Buying in Flanders

THE SCOOP If you're scouting East End locations that won't cost an arm and a leg, consider a tour of Flanders.

"For someone who is looking to be close to the water, have views and access to the Forks, Flanders is amazingly affordable," says Lorraine Miller of Coldwell Banker Trading Places in Hampton Bays. More than half of the homes listed on Multiple Listing Service are priced less than $300,000, adds Emily Sak of Little Bay Realty in Wading River.

Southeast of Riverhead, amid the Pine Barrens, county parks and preserves, the sprawling hamlet of Flanders provides easy access to the wineries of the North Fork. Also nearby are the shops, services and eateries in Riverhead and Hampton Bays. And though Flanders shares a ZIP code with Riverhead, it lies in Southampton Town, so residents can purchase a seasonal pass for Southampton beaches at a nominal fee, Miller says.

Buyers can find a mix of house sizes and styles, including cottages, ranches, Capes, Colonials and postmoderns. Some developments, including Bayview Pines and Waters Edge, offer views of Flanders Bay. Some properties come with bulkheading. Prices range from $99,000 for a short sale to $998,000 for a waterfront home on Huntington Lane, Sak says.

RENTALS Two house rentals posted on mlsli.com are listed, for $1,600 and $2,500 a month.

SALES PRICE From Nov. 1, 2010, to Dec. 20, 2011, there were 31 sales with a median price of $125,000, according to Multiple Listing Service of Long Island data. The low sales price was $60,000 (for a cottage), and the high was $469,000. From Oct. 1, 2009, to Oct. 31, 2010, there were 19 sales. The median sales price was $225,000 with a low of $95,500 and a high of $416,500.

ATTRACTIONS Sears Bellows and Hubbard County Parks; fishing, boating, hiking, beaches, horseback riding and golfing. Flanders is home to the Big Duck, a 20-foot-high concrete structure on Route 24.

Other stats

Town:Southampton

Area:11.3 square miles

ZIP code: 11901

Population:4,472

Median age: 32.7

Median household income: $73,618

Median home value: $110,000*

LIRR time to NYC: From Riverhead, 2 hours and 12 minutes at peak

Monthly ticket: $429

School district: Riverhead

SOURCES: 2010 Census; mlsli.com; Long Island Rail Road

*Based on sales in the past six months according to Multiple Listing Service of Long Island