Most expensive Hamptons home sales of 2024

A good home is hard to find — even for Wall Street's masters of the universe. 

Hamptons real estate brokers involved in the 10 priciest deals of 2024 reported having trouble finding the right oceanfront mansion or verdant estate for their buyers because too few came to market last year.

"I have 10 people who want to spend over $20 million on a property and there's nothing that's attractive for them to purchase," said Kyle Rosko, a real estate agent at Douglas Elliman in Bridgehampton. 

Newsday compiled a list of the 10 most expensive Hamptons home sales through data supplied by Jonathan Miller, CEO of Manhattan appraisal firm Miller Samuel, property records and interviews with luxury real estate brokers.

The number of mega deals of at least $50 million in the Hamptons was down to just one in 2024, according to Newsday's analysis. That is down from four deals of at least $50 million in 2023 and is the lowest number since there were no deals of that size from 2017 to 2019, according to Miller.

"It was actually a robust year for high-end real estate but not in the super luxury category," Miller said, adding that a frenzy during the pandemic gobbled up high-end inventory. "It's not that the market was weak in 2024. It's that there wasn't a lot of product to sell."

The 10th-priciest sale last year was nearly $21 million. That compares with $28 million for the 10th highest sale in 2023 and $40 million in 2022.

Hamptons real estate experts described 2024 as a wait-and-see year. Buyers were watching for a potential drop in interest rates that could boost their financial fortunes, agents said, and for the outcome of the presidential election.

"There was a lot of hesitation in the market this year," said Tim Davis, an associate broker at Corcoran, who co-listed this year's top sale. 

Still, there are buyers ready to pounce on the right property. 

"It's not like we're sitting around with oceanfront houses that are in perfect condition on the market for sale," he said. "... The buyer pool is there. It's just that everything needs to align."

The top sale, an $89 million deal for two oceanfront houses on Gin Lane in Southampton, was unusual in that it was auctioned at Sotheby's Concierge Auctions in Manhattan. The rest sold either through public listings or private channels. 

Auctions had typically been synonymous with distressed properties, said Joseph De Sane, managing director of Bespoke Real Estate, which co-listed the Gin Lane homes. In this case, it created a condensed time frame for buyers to make a decision. 

"It really forces the highly concentrated energy around making a deal," he said. 

Despite the attention paid to the top sales, they represent only a sliver of the broader Hamptons market, in which more than 1,000 homes had already traded during the first nine months of the year.

The median price across the Hamptons — from Westhampton to Montauk — was up 23% to $1.75 million through the nine months ending in September, according to data from real estate brokerage Douglas Elliman and Miller Samuel. 

Here are the top 10 sales of 2024. All sales closed between Jan. 1 and Dec. 15. 

No 1.

La Dune, a 4.2-acre estate with two shingle-sided mansions, claimed the top sale for 2024 after a multiyear odyssey on the market that ended with an auction at Sotheby's.

The Southampton estate, then-owned by former art magazine publisher Louise Blouin, had once been listed for as much $150 million. It was sold as part of Blouin's Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

But its years on and off the market appeared to take a toll on the eventual sale price despite the spectacular features of the property.

"It was certainly different. It was not a process I'd been involved with previously," said Tim Davis, an associate broker at Corcoran, who co-listed the property with Harald Grant, of Sotheby's International Realty, and Cody Vichinsky, of Bespoke Real Estate.

"I would say it was a success in that it did sell at auction and it closed."

The sale price included a 12% buyer's premium, charged by Sotheby's Concierge Auctions for bringing the property to auction. Susie Park, an agent at Compass, brought the buyer.

If it had sold for its one-time list price of $150 million, it would have set the all-time Long Island record, surpassing the 2014 purchase of an 18-acre East Hampton home on Further Lane by billionaire Barry Rosenstein.

La Dune has more than 400 feet of beachfront with a bulkhead protecting the property. The estate's namesake home was built in the early 1900s, while the second mansion was built in the early 2000s, according to information provided by Sotheby's.

The two homes have more than 21,000 square feet of living space combined. The older home has 10 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, a home gym, a library, a sauna and a home theater. There are also several decks and patios for enjoying ocean breezes, according to the real estate listing.

