Realty Check

Hot Sales and Listings with a Dollop of Hamptons Gossip

Happy Independence Day, all! We trust you’ve recovered sufficiently from the simply devastating pronouncement from the New York Times at the end of May, stating that “The Hamptons are not what they once were. […] the summer resort [is] less desirable among everyday 20- and 30-somethings.” We trust you’re reading these words by the pool on your magnificent Water Mill estate as you sip a cold glass of rose.

Old School Cool
Meanwhile, in the old-school Georgica Association, that extremely upper-class Wainscott enclave, a funky fixer-upper estate has come for sale with a five-star price of $17 million. The listing agents are Jenny Landey and Eve Combemale of Sotheby’s International Realty.The dwelling on offer, built in 1902, was once the carriage house and stable for a large estate. The shingled house, set on 2.7 acres of non-waterfront land, rambles over 6,600 square feet with seven bedrooms, five bathrooms, and two powder rooms. Everything needs a bit (or a lot) of TLC to look its absolute best, but when it comes to location, there are few locations in the Hamptons more coveted.

The front door opens casually directly into the massive great room, which has polished wood floors, a fireplace and French doors that let in plenty of light. The ample adjoining dining area is open to a functional, if otherwise unremarkable, eat-in kitchen. The house is, in fact, currently divided into two living areas with two legal kitchens. One side is more traditional with the walls and ceiling sheathed in humble bead board, while the other is more 1970s contemporary with vaulted ceilings and rustic wood-paneled walls.

Quirky nooks and crannies abound: The old hayloft is used as an office; what was once a horse stall is now a TV room; and a bridge spans a cavernous games/family room. Adding to the eclecticism are a small red-brick turret and the octagonal tower of an old windmill. A bonus room on the top level of the windmill would make a great children’s fort or one-of-a-kind guest room.

Outside, there are privet hedges to ensure privacy, majestic mature trees for shade, and rolling lawns begging for a game of croquet. A greenhouse is perfect for growing fresh flowers and vegetables without deer being able to munch on them, and there’s also a shed and a detached garage. If desired, the grounds offer plenty of room for a pool and/or a tennis court. But why waste space on a private court when the Association includes four of them? Membership includes ocean beach rights with a lifeguard, a pavilion, and access to Georgica Pond, perfect for sailing, kayaking, or stand up paddleboarding. Who cares what the 20-somethings are doing? May we refresh your drink?

Movin’ Out
Was it something we said, Billy? Legendary singer Billy Joel is looking to move out of his Centre Island waterfront spread. Joel is asking $49 million for the vintage estate, with 26 acres of land and a 20,000 square foot main house, while taxes are a heart-stopping $625,000 a year.

The spread, known as Middlesea, was purchased by the Piano Man in 2002 for $22.5 million, middle C being the first note Joel learned on the piano. Originally the estate was known as Yeadon, built by railway magnate George Bullock in 1914. The property was subdivided in the 1950s but was then re-assembled by Joel in the 2000s.

The main house is currently under renovation. It features five bedrooms, six bathrooms, two powder rooms, covered porches, brick columns, archways, as well as a double-height entrance hall with marble tiled floors. Too small? There is also a three-bedroom “beach house” closer to the water, along with a pool, helicopter pad, floating dock and boat ramp. Still too cramped? There’s a three-bedroom guest apartment and a four-bedroom guesthouse with its own pool.

The listing is repped by Bonnie Williamson at Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty. Joel also owns a property in Lantana, Fla., he bought in 2015 for $22 million. But don’t worry, Hamptonites, as Joel’s Sag Harbor house is not for sale.

Sprightly in Springs
A story regarding Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Caro: when his book about Lyndon Johnson came out in 1982 (the first in a very long series) and he made some money, he told his wife Ina, “Go buy a house in the Hamptons.” Ina told the East Hampton real estate agent that she liked Lily Pond Lane. The agent asked Ina how much she had to spend; she replied, “Fifty thousand dollars.” The agent promptly drove Ina to Springs rather than Lily Pond Lane.

Like everywhere else in the Hamptons, Springs just keeps getting pricier. Case in point: Dan Rattiner, the founder of Hamptons bible Dan’s Papers, purchased a house on the harbor in Springs for $40,000 after his divorce in the 1970s. That same house is now up for grabs at $6 million via Nicole Tunick and Zachary Tunick at Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

The property sold last year for $1.5 million but has since been totally and trendily transformed. Overlooking the beautiful harbor sunsets, the flag lot encompasses 1.1 acres, and the 4,000 square foot house contains five bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms.

Painted super-trendy black, the house is jam-packed with fashionable fittings and en-vogue materials. White oak is used throughout the home; there are bare Edison lightbulbs hanging in one of the bathrooms; a white stone counter waterfalls over the island in the kitchen; and the fireplace in the living room is housed in a smooth concrete column.

Glass sliders open the living and dining areas to an elevated dining and lounging deck that’s complete with a fire pit, and the huge kitchen is expensively equipped to whip up big meals for weekend guests. The swimming pool is encased in glass, so it can be used year-round.

The Caros have since moved to Sag Harbor, but it’s just a quick drive if you need to discuss the Johnson presidency.

Affordable-ish Oceanfront in Napeague
Most of Napeague, whose name derives from the Montaukett word for “overflowed by the sea,” is protected parkland, but there are small pockets of homes. Napeague’s beachy tranquility — few houses, few people, easy ocean access — appeals to people more interested in peace and quiet than social events.

Back in 2011, an oceanfront contemporary near Napeague’s east end, built in 1975, was acquired for just $730,000. After the new owners purchased the boxy, wood-clad residence, they embarked on a major renovation, adding new windows, hurricane shutters, new plumbing and electrical, new siding, a new roof, and an upper-level addition. The two-story abode, set on just over half an acre with a hundred feet of direct ocean frontage, now contains four bedrooms and three baths within its roughly 2,500 square feet.

The simple interiors have been arranged to let the stunning ocean views take center stage. The living room is warmed by an antique brick fireplace, and the all-white kitchen, while small, is nicely appointed with marble counters.

There is also a pantry, a handy feature in a beach house where there are likely to be lots of hungry guests. Decks, both upper and lower, make the most of the breezes off the ocean and are a perfect spot for coffee in the morning and stargazing at night.

Outside, in addition to unfussy and easy-maintenance native landscaping, there’s a large deck and a fire pit, along with a flagpole, in the dunes. But the real estate money shot, of course, is the private path to the ocean beach.

Asking $13.75 million, the property is listed with James MacMillan at Brown Harris Stevens. Only rich 20- and 30-somethings need apply. Sorry, not sorry, millennials.

Ch-Ch-CHANGES
After 27 years at Sotheby’s International Realty and over $1 billion in sales in the Hamptons market, Dana Trotter has joined The Agency as a partner to open its first office in the Hamptons.

Widely regarded as one of the area’s top agents, Dana ranked among the top 10 brokers in the nation company wide and in the top 50 of the REAL Trends/Wall Street Journal’s esteemed annual rankings. She joins Agency founder and CEO Mauricio Umansky and Tyler Whitman, star of Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing, to launch the Agency in Bridgehampton in the summer of 2023. The Agency is one of the fastest-growing boutique brokerage brands in the world and was named the Top Luxury Brokerage by Inman.

Dana has competed in the Hampton Classic since the age of eight, and rides her horse, Balou, every chance she gets. Sharing the transformative power of horses, Dana is on the boards of the non-profit Center for Therapeutic Riding on the East End (CTREE) and the Long Island University (LIU) Veterinary School.

Dana lives in Sagaponack with her husband, three kids, two dogs, cat, and flock of chickens.