Andrew Doud 0:08

Good Thursday afternoon, everyone. I'm Andrew Doud with Saunders and Associates, and it is time for another Happening in the Hamptons podcast, our weekly breakdown of the Hamptons market, new listings, and events on the East End. Our podcast today, as always, is sponsored by Newark Title Abstract, the Hamptons leading title insurance firm. Visit newertitle.com or titleinsurance.com. Joining us is Steve Glick, our senior vice president of marketing and advertising. Dave Rattiner, Vice President of Digital Marketing and Technology. And today, Mr. Alfredo Barreto. How are you, sir?

Alfredo Barreto 0:38

Good morning, Andrew. Good morning, David.

Andrew Doud 0:41

Good morning, Alfredo. Doing great. Alfredo is an excellent real estate broker. A guy that's been in the game for what, six years or so? You've been doing this?

Alfredo Barreto 0:50

That is correct. I started in 2015, January 2015.

Andrew Doud 0:55

And then the last couple years, I mean last year in particular, it was just crazy, right? I mean, the sales were record-breaking. So you you work on a team with with Vincent Jorcasitas. What have you guys seen as far as the market over the last year? What was that like for you personally and your team? And what do you see the market doing now?

Alfredo Barreto 1:14

Well, obviously, the the market had a boom, obviously, for for the pandemic that we were going through, and we had top record sales last year. This year it's been fantastic. Obviously, we're starting to run into almost a shortage of inventory, yeah, a lot of beating wars, and and and obviously be giving more value to to all these properties out here. So people is understanding the value of living in the country.

Andrew Doud 1:43

So if somebody, I mean, right now I think it's you know it's still a seller's market. So if somebody comes to you and says, Alfredo, look, I mean there's a lot of there's a lot of brokers, a lot of agencies out here, there's a lot of options for people if they want to sell their house. Um if they come to you and say, Why you, why your team? What do you what do you bring to the table? What do you tell them?

Alfredo Barreto 2:00

If I have to summarize hard work. We are the hardest working team, I believe, out here. Uh I have a great leader, one of the top brokers in the company. We have a big part of our success, is definitely the marketing team and everybody who can make this happen so we can focus on on selling and working hard for our clients and customers. Uh we're the first ones to get into the office, the last ones to leave the office, and you know, if we don't have the information, we'll find that for you. So I think we will always look in your behalf.

Andrew Doud 2:33

That's it. I mean, nine o'clock this morning, Alfredo and Vince are like walking around like here's what we got today.

Dave Rattiner 2:38

Like they do, they're so hardworking, they're all athletes, right? You were a tennis player, and Vince was also tennis player, one of the best tennis players on tennis pro. That is correct, they're competitive. Yeah, my favorite thing you guys do is if anybody on the team shows up like 10 minutes late, then they have to do 10 push-ups in the morning. He was saying that. He was saying that this morning.

Andrew Doud 2:58

He was looking at his watch and he's like, I'm glad I got here, otherwise I overventy.

Dave Rattiner 3:03

They're the first guys in, you know what I mean?

Steve Glick 3:05

Well, you learn a lot of the from competitive sports, you know, to be competitive to try to be always be better than the day before, you know. And I think you guys bring that to the table. I see you guys coming in, like you said, the the first ones in the office, last ones to leave. You guys are always following up, always entering the phone when it rings, and it shows. I mean, you guys had like a record-breaking year um, you know, towards the end of last year and this year, it's been like a record-breaking year for you guys. You guys are always out there representing the properties, and thanks for giving kudos to the marketing team. I know we work really closely with your entire team and especially you in branding you guys, getting the properties seen and getting them sold, doing the videos with Andrew Dowd, and just really putting the properties out there in a different way, and it shows you know from your success.

