Sands Point, 'a community within a community,' drawing young families, mayor says
The Guggenheim Mansion Village Club of Sands Point. Credit: Marisol Diaz-Gordon
THE SCOOP
Sands Point, a bucolic and affluent North Shore village, offers the advantages of being part of Port Washington but with added benefits, says Mayor Edward Adler.
“Having a great commuter line and fast commute into the city is probably the single No. 1 reason why people move to Port Washington,” Adler says. “And Sands Point offers those who want to be in Port Washington the opportunity of having enough land to have a swimming pool, in some cases a tennis court, or just a big enough backyard where kids can play.”
Situated at the tip of the Port Washington peninsula, the village features around 900 households, with property sizes ranging from a minimum one-acre lot to multi-acre estates, Adler says. The median income is $231,607, according to 2010 census, the latest figures available.
When entering Sands Point from Port Washington and nearby villages, “the main difference you see is a lot more trees, a lot more land, a lot more greenery because our density of housing is much smaller than most other areas of the peninsula,” Adler says. Surrounded by Manhasset Bay, the Long Island Sound and Hempstead Harbor, Sands Point also offers homes along the water and beach that wind around the peninsula.
The village, he adds, has averaged around eight to 10 newly constructed or reconstructed homes a year, with a surge of young families moving to the village in the last five years and upgrading homes to today’s standards.
Houses dating back to the 1950s typically average from $1.35 million to $1.5 million, while newly constructed homes command between $3.5 million and $5 million depending on location, square footage and acreage, says Francesca Morrocu Blass of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty.
This Sands Point ranch, for $1.849 million, includes four bedrooms and 3-1/2 bathrooms. Credit: Douglas Elliman Real Estate
With Sands Point sharing a ZIP code with Port Washington, the village is “a community within a community,” Morrocu Blass says. “But the benefit is you get a lot more land so you feel like you’re in the country.”
Housing styles in Sands Point include ranches, Colonials and Gold Coast mansions, says Maggie Keats of Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
“It’s a quiet destination,” Keats says of the single-family residential community. “The geography and topography is beautiful and you have everything you need right in Port Washington. So it’s the perfect balance.”
The Village Club of Sands Point, a private club on more than 200 acres offering membership to residents and nonresidents, boasts an 18-hole golf course, a waterside pool with a recently renovated facility, Har-Tru tennis courts, paddle tennis, and a former Guggenheim mansion now used as a wedding and event venue. The village, which purchased the property from IBM in 1994, soon will celebrate the club’s 25th anniversary, Adler says.
This Sands Point Colonial, for $2.2 million, includes four bedrooms and 3-1/2 bathrooms. Credit: Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty
The 216-acre Sands Point Preserve, on the original Guggenheim estate, offers mansion tours, wellness and fitness classes, cultural events, educational programs, hiking trails and nature walks.
Sands Point has its own police department and water department.
CONDOS AND TOWNHOUSES
There are no condos or co-ops on the market.
SALES PRICE
Between March 1, 2018 and March 29, 2019, there were 30 home sales with a median sale price of $1.916 million, according to the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island. The low price for that period was $1.116 million and the high was $5.4 million. During that time period a year earlier, there were 33 home sales with a median sale price of $1.69 million. The price range was $1.35 million to $7 million.
OTHER STATS
This Sands Point Colonial, for $3.313 million, includes six bedrooms and 5-1/2 bathrooms. Credit: Laffey Real Estate
Town: North Hempstead
Area: 4.2 square miles
ZIP code: 11050
Population: 2,675
Median age: 46.5
Median household income: $231,607
Median home value: $1.675 million
LIRR to NYC: From Port Washington, 34 to 49 minutes at peak
Monthly ticket: $261
School district: Port Washington
SOURCES: 2010 Census; mlslI.com; LIRR;
*Based on sales in the past six months, according to MLSLI
RECENTLY SOLD
$1.25 million
Astor Lane
Style: Farm ranch
Bedrooms: 6
Bathrooms: 4
Built: 1958
Lot size: 2.5 acres
Taxes: $26,222
Reduced: $225,000
Days on the market: 111
$2.03 million
Sands Point Road
Style: Expanded Ranch
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 3 full, 1 half
Built: 1950
Lot size: 1.8 acres
Taxes: $30,943
Reduced: $469,000
Days on the market: 438
$3.12 million
Backus Farm Lane
Style: Colonial
Bedrooms: 5
Bathrooms: 5 full, 1 half
Built: 2000
Lot size: 2.18 acres
Taxes: $44,481
Reduced: $168,000
Days on the market: 137
NOW ON THE MARKET
$1.849 million
This ranch, with four bedrooms and 3-1/2 bathrooms, includes a living room, den and a family room with vaulted ceilings and a stone fireplace. The two-acre property also has a two-car garage and an in-ground pool. Taxes: $32,627. Maggie Keats, Douglas Elliman Real Estate, 516-449-7598
$2.2 million
This Colonial, with four bedrooms and 3-1/2 bathrooms, features a living room with a fireplace, a formal dining room with French doors that open to an eat-in kitchen, and a family room with vaulted ceilings. The house, on 1.21 acres, also includes a full basement, three-car garage and in-ground pool. Taxes: $37,174. Bonnie Doran, Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty, 516-729-5663
$3.313 million
This Colonial, with six bedrooms and 5-1/2 bathrooms, has a marble foyer, a living room with one of the home’s five fireplaces and a master suite with a dressing room. The 3.08-acre property also features a four-car garage, in-ground pool and a greenhouse with a sauna and hot tub. Taxes: $77,657. Edith Katz, Laffey Real Estate, 516-639-1172
On Multiple Listings
Number of houses: 43
Price range: $1.375 million-$28.8 million
Tax range: $25,286-$255,000
