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[caption id="attachment_72205" align="alignnone" width="750"] Photos by Chris Foster[/caption] The leafy, peaceful Amgansett Lanes are becoming more and more popular. This house, says listing agent Martha Gundersen of Brown Harris Stevens, "is special because it is a classic Meeting House Lane shingle style cottage with three additional pre-existing, non-conforming buildings, including one with a legal kitchen." The house itself is 4,000 square feet, with four bedrooms and 3.5 baths. The lower level is finished, too. Built about a hundred years ago, the house reflects the charm of an earlier age along with the amenities most wanted today. Gundersen notes, "The kitchen is a relatively new addition and stylish and charming." Off the master suite, which includes a luxurious marble bathroom, is a charming screened porch with TV. The lot is a very deep half acre. There's a pool and two patios out back, along with a guest cottage and a barnlike pool house. Asking price for all this is $4.65 million. "The home is similar to some of the old historic homes done to the nines you find in Sag Harbor, but this is Amagansett South," says Gundersen. "It is close to all the amenities and located between town and ocean. Well priced, it offers many attractions you would not find anywhere else." For more, click here. 31 Meeting House Lane, Amagansett

Open houses are a great way to find your next home, see inside a house that you have always been curious about, or just get design ideas. 152 Waterhole Road, East Hampton Open house: Saturday, June 15, 10:00AM-11:30AM Ask: $1.795 million Beds: 4 Baths: 2 Size: 0.82 of an acre Features:  Open plan living in 1972 cottage, with views galore. Dock your boat in your front yard. Charming, well-laid out gardens, pool possible one side of the property. 35 Woodthrush Lane, Water Mill Open house: Saturday, June 15, 1:30PM-3:30PM Ask: $3.050 million Beds:  4 Baths:  5.5 Size:  3000 square feet, 1 acre Features:  Stylish new construction sold completely furnished. In addition to the spacious main house, the custom pool house can serve as another living and entertainment space. Treed lot gets full sun in the backyard pool area. 22 Dewey Place, Montauk Open house: Sunday, June 16, 1:00 PM-3:00PM Ask: $925,000 Beds:  3 Baths:  2 Size:  1200 square feet, 0.12 acre Features: Tudor style cottage with Montauk stone fireplace, renovated inside and out. New kitchen and bathrooms, clean dry basement. Close to Fort Pond, Navy Beach and Montauk School.

Romance? Glamour? Scenic Beauty? Recreation? Historic Memories? Beach Hampton is indeed in the heart of Wonderland.... How this mile of pure, white sands, blue waters and silvery surf does sing to the soul! [caption id="attachment_72175" align="alignnone" width="750"] Via East Hampton Library[/caption] More obscure than Carl Fisher's developments in Montauk, yet also still significant today, is the community of Beach Hampton, though it's now usually known as the Amagansett Dunes. Less grandiose than Fisher's scheme, Beach Hampton was planned for the more modest years of the Depression. In April 1936, the New York Times announced that Richard B. Allen's corporation had purchased 234 acres to the east of Amagansett, between the ocean beach and Bluff Road and Montauk Highway, bounded west and east by Beach and Napeague Lanes. The new development was to be called Beach Hampton. The company published a promotional brochure, Eastward to the Sea: The Romance of Beach Hampton, in which prospective buyers could learn about the benefits of a summer house. "Romance? Glamour? Scenic Beauty? Recreation? Historic Memories? Beach Hampton is indeed in the heart of Wonderland.... How this mile of pure, white sands, blue waters and silvery surf does sing to the soul!" The twenty-five-page brochure included drawings of various styles of houses that could be purchased from the company for as little as $2,900. "Beach Hampton, less than three hours from New York City, is not just another real estate development, it is an ideal, a vision, a dream that we have made come true. Here, if you will, awaits you, a new world of happiness!" The first houses, "air conditioned by nature," were finished in 1937. In 1938, the Beach Hampton Surf Club opened with gala celebrations in August. [caption id="attachment_72174" align="alignnone" width="636"] Beach Hampton, late September 1938, via East Hampton Library[/caption] Then disaster struck. On September 21, 1938, the devastating hurricane known as the Long Island Express roared in and destroyed most of the buildings. But with many of the lots sold and the streets laid out, houses were rebuilt. (Many of the streets were still unpaved. Allen asked East Hampton to pave the streets, but the town declined. To this day, many of them are still dirt.) Between 1941 and 1965, many of the small houses built in the area were designed by Albert Scheffer. Sometimes known as the dean of East Hampton architects, Scheffer specialized in building small, cozy beach houses that were so close to the ocean, they didn't need pools. With casual layouts for beach living, the houses sported exposed beams, fireplaces, and natural weathered brick or knotty pine interiors. Today most of the Scheffer cottages have been demolished or remodeled beyond recognition, although there are a few originals left on Sandpiper Lane, throwbacks to a simpler time in Hamptons real estate.

