner who breeds racehorses. Favored charitable affiliations include the Bowery Mission in New York and the Special Olympics.

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