The purchase of a trailer in the Hamptons, New York, for nearly $4m has people divided, with some questioning the record-breaking price while others have defended the cost of the home based on its location.
The trailer, which is located in Montauk Shores, is currently in-contract to sell for $3.75m, The New York Post first reported on Tuesday. According to William Gold, a real estate agent for The Atlantic Team at Douglas Elliman who represented the unidentified buyer, his client offered to purchase the 800-square-foot oceanfront trailer from its owner, despite the fact that it was not for sale.
Speaking to The Independent, Gold said that the buyer came to him to inquire about purchasing in the specific Montauk Shores condominium complex in Ditch Plains. They wanted a home where they could surf and be close to the beach.
Gold said the client also wanted a “higher-end, luxury, spacious property,” but these highly coveted ocean-front properties are “hard to come by”.
“There’s maybe one property listed every few years, and they’re expensive,” he explained.
The trailer in question was custom-built by John Hummel, according to The Post, and boasts two bedrooms, two bathrooms, 180-degree views of the ocean, an outdoor shower, and a deck.
In addition to the trailer’s amenities, the condominium complex also offers homeowners amenities such as a swimming pool, children’s playground, a basketball court, and private beach access.
The area also comes with a number of notable neighbours, such as Vitaminwater co-founder Darius Bikoff and movie producer Karen Lauder, who both own trailers in the trailer park community. As noted by The Post, Jimmy Buffett previously lost a bidding war for one of the trailers.
“It’s really like a paradise for kids and families,” Gold said of the expensive strip of land.
After four to six months of back-and-forth negotiating, Gold said the owner agreed to sell the trailer for $3.75m.
Gold also clarified that, although the Montauk Shores complex is often referred to as the “trailer park,” the trailers are “not technically mobile homes”.
“That may have been how it started off, where people were just dropping off mobile trailers, but now it’s turned into people own the lots, and based on the size of the lot, you can pretty much put whatever size property you can fit,” he said, adding that all of the trailer homes are on slabs and do not have foundations.
The purchase price of the trailer marks a new high for the area, as the previous highest price for a trailer was $1.85m in 2022.
Gold said he expects the property values in the area will now increase as a result of the latest sale.
“Even without this sale, the property values have been increasing year over year, in Montauk as a whole, but especially in Ditch Plains,” he said.
On social media, the exorbitant purchase price for the trailer has people divided, with some questioning whether the home is really worth the amount.
“Real estate is the oldest ponzi of them all. Imagine paying $3.5m for a trailer?” one person tweeted, while another said: “Only in America. A buyer is plunking down $3.75m for a luxury mobile home in a trailer park in the Hamptons. Gives a whole new meaning to trailer trash.”
However, others suggested the location of the trailer makes it worthy of the price.
“Location, location, location,” one person wrote.
Gold says there is currently another trailer up for sale in the area for a more reasonable $2m.
