The definition of luxury real estate on Long Island's East End is shifting, with affluent buyers increasingly prioritizing self-sufficiency and wellness over traditional status symbols like home theaters and bowling alleys. The new standard involves properties that can produce wine, harvest honey, and provide fresh eggs.
Across the North Fork and the Hamptons, agents report a growing demand for estates that offer a restorative and self-sustaining lifestyle. A prime example is Starry Night Farms in Jamesport, a 6.3-acre property listed for $3.795 million. It features a Merlot vineyard, beehives, a chicken coop with 20 hens, 16 raised garden beds, and a wine barrel sauna, alongside amenities like a heated saltwater pool and an outdoor kitchen.
Owners Bo and Heidi Magnussen, who relocated from Northern California five years ago, built much of the property's agricultural and wellness features from scratch after purchasing it in 2021. Their daughter, Zoe, who was featured in Disney+'s "On Pointe," is involved in tending the gardens, bees, and chickens, and has an on-site pottery studio. The family described the property as offering a wholesome and grounding daily ritual.
"It’s not just like lux amenities, like bowling alleys and pools, but really like healthy way of living, growing your own," said Bo Magnussen. He noted the unique experience of gathering fresh eggs and honey before the day begins, contrasting it with the transient benefits of a spa membership.
This trend extends beyond individual estates. New construction in areas like East Hampton is incorporating extensive wellness amenities, including steam rooms, saunas, gyms, and gardens centered around hot and cold plunge pools. Real estate agents observe that a younger generation of buyers, particularly those in tech, AI, and finance, are driving this shift towards agrarian and wellness-focused living.
Douglas Elliman listing agent Kristy Naddell highlighted that the Starry Night Farms' amenities were entirely added by the current owners, who bought the property with existing stables and a pool. "Since they purchased it, they added the sauna. They added the gym. They added the vineyard. They added all of the organic gardens and the orchards," Naddell stated. She believes that for luxury buyers, the focus has moved from traditional waterfront properties with pools to estates that offer a fully immersed and sustainable way of life.
The Magnussen family is selling Starry Night Farms as they prepare to move closer to relatives in California, marking a new chapter for the property and its evolving definition of luxury living on Long Island.