Last summer, aluminum heiress and Russian socialite Anna Anisimova made headlines for paying $635,000 for a three-month rental in Water Mill. This year, “Anna will return to the Hamptons … however she hasn’t found a summer home yet,” says spokesman Simon Huck. She better look soon: The buzz is that rentals are going faster and earlier than usual, thanks in part to those year-end Wall Street bonuses, say Corcoran Group brokers.
Gary DePersia of the company’s East Hampton office says as soon as the holidays were over the demand for summer rentals became a “free-for-all.” In years past, renters started looking at properties on Presidents Day weekend in late February. “There is limited inventory on high-end homes, and to get what you want you’ve got to start early,” he says, adding homes that rented for $275,000 last summer are now commanding $300,000 to $350,000 for the season.
Mala Sander of Corcoran’s Sag Harbor office says she has already closed on a few full-season summer rentals; East End homes can range from $10,000 to $500,000 “depending on the amenities and location.”
On the North Fork, Sheri Winter Clarry of Corcoran’s Southold office says many clients want to buy property but have committed to renting for the summer “in case they don’t find their dream house right away.” She sees area rentals priced 10 percent to 20 percent higher than last year’s.