The newer residence has nine bedrooms, nine bathrooms a grand staircase that rises to the home's main level, an elevator, a full-service kitchen and its own staff suite.

The property features two gunite pools and a sunken all-weather tennis court, according to the listing.

"It's a quintessential Hamptons oceanfront property built at a time when people were building these seaside mansions," Davis said. "... It had pools, a tennis court and frontage on one of the best beaches in the world, so it's hard to beat."

Blouin had purchased the property in the 1990s for $13.5 million. The buyer was a pair of LLCs registered at the address of the estate.

No. 2

Moving to the northern edge of the South Fork, this waterfront compound sits on bluffs 50 feet above Noyack Bay.

The 12,000-square-foot home has six bedrooms, a two-tiered infinity-edge pool and a tennis court, according to a listing from Bespoke, which listed the house and brought the buyer. The grounds include lush gardens, a stone bridge and a pond.

The home, on 6½ acres across three lots, is within a gated community and has sunset views over the bay, including from outdoor terraces and the viewing decks, listing details show. 

Inside, there are marble-walled bathrooms, seven wood-burning fireplaces, three spiral staircases, a wine cellar and a grotto with an indoor pool.

The home has access to a private mooring ball that can accommodate a 160-foot yacht and its dock is suitable for landing a seaplane, according to the listing.

No. 3

This 4,500-square-foot home, off East Hampton's Further Lane and steps from Two Mile Hollow Beach, sold in a private sale in April.

The shingle-style home with a pool sold for $3.4 million in 1999, according to public records.

The owner was granted a variance by the village in June allowing a sculpture that had been placed 69 feet from the road, which was 6 feet too close to comply with the village zoning code.

No. 4

This deal to acquire land and enter a construction contract with Michael Davis Design & Construction was the highest price ever paid for an inland home in Sagaponack, according to Hedgerow Exclusive Properties.

The custom 14,000-square-foot home will have 12 bedrooms, including two primary suites, as well as 12 full bathrooms and five half bathrooms. The plan calls for a 60-foot-long gunite pool with a pool house as well as an outdoor kitchen and sunken tennis court.

A house of that size on 3.3 acres is difficult to find, and the buyers took comfort that the builder had approved plans, said listing agent Terry Cohen, of Hedgerow Exclusive Properties, in Bridgehampton.

"That’s hard to obtain in Sagaponack," she said.

The indoor and outdoor areas will be linked by glass walls, which showcase the backyard including an outdoor dining area that seats 18.

Inside, there will be a theater, a wine room, a yoga space, an infrared sauna, a steam shower and a gym, according to the listing.

Christopher Covert, of the Modlin Group, represented the buyer in the deal. 

No. 5

This stone, slate and stucco home sits on the southern end of Lake Agawam.

President Joe Biden had stayed at the home on occasion while he was vice president, according to listing broker Tim Davis. The seller was tech entrepreneur and philanthropist David Bohnett, who founded the early website GeoCities that sold to Yahoo in 1999, records show.

There are also eastward ocean views from the second-floor bedrooms and roof terrace. The six-bedroom, eight-and-a-half bathroom home's other amenities include an elevator, a 45-by-20-foot pool as well as a pool house, according to the listing. Its main floor has an open plan connecting the kitchen to its family room, and large windows offer sweeping views of the lake. 

"It was sort of a perfect storm — a beautiful lakefront property, priced fairly and like new, so you didn't need to do anything to that house, and that's a rarity," Davis said. "The buyer took advantage of it."

The home sold in 2005 for $12 million, records show.

Rosko, who represented the buyer in the deal, said his clients had been searching for about six months without finding the right fit before coming across the lakefront property, which matched their taste.

When buyers "really feel like it's of a sensibility in which they would have done it themselves, it's very exciting. It's very rare," Rosko said. 

No. 6

Sylvester Stallone purchased this new 11,600-square-foot East Hampton home on about 1 acre, which was sold furnished by renowned interior designer James Michael Howard, the New York Post reported last month.

Howard had lifted the property's existing home and rebuilt it on a new foundation, moving it closer to the street and giving it a larger backyard and room for a pool house, said Corcoran broker Gary DePersia who co-listed the property with Douglas Elliman brokers Martha Gundersen and Paul Brennan. Howard also curated a selection of art, antiques and furniture to allow its new owner to begin enjoying the home immediately. 

