Spotlight On: Sag Harbor

Welcome to our new series where we take a look at one of the East End’s neighborhoods. We’ll discover what makes it so special to live in and what the housing stock is like.

This week we’re exploring Sag Harbor Village, which has been the hot area of the Hamptons for a few years now. And why not? It’s absolutely charming, with quaint streets, interesting shops, and the only deepwater port in the area.

“Sag Harbor homes have so much soul, such old world charm, character and authenticity that you immediately feel grounded and at home,” exclaims Sotheby’s agent Christina Galesi, who lives and raised her children in Sag Harbor. “It’s like we’re lucky enough to inherit what the whaling era residents paved for us. The close proximity to your neighbors, to town, to the harbor, to the coffee shops, the 5 & 10, the hardware shop makes you feel your friendly community right beside you at all times. I just don’t feel that way in a soulless spec house in the woods.”

Galesi’s buyers appreciate the town as much as she does: her listing pictured here, 5 Green Street, had competitive bids within the first few days, which went over the ask of $3.8 million, a deal was done by day 7 and was in contract by day 14!  The designer-renovated house is light and airy, with plenty of period touches retained, and sports a pretty garden with pool.

She adds, “I can really speak from the heart about how much I love this village. It’s so rooted in history, so low key, so real and humble yet so vibrant and fun. And because it’s a small town I get to know everyone, which allows me to keep my finger on the pulse of knowing what is going to sell before it even goes on the market, which helps the sellers and the buyers alike.”

Patrick Mclaughlin of Douglas Elliman’s Sag Harbor office lives in East Hampton but says he really appreciates how Sag Harbor is buzzing year round–no Tumbleweed Tuesday here. He adds, “You can walk to everything–you really don’t need a car in Sag Harbor.”

Corcoran agent Gary DePersia says he couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. “The fact that there are 14 restaurants and about six or seven coffee-dessert shops in a block and a half radius is significant in itself. It’s the only town where people actually walk around at night before and after dinner. And it’s the only village where Main Street meets the marinas. The harbor and soon our new theater are terrific draws for this great village.”

“What’s special about Sag Harbor Village is the cultural diversity and the layers of architectural history,” says Elliman agent Gioia diPaolo. “It’s truly a year-round waterfront village, where you can walk to the beach. The schools are good and 27 doesn’t run through it! Artists and writers have always been a presence in Sag Harbor; to this day art and literature continue to enrich and define the community.”

She adds, “What I enjoy most about being a real estate agent in Sag Harbor is that it has retained the small town feel, while at the same time offering the trappings of a more sophisticated lifestyle in its restaurants and shops. There’s a lot of inventory prime for renovation in the village and surrounding waterfront communities. The Sag Harbor market remains strong.” A new listing of hers is in the below photos.

6 Ridge Drive, she says, offers a lot of luxury amenities not usually found in the $2.5 million range. A 3100 square foot new build (not quite finished yet), the property is set on 0.35 of an acre and is very close to the beach and to water access for kayaking and paddleboarding.