A rare waterfront property in Mastic Beach is offering buyers the chance to live directly on the water, not just next to it.
The two-bedroom, one-bathroom floating home at 714 Riviera Drive has come to market for $449,000, and according to its listing agent, it is the only one of its kind on Long Island, and it always will be.
The residence sits on Narrow Bay and blends the conveniences of a standard house with the novelty of life on the water.
The property includes a full kitchen, central air conditioning, propane heat, gas cooking and updated electrical service. Custom windows with electronically controlled shades were installed within the past three years.
Listing agent Eric Boorum of Douglas Elliman said the setup cannot be replicated anywhere else nearby.
“It’s not only rare, it’s completely unique in the area. There is no other floating home in Mastic Beach and there will never be another one.”
The home’s status is protected by a decades-old permit. The Town of Brookhaven generally bans floating homes, but code makes an exception for structures that existed before the rule took effect.
The seller holds documentation proving the property qualifies for that carve-out. Boorum explained why the exemption won’t be extended to future buyers of other properties.
“The seller received a special permit years ago and they will not issue another one due to changes in code and revitalization plans across the waterfront in Mastic Beach.”
Under the applicable section of town code, a special permit must be renewed within 90 days whenever the home changes hands to anyone outside the owner’s family. Boorum said that requirement won’t stop a new owner from settling in for the long haul.
“The purchaser will renew the permit and will enjoy the same benefits.”
The sale includes a .18 acre waterfront lot with roughly 60 feet of bulkhead, a private dock, a driveway and storage space, along with a deck built for outdoor entertaining. A balcony off the kitchen looks out over the bay.
Property taxes on the home run just $665 annually.
Unlike Seattle’s well known floating home communities, Mastic Beach isn’t poised to become a cluster of similar properties. Boorum noted that most of the surrounding shoreline is permanently off limits to private development.
“This home is extremely special and unique in Mastic Beach. The majority of the Mastic Beach waterfront (approx 6.5) is publicly accessible parkland deeded to the public in perpetuity.”
“There is just a handful of true waterfront homes scattered throughout that stretch, and this is certainly the only floating home there is or ever will be.”
The current owner has maintained the home for two decades, spending years working with town and state Department of Environmental Conservation officials to secure the approvals needed to make the arrangement fully legal.
The timing may work in a buyer’s favor.
Brookhaven’s approved Downtown Revitalization Project is expected to break ground roughly half a mile from the property, and a planned $150 million bridge connecting to Smith Point Beach is also set to begin construction, part of a broader push to redevelop the Mastic Beach waterfront.
