I’VE BEEN GETTING FED UP with house prices here in the Humptons. Yesterday my friend Debre and I stumbled upon an old farmhouse with a ‘For Sale’ sign on Old Stone Highway in Springs, below, found the door open (!) and the realtor’s flyers conveniently stacked on the kitchen counter. I was hoping it was under $1mil. In fact, they’re asking $2.5mil.
Turns out that’s for two houses — a barn-like 7BR place built at the back of the property in 2001, plus the renovated 4BR 19th century house, above, nearer the road (suggested in the literature as a guest house), both on 1.5 acres. Still, that’s a big number, and this blog is supposed to be about affordable real estate.
So I decided to troll the listings to see what’s new on the low end of the scale here on the East End of Long Island, and turned up these three older properties — one in the Sag Harbor area on the South Fork and two in Greenport on the North Fork — for much more agreeable prices. (Click on the live links below for more details.)
I love the look of this 2BR Craftsman-style bungalow in Greenport, below, asking 365K. Said to be in excellent condition, with a couple of outbuildings, and well-located near the harbor.
These have always intrigued me: Breezy Shores is a bayfront community in Greenport made up of classic 1940s beach cottages, below, with a shared beach and marina. No heat, unfortunately, so their use is limited, and prices have gone up since I last looked. There are two available, asking 349K for each.
See how great it could look here.
This nondescript cottage, below, is really cheap for the South Fork: asking 299K. Not having seen it, I make no representations. It’s on Noyack Avenue in Pine Neck, near the water, with mooring rights and gas heat. Maybe it could be charmed up? I’m sure a team of editors from Domino magazine could have done it.
With summer ending, houses languishing on the market, and interest rates still low, this could be a very good time to look.
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3 comments
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September 2, 2009 at 11:01 am
Ellen Thunder
Hey Cara,
Glad to see you’ve kept up the pace with your witty and well-informed observations. From my vantage point here in the sleepy hamlet of East Quogue, I’d say this is an excellent time to shop. There is so much property on the market, most of it small bungalows/summer homes. In fact, the other day, I got a call from a builder whose spec house is across the road from my house. He is basically having a distress sale of all the properties he’s acquired and intended to flip. Drop a line if you’re interested in the particulars. Anyway, I’m glad to have you out here on the East End. Do you think you’ll spent the autumn/winter here?
ET
September 2, 2009 at 11:11 am
cara
Hey Ellen, glad to see my blog is not forgotten by you! Yes, I’m interested in the particulars, if those are older properties with some modicum of charm (my blog post requirements). And yes, my intention is to stay here through fall and into winter, and see how that goes – I have enough landscaping and decorating projects to keep me busy.
September 3, 2009 at 12:13 pm
karen bruno
I’d love to learn more about the spec houses you mentioned. Thanks!