A family with four dogs and two cats had a near-impossible request: They needed to be in a furnished Hamptons house within 30 days. The number of available properties in their price range that fit the bill could be counted on one hand. But real estate duo Ann Ciardullo and Keith Green found the buyers a Water Mill home, orchestrated the purchase and got them settled — all within the time limit.
Given the buyers’ rushed decision, however, the agents were not surprised to get a call a few months later: the family just didn’t love the property.
“We worked with them to figure out what their next move would be,” Green says. “We asked them what they thought would truly elevate their lives in the Hamptons.” It turned out that the buyers had fallen in love with boating and wanted to be closer to the marinas and, above all else, they felt isolated in Water Mill and had a fantasy of being able to walk places.
“We helped them put together a deal on one of the most exciting compounds either of us had ever seen, right in the heart of East Hampton,” Green says. “Now, they’re walking to restaurants, shopping, their personal trainer…..and loving life.”
For Ciardullo and Green, therein lies the joy of their job. “We are not here to simply sell our clients a home,” Ciardullo says. “We’re here to help them find their way in the Hamptons.”
Partners in life as well as in real estate, Ciardullo and Green are top-performing agents at Sotheby’s International Realty. In recent years, as the Hamptons has transitioned to a four-season community, Ciardullo and Green have helped their clients make the most of the year-round opportunities here.
With people spending more time in their Hamptons homes, they are looking for one or two more rooms than in the past. Not just more square footage, but more rooms: offices, playrooms, media centers, even outdoor rooms like outdoor kitchens. “We tell everybody that if you’re going to invest in creating a life in the Hamptons, go for it in every way you can,” Ciardullo says.
Ciardullo and Green like to think that they literally do “whatever it takes” to help their clients. Recently, a resolutely independent woman with a 3-year-old daughter was looking for a home that would give her “every amenity imaginable to thrill her child not just now, but for many years to come,” Green says. “We listened hard, we worked hard, and we made the decision that there wasn’t a house on the market that satisfied her criteria.”
The agents encouraged her to purchase a new construction that was about to be built, so she could put her mark on the property as it came out of the ground. The space that was intended to be a formal dining room was reimagined as “the greatest playroom ever built.” Ciardullo and Green encouraged their client to take what was supposed to be a first floor bedroom and repurpose the space as a library/retreat for herself, where she could work, think or meditate. “Ann and I are thrilled that she’s now in her home, and the property fits her and her daughter like a glove,” Green says.
A couple from Chicago came to Ciardullo and Green with an urgent need to invest quickly in a rental property to complete a 1031 exchange. “Not only did we help them find a terrific property, but Ann singlehandedly got them a quarter-million-dollar summer tenant before they had even closed on the property, thereby assuring it was a sound investment,” Green says.
That success gave the clients the confidence to ask the agents to sell the home less than a year later, affording them the opportunity to invest in an even more exciting property. “We didn’t just find them a new property, but a glorious East Hampton home that was to be built by premier builder Phil Kouffman, and designer Debra Geller,” Green says, noting that he and Ciardullo were deeply involved in helping the clients plan both the interior and exterior of the new property, and that they plan to be at their side every step of the way as it is prepared for next spring’s rental market. Ciardullo says, “We think it will be the single most exciting new property available for the 2023 rental market, with a magnificent spa, wine cellar, media room, pool house, outdoor kitchen and pickleball, the hot new thing.”
Buyers aren’t the only ones with challenges. A homeowner was recently looking to list a property, but Ciardullo and Green determined it needed landscaping to improve the first impression that prospective buyers would have. “It’s often hard to ask someone who is about to sell a property to invest in improvements,” Green says. “But the owners trusted us, and now the property looks amazing.”
“What makes this property truly special is not only is it now beautifully landscaped, but it is the only property under $4 million that has tennis, a pool, sauna and more in all of East Hampton,” Ciardullo says.
The expense of the Hamptons sometimes makes people question their decision to buy here, Green says. “But the fact is the Hamptons will always be the premier playground for the greatest city on Earth,” Green says, adding that this has been the case for more than a century.
In the couple’s estimation, a big part of what makes the Hamptons so special is that while the rich and famous are here for sure, there has also always been room for artists; from painters and sculptors to writers and performing artists, who have made incredible contributions to the community.
Ciardullo and Green support and share their enthusiasm for venues such as The Church, an arts center created in a historic renovated church in Sag Harbor by the artists Eric Fischl and April Gornick, as well as Bay Street Theater and Guild Hall. They also ardently support local charities, especially the Ellen Hermanson Foundation, for which Ciardullo serves as vice president of the board. The couple’s summer weekends are filled with fundraisers for local organizations.
Green and Ciardullo publish a monthly newsletter, which talks about their favorite restaurants, farm stands, beaches, concerts, charities and upcoming events. “We have gotten more positive feedback on our newsletter than anything we have ever done,” Green says. “I think it’s because we’re making suggestions to help people make their lives in the Hamptons more rich, more full. That’s really what we love doing.”
This article appeared as the cover story for the September 2022 issue of Behind The Hedges. Read the digital version here.
