News & Features

Got a big extended family? Want your relatives to have their own space and you have some privacy while they're visiting? Then this Westhampton Beach compound is for you. The main house sports 8,500 square feet, with nine bedrooms, including a sumptuous master suite with private balcony. Too cramped? Want to hide from crazy Aunt Hilda? The guest house offers a living room, full kitchen, one bedroom and one bath; the carriage house, with a four-car garage, also provides two bedrooms, one bath, living room, and kitchen. [caption id="attachment_63890" align="alignnone" width="587"] All photos via Corcoran[/caption] The main house is open concept, and is very attractive and tasteful with nice views of gardens and terraces. There's a lower level living room/playroom, gym, an elevator to three levels and an attached two car garage. With two acres of land, of course there's a swimming pool with spa and a tennis court. Besides the spaciousness and the attractive design, another nice thing about this property, repped by Tim Davis and Thomas Davis at Corcoran, is that the house is new, just built last year. In the lovely estate section of Westhampton Beach, asking price is $8 million. For more, click here. 7 Bayfield Lane, Westhampton Beach

Pond House is a stunning waterfront mansion in East Hampton originally designed (so they say) by Stanford White and recently renovated by luxury builder Jeffrey Colle. It was reported a week ago (first by Curbed) that the house recently sold for just about $26 million to unknown buyers. We here at Behind the Hedges scoff at "unknown buyers," as reliable intel had informed us that the buyers were Beyoncé and Jay-Z. [caption id="attachment_63871" align="alignnone" width="747"] All photos via Jeffrey Colle[/caption] Wow! The music supercouple has been known to summer in the Hamptons, for example renting the Farrells' Sandcastle one year, but have never purchased. We're excited that they will be spending more time out here. Now the details. Located at 81 Briar Patch Road on Georgica Pond, the property went on the market back in 2009 with a $39.5 million asking price. Jeffrey Colle had extensively renovated, even famously rotating the house 90 degrees so that the living room faced west over the pond instead of north. The interiors are simply lavish, including hand-carved heated marble tubs, boiserie by French craftsmen, and parquet de Versailles floors. The 12,000 square foot house boasts seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms. Outside, there’s a pondside pool and spa and a guest cottage. The plot is two acres with 203 feet of frontage on the pond, and is next to 17 acres of reserve. Congrats to the Carters! And welcome, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, to the Hamptons. You know where to send our housewarming evite, we trust. For more, click here. 81 Briar Patch Road, East Hampton

This rather charmingly decorated Greek Revival in Sag Harbor has been on the market for a couple years now. We're wondering if the distinctive decor and the clutter are holding it back from a sale. After all, Sag Harbor is a hot market, this is on a good street, and there's even room for a pool. Plus the house, while renovated to 21st century standards, offers plenty of period charm with its wide-planked floors, built-ins, and high ceilings. It's repped by Gioia DiPaolo at Sotheby's. [caption id="attachment_63855" align="alignnone" width="750"] All photos via Sotheby's[/caption] Or maybe the price needs to come down more than it has. Two years ago, the ask was $2.85 million; now it's $2.795 million. The house was built in 1832 for Reverend Samuel King, who was the pastor of the Sag Harbor Presbyterian Church. Unfortunately, old Samuel didn't get it enjoy it for long since he died in 1833. The house is a good size for the area at 2460 square feet; there are three bedrooms and 3.5 baths. The new kitchen is particularly attractive with black cabinetry and a barn door. Outside, mature gardens brighten up the 0.29 acres of land, and as stated, there's plenty of room for a pool in the back. For more, click here. 24 High Street, Sag Harbor

Lasata, the childhood summer home of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, has just dropped its price again. The former Bouvier estate on Further Lane in East Hampton debuted on the market in May for $52 million. That was the price for the house and 11 acres of land. (The house plus seven acres is available separately, as is the four-acre plot containing the tennis court.) The price was cut in June by $5 million, and now again, down to $42 million. The house is now $35 million and the four acre plot is $12 million. [caption id="attachment_63842" align="alignnone" width="750"] All photos via Elliman[/caption] Lasata (which allegedly means "Place of Peace") was built around 1915 in the Arts and Crafts style. The patriarch of the family that produced such disparate characters as Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Little Edie Beale, and Lee Radziwill, was John Vernou Bouvier Jr. (aka "The Major"), a successful lawyer who married an heiress. He purchased Lasata in 1925. Young Jackie spent summers at the house, showing her dogs in East Hampton and jumping ponies, and she loved the place even after it was sold after The Major's death. The house, repped by Susan Breitenbach at Corcoran and Carol Nobbs and Eileen Oneill at Elliman, was restored by its current owners when they purchased it 10 years ago, along with its guest house, pool house and garage. They have respected the house’s original Arts and Crafts style using vintage Tiffany lighting and Stickley furniture in the kitchen. The fine old grounds, with rolling green lawns and mature trees including linden, London planes, cork and American elm trees, are a fitting setting for the house. The house boasts ten bedrooms, ten baths, and two half baths in 8500 square feet. Not enough space? There’s a one-bedroom guest house, two-bedroom poolhouse, and a three car detached garage. The estate is still spectacular, but is not waterfront. It's sui generis, so it's hard to say whether anyone will bite at $42 million. For more, click here. 121 Further Lane, East Hampton

