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    Movin’ Out: Billy Joel’s Waterfront Long Island Estate Is Back on the Market for $50 Million

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    Almost a year-and-a-half after it first hit the market with a $49 million price tag and then topped off a lengthy multimillion-dollar renovation, Billy Joel’s longtime New York residence in the Long Island enclave of Centre Island has popped up for sale again, this time with a slightly boosted ask. The musical superstar is now seeking a smidge under $50 million for the 26-acre spread, which is listed by Nancy Cuite and Lisa Lavelle of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Laffey International Realty.

    Nestled amid a peninsula tucked between Oyster Bay and Cold Spring Harbor, the waterfront property was acquired by the Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and pianist in 2002 and subsequently named MiddleSea, a nod to its locale in the middle of the sea and a play on the note of middle C, the first key typically learned by beginning piano players. Assembled over time on adjoining parcels, the compound features a 20,000-square-foot main home plus several additional structures—all with access to 2,000 feet of private shoreline boasting a dock and a boat ramp.

    The 26-acre compound rests alongside 2,000 feet of shoreline.

    Frank Urso

    Completed in the early 1990s but evoking the opulence of the Gilded Age, the red-brick main residence has five en-suite bedrooms and a whopping 11 baths. It is adorned throughout with a mix of hardwood and marble floors, 30-foot ceilings, an elevator, and nautical-inspired decor. Among the highlights are a soaring entry foyer displaying a black-and-white checkerboard marble floor and a grand wrought iron-railed staircase, as well as fireside living and dining rooms, two kitchens, and a primary suite equipped with dual closets and baths. Elsewhere is a mahogany-clad library with a stone fireplace, a bay-view parlor, a ballroom, a spa, and a wine cellar.

    Outdoors, the grounds are laced with rolling lawns, expansive gardens and meandering pathways. They host a waterfall, not one but two swimming pools, a gazebo, and a pergola-topped dining area. Secondary buildings include a five-bedroom gatehouse, a three-bedroom Malibu-style beach house and a three-bedroom guesthouse sporting a two-lane bowling alley and a four-car garage. There’s also a new maintenance building, while an on-site helipad makes for quick trips into Manhattan or out to the Hamptons.

    Amenities filtered throughout the property include a two-lane bowling alley.

    Frank Urso

    Per The New York Times, a major reason the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer is selling the mansion he first saw while dredging oysters as a teen is the property’s hefty $567,686 annual taxes. “It’s not cheap, let’s put it that way,” he said. “As successful, I’ve been financially, yeah, that’s, you know, that’s a lot.” In addition to his for-sale Centre Island home, records show the 75-year-old New York native also owns homes in Sag Harbor and Florida.

    Click here for more photos of Billy Joel’s home.

    Frank Urso More

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      in Luxury

      The Former President of J.Crew Relists His Renovated Hamptons Retreat for $6.8 Million

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      In July of 2018, real estate broker David Granville and his partner Jeffrey Pfeifle, a retired fashion exec who once served as the president of J.Crew, hoisted their longtime Hamptons home onto the market for $5.9 million. The listing was later taken down, and now the couple is attempting to sell their Water Mill residence for a second time, and now they’re asking a cool $6.75 million for the sumptuous pad. 

      Granville and Pfeifle acquired the property at 204 Upper Seven Ponds Road back in 2008 for $4.3 million and gave the place a maximalist redesign. The shingle-style home was originally built in 2003 and features seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms in a generous 6,000 square feet of living space. “This estate truly offers the best of luxury living and high style in the Hamptons,” notes the listing, which is being repped by Granville, in addition to his Corcoran colleague Mala Sander. 

      The voluminous great room spills out to a covered dining patio overlooking the manicured grounds.

      Media Hamptons

      The duo’s Long Island oasis sits on just shy of three acres of land. The grounds are complete with a gated entrance, a dramatic long driveway, and an apple orchard. There’s even potential to add a tennis court, too. Once inside the main house, you’ll notice the digs are an eclectic mash-up of Nantucket and Palm Beach styles. First, you’re welcomed by a grand foyer and great room. The latter is decked out with soaring cathedral ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a cozy fireplace. There’s another fire feature in the den as well, plus a full bar and coffered ceilings.  

