Billy Joel sold his Gold Coast estate, but he still owns property in Sag Harbor
Billy Joel bought his Sag Harbor home, seen in March, in 2002 for $1.85 million, records show. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Although the Piano Man recently sold his Centre Island estate for $28.75 million, he's not movin' out for good — Billy Joel still owns properties on Long Island. One is a horse property in East Hampton, and the other is a Sag Harbor home, beloved by its community.
The Hicksville-raised musician purchased the Sag Harbor property in 2002 for $1.85 million, property records show. The lot contains two structures, and in 2016, he started planning a renovation. Joel's goal was to connect the homes and raise one from 26 to 30 feet, to make the structures level. The Sag Harbor Board of Historic Preservation and Architectural Review approved this plan in 2018.
Although Joel has another home in Florida, he made a rare public appearance recently near his old stomping grounds, taking in an evening of his own music at Carnegie Hall in Manhattan.
Since Joel has renovated and expanded his Sag Harbor property in the 24 years he's owned it, the price point would be much different if he were to list it today. Mala Sander, a real estate agent with The Corcoran Group in Sag Harbor, estimated that the property could sell for $13 million, due to its size and proximity to the water.
"There's so much going for it," Sander said.
The house is iconic to Sag Harbor residents and visitors, said Adam Hofer, a Douglas Elliman Real Estate agent who works in Southampton. It used to be adorned with colorful buoys, and is set between the hustle and bustle of Main Street and the ease of the harbor shore.
"Everyone kind of knows that house, whether or not they know it's Billy Joel's," Hofer said. "Everyone sees that house, then they realize the boat across the street from the house bears a very noticeable name on the back." (That name, of course, is Alexa.)
If the home was listed today, Hofer estimated it could sell for $7.995 million, based on the trajectory of Sag Harbor's market since he purchased the home, and other recent sales in the area.
Joel's Sag Harbor property once served as his vacation home, while he lived full time in MiddleSea, his Centre Island estate (in Oyster Bay). Joel has supported the village where he spent his summers — in 2017 he donated $500,000 to the restoration of Sag Harbor Cinema. The movie theater was damaged in a fire in December 2016.
On a recent cloudy day, Joel's neighborhood was quiet except for some home construction about a block down his road. His house stands tall on a corner, covered in cedar shake siding (like several other houses nearby) with some model ships in the window, visible from the street.
If he ever does decide to sell, his neighbors will miss him.
"He's been such a fixture in the community," Sander said. "His family is lovely."
Rachel Weiss joined Newsday in 2016. As a real estate/living multimedia reporter, Rachel writes feature stories and contributes to and appears in on-camera video packages. She was the lead reporter on Newsday’s LI Acts of Kindness series.
