Filipino developer eyes luxury Hamptons market

CEBU, Philippines — Filipino developer Robbie Antonio is expanding his focus on the Hamptons luxury residential market, betting that limited supply and wealthy buyers will underpin property values even as transactions slow.

Antonio, chief executive officer of J. Antonio Group Inc., said the Hamptons remains among the world’s most distinctive luxury property markets, supported by scarce land, architectural heritage and its long-standing ties to New York’s wealth and lifestyle economy.

“The best markets are not always the easiest markets,” Antonio said. “But when a location has scarcity, heritage, and long-term demand, quality projects can still command attention.”

The Hamptons is a group of affluent seaside communities on the eastern end of Long Island, New York, about 100 miles east of New York City. It is one of the best-known luxury residential and vacation markets in the United States.

The South Fork of Long Island, home to Southampton, East Hampton and Montauk, is showing a divergence between transaction activity and prices. Single-family home closings fell 16 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier to the lowest second-quarter level in more than a decade, according to The Corcoran Report for the East End.

The median sale price, however, rose 26 percent to $2.4 million, while the average price increased 15 percent to $3.857 million.

The North Fork showed a similar trend, with sales declining 9 percent from a year earlier while the average sale price rose 10 percent. At the luxury end, the average price surged 77 percent, reflecting the impact of high-value transactions in a supply-constrained market.

“In a market like the Hamptons, slower sales activity does not necessarily mean weaker value,” Antonio said. “When supply is limited and buyers are highly selective, the premium is created by location, design, and execution.”

The market’s scarcity has produced some of the biggest residential transactions in the US. Hedge-fund manager Barry Rosenstein paid a reported $147 million in 2014 for three contiguous parcels on Further Lane in East Hampton, still the Hamptons’ highest reported sale.

In 2025, media executive Terry Semel’s East Hampton estate was reportedly sold to billionaire Len Blavatnik for $115 million, setting a record for a single Hamptons residential property.

The concentration of wealthy buyers and trophy properties has transformed the Hamptons from a traditional second-home destination into a global luxury market where privacy, location and architectural quality command a premium.

Antonio brings experience in New York’s high-end residential sector. After earning an economics degree from Northwestern University and an MBA from Stanford University, he spent several years in New York, where he founded Antonio Development and developed The Centurion in Manhattan’s Plaza District near Central Park.

His portfolio has since expanded across the US and Asia, including residential projects associated with luxury brands and designers such as Armani, Versace and Missoni.

That experience has shaped his view that premium real estate is ultimately driven by a combination of location, scarcity and design.

“There are easier ways to build,” Antonio said. “But I’ve seen what happens when you start with clarity, work with people at the top of their field, and design something that can stand the test of time.”

Antonio has completed four spec-home projects in the Hamptons, selling properties for between $6 million and $12.5 million. He now plans to move further upmarket, targeting larger developments priced from $15 million to $35 million.

The expansion comes as transaction volumes weaken across the broader market, underscoring Antonio’s bet that scarcity, rather than sales velocity, will remain a key determinant of long-term value.

“The Hamptons remain a long-term market,” Antonio said. “When supply is limited and the buyer base is global, the opportunity is not just to build more, but to build better.” — (FREEMAN)