Buying in Point Lookout: Small, walkable beach community
Lido Boulevard is Point Lookout's main street and has shops and restaurants. Credit: Howard Schnapp
THE SCOOP At three blocks wide and 11 blocks long, Point Lookout, the easternmost section of Long Beach Barrier Island, is a small, walkable, bike-able beach community that combines privacy and convenience.
"People absolutely fall in love with this community," said Paul A. Gomez of Point Realty. "We have a main street with shops and great restaurants, and we have swimming, boating and fishing and within minutes deep sea fishing in the ocean. My first job here was clamming."
Point Lookout was once a jumbo-sized sandbar, but that changed in the 1800s with the building of Long Beach. Credit: Howard Schnapp
Residents have their own private Point Lookout Beach, while still having easy access to New York City with the LIRR stop in Long Beach. The hamlet is surrounded by three bodies of water: Reynolds Channel, Jones Inlet and the Atlantic Ocean. Water-related recreation is the draw, said Gomez, whose family has been there for 67 years.
Residents have their own private access to Point Lookout Beach. Credit: Howard Schnapp
Point Lookout was once a jumbo-sized sandbar off the South Shore, but that changed in the 1800s after William Reynolds dredged the channel that bears his name and built the city of Long Beach. The easternmost end was a summer residence called Nassau-by-the-Sea and was accessible only by ferry from Freeport.
Just before World War I, a summer bungalow community appeared under the name Point Lookout. In the 20 years following the 1934 completion of the Loop Parkway, which made it easier to get to Point Lookout, roads were paved and summer bungalows were renovated and expanded into permanent homes. These days, even those remaining beach homes are being rebuilt in contemporary styles and selling for $800,000 to well over $1 million, said Tom Hug of Hug Real Estate. Housing inventory is low as buyers look for both rental and year-round homes.
Homes along Garden City Avenue, top, and Freeport Avenue in Point Lookout. Credit: Howard Schnapp
Gomez said a recent $17 million Army Corps of Engineers dredging contract, awarded to Norfolk Dredging Company, improved boater safety in Jones Inlet and deposited new sand on the beaches, increasing buyer interest in the area. "For every home that comes on the market, we have 20 to 30 times the number of people interested in buying them," he added.
Small pre-WWII bungalows are being renovated or replaced with homes that have high price tags. Credit: Howard Schnapp
CONDOS AND CO-OPS There are no condos or co-ops on the market.
SALE PRICES Between March 1, 2022, and Feb. 28, 2023, there were 8 home sales with a median sale price of $1,112,500, according to OneKey MLS. The low price for that period was $962,500 and the high was $1.53 million. During that period a year earlier there were 18 home sales with a median sale price of $1,212,500. The price range was $845,000 to $2.5 million.
OTHER STATS
Town Hempstead
Area 0.2 square miles
ZIP code 11569
Population 1,527
Median age 57.5
Median household income $160,093
Monthly LIRR ticket from Long Beach $277
School district, graduation rate Long Beach (97.4%)
Park Point Lookout Beach
Library Long Beach
Hospitals South Nassau Communities Hospital Off-Campus Emergency Department, Mount Sinai South Nassau
Transit NICE Bus Route 15
Sources: 2020 Census; 2020 American Community Survey; OneKey MLS; LIRR, data.nysed.gov
NOW ON MARKET
$2 million
Priced at $1.995 million, this Lynbrook Avenue estate home had two second-story sundecks. Credit: Frankie Hug
This tri-level, 2,973-square-foot home was built in 2021 and has five bedrooms, including a primary suite with two walk-in closets, and 2½ bathrooms. It also has three sundecks, a family room, grand kitchen, dining area, living room, outdoor shower, four-car driveway and one-car garage. It sits on a fenced-in .09-acre property. Taxes are $12,208. Tom Hug & Frankie Hug, Hug Real Estate, 516-835-6503.
$1.3 million
Priced at $1.3 million, this Freeport Avenue home was built in 1932. Credit: Paul A. Gomez
This three-story home, built in 1932, sits on a .05 acres. It has five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a living room with fireplace and separate access to a first floor living space. It also features a new garden patio, sundeck off the kitchen and chef's kitchen with granite countertops. Taxes are $9,859. Paul A. Gomez & Paul Gomez, Point Realty, 516-476-2009.
$989,000
Priced at $989,000, this Cedarhurst Avenue estate home has a custom wet bar. Credit: Frankie Hug
Built in 2003, this 2,486-square foot home on .05 acres has four bedrooms and 3½ bathrooms, including a primary bath with a spa tub and steam shower. It also has a new custom kitchen with a Viking stove, custom wet bar, large living room with fireplace, dining room and parking for four cars. Taxes are $14,651. Tom Hug & Frankie Hug, Hug Real Estate, 516-835-6503.
RECENTLY SOLD
$1.53 million
Bellmore Avenue
Style Colonial
Bedrooms 4
Bathrooms 2½
Built 1986
Lot size 0.1 acres
Taxes $15,684
+/- List price -$65,000
Days on market 187
$1.15 million
Baldwin Avenue
Style Colonial
Bedrooms 3
Bathrooms 2
Built 1908
Lot size 0.05 acres
Taxes $17,742
+/- List price -$89,000
Days on market 122
$990,000
Freeport Avenue
Style Other
Bedrooms 5
Bathrooms 3
Built 1932
Lot size 0.05 acres
Taxes $9,859
+/- List price -$110,000
Days on market 44
ON ONEKEY MLS
Number of listings 6
Price range $850,000 to $2 million
Tax range $6,710 to $14,651