It’s July. Do You Know Where Your Beach House Is?
EVEN for longtime residents, the crazy quilt of towns, hamlets and villages that stretch along the South Fork of Long Island can be a bit dizzying.
So for those looking to snag a last-minute summer rental, it would pay to buy a map and become familiar with the fringes of the ultra-chic
Names like Noyack, Remsenburg and Northwest Woods may not conjure up the same mystique as Amagansett or
Patrick McLaughlin, a broker at Prudential Douglas Elliman in
“Aesthetically, these are gorgeous areas,” he said. “They are a little farther from town: it is 10 minutes as opposed to 2 minutes. For people willing to discover these tertiary areas, they really can get a great deal.”
One example of the rental divide is between
Noyack, just minutes from
“It is a little bit more rustic,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “The bottom line is there are a lot of bay beaches and it is substantially cheaper than neighboring villages.”
Take the charming house for rent at
The owners will rent the place for the entire summer or for just one month. For July, they are asking $15,000. For August through Labor Day, they want $20,000.
Those prices are similar to other waterfront properties in Noyack, Mr. McLaughlin said.
Still insistent on chic? Hop in the car. Just minutes away, the more spacious houses in
For example, Richard Kudlak’s four-bedroom house in the boldface village is $75,000 for August through Labor Day. The property, which was featured in
Mr. Kudlak will be renting his house for the first time while he and his wife are traveling and taking their children to college. “When we realized we would be away for most of August, we decided it made sense to rent it out,” he said. The rent will help pay those college tuition bills.
Mr. Kudlak, who is a real estate agent at Elliman, said he was encouraged by the rental market this season. “From what I have seen, rentals have been surprisingly strong this year,” he said.
Mr. Kudlak said that renters who couldn’t afford a long summer vacation still didn’t want to skimp.
“Rather than downgrade in terms of the quality of the home they are looking for,” he said, “people will rent for a shorter term.”
Across the island, brokers said, it has been a good rental season so far, in part because potential buyers are still hesitant to enter the market. The miserable winter also inspired intense fantasies of the beach; so did the miserable summer of 2010. Many people who decided not to rent then regretted it as they sweltered in the record-breaking
Two years ago, renters were able to swoop in and get properties in the most desirable ZIP codes at cut-rate prices — by
But this summer, with the rental market stabilized, all but the wealthiest can forget about leasing a summer property in the choicest towns and villages at this late date. Prime location is often defined as being “south of the highway,” meaning close to the beach and south of Montauk highway, which runs the length of the
The ultra-luxury market, which brokers classify as houses that cost more than $250,000 for the summer, was strong out of the gate this winter. Those houses account for nearly a quarter of the summer rental business in the
If money is no object, and your August dance card is blank, a stunning house in
Located on the ocean, the house was designed by Norman Jaffe, and has 8,500 square feet, three fireplaces, a state-of-the-art media room and a gunite pool. According to the listing, “sculpted garden paths lead to the sunken all-weather tennis court.”
That’ll be $350,000 for August through Labor Day; Sotheby’s International is the party to see.
Saving for a yacht or a Triple Crown horse? You may want to shift your hunt to the outskirts.
Martha Perlin, a broker at Corcoran, said a wide variety of rentals could still be found in parts of
Ms. Perlin said
Rick Hoffman, who is Corcoran’s regional senior vice president, East End, said he thought some properties were still seeking renters because people were intimidated by reports last winter and spring that the
“If the question is, can the average family still come out here and find a nice place to rent for August, the answer is yes, they can,” he said.
Just three miles from
Mr. Hoffman said renters should not expect owners — in any town — to cut the kind of deals they would have only two years ago, since in many cases it is simply not worth the hassle for an owner to rent below a certain price.
George Monsour rented out his house in Remsenburg for the first time last summer for the months of July and August for $45,000. He had been hoping to rent to the same people this year, but it turned out they had other plans. Since the season has already begun, he is willing to consider shorter-term deals and to be flexible with his price.
A short bike ride away from the main street in Westhampton, his five-bedroom home sits on two acres and includes a heated pool, an outdoor shower and a tennis court. Lynn November at Corcoran is handling the listing; it is $20,000 for the month of August or $30,000 for the rest of July and August.
“Most people, including myself, do not rent out homes to cover a month or two of expenses,” Mr. Monsour said. “Most
While the big brokerage firms began moving into the
Even at the beginning of July, dozens of listings for weekly, monthly and seasonal rentals could still be found on the site — with the most affordable in lesser-known hamlets and villages.
For instance, several houses in East Quogue, just east of Westhampton, are listed for under $20,000 a month, including a three-bedroom, three-bath house on the
In Springs, which drew artists like Jackson Pollock to its shores decades ago because of the stunning quality of the light, Homeaway.com had dozens of small houses renting for less than $20,000 a month, including a three-bedroom cedar-shingled ranch that is listed for the last two weeks in August and Labor Day weekend for $2,500 per week.
Owners who don’t end up finding renters this season have at least one consolation. They have a place to stay in the final hot months of summer.
Pictured above: A waterfront house with a pool at 16 Notre Dame Road in Sag Harbor listed for Aug. 1 through Labor Day with Sandy Morell and Maureen Geary of Corcoran.
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