To list a high-end property in Westchester these days is an exercise in lowering one’s expectations. When TRD took a look at the priciest local listings back in September 2015, the top five were priced between $23 million and $18.8 million. Today, that range has changed tellingly: Aside from one outlier, the five priciest listings range between $16 million and $14.9 million.
Whether you blame it on the SALT deduction cap, stock market instability or political uncertainties, the sluggish market has surely impacted pricing. The number of closings in the county was down about 4 percent in the second quarter compared to the same period in 2018, according to a Houlihan Lawrence market report. The median sale price, too, inched downward to $705,000 in Q2 this year.
RELATED: Westchester’s top luxury brokers
“Buyers are coming in a lot more educated,” said Houlihan Lawrence agent Elizabeth Shay. “They know what they want, and they’re really only putting their money where they see value.”
The most eye-popping mansions on the market now are a mix of old and new builds, and each has an appeal to a certain kind of buyer.
Compass agent Adam Hade said younger buyers are attracted to smaller homes with modern amenities and low carbon footprints. That’s quite the opposite of one of his listings, which is also the priciest property in the county: an 89-year-old hilltop manse at 77 Oregon Road in Westchester’s star-studded Bedford area, listed for $29.99 million. Hade’s looking for the buyers who appreciate relics from American history like this one.
“These properties that are so rare that what creates the value is the fact that they can’t be re-created today,” he said. For those who are shopping around, here are the priciest properties available as of early August.
77 Oregon Road
1.
77 Oregon Road
Bedford Corners
$29.99M
With its Georgian brick and columns, this 10,000-square-foot manse looks more like a 19th-century Southern municipal building than a private home in a Northeastern river valley. Built in 1930, the eight-bed, seven-and-a-half-bath estate sits at one of the highest altitudes in the Bedford area of Westchester, which is home to celeb couples like Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively. (New buyers will miss out on being neighbors with Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, who in July closed on the sale of their Bedford Corners home for $15 million in an off-market deal.) This home’s 64 acres contain a guest house, a pool, putting greens and a tennis court, all accessible via a gated driveway lined with maple, apple and pear trees. The property is listed with Adam Hade of Compass.
2.
17 Cowdray Park Drive
Armonk
$16M
This manse in Conyers Farm has sat on the market for over two years, according to Redfin. The 19,000-square-foot French revival features eight bedrooms and 10 and a half bathrooms, an indoor cherrywood basketball court, a home theater, a game room and a steam room. The property’s 10 acres also contain a pool, pool “conservatory” and spa, putting green and children’s playground. Dolly Lenz of Dolly Lenz Real Estate has the listing.
330 Stuyvesant Avenue
3. (tie)
1001 Forest Avenue
Rye
$15M
Down in ritzy Rye, where Marc Jacobs recently bought a Frank Lloyd Wright mansion, sits a waterfront home listed with Mary Frances Cone of William Pitt-Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty. The 7,490-square-foot shingle-style colonial was designed by architects Shope Reno Wharton and features five bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms. Out back, the property’s private beach looks out onto Long Island Sound. The home’s amenities include a gym and a wet bar along with a sunroom and an open-layout kitchen.
3. (tie)
330 Stuyvesant Avenue
Rye
$15M
Up the shoreline at 330 Stuyvesant Avenue, also in Rye, there’s a 1.56-acre plot where Louis Katsoris of William Pitt-Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty has a listing for $15 million. It features plans for an as yet unbuilt five-bed, seven-and-a-half-bath home. The property features a private deep-water dock and three beaches, and there are plans for an infinity pool with views stretching across Long Island Sound to the Manhattan skyline. The 8,699-square-foot house, meanwhile, will feature a first-floor bedroom, an elevator and a balcony.
5.
9 Holly Branch Road
Katonah
$14.9M
This 21,000-square-foot Katonah manor, which was completed in 2006, has lingered on the market since at least 2016, when it was priced at $17.99 million. Visitors can park in a six-car garage and are greeted with a grand, curving double stairway upon entering the foyer. With eight bedrooms, eight full baths and five half baths, the home features nine fireplaces and an elevator. Amenities include a library, an indoor basketball court, a gym, a game room and a theater. The 35-acre property also contains a 65-foot heated pool and cabana and an “all-sport court.” The property is listed with Chris Fry and Anthony McGuinness of Elegran Real Estate.
48 Haights Cross Road
6.
48 Haights Cross Road
Chappaqua
$13.75M
Over in Chappaqua, where Bill and Hillary Clinton reside, there’s a 20,456-square-foot Georgian at 48 Haights Cross Road that’s listed for $13.75 million. Featuring a whopping 87 acres located at the edge of Heaptaugua Lake, the property has its own hiking trails and a fenced-in yard for four-legged residents, along with an in-ground pool and a pool house. The home was built in 2004 and contains six bedrooms, seven bathrooms and two half baths, as well as a chef’s kitchen, a billiards room, a wine cellar, an indoor basketball court and a home theater, among other comforts. It’s listed with Stacy Levey of William Raveis Real Estate.
7.
8 Hickory Kingdom Road
Bedford
$13.5M
Back in Bedford, a lakefront estate from Moisan Architects and Cornerstone Builders is on the market for $13.5 million. Built in 2006 and on the market since October 2018, the 10,957-square-foot mansion has seven bedrooms, six full baths and two half baths. It sits on 23 acres and features a 25-by-50-foot pool with a hot tub. Additional amenities include a sauna, a wine cellar and a gym. The property is listed with Brian Milton of Compass.
8.
1 Columbia Island
New Rochelle
$13M
Why settle for a landlocked estate when you can own an entire island? Off New Rochelle, Columbia Island is listed for $13 million. The five-acre landmass, which is only accessible by boat, is equipped with a four-bed, two-bath home that has a roof deck featuring views of New York City. Along with a private beach, the residence has a lower level for a media room, art studio or game room. And for more adventures, Pea Island is minutes away across the water. Patti Anderson of William Pitt-Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty has the listing.
6 Carriage Trail
9.
6 Carriage Trail
Tarrytown
$12.99M
Within the Greystone on Hudson development — a complex of 21 mansions along the Hudson River in Tarrytown — the ninth-priciest listing sits. The new three-story home at 6 Carriage Trail, listed for $12.99 million with Elizabeth Shay of Houlihan Lawrence, contains nine bedrooms and 14 bathrooms. Its library and entryway are both two stories tall; the home also features 5,751 square feet of covered patio space. Though the Greystone homes were built in the spirit of the Gilded Age — with stone quarried from the back of the property and wrought-iron fencing and gates lining it — they promise the most modern of amenities. In addition to two kitchens, a home theater and a wine cellar, the basement, which offers views of the Tappan Zee Bridge, is customizable. It’s currently equipped with a half basketball court, but that can be switched out for, say, an indoor pool.
10.
18 Schoolhouse Road
Pound Ridge
$12M
For equestrians dreaming of a horse farm less than an hour from New York City, this 21.9-acre compound is equipped with four paddocks, several riding rings and a 12-stall barn. There are two houses on the property — one with three beds, two baths and an elevator, and another with five beds and three baths. The estate borders the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, providing access to 4,500 acres of protected park space. Residents of 18 Schoolhouse Road can also take a dip in an indoor saltwater pool located in its equipment house. The listing is shared by Lia Grasso and John Samios of Douglas Elliman.