Andrew Doud 3:52

We've done a couple shoots with with Alfredo on some of his listings and Vince's listings, and if if the place has like a tennis court, a really nice tennis court we want to highlight, the the two of them will bring their racket. And it is like it is honestly for me, because I'm I'm terrible at tennis, like I'm that guy that like hits it and it like sails over the fence and like into the neighbor's art kind of thing. So you you get some shots with them playing tennis, and they're they're really, really good. Really good at tennis, really good at selling houses. Um, and one one place that has I think one of the nicest settings for tennis and pool and a house and everything is is a listing you have at 101 Cobile Road. This place is phenomenal. Like the next level kind of thing on Meacox Bay in Watermill. Uh Alfredo, you're the you're the expert, so I'll let you tell us about this house. But I know the tennis court, the pool, that whole setting is just something really special.

Alfredo Barreto 4:46

It is you're totally right. It's it's it's a complete dream house. It's a masterpiece by Lethieri construction. The house has about 590 footage of of waterfront and you know all the bedrooms in the house, 360 degrees of of water views, you know, 10,525 square feet of living space, infinity pool, all the bells and whistles, the tennis court is sunken. Uh, you know, you know, so where is this located?

Steve Glick 5:19

This is on Cobb. This is Cobb Isle. What is Cobb Isle?

Alfredo Barreto 5:22

Cobb Isle is a is it's a little travel road off actually Cobb Road. Okay. And you know, it takes you, you know, to some of the most exclusive homes out here in the Hamptons with you know beautiful homes, amazing sunsets, you know, the access to Mecox Bay, the views of the Atlantic Ocean. I mean, and forget about it. The the interior of the house is is top-notch.

Steve Glick 5:49

You know, so this has a dock too, right? You can have a boat there.

Alfredo Barreto 5:53

Um, yes, kayaks, anything. Anything you want.

Steve Glick 5:56

So this is not a pond. This is a real bay waterfront. Exactly. Okay, make that exactly.

Andrew Doud 6:04

When we shot the video for the outside of this, we we went at sunrise and it was like what a time of day. I mean, you just sit there and we were there for what, like four hours from at least? It was I mean, it was dark when we got there, and it was it's it's a work of art.

Steve Glick 6:18

It's not this modern house that we were talking about last week. This is something special. You know, it has like some modern flair to it, but also traditional. But it's very expensive. I mean, it like you said, it's over 10,000 square feet. Um it's a massive house, and it has all the bells and whistles and all the amenities, right? Like I'm sure you're seeing a lot of requests for amenities, like I want pool, I want tennis, I want a dock, I want waterfront. I mean, this checks, I'm looking at it, it literally checks all the boxes.

Alfredo Barreto 6:46

That is correct. I mean, it's it's something very special, and I'm I'm very grateful that you know that we continue to have clients that trust us, but again, it comes down to the company that I represent, which you know, we get really all the all the support that any agent would dream of, and and that's really the part of our success, you know.

Steve Glick 7:09

Well, we're happy to and we're honored to have the opportunity to represent this property. It is listed what forty-four point nine five million dollars, and currently it sits at the most expensive property we represent here at Saunders on the market currently. Um and it's a w it's you gotta see you gotta check it out.

Dave Rattiner 7:26

You know, Alfredo, you have a real talent for representing high-end properties that like I remember when you first got started here about six or seven years ago. He like walked in the door, he's in like tennis shorts and like sneakers, and then he presents the listing, this this other listing. His first, I think his first listing at Saunders was like a $30 million ocean front. It shows they trust you. I mean they trust you.

Steve Glick 7:51

I mean, I'm sure you I know you worked at the tennis club and you worked with a lot of high profile people that trusted you to teach them tennis to their to their family, to their to themselves. And now they're you know, you're transitioning, you transition into a real estate agent, and they're again they're trusting you, they know who you are. And it's great to see that you're able to portray that trustworthiness and put it out there, and people respect you and understand that you're serious and you're a hard worker. And it shows. I mean, not anyone could just you know represent a 40, you know, five million dollar property without having that trust. And it's great that they believe in you, they trust you, and they know that you have the support behind you from Saunders to make it all happen. So that's great.

Andrew Doud 8:31

Trust is everything. Yeah. Sales and in life and real estate, whatever the case may be. This is a this is a great listing. Good luck with this one, uh, Alfredo. Um, so we we mentioned obviously that that I I guess at this point the market is still geared towards buyers. So, Steve, what are we seeing as far as transactions and numbers like that?