If anyone out there is looking for a project or a flip, we think this cute Amagansett Dunes place offers some scope for added value. (That is, it could use some minor sprucing up.) Repped by Kristi Law at Sotheby's, the property has a fairly big plot for the Dunes at 0.42 of an acre, and it boasts a freeform gunite pool. Not all Dunes properties have the space for one. [caption id="attachment_63827" align="alignnone" width="750"] All photos via Sotheby's[/caption] The house is fairly small at 1355 square feet; it's currently configured as a two bedroom with 1.5 baths. There's also loft space with a bed in it. Possibly the house could be renovated to create better use of the space, and the one-car attached garage might be better utilized as living space. The great room is light and airy with exposed beams and a woodburning fireplace. The kitchen and eating area are both spacious enough, but definitely need updating; we think the bathroom is fine as is. Asking price is $2.525, which we think is fair for what you're getting. What say you? Let us know in the comments. For more, click here. 27 Hampton Lane, Amagansett

We recently had a long chat with agent Sharyn Guzzi at Long Island Horse Properties about what equine lovers are looking for in a home. One question we had: is the barn or the actual house more important to horse people? She chuckled. Many of her customers insist on seeing the barn and horse facilities before they see the actual house. After all, you can always renovate a house. [caption id="attachment_63821" align="alignnone" width="600"] All photos via NestSeekers[/caption] This 19.3 acre property, represented by Linda Kouzoujian at Nestseekers, in Riverhead includes a three-bedroom, two bath home, but it's clear that the barns are the stars of this listing. The newest one, built in 2012, offers 20 oversized stalls, each spacious enough for a mare and foal. There are two indoor stalls with drying heaters as well as a farrier/vetting area. A fire detection system keeps everything safe and a webcam enables you to look at your horse any time via the Internet or your smartphone. There's an indoor riding arena, 15 acres of paddocks, and a flat area to be used for dressage or pleasure riding. There are also two frame barns, three sheds and one pump house, along with the existing home for the mere humans. Price for all this is a comparatively reasonable $2.89 million. For more, click here. 1258 Middle Road, Riverhead

Best known for bridal and evening wear, fashion designer Carmen Marc Valvo is the owner of this quirky home on Mecox Bay. The house, simple and pale on the inside (with what must be more house plants than we've seen in a long, long while) is oriented to the bay views. Most rooms in the 4500 square foot house, repped by Beate Moore at Sotheby's, seem oriented to the bay view with large windows and French doors. [caption id="attachment_63802" align="alignnone" width="333"] All photos via Sotheby's[/caption] As you can guess from all those houseplants, the one acre of land around the property is filled with pretty gardens, which includes a koi pond and a fountain. Next to the gunite pool is a very pretty pergola as a dining area along with a built-in BBQ. There's also a pool house with wine cellar attached to the house via what the listing calls a glass breezeway but we're calling a conservatory. There's a dock on the bay and a detached garage with bonus room with full bath. Asking price for all this? $8.25 million. We're unsure about that--it sounds a little high. What do you think? For more, click here. 111 Pointe Mecox Lane, Bridgehampton

East Hampton agent Lori MacGarva and her team—Larissa Troy, Elaine Micali, and April Sanicola—have joined Town & Country Real Estate. Formerly with Douglas Elliman, Lori said, “We are so pleased to join Town & Country. Knowing Judi for many years and watching what her staff has done for their agents made our decision an easy one.” Judi Desiderio, president of Town & Country, commented, "We are so excited about Lori, Larissa, Elaine and April bringing their expansive reach spanning both forks and in particular Lori's vast experience in our industry. Having such a seasoned successful broker choose to grow her business here at Town & Country speaks volumes.” Congrats and good luck to Lori, Larissa, Elaine and April!