      A boldly appointed den features a stone fireplace, a full bar and marble-like trompe l’oeil carpeting.

      Media Hamptons

      Elsewhere, the kitchen is any chef’s dream, equipped with granite countertops and top-of-the-line appliances. And when it’s time to turn in, the primary suite privately occupies its own wing on the first floor with dual bathrooms and a dedicated sitting area.

      Outside, the estate is surrounded by lush gardens, rolling lawns, and decorative fountains. There are plenty of green spaces to hang by or for entertaining, including a sprawling covered deck that can seat up to 30 guests comfortably. There’s also a 50-foot-long swimming pool, a chic cabana, a pool house, and an outbuilding that’s currently configured as a gym. 

      Over the years, Granville and Pfeifle have listed their home for rent at a rate of $110,000 from August to Labor Day, a relative bargain compared to a newly built home in the Water Mill area that was asking $1.2 million for the Memorial Day to Labor Day summer season or $1 million from July to Labor Day, a steep amount that tracks with the current Hamptons rental market. 

      Click here to see more photos of 204 Upper Seven Ponds Road.  

      Media Hamptons

      Authors

      Abby Montanez

      Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…

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      in Luxury

      Drew Barrymore’s Bucolic Hamptons Retreat Can Be Yours for $8.4 Million

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      For the past several years, Drew Barrymore has been splitting her time between a modestly appointed apartment on New York‘s Park Avenue—where she can be seen in a TikTok clip watching The Wedding Singer in a particularly teeny TV room—and an equally unpretentious yet powerfully charming residence in the Hamptons. But now the actress and talk show host is looking to lighten her real estate load, having hoisted her “converted barn estate” in the ritzy Sagaponack enclave on the market for a smidge under $8.5 million.

      Records show the beloved E.T. star paid $5.5 million back in 2019 for the 1.7-acre property, which is showcased by a farmhouse-style home boasting six bedrooms and five baths in nearly 6,900 square feet of living space accented throughout with rustic hardwood floors, high exposed-beam ceilings, and French doors offering seamless indoor/outdoor environs. There’s also a separate one-bedroom, one-bath guest cottage, set off an oversized roof deck, that has its own living room and office area.

      The rustic-chic living room is warmed by a brick fireplace.

      Lena Yaramenko for Sotheby’s International Realty

      Built over a century ago but extensively renovated during Barrymore’s tenure, the wood-shingled structure features a living room sporting a brick fireplace and built-in shelving, plus a terracotta-tiled kitchen outfitted with glass-front cabinetry, butcher block countertops, stainless appliances, and an eat-in peninsula. A see-through divider separates the kitchen from a breakfast nook and a great room, with other highlights including a pink-hued dining area with a window seat and skylight, as well as a primary suite that opens to a private patio.

      Stealing the proverbial show, however, are the picturesque grounds, which are laced with rolling lawns, specimen trees, and gardens and host a sundeck-encased swimming pool flanked by a pool house, along with a bocce court and several spots ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining. An added bonus: The Atlantic Ocean is less than a mile away.

      The park-like grounds are spotlighted by a Gunite pool surrounded by a sundeck.

      Lena Yaramenko for Sotheby’s International Realty

      Barrymore, 49, was born into a showbiz family and first gained fame as Gertie in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial when she was just 7 years old. She’s gone on to star in numerous other films, including Charlie’s Angeles, Boys on the Side, The Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates, Never Been Kissed, and Grey Gardens, which earned her Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe awards. On TV, she appeared in the Netflix comedy series Santa Clarita Diet and can be seen daily on her eponymously named talk show, which was recently renewed through 2025.

      The listing is held by Kathy Konzet of Sotheby’s International Realty – East Hampton Brokerage.

      Click here for more photos of Drew Barrymore’s Hamptons house.

      Harris Allen for Sotheby’s International Realty More

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      in Luxury

      Sean Hannity’s Long Island Estate Hits the Market for $13.75 Million

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      Conservative political commentator Sean Hannity recently made a permanent move from New York to the so-called “free state of Florida.” So, it’s no surprise that the Fox News Channel star has decided to hoist his longtime New York residence in the Long Island enclave of Centre Island up for sale, as was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. He is already broadcasting the network’s Hannity program and The Sean Hannity Show on iHeartRadio from studios in the Sunshine State’s affluent Palm Beach community.

