Prudential Douglas Elliman broker Enzo Morabito and his team has taken home the top Elliman prize on the East End, according to Dan’s Papers. The Pinnacle Club Award, which recognizes the team with the highest gross commission income, was awarded at an Elliman event last week. Morabito, who noted that there remain “challenges [to] our still-recovering economy,” helped broker the sale of the Point, a $13 million Westhampton property, last year. [Dan's Papers]

In a down market, where buyers are reluctant to snap up pricey properties, some brokers are looking to teammates to close deals. Most real estate agents in the Hamptons look for trust, compatibility, and balance when they choose a business partner, according to a plethora of brokers interviewed this week by Hamptons.com. Other brokers are more strategic, recruiting team members that specialize in different kinds of properties and regions. Enzo Morabito, an associate broker with Prudential Douglas Elliman, said he selected his team for their different skills and qualities in the hopes of creating a well-rounded group. “My team members all basically do things better than I do,” Morabito said. Another partnership, Jack Pearson and Cee Scott Brown of the Corcoran Group, has been together for four years. “I am more technically oriented when it comes to generating paperwork and my partner Jack is more into the research,” Brown said.
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66 Seafield Lane, Westhampton Beach

After a year and a half trying to sell 66 Seafield Lane, a 100-plus-year-old 16,000-square-foot waterfront mansion in Westhampton Beach, Brown Harris Stevens has been joined by a competitor.
Three days ago, Enzo Morabito, head of the Enzo Morabito team at Prudential Douglas Elliman’s Mattituck office, was tapped to share the listing with the team that has been overseeing the now $29 million listing since March 2008, Brown Harris Stevens’ Marcia Altman and Mark Roter.
Both sides would get a chunk of the commission regardless of who closes the deal, but “if we get the listing [sold], we get the lion’s share,” Morabito said. “If they get the listing [sold], they get the lion’s share. Is it competitive? Sure.” [more]

Thirty-six bidders virtually raised their hands this weekend at an online auction for two Hamptons properties, with very different results. One property saw a “spirited” bidding war, with a final sale price more than $100,000 over the opening bid, said Prudential Douglas Elliman’s Enzo Morabito, who ran the auction. The other property’s bidders failed to meet the auction’s reserve price. Auctions have become increasingly popular in New York real estate over the last several months. Auction providers claim that auctions get things moving in a stalled market. But others argue that auctions merely hurt local property values. Morabito is of the former school of thought. “This kind of stuff usually starts something,” he said. “Anything that spotlights anything is better than silence. Hope is not a good marketing plan.” [more]