Sayville NY Homes for Sale: Your Moving Guide

Buying a home in Sayville lands you in a picturesque neighborhood filled with quaint shops, fabulous restaurants, and waterfront activities. It’s a place with a small-town feel, a charming downtown, and a good school system including Sayville High School—one of 24 Reward Schools on Long Island recognized for high academic achievement.

Also filled with kind people, Sayville was voted the friendliest town in America in 1994—no small feat considering New York’s notorious reputation for being the home of rude people. Instead, you get neighbors who are community-minded citizens from diverse income levels who feel safe living in a town with a low crime rate. Fun fact: Sayville is also the hometown of American actress Melissa Joan Hart.

Background and history

Sayville was founded in 1738 by John Edwards of East Hampton, New York. John built his home, the first in Sayville, in 1761, on what is now the northwest corner of Foster Avenue and Edwards Street. The house was destroyed by a fire in March 1913. Another man, John Greene, settled what is now known as West Sayville in 1767.

In 1838, according to the “History of the Sayville Community,” by Charles Dickerson, residents called for a meeting to pick a name for their town and post office. The meeting was deadlocked with vote after vote ending in a tie. Half of the residents supported Edwardsville—named after the John Edwards family, the first to settle there—while the rest supported Greensville in honor of the John Greene family, the second.

The local schoolteacher then suggested a compromise: Seaville. ”After all,” he is reported as saying, ”we live by the sea.” The exhausted townspeople agreed.

However, the clerk at the meeting misspelled Seaville and sent the name ‘Sayville” to Washington, enraging the citizens who protested the name to the Postmaster General.

He wrote back: “There are many Seavilles in the world, but no place in the world is named Sayville.” The Postmaster General suggested the town keep the name—and so they did.

About the town

Aside from excellent school systems, Sayville and West Sayville offer a professional-caliber, 18-hole championship golf course, the Long Island Maritime Museum (known for its annual Seafood Festival), a rich history, multiple parks, and countless community enrichment groups.

Sayville’s southern border is the Great South Bay, connecting residents with water sports and maritime industries including swimming, boating, fishing, clamming, and, at one time, oystering.

Called the “Gateway to Fire Island,” Sayville offers a coastal barrier beach about five miles across the bay. The Sayville Ferry Service—which leaves from a dock at Browns River—is one of the easiest ways to get to Fire Island. The ferries go to Cherry Grove, Fire Island Pines, Water Island, Sailors Haven (a national park on the ocean that features the Sunken Forest), and Fire Island National Seashore Park.

Once a thriving tourist town, Sayville was one of the largest summer resorts in the country during the 1920s. Hotels and boarding houses went up near the water while famous people—including Lillian Russell—built large summer homes.

Sayville was also named the “Oyster Capital of the World”. In 1815, Captain Humphrey planted the first oysters in the Great South Bay. Bluepoint oysters from the local waters are known the world over. Main Street is even paved with oyster shells.

Housing, living, and income

If you’re ready to buy a home in Sayville, expect to find a great but expensive place to live with some of the fastest-rising property values in Suffolk County. The shady, residential streets mix stately Victorian homes with new ranches and colonials with the Victorian and waterfront properties commanding higher prices.

Most of the Victorian houses are in the older section of town, south of the picturesque and tree-lined Main Street (known as Montauk Highway outside of town) and Middle Road. The newer, waterfront homes are here, too, many with docks and bulkheads for tie up boats.

Sayville real estate creates a very competitive seller’s market with a median sale price of $536K ($387 per square foot), a median listing price of $675K ($430 per square foot), and a median property value of $467,100—two times higher than the national average.

Located 51 miles from Manhattan, Sayville gives residents a 32.3-minute average commute with 79.1% driving alone to work, 7.58% carpooling, and 6.37% working from home.

To offset the cost of living—which is around $50,940 a year—Sayville residents earn a median household income of $125,075, which is among the highest in the country and state.

Things to do in Sayville

Sayville is a place to play tennis at public courts or private clubs, to get in a round or two of golf at Island Hills or Suffolk County’s West Sayville Golf Course, and to spend a weekend of water sports at the Sayville Yacht Club, Shoreham Beach and Tennis Club, or Wet Pants Association (a local sailing club).

The town’s shared love of the sea is also reflected in the menus of local restaurants. Expect no shortage of places to get your fill of delicious seafood including Lake House, Lamplighter Inn, Fishermen’s Net, and Land’s End Restaurant.