What is there to say about Sandcastle that hasn't been said before many times? It's a huge house, loaded with every feature anyone could possibly want (we're all about the spa room), which includes 11.5 acres of land. 17,000 square feet, with 11 bedrooms, 12 full baths and 5 half baths for the house; a two-lane bowling alley, basketball half-court, even a baseball field. Pool, of course. The pool house is 2,400 square feet in itself. Asking price had been a shade under $50 million; last week, the ask was cut $10 million down to $39.995 million. Terry Cohen at Saunders is listing the property along with Christopher Covert at Saunders. Bespoke RE also has the co-exclusive. For more, click here and here. 612 Halsey Lane, Bridgehampton Another interesting property is the building that houses the Springs General Store. There was a bit of a fuss back in 2014 when the building was put up for sale last time; Kristi Hood, who owns the store, leases the space. Luckily the buyer last time, who paid a bit over $2 million, was happy to keep the store in operation. Considering this shop is an important, historical part of Springs, going back to 1844 when it was the first post office. Later as the general store it became a beloved local hub for the community, and of course, famously Jackson Pollock sometimes paid his grocery bill with a painting. Asking price for the property, listed by Tina B. Plesset, Phelan Wolf and Kammy Wolf at Sotheby's, is $2.9 million. That includes the building, which also incorporates a two-bedroom apartment, and 1.3 acres of land. We wonder: would it be possible for East Hampton to buy the building using CPF funds and lease the property to Ms. Hood? Surely this community icon is worthy of preservation. For more, click here. 29 Old Stone Highway, East Hampton  

Welcome to our new feature in which we interview local personalities: agents, architects, interior designers, builders, anyone who plays a part in the world of Hamptons real estate. Want to get in on the fun? Drop us a line! There can't be many New Jersey doctors whose hobby is building houses in the Hamptons, but Joseph Scalia is one. He grew up in St. James and wanted his children to have the kind of Hamptons summers he enjoyed as a kid. Scalia started building in the Hamptons in 2008; still a family physician, his company, Eminate Development, is named after his children Emily and Nate. Scalia met BTH in his latest build, 10 Bayberry Lane, Amagansett, which is for sale for $3.75 million. What do you look for in a new project? The houses I've been buying are homes that have been in the family for 50 years or so, and they haven't been maintained, and the parents pass away. Then the kids sell them. That's generally what I like because I'm looking for a house to renovate into something special. This is a new build, though, right? No. This is the original footprint of the original house. So we lifted the house for the flood insurance because there's all those rules here. But the footprint is exactly the same. We did a lot of reframing and the inside was gutted, but it's the original. We did change the roofline a little bit. You know this is this is one of my favorites. I don't like big houses. You put big houses down here [in Beach Hampton] and it really just changes the character of the neighborhood. Gorgeous bathroom. Nice big hunk of marble. I used all Waterworks in this house. The house isn't huge so you really want to go high end on all your products to get a premium dollar. Most of the people who purchase are from Manhattan and they're busy, busy families. They don't have time to renovate. As for the planning part, the thing is to try to get as much effect as you can in small spaces. You don't really want to overwhelm the property. This property is only 100 by 100. Do you get an interior designer to work with you? The first time we did it by ourselves. Now we use Jessie from Gansett Lane Home and she helps us out. And then sometimes the furniture sells with the property. That makes things easy for the buyer. How did you get started doing this? Growing up, we would come out here for vacations, and when my parents passed away, I felt like I needed something. There was no one left on the Island. I wanted my kids to know part of my background, my childhood. So my wife and I started looking. We saw a tiny little twelve-hundred-square-foot cottage, a 1963 original. After we walked in, I said to my wife, this is it. And she thought I was nuts. And I said let's renovate! We did, and then we rented it for August one year and then we ended up selling it, so I went on to the next project. So you just basically fell into it? I've always loved architecture. I've always loved architecture in the Hamptons. Even before medical school, I thought I was going to be an architect. Life can be very strange. I get the most of the best of both worlds now. I can practice medicine full-time and then I get to do this as a hobby. I don't play golf! There's a lot of joy to it for me, and I only do one a year. My feeling is if it doesn't sell, I'll just enjoy it myself, so there's no downside for me.

