east hampton for about $800K

I suspect that if you look you will find it. Last yr. we bought 4 br. , 2200 sq.ft with pool on 2 acres in that area. Walking distance to bay, but not a real beach for 840 k. Last yr. we saw a larger house on 0.5 acres near Lion's Head with a marina -listed for 799k, sold supect that it went for 750 or maybe less. Our house listed for 995k, but our broker knew that the owner was negociable.

Thanks. How are you enjoying that area?

That area is more 'woodsy' than 'beachy'. It is far from town, many areas/blocks are suspect (not great homes/very close to each other)

Have you actually ever been there yourself? If you just drove around you would know this for yourself. Asking opinions from strangers on a 800k purchase is not wise as people have agendas (all answers can be from brokers trying to push homes)

I personally would rather a house upstate over that area, but that is me

i have been there. i rented a house there for a long weekend last summer. it was right around maidstone park. we were able to go jogging along the water, kayak, and hit the beach. Only a 10 min drive into town for restaurants. I also enjoyed the boat house. But having spent only one weekend its hard to get a good feel for the place. Therefore I thought i ask around.

We love our area, Old Stone Highway. It's true that it's woodsy, but I like that. 10 minutes by car to Wibourg beach.

I just purchased a house in Clearwater beach community and I am very happy (also price is much lower) I was also trying to find something closer to the beach in that price range... but I could only find houses in the area where I have to Drive to the beach (or a looong walk). the bay beach is clearly different from the ocean beach but I like it now... You can also get a resident pass which allows you to park at certain beachs in the east hampton (except the village beachs). I hope you find your dream house soon :)

happy: i am glad you are enjoying your house. is this a vacation home? are there any restaurants/stores in the clearwater area?

how do you get the village beach pass? is it only for those whole live in east hampton village?

non-resident beach passes become available sometime in late winter, early spring. Call East Hampton Town Hall to find out. A limited # are issued, but anyone can get them. Last year they cost $375/season. They allow you to park at any of the East Hampton ocean beaches and most bay beaches.

Yes, it is our vacation home. There are a few good restaurants along three mile harbor road but, as far as I know, there is no restaurant or store in the Clearwater beach community.. I’ve not applied for the beach pass yet but I agree with mym.. you just can not go to the beaches belong to the east hammpton village with the pass you get as a resident of the town of EH... just be aware. You should definitely drive around… I like the Clearwater beach area because it is closer to the water but it is a little far from the town (I usually drive.. about 8 to 10 min.. beautiful drive along Three Mile Harbor Road) I also looked some houses in Northwest woods area and I saw really nice houses but I thought the area was too woody for us. Once you find a house regardless where, you will really enjoy… The Hamptons is just too nice to miss… Good luck!!

Im an agent and have lived in that area most of my life, i suggest looking at whats available and looking at the surrounding properties, if you like the house and whats around it your in luck. There are many very nice houses in that price range, there is no other way but to get out there and start looking. As far as woodsy, you can always check on the clearing restrictions, if allowed, clear out some of the trees and let the natural light in.

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Happy in Clearwater: I saw a couples of houses in the clearwater area. one of them i really like. but its about 1.3 miles from the clearwater beach (off kings point road). walking distance, but not really. i see that there is beach access off springs fireplace rd, where it meets hog creek lane. do you know if thats a public access point? that would be a lot closer.

hows your house? are you walking distance to a beach?

hypothetical question. if you have two identical houses. one is 3 miles north of the village, in northwest woods, around the southern part of 3 mile harbour, and the other is in clearwater area, 1 mile from the beach. which one do you think would be more valuable?

the real question is if a tree drops in both locations and you are at the other, did it make a sound?

ekartash, I think proximity to the village always wins over _______. The problem with Clearwater is that it is technically part of Springs, which has all kinds of non-positive connotations. It is also much denser than the Northwest Woods and does not boast any "premium" addresses, e.g., Bull Path. Don't get me wrong- I love me some Clearwater Beach. But it is (relatively) densely developed and you have to pass through lots of crappy Springs neighborhoods before you get there. It's remote location also means your summer weekend slog is that much longer. My favorite parts of the Northwest are closer to the Harbor- Settlers Landing, Spring Banks area, etc. You really feel like you are deep within some kind of an alpine forest, yet you're just a few miles from the ocean.

we just looked at some houses in both the northwest and the springs. its weird, but i actually prefer the springs. we looked at houses in landfall, and while the area is really nice, its a bit complicated to get into town. not sure if i would want to be doing that drive at night. but as i said, the area looks much better than most of the springs. another reason i like the springs is that it does have a few restaurants around there, so its not always necessary to into town. as far i know, there is nothing up in northwest.
so now i am torn. i like the house and location in clearwater, but i dont want to buy something that might lose value faster in northwest (if real estate keeps dropping). what to do what to do

hejiranyc, can you explain what you mean by "non-positive connotations"?

