Modern Design – Hamptons Style

The Hamptons have had a long tradition of modern design. Robert A. Stern, Blake Makoid, Maziar Behrooz, Bates Masi, Barnes Coy, Martin Architects, John Berg and Stelle Lomont, Rouhani are some of the notable architects and firms who have created modern masterpieces in the Hamptons.

Moontalk – Montauk

Moontalk, designed by Maziar Behrooz, is our newest Exclusive listing.  This 3,000 sf modern house on the East End of Long Island, in Montauk, New York. It features a fully habitable roof level with a garden and fire pit and views of the Atlantic ocean, Lake Montauk and the Bay. Asking $1.9 million. Contact me for an exclusive viewing. www.18nferndaleplace

View from the roof-garden

Kenneth Smallwood is a Licensed Real Estate Agent with Nest Seekers International. His specialty is luxury residential real estate in the Hamptons and New York City. Phone: 917-797-9201

I Seek the Light. Montauk Light

 

MONTAUK, known as the “End” to locals, at the eastern tip of Long Island’s South Fork is approximately 120 miles from Manhattan. This is the last Hamptons enclave before you need to start swimming “across the pond”. Inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years, the Montauketts of Montauk were a peaceful tribe who hunted, fished and farmed the land, keeping cattle and sheep.

In modern times professional fishermen were among the first to settle – Montauk is home to the largest commercial and recreational fishing fleet in New York State. Then came the surfers, followed by celebrities who were looking for the anti-Hamptons. Early adopters included Andy Warhol and Dick Cavett. As Montauk became hipper others followed incuding Paul Simon, Ralph Lauren Robert De Niro and even the infamous Berine Madoff.

Today, Montauk is the cool place to be and be seen. New clubs and restaurants populate the scene. Relax at Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa,  spend a weekend at The Surf Lodge hotel offering beautiful views of Fort Pond and the beautiful people or dine at Swallow’s East  – a stylish restaurant on the docks.

The Montauk real estate market once a bargain when compared to other Hamptons towns and villages is now not. Andy Warhol who purchased his spread in the 1970s for around $250,000 sold last year for $50 million. According to my 2015 Montauk Price Trend Report the average sales price for a Montauk home last year was$2,227,592. The average home was approximately 2,200 sq. ft. had 3 beds, 2.5 baths on an acre of land. Approximately 74 homes transacted in 2015 after spending 484 days on the market (source OREX). Because the market has been hot, owners have pushed their asking prices causing homes to sit on the market longer than necessary. (Ken’s number one real estate tip – “List your home to sell not sell your home to list.) These numbers do not include the many condo opportunities in Montauk.  With prices starting in the mid-twos, a condo can be a great way to getting a toe-hold in the Hamptons real estate market. However, expect to pay high maintenance and rental management fees.

Please email me if you want a free copy of my Montauk 2015 Price Trend Report or any information pertaining to buying, selling or renting in the Hamptons: kens@nestseekers.com

So, if you want hang with the in-crowd at the “End”, you need to know theses fun Montauk facts:

• In 1867 P.T. Barnum displayed Monatukett Stephen Talkhouse as “the last king of the Montauks.”
• Arthur Benson bought all of Montauk for $151,000 in 1879; the Stanford White houses built in 1882 are one of his contributions.
• In 1895 Austin Corbin brought the railroad from Sag Harbor to Montauk and talked of making Montauk the Port of Entry from overseas.
• In 1898 Teddy Roosevelt and his “Rough Riders” were quarantined at Camp Wikoff when they returned from the Spanish American War.
• In 1792 President George Washington authorized construction of the lighthouse.
• Montauk is the home of the oldest cattle ranch in the United States.
• In the 1920s Carl Fisher, the developer of Miami Beach, had a dream to make Montauk the Miami Beach of the North.
• In 1975 the Rolling Stones stayed a Andy Warhol’s estate.
• The movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind staring Jim Carrey had scenes shot in Montauk
• Episodes from the hit TV Show The Affair have been filmed in Montauk

