Hamptons and North Fork Realtors Gather for 2010 Awards

Real estate agents from the Hamptons and North Fork Realtors Association closed the books on 2010 and looked forward to 2011 this month at their annual awards dinner.

The dinner, held at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor, on Jan. 27 drew a capacity crowd. Despite prevalent concerns about the market, the mood was positive.

“The worst is over. January was a good month,” said Joan Bischoff, regional manager of North Fork operations.

Nick Gigante, President of the New York State Realtors Association expressed optimism as well when he addressed the group after dinner.

The 2010 award for Leadership and Conservation went to the for their efforts to revitalize the beach at the end of New Suffolk Avenue. The property formerly the site of a popular restaurant called The Galley Ho was home to a bustling marina before the site fell vacant. The area known as Cutchogue Harbor was a center for shell fishing activity in that industry’s heyday. The United States Navy tested some of their first submarines in the harbor too.

The property located across the street from borders Captain Marty’s Fishing Station and faces the southwestern coast of Nassau Point and Robin’s Island. The 385 acre Island is private and owned exclusively by Louis Bacon of Moore Capital. Bacon has joined in efforts to preserve the shoreline.

“We are still fundraising,” and former Southold Town Councilman Thomas Wickham said. Wickham attended the event with Barbara Schnitzler, Chairwoman of the New Suffolk Waterfront Group. An estimated 500 individual donors have contributed to the fund.

The New Suffolk Waterfront Group was formed in 2005 when the area was targeted by private developers. The Group joined forces with the Peconic Land Trust and acquired the property with funding provided by the Land Trust. The New Suffolk Waterfront Group is in the process of raising money to repay the Trust for the site.

The long term goal is to make this section of New Suffolk a cultural and recreational destination. It is the site of the Wednesday night sailboat races during the summer.

“I don’t know how they found the time to do all this,” Joanna Lane, a broker at , a North Fork real estate firm said as she presented the award to Schnitzler. “But it is great.”

The award for Deal of the Year on the South Fork went to Corcoran Group agents Susan Breitenbach, Mathew Breintenbach, Cee Brown, Jack Pearson and David Bray for the sale of the Dusenberry Estate located on Ferry Road in North Haven. The property, listed by Brown, Pearson and Bray was sold by the Breintenbach’s for $19,750,000.

“We closed in December,” Susan Breitenbach said.

The Deal of the Year on the North Fork went to Nancy Cervelli and Barry Novick of the and to Stanley Karanewski of for the sale of the Silbernagel property in Cutchogue. The property was listed by Karanewski and sold by Cervelli and Novick. The property listed at $3,750,000 was sold for $2,990,000 after 350 days on the market.

The North Fork’s rookie of the year was Mathew Gilles of Gilles was cited for the sale of the Moore property on New Suffolk Road in Cutchogue.  Mas Crotty of Engle and Volkers Real Estate in Southampton was rookie of the year on the South Fork. Gilles and Crotty did not attend the awards ceremony.