A gateway to Fire Island, Sayville draws visitors to its walkable Main Street
Sayville residents Joe and Barbara Muller on Main Street, which bustles with restaurants and specialty shops. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
THE SCOOP In Sayville, you’re never far from the Great South Bay and a ferry ride to Fire Island communities like Cherry Grove, Fire Island Pines and the Sunken Forest, says Eileen Tyznar, president of the Greater Sayville Chamber of Commerce. In addition, the Sayville train station is on the Montauk branch of the Long Island Rail Road. "A lot of times people use Sayville as a halfway mark from Manhattan to Montauk," she says.
"And we even have our own winery, which we’re very proud of," Tyznar says, referring to Loughlin Vineyard, which is on the grounds of one of the area’s original estates, Meadowcroft. It’s surrounded by San Souci Lakes Nature Preserve, a 316-acre county park with hiking trails and lily pad-filled lakes.
Ferries head to Fire Island from the Sayville Ferry Terminal in late August. Credit: James Carbone
Sayville was founded by John Edwards in 1761 when he built a house on what is the northwest corner of Foster Avenue and Edwards Street. The hamlet was known for its timber and oyster businesses, but its ongoing reputation as a summer tourist destination began when the South Side Railroad arrived in 1868. At one point there were more than 30 hotels in the area.
Dubbed the "friendliest town in America" by California State University at Fresno in 1994, Sayville has a walkable Main Street with boutiques, restaurants and specialty shops like a spice store and the 40-year-old Sayville Chocolatier. There’s also a movie theater, bowling, miniature golf and the bayfront Bathing Beach, as well as an annual August Summerfest.
All these features contribute to the fact that housing inventory moves quickly in Sayville. Tyznar says that’s partly because once people move there, they tend to stay.
Homes along Kemi Lane. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
Though homes along the water can go for around $1 million, Tyznar says Sayville is still a good place to find a starter home, which go for an average $590,000, and some less than $500,000. "There are a lot of young families that start here with their first homes like a small ranch and then they move up into bigger homes," she says.
Carine Powers, an agent with Century 21 Bays Edge Realty, adds that home styles include Colonials, Capes and high ranches, and Victorian-style homes that are 100 years old or more. "But they’ve all been renovated," she says. "Everyone in Sayville keeps up their properties."
A winter walk at Sayville Marina Park. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
CONDOS AND CO-OPS There is one condo on the market, priced at $382,990.
SALE PRICES Between Dec. 31, 2020, and Jan. 31, 2022, there were 155 home sales with a median sale price of $535,000, according to OneKey MLS. The low price for that period was $ 250,000 and the high was $1.6 million. During that period a year earlier there were 144 home sales with a median sale price of $480,000. The price range was $250,000 to $1.2 million.
OTHER STATS
Town Islip
Area 5.3 square miles
ZIP code 11782
Population 16,569
Median age 44.9
Median household income $116,005
Median home value $565,000*
Monthly LIRR ticket from Sayville $405
School districts, graduation rates, Sayville (97%), Connetquot (95%), Sachem (94%)
Parks Sayville Marina Park, Gillette Park
Libraries Sayville, Connetquot, Sachem
Hospitals South Shore University, Long Island Community Hospital
Transit Suffolk County Transit Routes 40, 57, 59
SOURCES: 2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; OneKey MLS; LIRR, data.nysed.gov *Based on 73 sales in the past six months, according to OneKey MLS
NOW ON THE MARKET
Priced at $790,000, this home on Greene Avenue, which dates to 1888, has original wood floors and solar panels. Credit: FloorPlanOnline
$790,000
This home, built in 1888, has been restored, with its original inlaid wood floors intact. It has four bedrooms, three baths and updates including radiant heating in the renovated kitchen, solar panels, an outdoor shower, and full basement. Taxes are $12,510; an offer is pending. Patricia Nicklaus, Coach Realtors at Port Jefferson, 631-928-5484.
Priced at $679,000, this ranch on Astor Drive has a deck overlooking the woods. Credit: Tour Factory
$679,000
Built in 1970, this 2,061-square-foot ranch on 0.28 acre has a private backyard that backs up to the Greenbelt Trail. It has three bedrooms and two full baths, a living room, family room with a fireplace, a formal dining room, updated kitchen with granite countertops, central air and a two-car garage. Taxes are $15,351. Carine Powers, Bays Edge Realty, 631-563-1616.
Priced at $495,000, this expanded Cape on Lakeland Avenue features a wood-burning fireplace and a summer kitchen. Credit: Turn Key Photography/Sandra Stelmach
$495,000
This four-bedroom, two-bath expanded Cape has a large, flat yard. It features spacious rooms, a living room with a wood-burning fireplace, an eat-in-kitchen with sliders to a deck, and a summer kitchen/laundry/mudroom. It has hardwood floors throughout and a fully finished basement. Taxes are $11,950. Giulio Ferrante and Diana Alvarez, Signature Premier Properties, 516-921-1400.
RECENTLY SOLD
$1.6 million
Westgate Dr.
Style Colonial
Bedrooms 4
Bathrooms 3
Built 1955
Lot size 0.72 acre
Taxes $28,239
+/- List price +$1,000
Days on market 95
$810,000
Handsome Ave.
Style Split level
Bedrooms 4
Bathrooms 2 full, 1 half
Built 1952
Lot size 0.18 acre
Taxes $13,623
+/- List price +$35,000
Days on market 82
$410,000
Lakeland Ave.
Style Cape
Bedrooms 3
Bathrooms 1
Built 1931
Lot size 0.18 acre
Taxes $8,491
+/- List price -$12,000
Days on market 71
ON ONEKEY MLS
Number of listings 12
Price range $382,990 to $1.495 million
Tax range $5,922 to $17,074