Stargaze is an outdoor movie theater that hosts magical backyard and drive-in movie nights for an unforgettable event under the stars. Moviegoers can grab freshly popped movie theater popcorn, delicious cotton candy, and other treats and snacks.

Loughlin Vineyard—hidden away on the Roosevelt Estate—is one of Long Island’s best kept secrets. The vineyard is home to wines crafted in the heart of Sayville, each one grown, produced, and exclusively sold inside the tasting room.

Sayville Falls Miniature Golf is a place to enjoy not just a fun night of mini golf but also a beer garden, summer camp, birthday parties, cornhole tournaments, classic car nights, and more.

The Farm on Lakeland is a local garden center and farm stand that offers locally grown, fresh from the farm fruits and vegetables and fresh-cut flowers. Locals can drop by to discover a large selection of annuals, perennials, trees, and shrubs.

The Long Island Maritime Museum captures your imagination with boat building, shipwrecks, shellfish harvesting, recreational boating, and more. It’s a place for the young and old alike to discover the links between the island’s maritime and natural histories and encounter some of the amazing creatures living in our local waters.

Corey Beach spans 500 feet along the Great South Bay in Blue Point. The family-friendly beach with a pavilion and picnic area is a place to enjoy a homemade lunch or a quick bite from the concession stand featuring the Bagels Your Way Café and Mister Softee ice cream. Children can enjoy a unique playground with slides, swings, and a steamship-like climbing apparatus.

For a night of good food and entertainment, Food Done It? offers restaurant crawls with a twist of crime. Take part in 3 to 5 hours of a self-paced, web-guided, full-meal walking tour with a mystery storyline.

Schools

Sayville Union Free School District ranks among the top 20% of public school districts in New York. SAT scores are higher than the national average including 465 in verbal and 497 in math. 85% of Sayville High School students go on to college.

A total of five schools employ 233 teachers, serving 2,723 students with a 12:1 student-teacher ratio. In addition to the high school and junior high school, the district offers three elementary schools including Cherry Avenue Elementary School, Lincoln Avenue Elementary School, and Sunrise Drive Elementary School.

Best dining in Sayville

One of the best things about buying a home in Sayville is the food. Butera’s prides itself on friendly service and some of the best family-style Italian cuisine in town. Discover a revamped menu ideal for large groups and families, complete with generous portions that serve two or more. The restaurant’s fine reputation as a warm and welcoming neighborhood place encourages diners to keep coming back for more.

Fritzsche’s Bakery is another local hot spot with a welcoming, friendly staff and a delicious, palate-tempting bakery with something for everyone. The quaint little traditional bakery is a place to grab a bite to eat and a cup of tea while sitting down to enjoy a Main Street experience in a small town.

At Grey Horse Tavern, everything prepared is made from scratch using the best local, seasonal, and sustainable ingredients. The restaurant is also proud to support small farms, local producers, artists, and musicians.

Onsen Sushi prides itself on delighting sushi lovers and even converting non-sushi eaters to die-hard fans. It’s a place to enjoy not just delicious food but also a spare, cool décor complete with a beautiful granite sushi bar, bamboo wall sculpture, dramatic tray ceiling with blue lights, etched glass, and graceful drapes.

Claws Seafood Market—home of Long Island’s favorite lobster roll—is an all-natural seafood market, clam bar, and crab shack with a market and kitchen open year-round. Stop by and order local Long Island shellfish, sushi grade tuna, organic salmon, chem free, all-natural shrimp, and lunch and dinner made from scratch.

Audrey’s Fine Baked Goods earned a well-known and respected reputation in the industry, providing high-quality baked goods for Long Island and New York tri-state area since 1996. Find the eatery in the heart of West Sayville—its home for the last 27 years.

La Tavola is on a mission to produce the freshest country Italian cuisine with flair with a menu that highlights Long Island and fine Italian imported food and wine. Rooted in traditional family recipes, the restaurant explores current trends to create an enjoyable experience.

Kingston’s Clam Bar offers a variety of seafood, sushi, and land fare in a very casual maritime setting. Discover great service and food in a Long Island dockside restaurant setting without the price tag.

Buy a Sayville home with Team Rita.

Ready to explore Sayville homes for sale? Contact us today to search our database of local Suffolk County housing inventory, schedule an open house, or explore our featured properties for sale.

Author Bio

Rita Tsoukaris joined Realty Connect USA in 2023. Her passion for helping people achieve their home ownership dreams has earned her team the number one spot for Long Island homes for sale since 2015.