This Salt Point home, as shown in this listing photo, is grade-A Airbnb bait, but the kitchen is hard to pass up.
Photo: Compass/kyoshino
Part of living in New York City is thinking about moving out of New York City. Each month, we’ll round up the best listings within commuting-ish distance, places where entire houses go for the cost of a “junior one-bedroom” (or less), but you’ll have to fix your own toilet.
This month, I am going to convince you to buy a fairly mid place on Long Island. Just trust me on this one.
Four beds, four baths; $725,000
This Salt Point home, as shown in this listing photo, is grade-A Airbnb bait, but we’re big fans of the kitchen with its six skylights.
Photo: Compass
Airbnb bait? Yeah, probably. Did I take it anyway? Clearly. This house, built in 1986, has been nicely updated without feeling too right now. The chef’s kitchen has new hardwood floors and a pretty grand dining island, but the cabinets and countertops are just Home Depot enough not to overwhelm. The kitchen also gets a nice glow from the six skylights. There’s a gas fireplace in the living room, and a firepit outside on the stone patio. The primary bedroom downstairs has a nice renovated bathroom with your usual modern conveniences, and the oversized windows and high ceilings give the place a nicely airy feel. Also, bonus outbuildings to add to your little estate: a single-car garage, an equipment shed, and third structure that comes with a wood-burning stove.
How do I get back to the city?
It’s just under a two hour drive via the Taconic.
So what do I do if I live there?
Drive 25 minutes to Clare de Boer’s Stissing House for fish pie, hike the Taconic-Hereford Perimeter Loop. Wash dishes under moonlight.
Three beds, three baths; $1,290,000
This hyper-modern cube in Hillsdale, as shown in this listing photo, is set on nine acres of land with its own private pond.
Photo: Hudson Valley Catskill Region MLS
Is this wood-and-glass cube, set just behind a private pond on nine acres of land, “a modern sculpture in nature,” as the listing claims? Or is it a Lego Chewbacca head? (Both, perhaps.) The hyper-modern FORMA project has clean lines, and an open-concept kitchen-dining-living room with over-oversized windows looking out onto the leafy expanse. Since privacy is clearly your thing (don’t forget those nine acres of land buffering your cuboid-spaceship home), there are ensuite baths in each of the bedrooms.
How do I get back to the city?
It’s just under a two-and-a-half hour drive via the Taconic.
So what do I do if I live there?
Go square dancing at the Pumpkin Hollow Retreat Center; ski at Catamount Mountain Resort just over the state borderline come winter.
Three beds, two baths; $1,300,000
This Greenport Cape Cod-inspired three-bed, as shown in this listing photo, has a great fireplace. Jury’s out on the kitchen, though.
Photo: Compass
A wood-shingled, Cape Cod-y compound on the North Fork. There are hardwood floors throughout the main bunker’s three, spacious bedrooms and living area, the latter of which is anchored by a gorgeous, wood-burning fireplace. The separated 400 square-foot studio, with vaulted ceilings and a skylight, has a more renovated and flatter look, but still isn’t a bad hideaway for your Zoom calls or from that person you regret inviting out for a weekend. The kitchen’s teal green tile and cabinetry maybe isn’t for everyone, but honestly, we’ve seen worse.
How do I get back to the city?
It’s a little over three hours via the LIRR or a two-hour, forty-five minute drive.
So what do I do if I live there?
Become a film club member at the North Fork Arts Center, tour Kontokosta Winery on the waterfront.
Five beds, four baths; $2,495,875
This Atlantic Beach new-build is way too white, as seen in this listing photo, but it’s a nine-minute walk from the town’s namesake beach.
Photo: Compass
OK, hear us out: Everyone is spending way too much time getting to the beach. If you’re going to drop an insane amount of money on a summer house, why not keep the commute humane? While those people are whining about traffic to the Hamptons or how they never actually get up to that lakehouse, you, on the other hand, are laughing at them while riding a tight 54 minutes from Penn Station to Long Beach. Will the house win any design awards? God no. It’s a new-build colonial with recessed lighting and way too much white. But it’s also right up the street from the beach. And there is a fireplace and plenty of storage throughout, including custom-built closets in all five bedrooms. Plus, a teeny but nice inground pool in the backyard if you want to take a dip after roasting at the beach. I’m just saying consider it.
How do I get back to the city?
It’s just under an hour-and-a-half via the LIRR and NICE Bus. Driving will be an hour-and-a-half depending on traffic.
So what do I do if I live there?
Stroll the Atlantic Beach boardwalk, get some dollar oysters at Beginnings’ happy hour. Eat a bagel and think about being part of the beating heart of Long Island culture.