Buying in Shoreham

THE SCOOP Though the village of Shoreham and the hamlet of East Shoreham are separate communities, the two share a ZIP code, a school district and a small shopping center as well as a bucolic setting.

Celebrating its centennial year, "the village is a beautiful area with a lot of history," says Linda Stowell of Coach Realtors at Port Jefferson, noting many estates and homes were built in the early 1900s. "A lot of the older homes are unique. Some builders were German and Swedish, so styles are far from cookie-cutter," says Shoreham resident Rose Marie Princi, owner-broker of Coldwell Banker Distinctive.

Houses throughout the hilly, wooded terrain are generally priced from the $300,000s to more than $1 million for those on the bluff. Turnover is low. The last sale in the village that traded through Multiple Listing Service was in September 2011, Princi says.

The hamlet of East Shoreham spans Route 25A to the north and south. "It's homey," says Princi, noting residents have easy access to the beach. There are a few beach associations and a civic association. Homes are priced between the $200,000s to more than $1 million on the water, Stowell says. "Sales are increasing," says David Lunenfeld of Coldwell Banker M&D Good Life, noting prices are no longer falling.

In 1901, radio pioneer Nikola Tesla came to Shoreham to build the World Telegraphy Center, including a laboratory, wireless transmitter and production facilities for vacuum tubes. The tower there was demolished in 1917. Today, a nonprofit group, Friends of Science East, is working to create a Science and Technology Center and Museum on the site, says Princi.

As for the site of the decommissioned Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant, Princi says its fate is still up in the air.

SALES PRICE Year over year, sales have increased, according to Multiple Listing Service of Long Island data. From Jan. 1, 2012, to Feb. 27, 2013, there were 56 sales with a median price of $345,000. The low was $112,000, and the high was $760,000. During the same period from 2011 to 2012, there were 39 sales. The median price was $360,000. The low price was $112,000 and the high was $1,475,000.

BY THE NUMBERS

Town: Brookhaven

Area: Village, 0.4 square mile; hamlet of East Shoreham, 5.4 square miles

ZIP code: 11786

Population: Village, 617; hamlet, 6,336

Median age: Village, 46; hamlet, 39

Median household income: Shoreham $135,694; hamlet, $128,261

Median home value: $341,500*

LIRR time to NYC: From Port Jefferson, 96 minutes to 113 minutes at peak

Monthly ticket: $334

School district: Shoreham-Wading River

SOURCES: 2010 Census; mlslI.com; LIRR;

*Based on sales in the past six months, according to MLSLI