Real Estate

In each of our region’s communities the year of 2020 showed record median prices and sales volumes; however, for our February issue, Main Street decided to just highlight the single most expensive property sold in each town in our circulation area.

Spectacular trophy properties can appear anywhere, at any time. The highest sale, $10,470,000, was the former home of Melva Bucksbaum, noted art collector and trustee of the Whitney Museum, in Sharon, CT, that was initially listed at $20,000,000. The next three ten million dollar sales were all in New York towns. The least expensive highest priced home by town was in North Canaan, CT, at under $500,000. Many of these sales were due to the great migration, which included sellers leaving high taxes behind for Florida, buyers fleeing from California, young families seeking more space to work at home, and renters seeking a permanent rural get away. Several of these properties, even in the seller’s market of 2020, sold for substantially less than their original listing price and none were a record high price for their town. Don’t worry there are higher priced properties still available if you’re looking for a trophy estate!

1. Sharon, CT – 36 Herrick Road. Sold in December for $10,470,000

Listed and sold by Shaylene Neumann of Neumann Real Estate. The only sale this year that included a 14,000-square-foot state-of-the-art museum called the “Granary.” This estate, on 51 acres, has seven outbuildings with views, an orchard, and chef’s garden. This was the highest sale in Sharon in the last four years.

2. Amenia, NY – 171 Red Tail Pass, Silo Ridge Field Club. Sold in August for $10,325,000

Sold by Discovery Land Company. Not publicly listed. In 2020 the highest sale in Amenia was a furnished 7,000 single-family residence on less than half acre of land overlooking the golf course. During the year there were at least seven sales over $1,000,000 at Silo Ridge, five of them for land only.

3. North East, NY – 964 Huckleberry Hill. Sold in November for $10,300,000.

Listed and sold by by Mary Mullane of Mary Mullane Real Estate. Atop Cascade Mountain on 435 acres, this estate offered seclusion, panoramic views, 422 acres and two 18th-century homes moved and masterfully restored by the former owner, musician Daryl Hall.

4. Washington, NY – 543 N. Mabbettsville Road, Millbrook. Sold in July for $10,250,000.

Listed by John Friend of Houlihan Lawrence and sold by Candace Anderson of H.W. Guernsey at Compass Realty. With 372 acres and a heliport, Lighting Tree Farm is one of Millbrook’s great estates. The sale included the 1850 five-bedroom main house with a home theater and wine cellar, an 18-stall horse barn, pool, three-bedroom guesthouse, and formal gardens.

5. Salisbury, CT – 310 Wells Hill Road, Lakeville. Sold in August for $5,300,000.

Listed by Elyse Harney Real Estate and sold by Elyse Harney Morris. Privately situated on 17 acres, this prestigious Wells Hill Road compound in Lakeville offered an 8,700-square-foot home with six bedrooms, a pool, a wine cellar, and open views.

6. Stanford, NY – 771 Duell Road. Sold for $3,600,000 in July.

Listed by George Langa of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services in Millbrook, and sold by Karen Volino of Houlihan Lawrence in La Grange. Overlooking the Hudson Valley, this stately 11,000+-square-foot Georgian-style home built in 1986 included a tennis court, swimming pool, and 13-foot coffered ceilings.

7. Copake, NY – 239 Island Drive, Craryville. Sold in August for $3,450,000.

Listed by Lindsay LeBrecht of Copake Lake Realty. Built in 2013, this imposing Adirondack-style waterfront property on 1.3 acres included a 6,700-square-foot house with six bedrooms and a lawn sloping down to a dock.

8. Kent, CT – 23 Kane Mountain. Sold in September 2020 for $2,500,000.

Listed and sold by Madonna & Phillips Real Estate Group at William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty. Featured in Architectural Digest, this former residence of Evita’s Patti Lupone, includes total privacy on 85 acres, sweeping mountain views, a main house and six-bay garage, guest house, and, best of all, a Civil War- era log cabin pool house.

9. Cornwall, CT – 13 Yelping Hill. Sold in September for $2,450,000.

Listed by Elyse Harney Morris and Liza Reiss of Elyse Harney Real Estate and sold by Julie King of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty. This quintessential New England farmhouse on over 60 acres is the perfect family compound with a five-bedroom main house, two-bedroom guesthouse, 2400-square-foot entertainment barn, and a pool.

10. Ancram, NY – 309 East Ancram Road, Ancramdale. Sold in June for $2,150,000.

Listed by John Friend and Ann Dyal of Houlihan & Lawrence and sold by Elyse Harney Morris and Holly Lebrock. There were multiple bids on this contemporary country farmhouse built in 2006 with views in every direction, 7,000 square feet, five bedrooms, and a pool.

11. Hillsdale, NY – 135 Labranche Road. Sold for $1,600,000 in December.

Listed and sold by Peter Newman of Beach & Bartolo. Built in 1928 in the style of a Scottish hunting lodge, this 8,000-square-foot nine-bedroom home on 122 acres hosted famous guests like Walt Disney, Babe Ruth, and Edna St.Vincent Millay. This unique historic property will be completely renovated by a Hollywood couple.

12. Pine Plains, NY – 3978 Route 199. Sold in August for $1,575,000.

Listed by James Avery of Coldwell Banker in Katonah, NY, and sold by Wendy Loring of W. Raveis in Katonah. Contemporary hillside 4,000-square-foot home has incomparable Catskill views and 31 acres bordered by conservation land.

13. Canaan, CT – 28 Aspen Hill Drive. Sold in August for $935,000.

Listed by Liza Reiss and Tom Callahan and sold by Bill Melnick all of Elyse Harney Real Estate. Majestic views of the Berkshires combined with quality construction made this home the highest sale in Falls Village/Canaan, CT, in 2020.

14. Gallatin, NY – 282 Church Road. Sold in August for $875,000.

Listed and sold by Pamela King-Belfor of Gary DiMauro Real Estate. Built by Shaker artisans for a retired architect in 1992, this hand-crafted home came with seven bedrooms and a salt water pool on 24.6 acres.

15. Millerton, NY – 41 Main Street. Purchased in August for $647,500. 

Private sale. The highest sale in the Village of Millerton in 2020 was the former Saperstein’s landmark, now transformed by Andrea Westerlind into an outdoor fashion store with a food boutique in the basement.

16. North Canaan, CT 331 West Main Street. Sold in August for $455,000.

Listed and sold by John Harney of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty. Puddin Lane Farm, a secluded 1762 antique house with wide board floors and four fireplaces on 32 acres of farm land sold, quickly last summer at close to the listing price. •

Please note, all photos were provided by listing agent unless otherwise noted. Information gleaned from MLS records in NY and CT with additional data from New York State Sales Web database, the help of area of real estate agents, and online real estate sites. If we missed your sale, please contact Main Street and the sale will be included in our digital edition.

Christine Bates is a registered real estate agent in New York and Connecticut. She has written monthly for Main Street Magazine since its very first issue.