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The office space at 752 Montauk Highway in Montauk just wasn’t cutting it for Douglas Elliman’s Montauk branch. It sat eight real estate agents, but had 15. Branch manager Tim Kelly said that wouldn’t do if the brokerage planned on hiring more agents. Instead, the new 2,300-square-foot office space at 99 The Plaza will accommodate 25.
“We’ve got new teams,” Mr. Kelly said. “We are changing our focus. That means building sales groups that build off our talent from other successful markets to strengthen this location. … What’s changed is the industry is very mobile and online, and what we are doing is providing breakout spaces where brokers can succeed with their clients.”
The new office, complete with three conference rooms, will help promote Douglas Elliman’s visibility in Montauk, added Carl Benincasa, the regional vice president of sales for the Hamptons. “We want to have more of a presence, plus our agents were not proud of where they were working.”
The brokerage celebrated the opening on Thursday, July 26, with a fundraiser for the Surfrider Foundation, which helps protects oceans and the enjoyment of waves and beaches. Mr. Benincasa said it’s proof of Douglas Elliman’s “community conscious partnerships.”
They also boasted that commissions in Montauk so far this year exceed all of last year.
After spending more than 13 years at Douglas Elliman Real Estate in Bridgehampton, Cynthia Beck joined Compass in the beginning of May.
Ms. Beck said she is excited to be part of a “new, dynamic, fast growing company.”
“I was drawn to their philosophy on agent culture, and tech savvy based platform,” she added.
The Sag Harbor native got her start in the investment banking industry, and was the vice president of facilities and real estate at Bluestone Capital Partners where she managed the procurement, construction and operations for regional offices.
A notable property that moved from Douglas Elliman to Compass under Ms. Beck is 470 Ferry Road in Sag Harbor—a five-bedroom, four-bathrooms and four-half bath, just more than 3-acre family farm built in 2010 that’s listed for $3.375, down from $3.495 million in November.
“It’s a great opportunity to work for an up-and-coming firm,” Ms. Beck said.
After working for nine months at LSL Advisors, a boutique commercial real estate brokerage in Manhattan, Sharon Edwards has joined Town & Country’s Westhampton Beach office.
“The connection between in-store and online sales is getting stronger every day. It will be exciting to see how that comes together in the Hamptons real estate market and I look forward to being part of it all,” Ms. Edwards said.
It’s a homecoming for Ms. Edwards. She grew up in East Moriches and went to high school in Westhampton Beach. She said she decided to move closer to home on the East End, and worked with Simon Property Group—Smith Haven Mall and Walt Whitman Mall properties—on the landlord side of the deal. She’s worked retail deals for two years with companies, including D Is for Doggy, HSBC, Rite Aid, and Dunkin Donuts, at Grenadier Realty Corp, as well as for a Montessori School while at LSL Advisors.
“There are definite vacancies here in retail,” she said, referring to the commercial real estate marketplace on the South Fork.
JD Allen on Jul 30, 2018