This house, which was built in 1700, is located south of the highway on Fithian Lane. Which only makes sense, as it was lived in for generations by the Fithian family, descendants of one of the original settlers of East Hampton. And, says listing agent Sharman S. Peddy, of Brown Harris Stevens, it's the property's "first time on the market in 50 years." Much of the original 18th century charm of the center hall colonial remains today, such as beams, gorgeous old paneling, wide-plank floors, and of course, enormous fireplaces for cooking and heating. The hand-hewn frame is still strong as a rock. The house was updated in 1917 by noted local architect Joseph Greenleaf Thorp, best known, of course, for Grey Gardens. Thorp was careful to retain the best of the past, and now that it's a hundred years on, while this jewel could use a little polishing, as Peddy says, "the original details designed by Thorp are also intact." The house is 3,200 square feet, with four bedrooms and 3.5 baths. Outside, there's 0.46 of an acre of land, which includes English-style gardens, a brick patio, and a specimen copper beech tree. Asking price for all this is $3.495 million. For more, click here. 7 Fithian Lane, East Hampton    

Open houses are a great way to find your next home, see inside a house that you have always been curious about, or just get design ideas. 275 Main Street, Sag Harbor Open house: Saturday, June 8, 11:00AM-12:30PM Ask: $2.695 million Beds: 5 Baths: 3.5 Size: 2,300 square feet, 0.13 acre Features: 1920s home over three levels right in the heart of the village. Front porch, detached garage in back as well as 32x12 gunite pool. Eat in kitchen with woodburning fireplace. The high-ceilingd basement, accessible from the interior as well as the exterior, could possibly be converted to living space.   52 Midway Road, Shelter Island Open house: Saturday, June 8, 11:00AM-1:00PM Ask: $1.9 million Beds: 4 Baths: 2 Size: 1,842 square feet, 0.88 acre Features: A classic 1908 farmhouse with 400 feet of waterfront and a dock with easy access to the harbor. The shingled house, with loads of charm, has plenty of upside potential.   38 Egypt Lane, East Hampton Open house: Saturday, June 8, 11:00AM-1:00PM; Sunday, June 9, 11:00AM-1:00PM Ask: $4.35 million Beds: 3 Baths: 3 Size: 1,500 square feet, 0.80 acre Features: Amazing location on the "high" side of the lane. Classic village house could be expanded or build new with pool and pool house. A block to the village and a half mile to the beach.