With many original details (woodwork! hardware!), this 1830s farmhouse is supremely lovable and winsome. Of course, it does have some drawbacks as well. As with many old homes, it's right on the main road, Route 25. That's probably the biggie. The long, narrow galley kitchen isn't what most people want today, and the house is not huge at 1626 square feet, and the lot, at 0.46 of an acre, isn't huge either. [caption id="attachment_63789" align="alignnone" width="750"] All photos via Daniel Gale[/caption] But not everyone wants huge. Besides the main house, which offers three bedrooms and two baths, along with copious sitting areas, there's a two-story barn with two half baths which could be used as an art studio or workshop. There are three fireplaces: one gas and two woodburning. Outside, there's a deck and a 20 x 40 pool. Asking price for the property, represented by Janet Markarian at Daniel Gale / Sotheby's, is $1.175 million. Does that sound about right to you? Let us know what you think in the comments. For more, click here. 25825 Main Road, Orient

With 21 years of experience brokering deals in the Hamptons, Gioia DiPaolo has built a stellar reputation in the real estate world. Most recently a manager at Douglas Elliman overseeing 20 agents, she has now joined Sotheby’s International Realty's Sag Harbor office. A Licensed Associate Broker, Gioia is also known for her ability to market and sell unique properties in areas from the North Fork to the South Fork, having brokered both the Castello di Borghese Vineyard in Cutchogue and the Saks Fifth Avenue building in Southampton, as well as properties from Southampton to Montauk. Before going into real estate, Gioia worked in the fashion industry where she designed and manufactured her own lines with accounts such as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales and Macy's. Gioia says that today, she's just as enthusiastic about Hamptons real estate as ever. Congrats!

The Amagansett Lanes are the attractive grid of streets ranging from Indian Wells Highway to Atlantic Avenue, south of Montauk Highway to Bluff Road. Most plot sizes are a half-acre. Twenty years ago, a teardown on a half-acre would cost between $250K to $500K. Well, the 90s are over and today, those same teardowns run between $2 and $3 million. Currently there are about 20 Amagansett Lanes homes on the market, with asking prices ranging from $2.5 million to $10 million. We thought we'd take a look at some around the median price points, $5 million to $8 million. All are represented by Gary DePersia at Corcoran. [caption id="attachment_63757" align="alignnone" width="750"] All photos, via Corcoran, are by Chris Foster, except for aerials taken by Dead on Design.[/caption] First up is this very charming vintage home built in 1927 and asking $5 million. The original cottage has been expanded over the years to include 4500 square feet on four floors. There's a large new kitchen, a new master wing with covered porch and a finished lower level. There are four bedrooms in all, but if that's not enough space, there's a legal one-bedroom guest cottage near the pool pavilion. For more, click here. 31 Meeting House Lane, Amagansett

---

Next up is a newly renovated house originally built in 2002. Asking $5.75 million, the 5100 square foot house includes many high end details, such as a finished lower level offering a full bath with steam shower, gym, media room, and spa room embellished with custom sauna and massage table. There are two master suites to choose from: one on the ground floor and one on the second floor. Both include fireplaces and stylish baths, along with outdoor space. There are three more guest suites upstairs. Outside, there's a saltwater pool and spa with a cabana offering a full bath and kitchenette. For more, click here. 56 Hedges Lane, Amagansett

---

The last house in our Lanes trio is an impressive large home off Further Lane asking $8 million. It offers 6 bedrooms and 8 baths in 8000 square feet. The plot size is larger too, at 1.5 acres. This house too offers ground floor and second floor masters with fireplaces and a finished lower level with media room and "staff lounge." The lovely grounds include plenty of stone patios and brick walls, while the spa offers its own pergola'd seating area. For more, click here. 18 Further Court, Amagansett

This property, which is a well-done, handsome gut reno of a 90s property, has been on the market for close to two years now. We assume the only issue holding the listing back from a sale has been the price--oh, well, maybe also because the street it's on, Holly Lane, is for sale, but we don't think that's a big factor. If so, the recent price cut of another $500K, down to $9.5 million, can only help. The property is currently repped by Scott Bartlett at Bespoke Real Estate. [caption id="attachment_63745" align="alignnone" width="750"] All photos re Bespoke RE[/caption] Why do we think price is the only issue? It's a really quite lovely house on a tony street. Not waterfront, and the plot is a slightly skimpy one acre, with a pool, but no tennis or pool house. The listing notes that "Electric, Plumbing and Architect's Drawings for Legally Zoned FUTURE 12 x 20' Pool House and Spa, Outdoor Fire Pit" exist. Plus, the pool is a good sized 16' x 50'. The house is a generously sized 7000 square feet, with 6 bedrooms and 8.5 baths. The interiors are all pale, spare, and simple, exactly the kind of taste buyers want now, with bleached oak floors, white marble kitchen counters, and black granite accents. The transitional style interiors aren't fiercely modern, so will go with many decor styles. What do you think of the place? Is the latest price cut going to do the trick? For more, click here. 10 Holly Lane, Water Mill