Hamptons Realtors hope Wall St. bonus babies will buy in

Reports of sightings of Wall Street execs, with bonus in pocket, were mixed Tuesday from Hamptons real estate brokers, who were once extremely busy around bonus season.

"The fantasy still lingers," said Paul Brennan, regional director of the Hamptons for Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate, in Bridgehampton. "They've made money, but they can't spend it, because everybody would slit their throats, public-relations wise."

But in the post-bailout of Wall Street, other luxury-end brokers see more queries and sales from Wall Street buyers.

"The same time last year, it was like a ghost town," said Jonathan Lerner, managing director of Engel & Völkers real estate firm in the Hamptons, in Southampton. "It seems like the maple syrup is coming out of the tree. The tap has been turned."

Despite the growing demand, brokers said already inflated Hamptons prices have not dropped dramatically recently because inventory is still high.

But broker Andrew Saunders, head of Saunders and Associates in Bridgehampton, thinks the worst is over: "The sellers are starting to be a little less negotiable than they were a number of months ago."

Now for Wall Street execs, it's cool to be frugal.

"In the old days, they'd be at the golf course saying, 'I had to outbid this person for this house,' " said Southampton-based Beau Hulse, who's seen purchases by Wall Street execs go up about a third this year compared to a year ago. "Now they're saying 'I got a great deal because I negotiated well.' "