BHS takes Corcoran’s old Sag Harbor digs

Charles Manger and BHS’ old Sag Harbor location at 76 Main Street

Brown Harris Stevens has moved its Sag Harbor office down the street from its old digs at 76 Main Street, continuing the group’s nearly two-year pattern of office relocations throughout the East End. Since 2007, BHS has relocated its Bridgehampton and Southampton offices as well, and added a new office in Amagansett.

The new office, located at 96 Main Street, is the site of the Corcoran Group’s old Sag Harbor home. Corcoran closed the office in February 2009, during its massive consolidation on the East End. Corcoran has been steadily paring down its Hamptons presence. While still a massive force in the region — Corcoran has the greatest number of agents on the East End — in April 2009 the company had 80 fewer agents in the area than two years earlier, according to an analysis by The Real Deal in April. BHS had 149 agents at the time.

BHS moved into the new space last week, Charles Manger, BHS’ executive director of Eastern Long Island, said. He estimates that the new Sag Harbor space is approximately 1,200 square feet, twice the size of its prior location.

The firm has an office each in Amagansett, Bridgehampton, Southampton and West Hampton Beach, and two in East Hampton, with a total of roughly 150 agents, including nine in Sag Harbor.

Manger said he isn’t concerned about picking up Corcoran’s bad luck.

“We’ve made very good strategic moves,” Manger said. He brushed off suggestions that expanding office space is a bad idea in the economic climate. “During this time is when we think we should be making this move.”

Manger said that since 2007, the firm’s focus on expansion in the region has been a priority. At the same time, he said, the company has been able to retain and bring on board new agents. He cited Bridgehampton as one location where, after moving offices, the firm was able to attract agents from competing companies.