Hamptons renters lured to spots further east

Brokers and landlords hoping to kickstart this season’s leasing activity in the Hamptons are seeing renters showing a preference for spots further east, the New York Post reported.

Ernie Cervi, executive managing director of the Corcoran Group’s Bridgehampton office, told the Post that renters were interested in places such as Amagansett and Montauk. “There is new life to those areas,” Cervi said, “so it’s attracting another group of people.”

Indeed, a slew of happening late-night venues have opened in Montauk over the last few years, including the Surf Lodge, Ruschmeyer’s and the Sloppy Tuna, which have attracted the young, rich and restless set. Amaganset’s proximity to Montauk’s nightlife, Jeff Steinhorst, vice president of Nest Seekers International, told the Post, was boosting its appeal. “We have three calls for Amagansett for every one for another area,” he said.

Houses on the beach and those located in the villages continue to carry serious cachet, Cornelia Dodge, a broker with Halstead Property, told the Post. All the stuff that’s in the village, people love. They can walk to town, walk to dinner. Anything within walking distance goes first,”

The rental season has already begun, brokers say, and has been helped by the fallout from Hurricane Sandy, which damaged many other beaches close to New York City but left the Hamptons in relatively good shape. Last week, a $30 million 4.3 acre estate, Southhampton’s first listing post-Sandy, went into contract. “We’re getting a lot more people because of Sandy,” Cervi said. “People from other beach communities, from Long Beach, from New Jersey, they’re out to test-drive the Hamptons.” [NYP] –Hiten Samtani