Editor’s Note

It’s the Hamptons, so the sun is shining, the waves are beckoning — and the ceiling on home prices can often seem as limitless as those blue, blue skies.

Stuart Elliott

Stuart Elliott

In the inaugural issue of our Hamptons Market Report, we feature a town-by-town breakdown of the area’s most expensive sales, which, despite a slightly slow start to this year’s luxury market, still boasted price tags in excess of $40 million.

On the development front, check out how using crowdfunding to build homes is catching fire in the Hamptons and how an increasing amount of land is trading hands as builders have grown more confident.

It’s not all clear blue skies, though. We look at how the rental market didn’t quite live up to the early hype this season, when there was talk of Memorial Day through Labor Day rentals nearing the $2 million range.

Meanwhile, we sit down with several scene-makers in East End real estate, including prolific developer Joe Farrell — known for his “McMansion” style in the Hamptons — and architecture firm Bates + Masi, who’ve won some 95 awards in the past dozen years. On the design front, we also examine the latest trend: modern barns.

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And our ranking of the area’s top luxury agents will give you a comprehensive look at who’s grabbing the exclusives on the lush property offerings on the table.

We also spend some time exploring the growth of Sag Harbor, where more upscale retail, resorts and condos are sprouting up. This being the Hamptons and not Midtown Manhattan, not everyone is so excited about the growth.

And on the North Fork, we survey the retail scene in Greenport, which retains its small town vibe with a series of new stores that some say emulate a certain popular New York City borough (hint: it’s Brooklyn). And check out our roundup of six other Long Island markets beyond the East End for a little less glitz and a little more affordability.

Finally, don’t miss our coverage of all the celebrity real estate wheelings and dealings in the Hamptons. Among the properties on offer is a $140 million Georgica Pond estate that would rival the Hamptons all-time record of $147 million (which is still the priciest sum ever paid for a home in the U.S.).

There’s plenty more valuable information on the East End real estate market inside. Enjoy!