real estate.

Sag Harbor Shuffles….. Plus Memorial Day – Benefit Update!

He former home of The Cuddy!

Big news in Sag Harbor, the site of the former Phao… The Cuddy… and whatever else… well it is now becoming a branded restaurant for Wolffer Wines.    Yes, I will miss The Cuddy’s burgers! Early reports had the property opening soon as a tasting room but I’ve heard it’s actually going to have a full blown menu and be a real restaurant.   It will have a “high profile” chef that has already signed on to get behind the grill… or the stove… or the deep fryer… whatever they’ll have!    No word on weather they’ll have a steady reserve of Wolffer Rose to last through the summer.   Remember last year, our rose cups runnith dry!

Meanwhile, don’t cry for Espresso Argentina… they’re coming back to town.   Yes, the home of the best turkey focaccia sandwiches ever..anywhere… will be going into the space formerly occupied by Cigar Bar…. hopefully they’ll get rid of stale beer and stale cigarette smell. The property was vacant for the past few seasons and is already undergoing renovations! So now, you can get your sandwich and have your Yummylicious too (you know the place that looks like a “Hello Kitty” brothel).

Finally, one of the big benefits for years in the Hamptons was The Miracle House Memorial Day Kickoff at Bridgehampton Surf and Tennis Club.   It was wall to wall people every year and guests mingled with celebrities like Taylor Dane, Andy Cohen and Cheyenne Jackson.   Well the organization which housed severely ill adults in NYC sadly shuttered last year.   It was a loss for the community in NYC and created a hole in the all important Hamptons benefit schedule.   Well now comes word that the date and the location have been reserved by the  LGBT Network of Long Island.   Tickets will start at a affordable $250 for the cocktail party and are already available with additional information on the organizations website!

WARNING… BEACH PASSES ARE GOING FAST…. REAL ESTATE ACTIVITY AND A BRIEF RESTAURANT UPDATE!

So my Monday Morning Market Report is on Wednesday Friday this week.   Get over it.

You have to be kidding Bill?

I’m’ not running the train or the Jitney here.   Well, not that being on time matters for the Hampton Jitney.   The reason is we finally had a decent weekend where we didn’t have 3 feet of snow or freezing rain.   I was busy. Once again I’ve spoken to my cadre of experienced brokers (about 10 in all from various companies and office) and they’ve given this weekend a “B-” rating.    While it still hasn’t reached “the kind of traffic we should have this time of year”, things are definitely picking up.  Rental inventory continues to remain good but there is a pent up demand according to many – potential tenants have been making inquiries but haven’t taken the trek out here to seal the deal.   Look for that to change in the next few weeks.   A few attorneys have also remarked to me, that they are now feeling the effects of the arctic blast from a few weeks ago and things are quiet.   Meanwhile, Bill Evans on channel 7 WABC says we are in for another blast of winter this weekend, so pull that parka back out of the closet…  you’re going to need it this weekend. Agents and brokers, get ready for all of the cancellations!

Please keep the chicken pot pie on the menu and bring back the guacamole!

Meanwhile, the clock is ticking for Beach Passes thanks to people buying them online.  Make sure you do so soon.  Sources told me they’re selling like hot cakes and they’re already 2/3 of the way to being sold out!   It might not seem like it’s beach time yet but believe me it will be here before that next wrinkle on my your forehead!  Click here if you want to get yours now!

Finally, some quick restaurant updates!  There is a new tenant getting set to move into the former Georgica Restaurant in Wainscott.   Rumor around town is it’s going to be Italian and it’s a restaurant already here in the Hamptons….. Hmmmmmm.   Anyone know? There’s been a ton of cars in the parking lot lately and seems there may be some renovations taking place.

Also, Highway Diner is doing some major renovations and will be reopening sometime in the next 3 weeks.   I’m not sure if the menu will be changing but the interior is undergoing a few changes to make it a little more “homey.”

WEEKEND MARKET REPORT…. APOCALYPSE HAMPTONS AND HOW TO HANG WITH ALEC!

Winter siting of Hamtpons house hunters!