Kenneth Smallwood is a Licensed Real Estate Agent with Nest Seekers International. His specialty is luxury residential real estate in the Hamptons and New York City. Phone: 917-797-9201

 

 

Looking for a Hamptons Summer Home? Then set sail for Amagansett

Nestled between the Village of East Hampton and Montauk lies Amagansett. Amagansett offers all the charm of the Hamptons but has a somewhat more down-to earth character than its counterparts to the west, despite regular sightings of celebrity residents Scarlett Johansson and Lorne Michaels. The name comes from a Native American word meaning Indian Well Place or “place of good water,” and in its early days the town’s tranquil setting was perfectly suited to fishing and whaling. There is no tradition that Amagansett was a permanent Indian settlement, but rather an Indian hunting ground and stopping place before heading to their homeland in Montauk.

Amagansett was initially settled by the Baker, Conklin, and Barnes families, descendants of English settlers, and the Dutch brothers Abraham and Jacob Schellinger, the sons of a New Amsterdam merchant who moved to East Hampton between 1680 and 1690 after the English took over New Amsterdam. By the early 1700s Amagansett was a thriving village and by 1843 the village had grown to almost fifty houses. Today there are approximately 1,400 residents.

Amagansett has three distinct neighborhoods the Dunes, Amagansett South and Amagansett North. Amagansett South includes homes in the” Lanes”, Hand Lane, Miankoma Lane and Hedges Lane and Bluff Road, the oldest road in Amagansett and former Indian trail. (326 Bluff Road recently went into contract – last ask $7.95 million.) According to my Amagansett 2015 Price Trend Report, the average Amagansett South home sold in 2015 was approximately 3,489 sq. ft., on a .52 acre lot and sold for $3.465 million (source OREX).

The Dunes offers a laid back beach lifestyle with many homes having easy access to the Atlantic Ocean. A 1996 New York Times article described the Dunes, then known as Beach Hampton, as place where “Cottages and small Cape Cods crowd together on small lots. It’s one of only two affordable places in the Hamptons to rent or buy where you have access to private beaches. The word “affordable” takes on new meaning in the Hamptons. Even the most humble cottage on a tiny lot in Beach Hampton may cost $100,000 to $200,000 more than appearances suggest.” In 2015, the average Dunes home sold for $3.445 million. The most expensive sale in the Dunes last year was 262 Marine Blvd. It traded for $10.892 million.

Looking to get more bang for your buck? Then Amagansett North is the place for you. It offers a more rural lifestyle and room to roam. Homes tend to be bigger and many have lots exceeding one acre. You may also run across a celebrity or two including Paul McCartney. The average sales price in 2015 was $1.817 million for a 2,976 sq. ft. home on 1.7 acres.

Please email me if you want a free copy of my Amagansett 2015 Price Trend Report or any information pertaining to buying, selling or renting in the Hamptons: kens@nestseekers.com

Kenneth Smallwood is a Licensed Real Estate Agent with Nest Seekers International. His specialty is luxury residential real estate in the Hamptons and New York City. Phone: 917-797-9201

Fixer Upper – Hamptons Style

Achieving the Hamptons Dream for under $1 Million – The Kitchen

Home sales in the Hamptons have been strong the last several years – especially for homes priced under $1 million. Several years ago you could find a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, on average 1,500 sq. ft. home, in a good rental area in the $600,000 range. Now $800,000 is the new $600,000. Homes in East Hampton selling for under $900,000 almost always need work. They tend to have the original kitchen and bathrooms and an overall dated appearance. Most first time buyers looking to buy their first Hamptons home want a house that is move-in ready with all the style and design of an HGTV program. It is not going to happen.

It is time to reset your expectations. You need to decide what is most important and non-negotiable from your long wish list. My non-negotiable it is always the one thing you cannot change after you buy the house – location. Do you want to be close to water? Do you want to be closer to Town? Or, do you want privacy and only a 1 acre lot or larger will do. Everything else on your wish list can be added overtime and before you know it you will have your ideal Hamptons home for under $1 million.