Steve Glick 8:48

Alfredo, you know it more than anyone. This market is the inventory is tight, but there are still some great values to to purchase out here in the Hamptons. And over the past week there were 35 listings that went into contract from West Hampton and Mon Talk. And when you compare it to last year, 2020, there were 91. 91.

Alfredo Barreto 9:06

It's crazy, right? I think that's where we go back into, you know, some people is like, well, the market's starting to slow down. Uh I really don't believe so. I think there's a lot of new construction, a lot of land selling.

Steve Glick 9:18

35 is still a strong number. I mean, look, yeah, we're down from last year at 91, a decrease of 62 percent. All right, fine. Let's go look at 2019. If you look at 2019, there were 12 listings that went into contract this this past week in 2019. So we're at 35 this year, 2019, there was 12, so that's an increase from 2019 of 192%. So right off the bat, yeah, it slowed down from 91, but 91 was like an anomaly. Like 90.

Dave Rattiner 9:48

Yeah, we had this year, yeah.

Steve Glick 9:50

So it's it's it's great to see that it's still healthy. The breakdown of those 35 transactions this week, there was one between 10 and 20 million, one between six and eight, nine between four and six, six between two and four, and eighteen listings under two million went into contract. You talked about the market being tight with listings. There were thirty-four new listings that came onto the market, and with thirty-five going into contract, it's pretty much a wash. So the inventory did not increase or really decrease at all. Um, the 34 new listings that came onto the market, there were three between 10 and 20 million. So that's some significant properties are coming onto the market. There were two between six and eight million, seven between four and six million, eight between two and four million, and fourteen new properties under two million dollars came onto the market this past week. Wow.

Dave Rattiner 10:37

I want to ask you something. What is your outlook on the future do you think that the delta variant is affecting the market right now in any in any way? Do you think that more inventory is gonna come on than off?

Alfredo Barreto 10:51

I I I personally on my point of view, I think this Delta variant is just one of many things that people have in their heads now after we had the first pandemic that really shot us as you know in a w as a world. And I feel like now people see the value of having a property in the country where you're gonna have a little bit more fresh air and a place to run. So I don't think this is stopping anytime soon. I think people is gonna start moving out here. It almost feels like in a way, feels like almost like a primary market.

Steve Glick 11:28

Uh people want their private space. They don't want to be on top of somebody in a multi-unit apartment in the city where you're in contact with a lot of people just by going down outside to get a cup of coffee. You're gonna come in contact with you know 50 people. We're here, you're you have the like you said, the fresh air. You have options. You could just hop in your car, drive, go to the coffee shop, see only a handful of people.

Andrew Doud 11:50

Plus, now's the time to be out here. I mean, this is it.

Steve Glick 11:52

All right, July, August. This is it. Yeah, we're coming in. What's today? August is coming around the corner. It's about to, you know, be a whole new August is the busiest month in the Hamptons. Yes. And we're coming into that busy month with the people out here, the traffic, which is fine because we have the space. I mean, there's still tons of land, there's tons of fresh air. You know, yes, there's traffic, but once you get off the main roads, it's country, it's country living all over.

Alfredo Barreto 12:18

Yeah. Exactly. Uh, you know, now a lot of people are starting to build their dream homes in in these parcels of land, you know, three acres. And I think a lot of people is gonna be moving out here.

Andrew Doud 12:34

So so you don't see this kind of slowing down? Maybe maybe not not leveling off, but like you you think that this is people have kind of rediscovered what makes this area so special?

Alfredo Barreto 12:45

I believe so. I I I again I I think people realize the the quality of life that that that you can have when when you live in a place like this.

Andrew Doud 12:55

So what is there to do out here, Dave? Yeah this weekend in particular. Yeah, let me know.

Dave Rattiner 13:00

Let's say people are coming out. Let me give you my top three picks for this weekend. So, first of all, I just want to mention if you want to go to a restaurant this weekend, make sure you look sure you get a reservation or find somebody that you know that can get you into that restaurant because it is unbelievable how difficult it is to get into a restaurant. It's tight. It's tight. I was online trying to do a reservation the other day. So what's your what's your tip? My tip on how to get a reservation.