      Nestled amid a grassy parcel of land tucked alongside Oyster Bay, which feeds into the Long Island Sound, the waterfront estate just hit the market for a speck under $13.8 million—or about $5.2 million more than Hannity forked over for the place 16 years ago, back in spring 2008. The listing is held by Shawn Elliott of Nest Seekers International.

      Spanning roughly 6 acres, the picturesque spread is showcased by a New England-style home featuring seven en-suite bedrooms and a total of nine bathrooms in almost 11,000 square feet of multi-level living space, all with access to 500 feet of shoreline and an 81-foot private dock.

      The New England-style home rests on a roughly 6-acre parcel next to Oyster Bay.

      Josh Goetz/Studio 910

      Completed in 2005, the stone and wood-shingled structure greets with a lengthy gated driveway that empties out at an attached three-car garage. Once inside, a marble-clad foyer flows to a living room with French doors spilling out to a covered terrace warmed by a fire-pit, a formal dining room, and a gourmet kitchen outfitted with custom cabinetry, an eat-in island, top-notch appliances, and an accompanying breakfast nook.

      Other highlights include a fireside family room and a snazzy blue-hued wet bar sporting granite countertops, as well as a sumptuous primary suite boasting a fireplace, a sitting area, a balcony, two walk-in closets, and a spa-inspired bath with dual vanities, a built-in soaking tub, and a glass-encased steam shower. According to Adweek, a fully equipped studio can be found elsewhere within the house.

      As for the lushly landscaped grounds, they’re laced with gardens, manicured lawns, and specimen trees and plantings, and host a swimming pool surrounded by a brick-clad sundeck. There’s also a tennis court, a par-3 golf course, and a separate putting green on the premises.

      In addition to his for-sale New York home, records show the 62-year-old N.Y.C. native owns an oceanfront townhouse in Florida’s South Palm Beach neighborhood that he paid $5.3 million for in early 2021. He also reportedly maintains several other residences in Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina.

      Click here for more photos of Sean Hannity’s New York house.

      Josh Goetz/Studio 910 More

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      in Vacation Homes

      Mid-Tier Hamptons Homes Are Seeing Massive Price Cuts. Here’s Why.

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      After a pandemic-era boom, home prices in the Hamptons are starting to plunge.

      Last month, the interest rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage hit a whopping 8 percent for the first time since 2000. Back in 2020, the average rate clocked in at around 3 percent, and it’ll likely be a long time before rates dip that low again.

      As a result, a slew of properties in the $2 million to $5 million range—the middle range for luxury homes in the notoriously expensive string of Long Island communities that comprise the Hamptons—are seeing major price cuts, the New York Post reported. In recent months, seven-figure homes in the affluent enclaves of Sag Harbor and Amagansett have seen asking price reductions of up to 20 percent as rising interest rates continue to spook buyers.  

      The asking prices of homes listed in the $2 million to $5 million range are being slashed across the Hamptons.

      Susan Wood/Getty Images

      In addition, New Yorkers who fled to the Hamptons during the pandemic are now facing a return-to-office push that’s putting an end to the work-from-home era. “Now that people are back at the office, they don’t need all that space for a ‘Zoom room’,” a source told The Post. “I know a lot of people turning their remote offices in the Hamptons back into bedrooms and putting them on the market.”

      According to a report by Douglas Elliman, the median sales price for a Hamptons home was $1.4 million, an 11.4 percent drop from a year ago, while the average price for a luxury property was just shy of $6.2 million, a 3.2 percent decrease. Conversely, sales at the top end of the market are booming. Deals in the East End spiked 11.6 percent from the second to the third quarter, while trophy home sales were up 11.5 percent. In fact, it was the second time in almost 20 years that there were more transactions between July and September than between April and June. 

      “There’s a ton of wealth, and people will always want to be in the Hamptons,” David Mazujian, a realtor with the Corcoran Group, told The Post. “There’s a ton of demand.”  More

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      in Luxury

      Movin’ Out: Billy Joel’s Sprawling New York Estate Just Hit the Market for $49 Million

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      Billy Joel has long been known as Long Island’s golden boy, but the musician is saying buh-bye to his home base out east.

