Southampton - With the help of veteran East Hampton broker Ed Geus of Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate, Hampton Country Day Camp swiped 19 tennis courts from the recreational market - closing the deal of the week: grantor, the 10-acre Racquet Club, a branch of East Hampton Indoor Tennis, to, grantee, the Hampton Country Day Camp, an established summer children's facility which has operated in the past out of East Hampton Indoor Tennis on Daniels Hole Road.

Property courtesy of Prudential Douglas Elliman.

The Hampton Country Day Camp a "state of the art facility for a state of the art summer camp" is now located on 10 lovely acres off Buckskill Road, a road once referred to locally as Tennis Row where the Green Hollow Tennis Club, the Buckskill Tennis Club and The Racquet Club are all steps from each other.

Those days in the 1970s and 1980s outdoor clubs bulged with summer waiting lists where seasonal visitors and second homeowners enjoyed the "social benefits" of the facilities as well as the exercise of playing tennis. There were no places to join in, to belong or meet people.

HANFRA Awards Dinner
The Hamptons and North Fork REALTORS® Association held its Second Annual Awards Dinner to a sold-out crowd at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor. The Realtor of the Year Award was given to Sandra Pullman of the Corcoran Group in Bridgehampton. Sandra has been actively involved in HANFRA as a board member throughout its 12 year history.

The Rookie of the Year Award was presented to Rebekah Baker of Brown Harris Stevens, Amagansett. In her first year Baker closed one sale and seven rental transactions, and acquired five exclusive listings.

Property courtesy of Corcoran Group.

The Deal of the Year (North Fork) was awarded to Sheri Winter Clarry of the Corcoran Group in Southold. Her record-breaking sale of 19.5 million for the 135-acre Indian Neck Farm in Peconic represents the largest sale on the North Fork. Sheri was both the listing and selling agent.

The Deal of the Year (South Fork) was awarded to Peter McCracken as the Listing Agent and Cee Brown and Jack Pearson as the Selling Agents for the sale of Shorewood Manor on Shelter Island. The sale at $12.4 million is the highest priced sale in the history of Shelter Island.

From Town & Country's Tracy Annacone, East Hampton office: "I had a closing in December and I just completed my first summer lease of the summer 2009 season. I have a few rental customers looking only for August right now. It seems as though renters are still coming but looking to stay for shorter periods of time this summer. The funny thing is, the customers I'm currently working with are still spending a decent amount of money for the shorter term ( $40,000-$50,000). Who knows? I wish we all had a crystal ball. I have a few sales customers that are 'waiting.'"

Are they waiting for the supposed bottom? Bernard Baruch talking about the stock market once said it was imprudent to wait for the bottom to buy and the top to sell. Waiting is the subtle message, guys. Like my Grandmother said, "never argue with anyone who's wrong!" Anyway, there are those people who don't want to part with money just yet. I guess everyone is holding onto it for as long as they can, for fear that they won't ever have it again."

Property courtesy of Town & Country Realty.

Keep on trucking, Tracy. It pays off. So many of you out there should send in your own experiences and real estate stories. They are more telling in so many ways then the rash of market reports. It gives buyers and sellers (and others like yourselves in similar boats) a better feel for the market, besides getting your names out there to reflect the hard work and time you guys put into this business.

Selling Fast
By the way, East Hampton Village beach stickers went on sale Feb. 2 and are going fast. New homeowners and summer tenants would surely be interested in that information for you to pass along to them - another way to make contact and demonstrate service.

Town & Country Real Estate announces its Second Short Sales Free Information Seminar for Buyers and Sellers who may be worried about their current mortgage, the existing financial crisis and the preservation of their credit. The seminar will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 6:30 pm at Ashawagh Hall in East Hampton. The seminar will feature legal input from Robin Long, Esq., Fier & Long PC Attorney; real estate navigation from Elizabeth Missy Capozzoli, Town & Country Real Estate Associate Broker, and mortgage information from Victoria Hohman, Manhattan Mortgage Broker.

Short sales, long sales, promote yourselves and advertise because East End real estate is a very strange business in what now is an even stranger environment.