From the trophy oceanfront of Dune Road and Meadow Lane to the protected bayfronts of Mecox and Three Mile Harbor — Luke Cawley is the East End's dedicated waterfront specialist.
Waterfront is the crown of the Hamptons market. Nothing else on the East End commands the same premiums, holds value with the same resilience, or trades with the same discretion. But "waterfront" in the Hamptons is not one market — it is at least five: open oceanfront, protected bayfront, harborfront and village waterfront, pond and cove frontage, and deep-water dock properties for serious boaters. Each carries its own pricing logic, its own regulatory landscape, and its own buyer pool.
Luke Cawley of SERHANT. specializes in exactly this segment. Based in Bridgehampton at the center of the South Fork, Luke advises buyers and sellers on waterfront property across both Southampton Town and East Hampton Town — from the gilded oceanfront corridors of Meadow Lane and Gin Lane in Southampton Village, to Further Lane and Lily Pond Lane in East Hampton, the barrier-beach estates of Dune Road in Quogue and Westhampton Beach, the Mecox Bay farmfront of Water Mill and Bridgehampton, and the harbor villages of Sag Harbor and Montauk.
Waterfront transactions demand diligence that inland deals never touch: FEMA flood zone mapping and insurance costs, erosion history and bulkhead or revetment condition, Coastal Erosion Hazard Area permitting, wetlands setbacks, dock permits and riparian rights, and septic system compliance near sensitive waters. Luke builds this diligence into every waterfront search and every waterfront listing strategy — so his clients price risk correctly on the way in and present certainty to buyers on the way out.
Whether you are buying Hamptons real estate at the water's edge — start with buying oceanfront property if the Atlantic is the goal — or preparing to sell a Hamptons waterfront home, this page is your command center — explore the waterfront types below, then drill into the specific community pages for street-level intelligence.
Direct Atlantic frontage — the most coveted real estate in America. Meadow Lane, Gin Lane, Further Lane, Old Montauk Highway, and the barrier beaches. Trophy pricing from roughly $10M to well past $100M.
Explore Oceanfront →Calm, swimmable water, western sunsets, and dockability — Peconic Bay, Shinnecock Bay, Noyac Bay, and Gardiners Bay frontage typically trades at a meaningful discount to comparable oceanfront while offering more usable water.
Explore Bayfront →For boaters, a permitted deep-water dock changes everything. Sag Harbor, North Haven, Shinnecock, and Three Mile Harbor lead the dock market — and existing permits carry real premium, since new ones are hard-won.
Explore Dock Properties →Mecox Bay, Sagaponack Pond, Georgica Pond, and Hook Pond offer serene water views with estate-section privacy — some of the most quietly powerful addresses in the Hamptons trade on these shorelines.
Explore Pondfront →Sag Harbor and Montauk pair working harbors with walkable village life — waterfront living with restaurants, marinas, and culture at your doorstep rather than behind a privet hedge.
Sag Harbor Waterfront →Flood zones, erosion, bulkheads, wetlands setbacks, dock permits, insurance — waterfront diligence is its own discipline. Start with Luke's buyer framework before you fall in love with a shoreline.
The Waterfront Buying Guide →Every Hamptons community meets the water differently. Choose your shoreline:
The Hamptons waterfront market spans roughly forty miles of Atlantic oceanfront and hundreds of miles of bay, harbor, pond, and cove shoreline across Southampton Town and East Hampton Town. Oceanfront property remains the scarcest asset class on the East End — a finite inventory of parcels on Meadow Lane, Gin Lane, Dune Road, Further Lane, Lily Pond Lane, Old Montauk Highway, and Bluff Road that cannot be replicated and rarely trades publicly.
Bayfront and harborfront homes for sale in the Hamptons offer a compelling alternative: calm water for swimming and paddleboarding, boat access from private docks, dramatic sunsets over Peconic and Noyac Bays, and pricing that frequently runs 30–50% below comparable oceanfront. Communities like Sag Harbor, North Haven, Hampton Bays, and the Springs section of East Hampton anchor this segment.
Waterfront buyers should underwrite flood insurance, erosion exposure, bulkhead condition, and permitting posture before contract — and waterfront sellers should assemble surveys, permits, and elevation certificates before listing. Luke Cawley builds both disciplines into every engagement, pairing hyper-local waterfront knowledge with SERHANT.'s global marketing reach to the world's waterfront buyers.
Begin with the community waterfront guides above, compare oceanfront versus bayfront, or go straight to Hamptons oceanfront homes. When you're ready to walk a shoreline, Luke is available seven days a week.
Oceanfront, bayfront, harborfront, or dockside — tell Luke what your ideal shoreline looks like and he'll map the path to it, including properties that never reach the open market.
Connect With Luke