The Magic of Nantucket

From the pages of RESIDE® | Luxury Homes and Lifestyles Around the World | Spring 2015 Northeast Edition

Visiting Nantucket can seem a little like going back in time. And for many residents, that’s the point.

Nantucket has been one of the Northeast’s most beloved vacation and second-home destinations for generations. Located 30 miles south of Cape Cod, this scenic, un-crowded, island of beautiful homes and beaches is a meld of quaint sophistication, unlimited outdoor recreation and a bustling downtown district full of shops, cares, and restaurants. There are no stoplights on the island, no billboards or malls, just a vivid sense of pause and purity that makes arriving feel like a total, timeless escape.

“It’s very secluded yet easy to get to for people coming form places like New York of Connecticut of Boston,” says Gary Winn, Principle Broker and Owner of Maury People Sotheby’s International Realty. “When you’re there you feel like you’ve actually gone someplace different – you feel like you’re away.”

$9,995,000 USD | Siasconset, Massachusetts | Maury People Sotheby’s International Realty

Change happens slowly here, and most elements of the town, beaches and open spaces have been splendidly preserved. Many people who own seasonal property have been coming to the island for years, often since childhood. As Winn says, “It’s very historic. Nantucket doesn’t look much different than it did 30 years ago.”

That’s due in large part to the conservation instincts of homeowners, but the island has also taken strong measures to protect its classic New England seaport culture and 19^th century architecture through an active Historic District Commission. In the town of Nantucket particularly, oversight is strict and new structures must blend into the historic fabric of the community.

Luxury properties range from intimate, immaculately renovated in-town homes to more spacious cottages and manor in desirable locations like Monomoy, or Brandt Point and the Cliff Area overlooking Nantucket Sound. Large acreage estates with pools and guesthouses are found along the Atlantic coast to the east, while Surfside, Cisco and the great beaches to the south are seeing a wave of high-end redevelopment.

$7,500,000 USD | Nantucket, Massachusetts | Maury People Sotheby’s International Realty

Buyers, many who have been aching to reconnect to Nantucket, usually come form the Northeast and East Coast, but Winn says European clients, particularly from London, have been surprisingly active. With inventory for premier properties traditionally low, prices on the island hold strong. Even so, “It seems like we’re in the beginning of another cycle and the prices are going to go up again,” Winn says. “I think it’s a good time to jump in.”

It’s a cliché to say that you never really leave a place you’re fond of, but it’s absolutely true of those who know Nantucket. For them, Nantucket is as much an emotional destination as it is a physical one.

Article provided by Derek Duncan exclusively for Sotheby’s International Realty