"If you've ever worked with an interior designer, you know how much effort and time it takes to furnish a house and this way they can come in and use  the house right away," DePersia said. "They bring their toothbrush, bring their clothes and they're using this house."

Attempting to undertake the scale of Howard's work elsewhere would be much more expensive today given the increase in the cost of construction and the length of time needed to get permits, Gundersen said.

"People want certainty," she said. 

The eight-bedroom, eight-bathroom home includes a double-height foyer with a curved staircase; a chef's kitchen with marble-and-glass-infused countertops; and a primary suite with a steam shower, fireplace and dual walk-in closets. Its lower level includes a 14-seat theater and custom pool table, listing details show. 

Outdoor amenities include a covered living room, a heated pool and a more than 300-square-foot cabana, per a listing brochure.

James Petrie, an agent at Compass, represented the buyer in the deal. He declined to confirm the buyer's identity.

No. 7

This shingle-style home on about an acre at the end of Seascape Lane has views of Sagaponack Pond and the ocean as well as nearby preserved land, Newsday reported earlier this year when the home hit the market for about $26 million. 

Built in 2008, the six-bedroom, nine-bathroom home has a heated pool with a cabana and a gym above its garage as well as fireplaces throughout the home, Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty agent Deborah Pirro told Newsday. Pirro co-listed the property with broker Diane Anderson. They shared the listing with Sotheby's broker Marilyn Clark and agent Raquel Lopez-Clark. 

The home's sweeping water views and interior design by Steven Gambrel helped it go under contract in under three weeks, Pirro said. 

The seller Daniel Barry told Newsday earlier this year the property's location a short kayak ride across the pond from the ocean distinguishes it from other Hamptons homes.

No. 8

This 6-acre estate features the second largest home among this year's top deals, at more than 17,400 square feet. It is within the Fordune section of Southampton, where Henry Ford II once owned a 200-acre oceanfront estate.

The 2003 home underwent a recent renovation by builder Charles Rich Design and features deeded ocean access and proximity to Flying Point Beach, according to the listing from Bespoke Real Estate.

Highlights of the eight-bedroom, 13-bathroom home include its glass-domed solarium. There's also a great room with a 21-foot ceiling and two 16th-century French Renaissance limestone fireplace mantels. Outside, there's a pool and a pool house, a clay tennis court, a greenhouse and landscaped gardens, the listing shows. 

No. 9

Location, classic details and a modern renovation made this sale in the estate section of East Hampton a standout, said James Petrie, who listed the property with the Petrie team at Compass. 

The eight-bedroom, eight-bathroom, 10,000-square-foot home was built and designed by architect Thomas Nash around 1900, according to the listing. The house was repositioned on the 1-acre property about a decade ago, when the owner sought to replicate the original details on a new foundation while adding modern amenities and systems.

"The sellers of that property did an amazing job renovating, making that place their own, but keeping all the older detail," Petrie said. "They modernized it but they also stuck with tradition, and I think that was part of the reason they got such a good number."

The house includes a double-height center hall, detailed millwork and heated stone floors, according to the listing. The primary living quarters upstairs include a paneled study with a fireplace and two en suite bathrooms. There's also an all-season sunroom with built-in ceiling heaters that overlooks the pool. 

Outside, there is a pergola-covered dining area and a yard that includes 200-year-old London plane trees as well as gardens with dogwoods, hydrangeas and roses. 

Lori Schiaffino, of Compass, brought the buyer, who purchased the home through an LLC.

The house sold in 2011 for $6 million, according to property records.

No. 10

This seven-bedroom, four-bathroom home on 2.4 acres sold in February. 

The roughly 6,100-square-foot home was built in 1991, according to public records, which show a previous sale in 2021 for $5 million. It was purchased by an LLC bearing the same name as its address.

With Caroline Curtin

By Jonathan LaMantia

jonathan.lamantia@newsday.com@jonlamantia

Jonathan LaMantia covers residential real estate and other business news on Long Island. He previously covered the business of health care for Crain's New York Business.