Last night, June 5, many of the best and brightest of the Hamptons real estate community came together at the sixth annual Privet Hedge Awards Dinner, hosted by Dan's Hamptons Media. As always, it was a wonderful evening filled with friends old and new, laughter and applause, and a few surprises. This year's celebration was held at Dune Deck Beach Club in Westhampton Beach, and what a beautiful location it was. The cocktail hour was outdoors on the deck overlooking the ocean, with guests mingling amid the comfy sofas and chairs, and some even partaking of a unique tradition at the Dune Deck--taking an ice shot, then throwing the ice at a target just past the bar to ring the gong in the center. (As for us, let's just say we've got to get some practice in for next year.) Bringing the Hamptons real estate community together for an evening of revelry and camaraderie before the true summer high season begins is what the Privet Hedge Awards has always been about. Well, that and the awards, of course. Drumroll, please... There was probably no room in the free world filled with more people who love a big deal than the one we were sitting in last night, so it only made sense that the first award handed out was the Big Deal Broker. Whether it was incredible sales volume over a number of deals, one monster deal, a sale that people said would never happen, getting an unbelievable exclusive, or a combination of the above, this award has always gone to a broker whose peers believe is the definition of what it means to be a big deal. [caption id="attachment_72109" align="alignnone" width="750"] Dan Rattiner, founder of Dan's Papers, and Richard Burns, Chairman of Manhattan Media[/caption] After a moving introduction, Nanette Hansen of Sotheby's presented the Big Deal Broker Award to Deborah Srb. Srb told us, "What an absolute surprise! While it takes grit, determination and patience to succeed in this business, it definitely is nice to know the efforts can be rewarded and recognized by your peers. I feel it is important, though, to include all my colleagues and office staff who help make these deals happen. I could never do it all alone!" This year's addition to the lineup, the Hamptons Spirit award, was presented to Kathleen Zappola by her Compass colleague Joe Feur. This new award was created to honor a person who dedicates their time, energy and passion to making the Hamptons a wonderful place to live and work, giving of themselves to numerous nonprofits and organizations and, in that giving, defining the best of what the heart and spirit of the Hamptons is all about. "I am honored because the award was voted on by my peers, which means a lot to me," Zappola says. "We work in a business that is difficult at best, and I have good relationships with the people out here. So it was really very nice to be recognized." [caption id="attachment_72110" align="alignnone" width="750"] Keith Green and Ann Ciardullo[/caption] With an eye toward the future of the industry, the Rookie of the Year award was presented by Douglas Elliman's Aaron Curti to his nephew and fellow Douglas Elliman broker, Matthew Curti. "I would just like to say I feel very honored to be recognized by my peers," says Matthew. "The last year and a half has been nothing short of a spectacular experience. I am learning so much and meeting so many hard-working, inspiring individuals. I am very proud to wake up every day and be a part of this family. The Broker's Broker award recognizes someone who goes above and beyond for their clients and their colleagues, who is always willing to share the wisdom of their experience to help out other brokers, who is always fine-tuning their technique, and who represents him or herself with integrity at every turn. David Rattiner of Saunders & Associates presented the 2019 Broker's Broker award to John Brady, who recently joined Saunders himself. "It's an honor to be recognized amongst the best brokers in the industry," Brady says. "As we work together with mutual respect and the goal of synergy, we all get to grow together. I'll never conduct my business in a way where if my wife and daughters were behind me watching, they wouldn't be proud to say who I am, and that's exactly how I like to treat my fellow real estate professionals. That's my golden rule of real estate." Finally, the Hall of Fame award--given to an individual who has made a long-standing impression on the real estate landscape in the Hamptons, and whose professionalism has been consistently recognized and respected by clients as well as peers--went to Sotheby's Ann Ciardullo, presented by Keith Green. (We'd say Keith made the most touching speech of the night, too. Awwwww.) "I was honored and overwhelmed to be recognized," comments Ciardullo. "Real estate has been part of my life for a long time, but since moving to the Hamptons 20 years ago it has quite literally become central to my life. Many of the people that are closest to me I have met through my work with Sotheby's. It's really all of them that made last night possible...and such a joy." Congratulations to all on your well-deserved awards! Thanks to all our sponsors for making this night such a success, and here's to a great summer!

Welcome to our new series where we take a look at one of the East End's neighborhoods. We'll discover what makes it so special to live in and what the housing stock is like. Water Mill is a little town that offers all the best of the Hamptons in one central spot. Frank Bodenchak, an agent with Sotheby's, says, "Water Mill is a fantastic quiet hamlet, with the most gorgeous waterfront settings along Mecox Bay and farm view settings in preserved areas from Edge of Woods and Deerfield Road, to Mecox Road and Paul's Lane." Terry Cohen, from Saunders, agrees. "Water Mill is a great area with its own cachet. Some of my favorite spots are Bistro Ete, Hampton Coffee, Soul Cycle, and Barry's Bootcamp. Or I love just a quiet stroll in the neighborhood." Cohen's listing pictured here is a stunning property with a 2600 square foot cottage, pool and dock on 0.93 acres south of the highway. She says, "The house itself is charming, but there is also the possibility of building a 10,000 square foot house in its place. Not many waterfronts have those features." Asking price is $8.495 million. Lori MacGarva at Town & Country is repping an interesting listing this summer (above). She says, "This is an estate, built in 1906, that was part of the area surrounding the Water Mill Golf Course back in the 1920s. There was no highway running through then. The house is owned by the Best family, of Best and Co. department stores, who purchased the house in the 1930s. It has been in their family to this day. A very special family compound, the property offers three houses, a swimming pool on the expansive water side of the property, and multiple sheds. It is a step back in time and cannot be duplicated." There's almost six acres of land; ask is $7.9 million. Bodenchak and fellow Sotheby's agent (and wife) Dawn Bodenchak both build and sell homes. Two of their latest are 2 Mill Farm Lane (above) and 474 Edge of Woods in Water Mill. Bodenchak says, "The two stunning new constructions offer field views and so many design upgrades. Fantastic bang for the buck in the $4.25-4.75 million price bracket." 2 Mill Farm Lane is 6000 square feet on 0.75 of an acre, asking $4.775 million, while 474 Edge of Woods is 8200 square feet, set on one acre.  

