Hamptons Real Estate Scene: Celebrity Deals, Elliman Gives Back

The Hamptons real estate scene is never dull, especially this close to summer. Here we share some of the latest celebrity deals and some good works by local brokers.

John McEnroe Lists Southampton Estate for $14.5M
Tennis legend John McEnroe is selling his Southampton home for $14.5 million. The 7,500-square-foot grand traditional with deeded ocean beach access resides on Squabble Lane, not far from Wickapogue Pond and Old Town Beach. In the exclusive Murray-McDonald Compound, once owned by Standard Oil baron Henry Rogers, the house includes 8 bedrooms, 7 full baths and one half bath on 2.17 private acres. It features multiple glass doors, balconies and terraces unifying the interior and exterior environments as one. The grounds are lush with rolling green lawns, color infused specimen trees, shrubs and gardens, with a swimming pool and, of course, a Har-tru tennis court, which would be hallowed ground for any fan of the sport. Kathy Konzet of Sotheby’s International Realty is the listing agent.

David Geffen Buys Lily Pond Lane Estate for $70M
Music and film industry bigwig and billionaire David Geffen recently closed on a $70 million mansion on East Hampton’s famous Lily Pond Lane. He purchased the 2-acre property from the estate of late fashion executive Josephine Chaus, who died in November at age 64. Little details about the property are available publicly, but it includes a large, shingle-style, main house with gambrel roof, large brick patio, spacious upstairs sundeck, swimming pool, tennis court, at least two fireplaces and a manicured backyard overlooking one of the finest beaches in the Hamptons. On the front side, across the street from Lily Pond, the road’s namesake, the property has a man-made, kidney-shaped pond and a second house of not-insignificant size. At the same time, Geffen has just sold his massive West End Road estate, on nearly 6 acres with over 450 feet of Georgica Pond frontage, for $50 million. The entertainment tycoon reportedly paid a little more than $50 million when bought the property, called Cody House, in April 2014 from Ross School founder Courtney Sale Ross.

Douglas Elliman Team Walks for a Cause
Douglas Elliman and the East End-based Douglas Elliman Hamptons Housewives team raised nearly $8,000 for the Katz Institute for Women’s Health and the Cohen Children’s Medical Center during the Northwell Health Walk (formerly the Every Woman Matters Walk) at Jones Beach in Wantagh on Sunday, May 15. East Hampton assistant office manager Barbara Mattson brought in $3,750—the walk’s second largest individual donation, and the Hamptons Housewives Team raised $5,095, placing them among the Top 10 fundraisers at the event, which brought a total $287,000. Elliman’s Hamptons Housewives Team included Hamptons Marketing Operations Manager Melody Newberry, Marketing team members Sandhia Ramkhelawan and May Gilley, and Associate Broker Ann Marie Pallister. Douglas Elliman President and CEO Dottie Herman, plus agents, brokers and employees from the firm’s10 East End offices and corporate headquarters contributed funds to the cause.

Anna Anissimova Buys $20M Compound in Water Mill
Actress, model and socialite Anna Anissimova, aka Anna Schafer, who was once dubbed the “Russian-American Paris Hilton,” has purchased a new home and an adjoining piece of land on Kellis Pond in Water Mill for $20 million ($15 million and $5 million, respectively), according to Page Six. The daughter of Russian billionaire Vassily Anisimov, Anissimova is no stranger to the high-stakes world of Hamptons real estate. In 2004, the then 19-year-old heiress made headlines when she broke the Hamptons rental record at the time and dropped $550,000 for a two-month stay at Denise Rich’s 11-bedroom, two-building compound, Swan’s Way, in Southampton.

Oh, how the times have changed. Today there are at least 12 Hamptons homes renting for $1 million or more for the summer months. Joe Farrell’s famous Sandcastle in Bridgehampton is currently listed to rent for $550,000 per week.