Realty Check

Hot sales and listings…along with the latest real estate news in the Hamptons.

We’re heading into high season now, and the stories are getting more colorful than an American Flamingo swimming on Georgica Pond. Fighting about the Hedges Inn becoming a club! The Montauk trailer park has a new humorous asking price for a mobile home! Bachelorette parties are devolving into hair-pulling nightmares and Bethenny Frankel is showing off her latest Hamptons home!

A Spot on Billionaires’ Row 
Bragging rights are included in a special new listing on Meadow Lane. In Southampton’s estate section, Swans Crossing is a sprawling 5.6-acre property that includes 700 feet of frontage on Halsey Neck Pond and heart-stopping ocean views. Swans Crossing is listed for $25 million by Michaela Keszler of Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

The current house is in an 80s contemporary style, with 7,000 square feet of space. That means there’s room for everyone including staff, with five bedrooms and six bathrooms. There are two garages, one of which includes full staff quarters and air-conditioned storage for the owner’s treasures.

The estate is entered via a long-gated driveway, which leads to the serene grounds. Wildlife (swans!) and both sunsets and sunrises are ready to delight both guests and family alike. There’s a tennis court with pavilion, a pool with spa, and a pool house with full kitchen, bath and two changing rooms with showers, for that Philadelphia Story touch. 

Love the grounds and setting, but the house isn’t working for you? No worries! Approved permits are in place for the new owner to construct a 10,000-square-foot mansion instead, to make their own mark on fabled Meadow Lane.

Skinnygirl with Phat House
Speaking of Bethenny, a serial buyer/renovator, she purchased a new house on the DL last autumn. Bayfront in Shinnecock Hills, the reality star’s new home has been lovingly shown off on Instagram. She purchased the 0.79-acre last October for $5.45 million, just a shade under the asking price of $5.5 million. The property was listed with Mary K. Slattery of The Corcoran Group.

The gambrel style house features many cedar shiplap walls and exposed beams, all of which the serial renovator redid to her own specifications. 3,500 square feet of living space includes four bedrooms and three-and-a-half baths and there is also an attached garage. Out back is a pool and spa along with private bayfront beach, perfect for paddleboarding.

Bethenny has purchased two other Hamptons houses in recent memory. She purchased an attractive barn-style house on Lumber Lane in Bridgehampton back in 2013, along with an adjacent piece of land. This property is not on the open real estate market, so perhaps Frankel is keeping it as an investment. She also purchased Morning Glory House, also in Bridgehampton, and flipped it, although she may have lost money on the deal.

Was It Something We Said, Drew?    
Drew Barrymore’s charming Sagaponack house is in contract after less than a month on the market. Kathy Konzet of Sotheby’s International Realty listed the property for $8.45 million.

A converted 1920s barn, the house (fittingly located on Old Barn Lane) was purchased by Drew about five years ago, paying $5.5 million for the spread. The building retains charming original details including old beams and floors, along with plenty of glass for a bright interior. Seven bedrooms and six bathrooms are located in the 6,850-square-foot house.

Outside, on 1.7 acres, the property boasts a number of details great for Drew’s little girls, including a bocce court, a long lawn, flowering gardens and specimen trees. Of course, the property includes a gunite pool and poolhouse. It will be interesting to see where Drew lands next.

Post-Moddy in the Dunes
Time was that a non-oceanfront Amagansett spread would never ask $19.5 million. But that was then, and this is now. A handsome postmodern house, with a direct path to the beach, has been listed for a shade under $20 million by Jackie Dunphy and Greg Schmidt at The Corcoran Group.

The listing notes that the property “combines coastal luxury with a whimsical twist on old colonial architecture, featuring modern geometric elements.” What kind of geometric elements? Glad you asked—”repeating triangles and rectangles, create a visually appealing design.”

Built in 1994, the Mitchell Dunes house features a double-height living room with a fireplace for chilly evenings. On this level is also a den, dining room and kitchen, which lead to a covered porch and deck. A bedroom, bathroom and a laundry area can also be found nearby. The primary suite, on the opposite side of the house, opens to a patio with steps to the backyard.

Upstairs are five more bedrooms and two bathrooms on this level. There are two decks accessible from here, one being western facing for sunset cocktails.

Outside, the 1.05-acre property includes a gunite pool and spa heated by solar power. There is also an outdoor shower and a fire pit with seating as well as a detached garage. The property also includes rights to the nearby community tennis court.

Lotsa Land for a Reasonable Ask
The sprawling Southampton home of the late architect and designer Thierry Despont is in contract. The 34 acres on Majors Path was assembled by Despont over the years from various parcels. Following Despont’s death last summer, the property was listed by Paul Brennan, Michaela Keszler, and Martha Gundersen from Douglas Elliman Real Estate. Last ask was $18.4 million.

One of Despont’s most high-profile jobs was the stunning transformation of Bernie Madoff’s dated Montauk oceanfront house. The gorgeous results made the cover of Architectural Digest. Other clients of Despont’s include Bill Gates, Calvin Klein, Annette and Oscar de la Renta, Conrad Black, and Mickey Drexler. He was also known for the interiors at 220 Central Park South, the conversion of the Woolworth Building and the restoration of the Statue of Liberty.

Given those credentials, the 5,536-square-foot converted barn turned out to be as gorgeous and well-thought-out as expected. Six bedrooms mean there’s room for everyone, and each overlooks the courtyard.

The huge acreage (which includes the original Southampton Riding & Hunt Club property, yes, where the very young Jacqueline Bouvier showed her pony), includes a guest house and pool house. There’s a path to the pool, along with a poolhouse converted from a stable. This building offers a lounge area, a workout room, a sauna and a steam shower. Walking paths with lovely gardens and exotic specimen trees complete the spacious estate.

CH-CH-Changes     
Noble Black & Partners at Douglas Elliman have expanded their reach to The Hamptons with the addition of local experts James Averitt Buttry and William Schumann. Headquartered in Douglas Elliman’s Sag Harbor office, the team will offer advisory and representation throughout the Hamptons — from Southampton to Montauk. “It is my great pleasure to reach this milestone in my pursuit of delivering client-first residential advisory services in the markets that are aligned with the needs and location preferences of our clients,” said Black. “The Hamptons represent a natural extension of our New York City business and a personal home for me for over a decade.

The expansion comes on the heels of the team’s record-breaking sale of The Claxton House, which was placed in contract in less than two weeks from its debut on the market. Designed and owned by renowned interior designer Bryan Graybill, this masterful Sag Harbor home, located at 8 John Street, was co-listed with Elliman’s Erica Grossman for $14,950,000. 

“We are thrilled to officially welcome Noble Black & Partners to the Hamptons,” said Todd Bourgard, CEO of Brokerage, Long Island, Hamptons and North Fork Regions at Douglas Elliman. “This extraordinary team is made up of consummate professionals who are all deeply committed to exceptional service and consistently perform in the top echelon of the industry.”

Compass is pleased to welcome Holly Zappola to their Sag Harbor office. Born and raised in the Hamptons, Holly’s passion for real estate is deeply rooted in her connection to the area. Her family’s long-standing involvement in Hamptons real estate has instilled in her a lifelong love and unique perspective on the industry. With a background in journalism and event management, Holly seamlessly blends her communication skills with market expertise to provide exceptional service.

Outside of work, she enjoys yoga, the culinary arts, and literature. Joining her mother, Kathleen Zappola, at Compass, Holly combines family tradition with modern expertise, expertly guiding clients through the vibrant Hamptons real estate landscape.