The South Fork has always dominated the real estate market on the East End, but in most recent years, the North Fork has slowly but surely, been catching up. In the past five years, tourism on the North Fork has helped raise the bar on real estate prices. Its popularity is at an all-time high and now there are more than 30 vineyards on the North Fork and new golf courses have sprung up everywhere from Baiting Hollow to Southold. Farm stands are spilling with flowers and the Main Roadthat leads to Greenport and the North Road all the way to Orient Point are lined with vegetables. North Fork Villages exude a New England-like, farm and country feel that creates its very own ambiance.
The North Fork is known for being the quiet place where people frequent farm stands, spend a weekend at a bed and breakfast, go wine tasting, antiquing, and enjoy the solitude of sailing the Peconic Bay. Areas like Nassau Point and New Suffolk, are growing in popularity and are drawing more visitors each summer. As a result, the summer rental volume and pricing have increased dramatically. Jamesport has become a thriving hub with a cluster of quaint shops, popular restaurants and esteemed vineyards. Jamesport is also the home to the Jedediah Hawkins Inn, the fully restored 1800s captains mansion and the North Fork‘s first designer show house.
North Fork farms, shops, harbors, restaurants and vineyards have now made these towns distinctive with a persona all their own. The area thrives more and more with each coming season with visitors seeking a relaxed lifestyle. It is no longer considered second to the South Fork, but a separate entity with an allure all its own.
Three Pillars Development is now building in Peconic, and instead of mimicking South Fork shingle-style homes, they have looked to the areas rich in North Fork history for inspiration. These state-of-the-art homes are built in the traditional farm-style. The 5,000 to 6,000 square foot homes resemble replicas of the old hay barns indigenous to the region. This type of construction blends into the natural beauty of the landscape and appears to have been there for hundreds of years. The principles of the Southampton-based development company, Edwin Catamartori, Hugh Cano and Carlo Argila, have taken a new approach to building in farm country. The homes were designed by using the 19th century barns that were built by the English settlers as models. The wood planked barn-style homes are authentic and at the same time have all the amenities a discerning homeowner may desire. The outside of the structures consist of vertical plank siding and the roofs and cupolas are constructed with metal standing seam. The two existing homes will be priced at $3 million and include one acre of land that is tucked inside a potato farm. The builders say that the goal was to create structures in tune with the location’s historic past and agrarian landscape and they have done just that.
As many as eight of the barn-style homes are planned for the near future. The homes are listed with the Corcoran Group, who will be hosting an event in one of the homes to launch the new project this month. Sheri Clarry, Senior Vice President of the Corcoran Group’s Southold office brokered the land for the project and took part in the designing of the homes. Ms. Clarry told me that each home will be distinctive and one-of-a-kind.
The North Fork is about more than just growing potatoes these days and the area has truly found its own identity.
Also for sale in Peconic, is a compound listed at $32 million. The property is comprised of 135 acres and fourteen buildings, including a main house, an established vineyard, a pool, a cabana and a tennis court. This property resembles a preserve or sanctuary and is the highest priced residential listing on the North Fork. Just a few years ago, a price like this was unheard of on the North Fork, regardless of the size of the property