      The Piano Man has listed his Oyster Bay mansion for a cool $49 million, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. The 26-acre property, known as Middlesea, sits along the North Shore waterfront and includes a 20,000-square-foot main house, along with a beach house, a guest apartment, a gate house, and more.

      One of the bedrooms

      Tyler Sands

      Currently, the central home is undergoing renovations, but it includes five bedrooms and eight bathrooms, along with covered porches, brick columns and archways, and a two-story foyer with black-and-white marble floors. Plus, the home comes with a suite of amenities suited to a rock star: There’s a spa and hair salon, a bowling alley, and a wine cellar. At one point, the home sported an indoor pool—along with the two outdoors—but Joel had it covered up to make a music room, the listing agent Bonnie Williamson with Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty told the WSJ.

      Joel decided to list the house while renovations were still occurring because “whoever buys will want to do their own selections of how to paint and decorate and perhaps style the kitchen,” Williamson said. It should be completed by the late summer or early fall.

      A living area

      Tyler Sands

      Over the years, Joel acquired bits of property to amass his enormous estate: He paid $22.5 million for the first 14 acres in 2002, then snapped up the surrounding land. He’s decided to give it all up now because he and his wife spend most of their time in Florida, where he bought a $22 million home in 2015.

      The Grammy winner’s decision to forgo his Long Island abode will be another family’s gain, however. Along with all of the various indoor spaces, the property features a floating dock, boat ramp, and helipad, allowing you to skip the New York City traffic and arrive in style. And the various other homes on the acreage give you at least another 10 bedrooms for guests to enjoy.

      So although Joel may no longer be living in a New York state of mind, you sure can be.

      Click here to see all the images of Middlesea. More

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      in Luxury

      The Lavish Mansion That Starred in Notorious BIG’s ‘Big Poppa’ Music Video Can Be Yours for $14 Million

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      A sprawling compound with an extensive filming resume on Long Island’s North Shore has just hit the market, offering music fans the opportunity to own an iconic piece of rap history. Known as Bellavista, the property sits on a whopping 16 acres in New York’s affluent Old Westbury suburb, which Bloomberg counts as being the 18th richest zip code in the entire United States.

      Central to both Manhattan and The Hamptons, the estate is located about 25 miles east of the former and 70 miles west of the latter. And, as the listing notes, there’s plenty of room for a helipad to be built on the premises for those seeking a quicker commute to either.

      Initially constructed as an Amish farm in 1868, the secluded site makes for quite the unique buy. The spacious grounds not only boast a 9,415-square-foot main residence that stands on a gated four acres but a fully operational 12-acre equestrian village with expansive lawns that includes seven legal cottages, as well! Considering the potential rental, riding and, of course, filming revenue, the listing represents an extraordinary opportunity to purchase a property with an abundance of built-in passive income – not to mention the set from an epochal music video. It was at the estate back in 1995 that The Notorious B.I.G. shot the famed video for “Big Poppa,” the groundbreaking second single from his premiere studio album, “Ready to Die.”

      A trophy property in every sense, the compound is being offered by Kristin Thomas of Compass for $13.9 million.

      The lush entryway and roundabout. 

      Tyler Sands

      Mediterranean in style, the handsome main residence contains seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms (six full, three half) spread across two floors. There is also a partially-finished 4,533-square-foot basement level with a dressing room, a fireplace, a nearly 300-square-foot cedar closet, multiple storage spaces and ten-foot ceilings.

      The bright and spacious home entrance. 

      Spotless Agency

      According to listing information, “The main house is reminiscent of European enclaves from Spain and Greece, constructed with solid white stone and terra cotta roof.  It was built in 1988 throughout a four-year ‘labor of love’ construction, flying in artisans and masters from Europe as well as highly respected Manhattan designers to create a dream house sparing no expense. Every inch was created with the highest level of quality, materials, and design. Today, it presents a buyer with an opportunity to bring their own vision to life, reimagining the finishes with more contemporary style throughout the smartly laid out floor plan.” As such, visual renderings of possible new design schematics have been provided by Compass, including the above of the entry foyer, where guests are currently welcomed via a dramatic space capped by a 36-foot ceiling with a sunroof.  Standing opposite the front doors is a grand bifurcated staircase complete with a balcony overlooking the expansive room. The remainder of the mansion features ten-foot ceilings throughout.