I've just started looking at places in the Northwest and the Springs, looking for a big house, 4+ brs, 3000+ sq ft, willing to spend significantly more that 800. Its clear from my initial efforts that the Northwest is a more robust market (higher prices etc) and thus presumably a more "desirable" area, but in the very limited time we spent in the Springs, it seemed very nice to us, yes a lot of older more modest homes, but 'crappy neighborhoods"? what are you referring to?

We bought in the Springs last yr., aware that it's considered less prestigious. The only solid negative is that the taxes are higher. There are some streets with small houses on small lots, but if you get a large house on a large piece of land, I don't see why it should matter A lot of local year round residents live in the Springs and thus thus the Springs school system has more kids, necessitating higher taxes.On the other hand I think that you get more house and land for your money. I also really like some of its winding roads-it's less flat than many areas in the Hamptons.

how is the traffic going from the springs into the village and ocean beaches during the summer?

traffic to ocen beaches is just fine-I go twice a day-once in the early am to walk my dog, later on for myself. Traffic ino the village is bad as you near the village-but that's true, no matter from where you come from. 27 gets crowded on the weekend, but I take Old Stone highway to Accabonac straight to Wibourg beach. I only cross 27, don't stay on it. No matter where you buy, you ultimately have to learn to avoid 27 and the heart of the village on summer weekends.

we purchased a home last year on 3 mile harbor after looking all over the hamptons and just beyond to the west (from east quogue to east hampton) for well over 2 years.

we love 3 mile harbor. its woodsy and watery and there is an ecletic mix of homes at various price points. its just 5 minutes to downtown east hamtpon, just a few minutes more to all of downtown amagansett and their ocean beaches, and just a few minutes fewer to the restaurants, grocery store, pharmacy, dry cleaner etc on north main. in short it is super convenient!

the east hampton town beach sticker is just fine, and we go to the amagansett beaches most often, though we love heading out to montauk as well. and off season, of course, there are no limitations on which beaches we can visit.

no matter what brokers tell you, the fact is, there are lots of properties for sale, and STILL too few qualified buyers out there. also keep in mind: in addition to the for sale signs you see on properties everywhere, there are SO many houses for sale where there ISN'T a sign! some are guarding their privacy (even north of the highway) and some, i suspect, are leery of the pricing impression when so many houses are for sale on a given street. once you get to know the listings and the neighborhoods, you'll discover just how rampant this practice is.

things are definitely not as dire as a few years ago, but to call the market even remotely robust would be seriously inaccurate. so keep looking for the property that sings to you and fits your budget.

lastly, northwest woods does have more stability than springs as far as short term real estate values go, but there are some lovely houses in the springs and if you want to BE OUT HERE, and are considering a purchase for the long term, what happens to real estate values over the next few years shouldn't be the deciding factor. quality of life is what its really all about.

thanks wendyw. would you mind if i picked your brain with a few more questions? i am at ekartash@mac.com

thank you

Ekartash post your qs here and ill check back and answer what I can.

Did you buy in springs or nw? How are the bay beaches in the summer? Are they crowded?
We really like this one particular house. Its in the springs. 2600 sq ft. .5 acre. Completely redone. 900k. But its hard to get a read on whether or not its a good value, since there have been so few sales. Not sure if we should pull the trigger, or maybe wait and see if prices will drop some more.

Ekartash -- nw.

Can't comment on public bay beaches as we have bay access in our neighb.

As far as price, I think it's a good time to buy a recently renovated property. anyone who remodeled thru say 2008 was too late to sell & catch the boom. If the property is for sale now the likelihood is an owner who needs to get his/her/their money out. Otherwise they would wait til the market was in more of a solid recovery and sell then.

It's a buyers market. You won't get a steal but you can make a fair deal happen if you can secure the financing and know your own financial
boundaries and comfort level.

If you love the place, try to make the deal -- what you're actually able and willing to pay.

Of course I say that in part because i don't see homes as investments above all else. I see them first and foremost as places for good times with family and friends. So to me waiting a year for prices to drop necessarily makes less sense than it might for someone who places more emphasis on a property's investment potential.

It took us over 2 years because we just couldn't find the house we wanted in our price range. We started in 2007, when prices were still nuts. Ultimately the house we wanted became available in our price range and we made the deal happen.

Could we have found something similar this year for slightly less? Sort of. But not really. Because we LOVE our house and are happy to be here making it into a home, experiencing the seasons, etc. And because it fit our budget perfectly, so it's not a stretch.

I don't believe in stretching. Too stressful, too tenuous and dependent on everything lining up just right. And if the last few years have taught us anything it's that things can majorly nor line up just right!

If you love it and can reliably afford it, try to put a deal together. Life is short.

thanks wendyw. i am not one to stretch myself financially. i just want to make sure that what i am getting is on par with the market. i am not looking to rob anyone. just want a fair deal.
we are thinking of getting our own appraisal done on the house, prior to going into contract. what are your thoughts on how accurate todays' appraisal reports are?

I would look in east hampton north of the highway then you are close to east hampton, sag harbor amagan. and bridge. More for your money north. You can also look in noyak which doesn't have the cache but get even a larger house. North west woods or wainscott - something off of route 114. Springs is further away but you can get even a larger house.

Springs rules!! Yes , Yes Bub