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WHO’S WHO IN HAMPTONS REAL ESTATE SPOTLIGHT ON GARY DEPERSIA

By Charles Bass

Consistently ranked among the top producers in the Hamptons and a year-on-year member of The Corcoran Group President’s Council, he was also ranked as the nation’s fourth highest bro- 70 Matthews Lane, Bridgehampton 6 Olde Towne, Southampton ker by sales volume with over $202 million worth of transactions Do you cover the entire Hamptons? Also, for any given buyer, there are only a finite number of houses in 2008 when the Wall Street Journal and REAL Trends listed him Yes, and that has been one of the cornerstones of my success. that can work for them. Buyers will consider price, location, ame- among the top 250 real estate professionals for the previous year. Being based in East Hampton, I learned early on that there were nities, feel, and size — there aren’t an infinite number of choices. Just last month WSJ released its latest list in which he was 26th na- many people who didn’t want to go that far east, so instead of My job as a broker is to expose them to different opportunities and tionwide and third in the Hamptons for deals completed in 2016. continually referring buyers and renters to other agents further sometimes show them something a little different from what they Chances are you’ve seen his face on the pages of magazines west, as was then the custom, I became knowledgeable on the think they want. A dozen years ago, I had a buyer who only wanted like Social Life, and below is the Q & A we had with Gary about inventory in the other towns and established a business that to be in East Hampton, close to the ocean. An amazing house and the world of real estate in the Hamptons. stretched from Southampton to Montauk and from Sagaponack property became available well north of the highway in Bridge- to Shelter Island. hampton, with spectacular views all the way to the ocean. It was You’re a familiar face in the Hamptons, especially on the nowhere near where he wanted to be, but after visiting the prop- real estate circuit. What got you to where you are today? What is your secret to success? erty on my suggestion, he completed the largest transactions ever Twenty-one years. After this long in the business, if you’re not All good brokers are pretty much committed to the same thing made off the water north of the highway and loves it to this day. there, you’re never going to get there. After many years in the tex- — we all work hard, every day. I just came back from Ibiza, this tile business in New York, I got to the Hamptons in 1995 and was year’s reward destination for Corcoran’s top producers from New What about waterfront property? fortunate to land at the absolutely right agency for me to launch York City, Brooklyn, South Florida, and the Hamptons. One of Waterfront property is a finite commodity out here. Some people my second career, Allan M, Schneider Associates. I had some the things you see is that even when brokers are on vacation, they only want to be on the water and usually very specific water. There great role models — real estate heavyweights — who exposed are always working. They are always on the phone; they are always are those buyers who only want to be on the ocean, rolling out of me to the best of the best. I saw the best houses, the best rentals, emailing, texting, dealing with issues and situations. And I think bed onto the sand. While others, some with boats, want to be on the best buyers, the best advertising. Some of the partners were that any successful broker, particularly in the Hamptons, knows one of the bays that stretch from North Sea to Montauk on the generous with their referrals, helping me get my business off the that it’s a 7-days a week business. I mean you have to turn it off north side of the South Fork. They offer large water views, docks, ground. Then I started putting money back into advertising and occasionally, but you are always available. Brokers who aren’t are and blazing sunsets. The good news for these buyers, whether those with houses to sell saw that I was spending considerable probably not as successful as they could be. ocean or bay, is that opportunities exist in many locations for them dollars on my listings, which translated into more listings. When to realize their dreams. Corcoran purchased Schneider in 2006, the synergy between the When you have a client who doesn’t know the Hamptons two agencies propelled my career even further. well, how do you help them find the right house? Is the Hamptons real estate market healthy right now? There are two types of buyers out here. One is the buyer who Now is a great time to buy or rent in the Hamptons because there You’ve been in the business for a long time. Are there con- has either lived or rented here before; they’ve guested out here on is great inventory out here in every town, in every location, both ary DePersia’s name is synonymous with the best in sistent themes that you have seen throughout the decades? numerous occasions; they’ve been coming out here for years, and north and south of the highway. Whether it’s new construction GHamptons real estate. From Southampton to Montauk The key to being a successful broker — for 90 percent of the suc- they know exactly where they want to be. For them it’s generally or beautifully lived-in houses, anyone who wants a house in the and from Sagaponack to Shelter Island, he is known as the “go- cessful brokers— is to have listings. As brokers we don’t own the about finding an appropriate house in a familiar location. Hamptons can find one now. There is great opportunity now. to” man when looking to buy or rent a home in the Hamptons. houses we show, and we don’t own the money of the buyers who Spend a day with me and I will show you! He has participated in more than $2.5 billion in real estate buy. But as listing brokers, for a certain amount of time, we have Then you have the other buyer who is not that that familiar with transactions since his start in the business in 1995, having sold inventory of houses that not only are we trying to sell but that the Hamptons. Here there needs to be a two-fold strategy. Not Gary DePersia hundreds of his exclusive listings as well as finding an equal other brokers in the Hamptons have the opportunity to sell as only do they need to find a house that they like, but they also need Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker number of houses for his buyers and renters. Meanwhile he well. So those brokers who have developed an assemblage of list- to find a town, a village, a neighborhood, north or south of the [email protected] continues to add benchmark sales to his resume. ings over the years and keep getting them will be prone to success. highway, from Southampton to Montauk that works for them. 631.899.0215 c/ 516.380.0538

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