      The massive dining room with floor to ceiling windows. 

      Spotless Agency

      Amenities are plentiful at the estate. With boiserie and millwork galore, an impressive five fireplaces, four balconies, a formal dining room and a gym, the manse is not short on creature comforts or space.

      The updated kitchen with wooden floors and beams. 

      Spotless Agency

      Rounding out the living spaces are a den that opens to a wisteria-covered patio, formal living and family rooms (both with fireplaces) and a chef’s kitchen that is bigger than most New York apartments! An epicure’s delight, the cavernous space (pictured in a rendering above) currently features a granite island and countertops, oversized fridge and massive breakfast nook surrounded by a smattering of arched windows.

      The backyard pool amongst florals and cropped hedges. 

      Tyler Sands

      To the rear of the mansion is a 96-gallon swimming pool and attached jacuzzi, flanked by an outdoor kitchen and mature foliage of every size, shape and vibrant color. The grounds are bucolic and serene and, some might even say, hypnotizing.

      One of the outbuilding on the property. 

      Tyler Sands

      The charming Colonial-style equestrian village consists of myriad outbuildings including two barns, stables housing 29 stalls, two garages and six paddocks, most of which are original to the 1868 farm.

      A clip from the ‘Big Poppa’ music video. 

      Bad Boy Records

      The unique and extensive landscape provides ample backdrops and vistas for filming and, as such, the property has been a location manager favorite, appearing in more than 100 productions including movies, television shows, commercials and music videos.

      The stunning bathroom where ‘Big Poppa’ scenes were filmed. 

      Tyler Sands

      The Notorious B.I.G. and Bad Boy Records exec Sean “Diddy” Combs headed to the estate to shoot “Big Poppa” – more specifically to the property’s ornate main bathroom. It is while sitting in the massive tub, with its gilded swan-shaped faucets, amidst a trio of women and bubbles of both the champagne and soap variety, that Combs asks, “How you living Biggie Smalls?”, and he responds in his signature flow, “In mansion and Benzes, giving ends to my friends and it feels stupendous.” Indeed, taking a dip in that tub on a regular basis would feel stupendous.

      A screen capture of the entrance steps in the ‘Warning’ video. 

      Bad Boy Records

      Biggie and Combs also shot the video for “Warning” at the estate, with the latter taking up residence once again in the bathtub of the owners’ suite for the shoot. The rest of the mansion, including the foyer, appeared extensively in the video, as well.

      An outside shot of the Bellavista in a Junior M.A.F.I.A video. 

      Big Beat

      Biggie Smalls proved to be a B.I.G. fan of the property because he also filmed the video for Junior M.A.F.I.A.’s “Player’s Anthem” there, along with Lil’ Kim and Lil’ Cease.

      A clip of Kool G Rap in the marble tub within the manse. 

      Cold Chillin’/Epic Street

      Additionally, Kool G Rap made use of the main bathtub in his “Fast Life” music video. Talk about a famous tub!

      A view of the property in the 1998 action film “Scarred City.” 

      Alchemy

      Bellavista played the home of Raphael Soto (Lou Cantres) in the 1998 action film “Scarred City” (also known as “Scar City”).

      The entrance gates seen in a 2008 commercial starring Martha Stewart and Jim McCann. 

      1-800-Flowers

      In 2008, the manse’s front gate was used in a 1-800-Flowers commercial starring Martha Stewart and Jim McCann.

      A night shot of the mansion in the Martin Scorsese/Mick Jagger-created series “Vinyl.” 

      Warner Bros. Television Studios

      It popped up as the residence of radio station owner Frank ‘Buck’ Rogers (Andrew Dice Clay) in the pilot episode of the Martin Scorsese/Mick Jagger-created series “Vinyl,” which aired in 2016.

      An elaborately detailed scene from tv series, Madam Secretary within the mansion. 

      CBS Media Ventures

      And it portrayed a couple of different spots in the season three episode of “Madam Secretary” titled “The Detour,” including the Dakar, Senegal palace where Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord (Téa Leoni) met with President Babacar Diome (Afemo Omilami), as well as Le Musée Togolais d’Art et dHistoire in Lomé, Togo, which Elizabeth and her team toured. More