I’ve known of Aimee Fitzpatrick Martin’s reputation for a while, from reading her glowing client testimonials to witnessing her commitment to the arts and volunteerism through her involvement on the boards of directors of the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center and the Westhampton Rotary Club. But after meeting her for a beachside walking interview in Hampton Bays, I understood why clients trust her so deeply. As an aside, Aimee is entirely in her element on the white sandy beach along Dune Road, which is not such a bad place for an interview!
Yes, Aimee is polished, professional, and thoroughly prepared—but there’s also this other layer: Aimee is genuinely funny, deeply loyal to her community, and absolutely relentless in her pursuit of getting the job done right. She also has a humility that hints at a deep confidence. She isn’t shy, but her success speaks for itself.
Before real estate, Aimee had a full, well-decorated career in public relations and as a journalist for the Southampton Press and nationally. You can see that background come through in her clear communication. Whether she’s writing about celebrity homes or walking clients through waterfront zoning regulations, she does it all with the same thoughtful precision. And that combination of intellect, experience, and persistence is what sets her apart.
What’s new in Westhampton Beach? Seems like the Village, especially, is really getting a lot more attention this summer.
Westhampton Beach has had such a wonderful transformation in recent years, from burying its utility lines to gorgeous new landscaping and the completion of a successful sewer project that enables more restaurants to grace Main Street. One of those new restaurants is Donohue’s Steak House, an institution on the Upper East Side for 75 years, which just opened where the Post Stop Café was and is already a hit. The renovated Sunset Theater is now open, offering first-run movies with a swanky bar with music upstairs. Another new draw is the Gov. John Adams Dix Windmill from 1870, which now graces the Great Lawn on Main Street. This historic windmill originally was part of a home I sold before it was torn down in 2021. Little-known fact: Westhampton Beach was once known as “Windmill Town” by New Yorkers.
You are well-known as a real estate agent but you also serve on the board of directors of the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center. What’s that like?
There’s no doubt that the WHBPAC is a major community asset and one of the reasons buyers are drawn to Westhampton Beach and the surrounding area. It’s a 425-seat jewel box of a theater that offers world-class mainstage productions, from Jay Leno to Sutton Foster and Colin Jost. Saunders and I have sponsored some shows, including comedians Colin Quinn and Tom Papa. Beyond performers, they have a thriving Arts Academy that serves 10,000 students each year, and they also have a critically acclaimed film program. Did you know that the last row in the balcony is the same as the center orchestra at Carnegie Hall, and there are no obstructed views? The theater must raise $1.5 million annually to keep the doors open and curtains up. If you give to the WHBPAC, 81 cents of every dollar goes to programming, which is very impressive.
How important has the Rotary Club been for you in your life, personally and professionally? I understand that you were named the Club’s Rotarian of the Year (2018), Rotarian of the Year for District 7255 (2024), and are the recipient of the Paul Harris Fellow Award, the highest award a Rotarian can receive.
The guiding principle of Rotary is “Service Above Self,” and I’m a firm believer that putting the needs of others before yourself provides a great sense of fulfillment for the giver. Through our fundraising efforts, we help put supplies on food pantry shelves, provide scholarships to area students, clean up highways, and give donations to many of the area’s non-profit organizations. In recent years, I organized several fundraiser shows at the WHBPAC, including a psychic, magician, and this year, a really fun Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra show. It’s a great group of people, and we’re always looking for new members.
You’ve had a career that spans journalism, advertising/PR, and high-level real estate. How has that path shaped the way you work with clients today?
Like real estate, those occupations taught me how to juggle tight deadlines, be uber-organized to manage multiple clients at once, and understand the importance of effective communication. In real estate, we tell a story, not unlike public relations and journalism.
How has the Hamptons changed since you first started coming here as a child?
One of my favorite vacations as a kid was when my family rented a trailer literally on the sand in Montauk’s Ditch Plains. At that time, Montauk truly felt more wild – like the end of the world. My grandmother insisted on feeding the cute surfer dudes who were eating canned beans and hot dogs out of their Airstream campers! Eventually, those same trailers were upgraded and are now selling for almost $2 million. It’s true what they say about the beaches, air, and light being magical out here. And, over time, more and more people came to discover that. I’ve lived here full-time since 1997 and still think it’s the best place in the world to live.
You are well-known as a “West of the Canal expert.” What do you think makes that part of the Hamptons so special—and what should buyers know before they look there?
I focus my real estate business on sales and rentals spanning from Hampton Bays to Remsenburg, with a special emphasis on the villages of Quogue and Westhampton Beach. Within 90 minutes, you can get to Midtown Manhattan and don’t have to deal with the snail-paced summer traffic you can experience heading out east. Quogue is very quaint and is recognized for having the lowest taxes around. Hampton Bays has some of the best waterfront restaurants in the Hamptons, including Oaklands, Cowfish, Rumba, and the Canal Cafe. And if you’re a boater, Hampton Bays has the ocean, Shinnecock and Tiana Bays, Peconic Bay, and the Shinnecock Canal surrounding it. Without a doubt, home values are better for luxury or waterfront homes West of the Canal. I can’t tell you how many times out east colleagues tell me, “Wow, you know how much this would be in East Hampton or Bridgehampton?”
What is Quiogue? What should buyers know? And how do you pronounce it?
That’s a good question! A long time ago, a local told me that it’s pronounced QWHY-ogue and not QWEE-ogue. Located between Westhampton Beach Village and Quogue Village, it sits on a peninsula, so you say it is “on Quiogue.” Anderson Cooper had two homes on Quiogue, which I sold. The area was a draw for artists and writers, including Budd Schulberg, who wrote “On The Waterfront” at his home on Quiogue (the same home that Anderson Cooper later bought).
Waterfront properties come with unique challenges. What are some of the top things buyers need to be aware of before they fall in love with the view?
Yes, there are so many things buyers should consider when looking at waterfront homes. For example, is the home FEMA compliant? What flood zone is it in? Does it currently carry transferable flood insurance? If it’s not FEMA compliant, will the 50% rule come into play if they’re planning on making major renovations? (The 50% rule limits alterations or reconstruction of structures in coastal erosion hazard areas if the work exceeds a certain percentage–often 50%–of the structure’s market value.) And if they plan on tearing down an existing structure, they will need professional advice on hiring the top land use experts, attorneys, surveyors, architects, and builders. And I can offer that.
Do you have any new listings you’re excited about?
Yes! Thanks for asking. My newest exclusive is 53 Shore Road in Remsenburg. It’s a real gem – a 1929 Dutch Colonial with an old-fashioned wicker-chair porch, 4 bedrooms, 4 baths, spectacular hydrangea and rose-filled gardens, and a heated pool. It’s a steal at $2,395,000.
When you finally get a moment to relax, where do you go—restaurant, beach, or hidden gem—that helps you recharge in the Hamptons?
There is this relatively undeveloped stretch on Dune Road spanning from East Quogue to the Shinnecock Canal that I love driving down with fun beach music blasting. The bay is on one side, the ocean on the other, and you can see osprey nests and the Ponquogue Bridge in the distance. The light is just magical at certain times of the day there. For dining out, Amalfi Coastal Kitchen is a new waterfront restaurant in Hampton Bays offering a top-notch menu and wonderful sunsets over Shinnecock Bay. And you can’t beat Meschutt Beach in Hampton Bays for a laid-back night out eating and drinking at Tiki Joe’s while watching sunsets over the jetty. They also have free music every night. Water and sunsets make me happy!
To learn more about Aimee Martin, click here.
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