Realty Check

Hot Sales and Listings with a Dollop of Hamptons Gossip.

It’s spring, folks! And we know what that means: daffodils, birds making nests, and big deals that went down in the past few months becoming public. First up is an enormous price for a large oceanfront parcel, and second is an enormous price for a tiny oceanfront parcel. Only in the Hamptons, folks.

Livin’ Large In East hampton
Developer Peter Fine managed an extremely impressive flip in January. The sprawling oceanfront property at 26 and 32 Windmill Lane, East Hampton, closed on January 11 for a stunning $91.5 million, three years after it sold for $45 million. The 6.7 acre property, which was not publicly on the market, was built in 1989 for former Union Pacific president and chairman James Evans. There’s a main house with a 50-foot pool, as well as a separate guest house with its own pool. 

The buyers were anonymous LLCs, as usual, ruining our looky-loo fun. Newco Windmill LLC paid $77.775 million for the 5.4 acres on 32 Windmill Lane, and Newco Windmill 2 LLC paid $13.725 million for 26 Windmill, with 1.3 acres.

The main home totals 5,500 square feet with five bedrooms and six bathrooms. Extensive patios and balconies take in the ocean view, including a space with a very nice pergola as well as a private path to the beach. The 1,500 square foot guesthouse, built in the 1950s, offers three bedrooms. Is 7,000 square feet just too teensy for today’s buyer? As the previous listing pointed out, “Zoning would allow a 12,477 square foot new oceanfront residence (plus full finished lower level) and new 6,040 square foot (plus full lower level) cottage on the inland parcel.” Yesss! We’ll be interested to see what happens here.

Livin’ Small in Montauk 
An off-market oceanfront trailer in Montauk Shores community is in contract for an amazing $3.75 million. That’s correct; that’s the price of a less-than-800-square-foot unit. The previous record was $1.85 million.

Unit 15 was “a custom build” by noted contractor John Hummel. The two-bedroom, two-bath condo includes 180-degree views of the ocean from the living room and deck. Now, this tiny house doesn’t look like the rusty trailers associated with mobile home parks. There is cedar siding outside and high-end finishes inside. (Well, they better be for that price.) A gas fireplace, an ensuite bathroom for the primary bedroom, and an outdoor shower round out the beachy amenities.

The gated Montauk Shore boasts 900 feet of coastline and access to some of the best surfing on the East Coast. There is also a clubhouse, a heated swimming pool, a playground and a community garden. Will Gold from The Atlantic Team of Douglas Elliman brought the buyer.

Livin’ Large in Palm Beach 
Headlines were made recently when Rush Limbaugh’s Palm Beach estate sold for a cool $155 million, a record for the area. Turns out the buyer was billionaire William Lauder of the cosmetics family. Lauder is worth about $3.5 billion, so $155 million is a mere bag of shells to him. In any case, Lauder recently sold two parcels in the same area for a combined $200 million, both of which had houses that were demolished.

The 2.7 acre property, which comprises three homes — 1495 North Ocean Boulevard, 1501 North Ocean Boulevard, and 108 Mediterranean Road — was purchased by Limbaugh in 1998 for $3.9 million. The property boasts 250 feet of ocean frontage, a two-story library described as a “scaled-down version” of that at North Carolina’s Biltmore Estate, a pool, a putting green, and a guard station for 24-hour security services.

Livin’ Medium in North Haven 
Congrats and welcome to Thom Filicia, the Queer Eye alum and interior designer who purchased an attractive home in North Haven last year for $4 million. The gated property Filicia chose includes 1.8 acres of land. It’s not waterfront, but there’s a very attractive water view and access to a private beach and community tennis courts. The house consists of three old shingled barns knocked together; in total there are five bedrooms and four bathrooms in 2,840 square feet. Extensive pergolas and decking expand the living space further, and there’s a gunite swimming pool and spa.

The property was listed with agents Cindy Scholz and Chelsea Baetz at Compass. Judging by Filicia’s interior design work, he will make the place even more gorgeous than it was when he bought it.

Price Chop 
The asking price on Alec Baldwin’s longtime property in Amagansett has been dropped again, now down to $22.5 million. Scott Bradley and Michael N. Cinque of Saunders & Associates represent the listing.

On the market since September, the current ask price is $6.5 million less than when it first hit the market last September asking $29 million. In January, the price dropped to $24.9 million, and now it’s lower again. (Frankly, while a lovely property, $29 million was a serious reach.) 

The actor, who is facing involuntary manslaughter charges in the 2021 shooting death of a cinematographer on the set of the movie Rust, has purchased another country home in Vermont for his family.

Modern Sustainable
Located at 26 Cedar Street, a veteran team of Young Developers, Oza Sabbeth Architects, and Modern Green Home have just completed a stunning net-zero home in the heart of East Hampton Village nestled on a deep flag lot abutting the Historical Farm Park. This “Future-Ready Modern Home” is represented by The Krae-Lylla Team of Saunders & Associates.

“This sets the standard for sustainable development in the Hamptons,” says Krae Van Sickle, “…and is a true ‘modern’ in the sense that it delivers the ultimate in luxury living now while considering the well-being of future generations.” 

This barn-style home is an architectural gem that takes full advantage of the dramatic, fully open, and private shy 2-acre property. The home is built for better indoor air quality, using low VOC materials, and to be fully net-zero, generating as much energy as it consumes. “We are thrilled to be working on this project and to be able to offer such a forward-thinking, sustainable option for modern living in the heart of East Hampton,” said Lylla Carter. “This home represents the best of modern luxury and mindful design, and we can’t wait for people to see it.” 

Ch-Ch-Changes
David Blumenfeld joined the Brown Harris Stevens team after an extensive real estate career in Philadelphia, where he purchased, developed, managed, and sold over one billion dollars in real estate assets. Residing in East Hampton, he has extensive knowledge of Hampton hamlets and villages, with the real estate market and technical understanding to support all his clients and ensure they continue to get only the best results. David is a member of the New York and Pennsylvania Bar and holds Real Estate Brokers Licenses in both states as well.

David and his wife have maintained a house in Wainscott since 2011 and after vacationing here for years have made it their year-round home. In addition to enjoying the many activities and pursuits available on the East End with their yellow Labrador Retriever Rosie, including, of course, the beach, the Blumenfelds especially enjoy the Hamptons International Film Festival.