Andrew Doud 13:31

Or take it out, go to the beach.

Dave Rattiner 13:32

Go in go into the restaurant in person and beg for the reservation. Or just have early dinner.

Steve Glick 13:38

The early bridge special at four o'clock, because you'll get a table at four. But prime time, good luck.

Dave Rattiner 13:44

And also explore new restaurants. I mean, there's a lot of staple restaurants. It's a you know, everybody's like, oh, you know, I gotta go to Nick and Tony's or I gotta go to Bill Bouquet. And, you know, it's like hard to get a table there. If you want a reservation, you really gotta plan a week and a half in advance now. I don't even know how how people are doing it these days. But definitely plan ahead. But you know, explore the restaurants that are off the beaten path that aren't the super popular ones, you know, give those restaurants some love. That's my advice. That's good because they're all good.

Steve Glick 14:17

Yeah, they are. I can't you can't go wrong on here. Yeah, it's all food, you know.

Dave Rattiner 14:20

It's all good.

Steve Glick 14:21

It is all food.

Dave Rattiner 14:23

Anyway, my top three. So polo is this weekend again in the Hamptons. That's on Saturday at 4:30 off of Lumber Lane in Bridgehampton. We are big fans of Polo. Oh, that's fun. That's okay.

Andrew Doud 14:39

Polo match? It's a match.

Alfredo Barreto 14:41

I think it's a match, polo match. She has an exhibition, but it's amazing. It is like a cocktail party to me. I don't know if it's a challenge. Just riding the horse itself, it's it's it's a challenge. It's just fun seeing it outside. It's like seeing the horses.

Dave Rattiner 14:53

Yeah, I do, I do. I really do. And also the you know, the the cocktails and the food and the excitement. Yeah, the whole scene. The whole scene. It's excellent for your Instagram photo, for your photo, Instagram page. For the grant. Alright, so my second pick is I'm not sure why I picked this one because I don't do yoga. But so sunrise yoga in West Hampton Beach Dunes. That's cool. So at 8 30 a.m. to 9 30 a.m. at the Barrier Beach Preservation Association Community Center. That's a mouthful. You can enjoy an outdoor yoga class. Is this where? West Hampton Beach? This is in West Hampton. Yes. What time is it? It's at 8 30. Sunrise is like horas, it's I know they say well you enjoyed the after. It's the sun has rising. It's still rising. It's technically rising. It rises all the way till like noon. Yeah, so I gotta get into yoga. Um I I gotta I have no flexibility whatsoever. Me neither. That's all right. I don't know. Anyway, and then my third pick is the South Fork Natural History Museum's 32nd annual summer gala benefit. So that's SoFo for anyone that doesn't know the lingo. Um it's a 377 Bridgehampton Sag Harbor Turnpike. And I would say the South Fork Natural History Museum is like a really important place in the Hamptons, especially for kids and for family, you know, it's it's a very family-oriented place, and they really kind of just teach the importance of preserving things and nature and animals, and you know, Andy Sabin is a really huge supporter of the place, and he takes kids out, they go on salamander hunts and stuff. So it's a really good thing to support. So if you're looking for something to support and you want to go to a good party, you can purchase tickets to their annual summer gala benefit. That's what's going on.

Andrew Doud 16:59

Nice. Sounds fun. What are you doing this weekend? Selling houses, right?

Alfredo Barreto 17:04

This weekend we're selling houses. That's that's what we do. He's working all day. The hardest work in each year.

Andrew Doud 17:11

That's what it takes, though, right?

Alfredo Barreto 17:13

It really is, you know, hard work based off.

Andrew Doud 17:16

I like that. Let's end on that. Hard work pays off, guys. Thank you so much, Alfredo, for your time for being with us. Um, we appreciate it. Thank you, guys. I'm flatter. Um to see more on Alfredo and his listings, be sure to check out Saunders.com. Once again, the Happening in the Hampins podcast is sponsored by New York Title Abstract, the Hampins leading title insurance firm. Visit newertitle.com or titleinsurance.com. That's it. Have a great Thursday. Have a great weekend, everyone. I'm Andrew Dowd, and that is what's happening in the Hamptons.