Real Estate has, historically, been one of the best hedges against inflation. East End properties have proven to be excellent, stable, long-term investments. My stockbrokers, financial advisors, and accountants convinced me to “diversify” with stocks, bonds, and securities. I went kicking and screaming years ago. Now, more than three decades later, they are all clients and my real estate investments in land, commercial & residential have secured my future. Having brokered real estate transactions through the ’87 crash, 2000 NASDAQ crash, 2008/2009 fall of Bear Stearns & Lehman Bros, a ..read more

Susan Donofrio | Vice President, Town & Country Title A recent title fraud situation on the North Fork is a prime example of why getting a title search involved early is imperative. A purported owner of a property in New Suffolk reached out to a real estate agent outside of the area looking to sell a piece of vacant land. The agent took all the information over the phone and never met the seller. The property went to contract. A neighbor of the vacant property became aware of the sale and contacted the owner about the sale. The owner’s response, “What sale?” When the actual owner contacted ..read more

2022 was like a “Year of March” – it came in like a lion and went out like a lamb. All 12 markets monitored by Town & Country Real Estate fell, and most fell pretty hard on the Number of Home Sales. All 12 markets monitored by T&C also experienced declines in the Total Home Sales Volume. Yet, and it’s a big ‘yet’, 11 of the 12 markets saw increases in the Median Home Sales Price. The only drop in Median Home Sales Price was in Sag Harbor Village where the Median Home Sales Price went from $2,400,000 in 2021 down to $2,100,000 in 2022. In fact, three of our Hampton markets had a Median ..read more

When I began my real estate career interest rates were nearly 18%. Yep, 18%. We mastered negotiating owner financing terms. As rates ‘normalized’, the consensus was ‘as long as they remain under 10%, we’re good!’ Maybe that’s why I’m not phased by the current rates, or where I believe they’re headed. Part of the problem today is that we’re coming off artificially low-interest rates. 2% – really? Cheap money is like giving a kid a table full of all kinds of candy and letting them gorge on it. They start to think it’s normal. Then, as all good parents do when you realize this is unhealthy, you ..read more

Town & Country Real Estate’s Judi Desiderio, CEO and Real Estate Broker, joined a panel of east End real estate professionals to discuss the East End Real Estate market as the first in a series of Express Sessions hosted by The Express News Group, which includes the Southampton Press and Sag Harbor Express. In terms of sales and rentals, the market has been booming since the start of the pandemic in early 2020 and continued right through the year with total sales volume up nearly 150 percent in the fourth quarter of the year. With the arrival of Presidents Day weekend and a new season ahe ..read more

2022 was quite a ride for East End Real Estate Markets. In fact, the past 2+ years felt like a poorly engineered roller coaster. The Real Estate Report dated 12/30/22 reported 29 sales for the last week of the year, of which 6 were vacant lots and 3 were commercial properties. The report posted $62,747,490 as the total dollar amount recorded. To most people, this may not mean much, but for this self-proclaimed numbers junkie it was stinging. Any agent will admit ‘business is down’ but this validates by just how much. A ‘typical’ week — if I may be so bold to use the word ‘typical’ — has approx ..read more

7 Lari Lane In the heart of Shelter Island, you will find a hidden jewel. This carefully curated property overlooking Coecles Harbor offers everything you could want in an island home – at-hand boating leisure, a view from nearly every room, and 2.3 acres of roaming landscape. There’s even a charming gazebo to take in the sunset after a day on the boat. Backyard Basin The highlight and rare advantage of this home is the backyard boat basin that was built in 1968 at the labor of 3 local men; Fred Smith, Frank Klenawicus, and Alfred Polywoda. Built from the ground up, it is 1 of the only privat ..read more