There was a kerfuffle a few weeks ago regarding a pocket listing of oceanfront East Hampton property belonging to fashion designer Helmut Lang, which could, as headlines alleged, "realize $100 million." The problem was that no one knew who was marketing the listing, and some of the rumors turned out to be false. To add to the confusion, in actuality three separate parcels belong to Lang. Well, we now have the scoop. According to our source, Jane Gill of Saunders is (very quietly) marketing two of the parcels on Tyson Lane belonging to Lang, but not the third one, with the 8,700 square foot main house, because Lang hasn't been able to find another property he wants to buy. (At least that's what our source says.) Lang purchased 6, 8, and 10 Tyson Lane in 1999 for $15.5 million, reportedly outbidding Jerry Seinfeld for the property. The property is oceanfront, although strictly speaking, there are 8 acres of dunes in front of the parcels that belong to the Nature Conservancy. 8 Tyson Lane is 1.1 acre, with Lang's main house on it, and isn't for sale until Lang finds somewhere else he loves. 6 Tyson Lane is a vacant flag lot, 0.84 of an acre, that is behind 8 Tyson and therefore not oceanfront. According to our source, the price being asked for that parcel is $15 million. 10 Tyson Lane is where things get interesting. This is 1.6 acres, oceanfront, with three outbuildings on it, including a guest house and a garage. The ask for this parcel is $50 million. So to wrap up: the rumors about $100 million were actually true, if Lang could be persuaded to sell all three parcels. Are the prices being asked worth it? We'd say definitely yes. Land like this is at an absolute premium, there are untold possibilities here, and this is the best location possible in the Hamptons.

The interior of this house "is so unusual--a real throwback to the Golden Age in Westhampton Beach," says listing agent Bob Murray at Corcoran. "Like something out of The Great Gatsby." The interiors do look like a time capsule. But what if the buyer isn't into French Provincial or padded silk and suede on the walls? Co-agent Meredith Murray says, "Keep the marble entry floors, the sunny clerestory windows and marble-front fireplace in the sunken living room, the floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace and ceiling beams in the clubby den, the gracious stone patio, and the pool overlooking the golf course. Change the padded suede and silk wall coverings and the heavy draperies to the 21st century, and what do you get? A post modern beauty!" Well located in downtown Westhampton Beach, the property, which is just under an acre, is adjacent to the Westhampton golf course, with attractive views, and is walkable to downtown shops, restaurants and the performing arts center. The house is all on one level, with 3,200 square feet and 4 to 5 bedrooms. Of course out back is a classically shaped pool with stone patio and a gracious shaded veranda. Asking price for all this is $1.695 million, but as Meredith Murray says, "It needs only a few tweaks to double its value!" For more, click here. 51 White Oak Lane, Westhampton Beach

From 4-6 this afternoon (May 31), enjoy delightful catered bites while strolling around the beautiful grounds of Listowel. The property, which is under $30 million, offers incomparable quiet and privacy. Represented by Corcoran's Tim Davis and Thomas Davis, Listowel is 6.9 acres and has basically no neighbors. Three sides of the property are farm fields, while the fourth is Mecox Bay. The gardens, designed by landscape architect Quincy Hammond, include formal parterres, an allée of sycamore trees, orchard of 60-year-old apple trees, potager, flower cutting gardens, and drystone walls. If you're in the market, of course there's a pool and a dock on the bay for your boat or kayak. [caption id="attachment_65996" align="alignnone" width="750"] Non-aerial photos by Chris Foster via Corcoran[/caption] As for the house itself, it's a spectacular 12,000 square foot Shingle Style designed in 2008 by Katherine McCoy with interiors by Daniel Romualdez. We think they're absolutely beautiful, and we covet the two-story library with the fire of a thousand suns. Everything is calm and quiet inside, perfect for an owner with a frenetic city lifestyle to unwind in. There's plenty of space, with the main house, an attached but separate guest cottage, and a carriage house. Of course there's also room for a tennis court. This place is completely sui generis in every way. We love it so much, we're offering congrats in advance to the people who buy it. For more, click here. 258 Horse Mill Lane, Water Mill