With 2026 upon us, we are looking back at some of the past year’s biggest stories. This year’s most-read stories show once again that celebrity news, major sales and commercial real estate garner the most reader attention. Here are the most-read stories in Hamptons real estate in 2025:
1. Josh Flagg Buys His Own Multi ‘Million Dollar Listing’ in the Hamptons
In our top story of the year, West Coast broker Josh Flagg, who appeared on several seasons of Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, is taking up residency in the Hamptons — at least in the summer.
Flagg, who also celebrated his birthday in the Hamptons over the summer, bought a home in East Hampton Village’s Georgica Estate Section. The newly built spec home was last listed at $9.15 million, though it entered the market at $10.85 million last year. Martha Gundersen and Paul Brennan of Douglas Elliman had a co-exclusive with Dana Trotter of The Agency Hamptons.
He went into contract on the house over the summer and closed on Sept. 12, according to records, for $8.45 million. He bought the pad with childhood friend Justin Gruenberg under the limited liability company, Flagg & Gruenberg.
“I decided to purchase in the Hamptons because I spend an increasing amount of time in New York,” Flagg told Behind The Hedges this summer. “It therefore only made sense for me to have a place in the Hamptons to enjoy the best of the summers and the fall.”
2. Record $115M Sale: Terry Semel’s Hamptons Estate Sells in Off-Market Deal
In November, Hedges reported on the closing of what is the biggest deal of 2025.
A company tied to former Yahoo! and Warner Bros. Chairman Terry Semel sold his large oceanfront estate in East Hampton in an off-market deal for a whopping $115 million. In Hamptons history, combined parcels have sold for more, but this deal is the most expensive single residential parcel ever to sell in the Hamptons.
Billionaire Len Blavatnik, a Ukrainian-born movie investor, owner of Warner Music Group and a philanthropist, is the buyer, according to a source. The name of the limited liability company, “Brise Lontaine,” is listed as the buyer.
Blavatnik has British-American dual citizenship and a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth. He boasts residences in Kensington Palace Gardens in London and a $77.5 million co-op on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue. He already owns a smaller house on Further Lane, as well as an oceanfront compound on Dune Road in Bridgehampton. Forbes lists him as the 59th richest person in the world with a net worth of $29.6 billion.
3. The ‘Summer House’ Home Base is This $5M Hamptons Share
Bravo’s Summer House premiered in February, and there are always viewers looking for info on the house featured as the home base for the show.
In the first episode of Season 9, the housemates arrived at their Water Mill summer share, where Lindsay Hubbard confirmed rumors that she was indeed pregnant, just months after fellow housemate Carl Radke called off their wedding.
Nine seasons in, Summer House continues to bring the drama to the Hamptons, much of it taking place in a $5 million home. This story tells you all about it!
4. Bethenny Frankel Finds a Buyer for Her Bridgehampton Home
When Bethenny Frankel found a buyer for her longtime Bridgehampton home, it made Hedges headlines in April.
The Skinnygirl mogul turned beauty influencer, who had just launched The List, unloaded her first piece of Hamptons real estate after moving into a waterfront home in Southampton in 2024.
The transaction totaled $5.2 million — and when it closed it made the news again (see No. 9 on this list!)
5. Swifty’s Coming to East Hampton’s Hedges Inn
Also in April, we told you about the new owners of the Hedges Inn in East Hampton Village. Swifty’s, the iconic restaurant, opened an outpost in the Hamptons boutique hotel just in time for summer.
Andrew and Sarah Wetenhall first revived the beloved New York City boîte at The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach, under their ownership as well, in 2019. Swifty’s will bring its signature blend of world-class service, impeccable food, and lively atmosphere to East Hampton, offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week.
The property at 74 James Lane sold for $8 million — one of the biggest commercial deals of the year.
6. Everything There Is to Know About Alec Baldwin’s Hamptons Home
Alec Baldwin’s Hamptons estate was featured extensively on his family’s new reality, The Baldwins, leaving many curious about his longtime home.
Baldwin, his wife, Hilaria, and their seven children — along with eight pets and two nannies — can be seen on the TLC show, which debuted in February, spending the summer enjoying their Amagansett house (The family refers to it as being in East Hampton and while it is part of East Hampton Town, it is technically in the hamlet of Amagansett).
“Alec is from Long Island and he has had this house in the Hamptons about 40 years,” says Hilaria in the first episode, though that’s not quite the case. We explained in this March story.
7. Prada Building in East Hampton Sells for $10.25M
A retail building in the heart of East Hampton Village, home to the Prada, sold for $10.25 million in April, another of the top commercial trades of 2025.
The two-story, 4,000-square-foot space at 2 Newtown Lane traded at $2,563 per square foot.
Burgeoning boutique brokerage firm Tahari Realty was behind the deal, led by managing partner Jordan Sutton and agent Mark Golberg, with the seller, Benchmark Real Estate, capitalizing on the continued strength of the Hamptons luxury retail market.
“This is one of the most visible corners in all of East Hampton and most sought-after,” Sutton told Behind The Hedges in April. “It generated interest relatively quickly.”
8. $70M Hamptons Estate Sale Marks Major Oceanfront Deal
A sprawling Hamptons oceanfront property, which hit the market last summer for $89 million, sold earlier this year, generating lots of reader interest, as it was one of the biggest deals of the year.
The seven-acre Amagansett property traded on Feb. 26, in two transactions, for a total of $70 million, according to Suffolk County deed transfers.
Frank E. Newbold of Sotheby’s International Realty listed 372 and 370 Further Lane in June of 2024. Paul Brennan and Martha Gundersen at Douglas Elliman brought the buyer to this deal. Their name was shielded as limited liability companies.
9. Bethenny Frankel Sells Hamptons, Greenwich Homes As She Moves to Florida
Frankel makes our top 10 list again, when her Bridgehampton home officially sold this spring. She also had just parted ways with her historic residence in Greenwich, Connecticut, before she made the move to Florida. She maintains a waterfront home in Southampton.
Located next to a 50-acre Bridgehampton preserve, the main residence, as well as an adjacent lot with a guest cottage, were sold in separate deals in May and in April for a total of $5.2 million.
Douglas Elliman agents Noble Black and Erica Grossman had been exclusively representing the dual listing since September 2024, when it went on the market for $5,995,000, though the price dropped to $5.294 million in December, before it went into contract in February.
10. Three Commercial Buildings Sell, Including Sam’s Restaurant Property
Lastly, we reported in October that three significant commercial buildings in East Hampton and Sag Harbor Village changed hands, including a well-known restaurant.
“These three closings demonstrate the depth of demand for high-quality, income-producing commercial properties across the Hamptons,” says Hal Zwick of the Hamptons Commercial Real Estate Team at Compass who handled the trades. “Whether it’s iconic restaurant properties, fully stabilized retail, or mixed-use opportunities, investors continue to see long-term value in the East End.”
The transactions include 36 Newtown Lane, home for more than four decades to the beloved Sam’s Pizza with its iconic neon sign, leaving many to wonder what’s ahead. The restaurant reportedly has two years left on the lease.