So where do you start? With a fixer upper of course. My business partner and fellow Nest Seekers International real estate agent, Lynn Ronchetto and I recently completed a remodel of a 3 bed, 2 bath home in the NW Woods. Last year we purchased the home from the original owner for under $1 million. The house was built in 1986 and was in good condition. However, the kitchen and baths were original to the home. The floor plan was dated and need to be opened, the wood floors needed to refinished and the whole house needed to be refreshed for today’s buyer.

This is not our first rodeo so we already had in place our team of trades. Our overall goal was to create a contemporary style home and to have the home renovated and ready for the summer rental market, MD – LD. The first task was to gut the kitchen and open it up to the main living area.We installed a new over-sized window over the sink to let in more light, new Hanseem cabinets with solid plywood boxes and self closing doors and draws and Ikea cabinet pulls, new LED lighting, Samsung Chef appliances; including two convection ovens, custom-stained the oak floors and installed a glass tile backsplash. The paint color is Benjamin Moore Super White (The sink wall also had to be extended to accommodate the plumbing for the new bath that we added upstairs. And the walkway to the dining area was closed to accommodate the refrigerator.)

Kitchen – Midway

Kitchen – Before

Kitchen – Waiting for backsplash

Finished Kitchen

 

This home is on the market for sale – 34 Montauk Ave. For more information contact Alex Piccirillo, Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker, alexp@nestseekers.com.

Kenneth Smallwood is a Licensed Real Estate Agent with Nest Seekers International and home remodeling expert. His specialty is luxury residential real estate in the Hamptons and New York City. Phone: 917-797-9201

LOOKING FOR A HAMPTONS SUMMER HOME? THEN TAKE A LOOK AT THE VILLAGE OF EAST HAMPTON

Founded in 1648, the Village of East Hampton is one of America’s earliest English settlements. Today, the Village of East Hampton still provides a rich record of the architecture and agricultural way of life in early America. The Village’s wide Main Street, Village Green, Town Pond, South End Burial Ground, and the area around Hook Mill are all remnants of the Village’s original seventeenth century design. Remaining historic houses and farmhouses, barns, outbuildings, fences, pastures, windmills, and schools accent what has been called “America’s most beautiful village.”

The Village of East Hampton, located on the eastern end of Long Island, New York, is an approximately sixteen square mile parcel of land adorned with ponds, wetlands, large, open public greens, farmland, and woodland. The entire southern border of the Village is home to some of the world’s most beautiful ocean beaches including: Main Beach, Georgica Beach and Two Mile Hollow Beach. The wide, white, sandy beach and dunes provide an expansive vista of the Atlantic Ocean. The estates and homes along the roads from Main Street to the ocean are among the most impressive in the country and attract the rich and famous: Martha Stewart, Russell Simmons, Steven Spielberg, Katie Couric and Jerry Seinfeld to name a few.

The Village of East Hampton has some of the most expensive real estate in the world. According to Nest Seekers International, currently on the market is a 7 bed, 8.5 bath home on Two Mile Hollow Road for $32,888,000, a 10 bed, 8.5 bath home on Cross Highway for $15,495,000 and coming in at number three is a 7 bed, 7.5 bath home on Georgica Road for only $12,995,000.

Don’t despair there is still hope for the rest of us. The threshold to buy a home in the Village of East Hampton is much lower. Your neighbor might not be Steven, Katie or Jerry – but you might bump into them walking down Main Street. According to my 2015 Price Trend Report, Amagansett South home sold in 2015 was approximately 3, sq. ft., on a 1.2 acre lot and sold for $5.398 million (source OREX). If your children want to buy a home of their own in the Village but can’t quite afford your block – there is hope for them as well.

The average Village home “North of the Highway” sold for $1.724 million 2015. Their commute to Main Beach will be longer than yours – but they can be the first in line for Restorative Yoga classes at the YMCA. Please email me if you want a free copy of my 2015 Price Trend Report or any information pertaining to buying, selling or renting in the Hamptons: kens@nestseekers.com

For more information on the Village of East Hampton click here.

Kenneth Smallwood is a Licensed Real Estate Agent with Nest Seekers International. His specialty is luxury residential real estate in the Hamptons and New York City. Phone: 917-797-9201