So this week’s weekend roundup is a day late.  What can I say, I was busy chipping ice from my walks and salting my driveway.     While we finally got out of single digits this past weekend and we qualified as a B-.     “We’re still not seeing the kind of activity we should at this time of the year but it’s still better than what we’ve seen the past few weeks,”  said one experienced agent.
now have everyone on the verge of getting spring fever.   This in turn helped traffic this past weekend for Hamptons rental and sales.   While most of the activity was rental focused, there was definitely more interest in sales this past weekend than we’ve seen over the past polar vortex infused months.   Considering the lingering icy conditions and the snow this past weekend of agents and brokers I spoke to the first weekend

“They love the smell of low wafting bacon in the morning”

If you’ve ever flown across country you know how pilots love to point out landmarks like the Grand Canyon or St. Louis Arch, well when it comes the Hamptons it seems like the pilots enjoy getting as close a look as possible!  “Folks, look to your right and you can see Martha Stewart picking flowers.” Well this Thursday evening, could it be a last call for boarding at East Hampton Airport?  Most definitely not but it does appear that things are going to be changing in some ways at HTO (FAA letters).  It will all begin at 4:30pm when The East Hampton Town Board will be listening to comments from all interested parties. Proposed are regulations to set late night, early morning and weekend restrictions on noisy aircraft coming and going.

Currently there are no restrictions on when you can land or takeoff. If you want to wake up the entire East End with your giant Sikorsky helicopter (Hi Ira!) at four in the morning….you can.  Residents from all east end towns who are tired of rattling martini glasses and interrupted poolside conversations may finally get some relief after years of increased traffic to and from HTO.  And now
that crowd-sorcerers like Blade are offering bargain basement rates you can
expect the racket to increase even more unless the Town Board sets some limits.
What do you think? The East Hampton Town Board would like to know. You can email them and become part of the public comment at HTOcomments@EHamptonNy.gov

 

Your new BFF!?

You can also watch the
proceeding live on LTV but if you do you’d better have plenty of popcorn.  Helicopter
pilots plan to show up en-masse to plead their case and residents from all East
End towns are coming loaded for bear.  Local government in action!

Meanwhile, do you want to hang with a Hamptons “A-lister?”   Well here’s your chance. Charitybuzz.com is taking bids to see a performance of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons” and then have a meet and greet with it’s star Alec Baldwin after the performance at Guild Hall in East Hampton.    You can get the details by clicking here because as you know with all these things there is always the fine print.   I have to say, I’ve always been a fan of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons” but will it be the same without Fred Mac Murray?   I also never understood what happened to the brother Mike from the first couple seasons.

Weekend Wrap-up; Renting Sight Unseen… Winter of Our Discontent Continues!

So, it was another snowy weekend here on the East End.    The snow, the ice, the frigid cold and the general lousy weather continues here in the Hamptons.     While internet activity for rentals and sales still remains strong and steady,  the number of people willing to trek through snow and frigid temps is dwindling.    This in turn has led to a number of rentals actually being rented sight unseen.

Rapid Rescue… lifesavers!  Yep, that’s my car!

One broker I spoke with “E” said it, “makes me very nervous.”    Renting from a picture which could have very well been photo-shopped is a bad idea.    Another agent “G” indicated that they’re seeing tenants from previous seasons going back to the house they rented last year so they don’t have to come back out and look again.    Speaking to my cadre (aren’t you impressed with my vocabulary?) of experienced brokers and agents, the weather continues to put somewhat of a damper on the Hamptons market.   That being said, once the snow melts they’re expecting an explosion of activity….  because phones are ringing and e-emails are being traded back and forth.  So the grade for this weekend was a C+. I really have to go to Florida soon! 

An offer at Guild Hall you can’t refuse!

If you want an example of how difficult it is to get around the Hamptons, look no further than yours truly.     I made the mistake of taking my “4 Wheel” car out last night to pick up some food.    But alas, after one gunning of the accelerator and a slippy driveway I ended up in a snow bank on my own driveway.   I mean with all of the ice, if you don’t see sharp you’ll be flat (read that again).   Anyway, thanks to RAPID RECOVERY and $135,  I finally got my car out this morning.    By the way, I also want to thank my lovely neighbor for trying to pretend he didn’t see.    I wasn’t going to ask for your help anyway!    So for the next few days, keep Rapid Recovery on speed dial, they were great and there in about an hour…(631) 728-7752.

Meanwhile, this week there’s an offer at Guild Hall you can’t refuse.  The East Hampton film society will be presenting a special screening this Thursday night at 7 p.m. of the 1972 classic, “The Godfather.”  Personally I liked the “Godfather II” better but still this flick glues me to the screen every time I catch it on TV.   Tickets are $8.00 for non members.  If you want more information  click here for the website and you can also buy tickets.  So, take it to the mattresses and go get a ticket…. otherwise you may find a horse in your bed!