Two years ago this week, Justin’s and my lives changed forever. Yes, I know how dramatic that sounds, but I promise it’s not hyperbole.
I also promised myself I would write it all down before my perimenopausal brain erased the small details for good. Fortunately, I’ve told this story a lot over the last two years because everyone understandably asks us the same thing:
“So, how did you decide on the North Fork?”
It’s a fair question, along with the inevitable follow ups.
No, we don’t have family out here. Yes, we live here year-round. No, we’re not crazy.
(Well, maybe a little crazy.)
Let’s rewind to 2024. Justin and I were approaching a lease renewal at the Williamsburg apartment we had called home for almost seven years. As much as we adored that corner two-bedroom with a view of the Empire State Building, we had started to outgrow both the space and the city. The unit was rent-stabilized, but not rent-controlled, and as NYC continued to rebound from the pandemic, we lost all bargaining power, especially as the neighborhood surged in popularity. I just couldn’t stomach the proposed rent increase, no matter how much of a “deal” it was for the location.
That said, we had no plan for where to move next. We had been spending more time “out east,” thanks to friends who have a place in Bridgehampton and love hosting houseguests. But year-round rentals are hard to come by in the Hamptons, and they essentially cost the same as what we were paying in Brooklyn. At one point, we even contemplated buying a van and road-tripping across the country for a few months, visiting friends and family along the way.
Yet, the more people I told about our impending move with no destination in sight, the more I weirdly kept hearing the same suggestion:
Have you ever been to the North Fork? I think you’d really like it there.
All I knew about the North Fork at the time was that it was wine country and north of the Hamptons. (Which, as I’ve since learned, is actually a lot more than most New Yorkers know.) As fate would have it, the band Justin works with was booked to play a gig at Greenport Harbor Brewery that July. Not only is The Barnstorm the absolute best party band you can hire for a wedding, birthday, or corporate event, but they are also good friends of ours. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to finally check out this place everyone kept raving about.
I snagged an Airbnb in Mattituck, walking distance from Love Lane. From the time we arrived at the brewery until we saw our dream home for the first time on Monday, we experienced what can only be described as a magical 48 hours. After learning one of the band members was staying nearby in South Jamesport at a friend’s house that was currently on the market, we decided to check out the open house scheduled for the very next day.
Just for fun. Just to see what you could get out here.
I know what you’re thinking, but no, that is not the house we ended up buying. However, that listing did open my eyes to what a mortgage out here might look like. We decided to do a little more research over brunch at the Watershed just a few blocks away.
Knowing I had some money saved from my dad’s passing for a down payment, I started crunching numbers while Justin scrolled through other area listings. Was it possible that a mortgage out here could actually be less than what we were paying for our Williamsburg apartment?! As that realization settled in, Justin found a unicorn listing and insisted on seeing it before we returned to the city.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t view it until Monday, so we extended our stay. We toured a couple more properties, but mostly spent the day bopping all over the North Fork. We visited farm stands and wineries. We drove all the way out to Orient Point. We accidentally stumbled upon 67 Steps and dined on tuna tartare taquitos at Little Fish before catching the sunset at Kenney’s Beach. By the time we pulled up to our future home, we were already smitten with the area, but the house is what truly sealed the deal.
I’ll never forget that first trip down what would become our (long) driveway. As we ducked our heads to see under the canopy of trees leading to a little red garage and matching home, Justin and I looked at each other and asked, “Where are we?”
He essentially made a beeline straight for the back sliding door. We stepped onto the expansive composite deck overlooking a stunningly landscaped yard, complete with a little waterfall and pond, a gorgeous dogwood tree, and a flower meadow buzzing with hummingbirds. A row of towering evergreens lined the backyard, trees we would later discover were the sellers’ former Christmas trees from their first few years living there. The 1.5-acre property was a clear pollinator haven, hosting two beehives, a fenced vegetable garden, and mature trees scattered throughout, including several Japanese maples.
I don’t say all of this to brag, but rather to illustrate just how spectacular this property was to us. Aside from the dreamy yard, the house came with a generator, a new roof, updated appliances, a working fireplace and a hot tub. It almost felt too good to be true.
In fact, Carol, the realtor who answered our Trulia inquiry, told us not to even bother with the other viewing she had scheduled for us. She basically confirmed what we already knew: places like this don’t come around very often.
As we continued our North Fork adventures with stops at Cliff’s Elbow Room and Southold Fish Market, and grilled outside our Airbnb, the house was all we could think about. Perhaps it was the heavy concentration of agriculture in the area or the lush, park-like property, but I felt my dad everywhere. Just like our equally magical day at the U.S. Open, I couldn’t help but feel he somehow had a hand in guiding us to this place. (I joke now that he heard we were considering using my inheritance to buy a van and just had to step in.)
Before anyone could talk us out of it, we put in an offer two days later. It was accepted within 24 hours. I wish I could say the rest of the buying process was that smooth, but that will have to wait for Part 2 and another rainy day. (This is already turning into quite the “yarn,” as my friends like to call my long stories.)
I guess when people ask how we decided on the North Fork, the short answer is that it kind of felt like it decided on us. For now, let’s just say we hit the jackpot with the house, the previous owners (whom we are still in contact with), and the entire area. We went looking for a weekend escape, and ended up finding our forever home and community… one we fall a little more in love with every single day.
IYKY NoFo.
No Comments