‘I Buy and Develop Hamptons Homes for a Living’—How Former Ad Is Now Making Millions Full-Time Realtor

Investigate, repair, or save? That is the question Blythe Graham-Jones now he’s wondering when he’s looking at a potential Hamptons property, and the answer will likely make him millions.

A former marketing executive who applied his project management skills to real estate, Graham-Jones didn’t set out to become a full-time strategist. But when she and her husband bought a $635,000 home in 2017 in East Hampton (while living in a rental in Brooklyn), a new path toward independent wealth began along with the purchase. They just sold that home in February 2026 for $1.9 million.

“We bought a ‘second home’ first, and started renting it out right away that summer—renovating it with whatever short-term rental money we made and reinvesting in the property,” Graham-Jones says. “Ultimately we were able to get that area reassessed at a high rate.”

The highest amount allowed them to get a $250,000 HELOC loan, which they turned into a major renovation that included adding a bathroom and taking down one of the bedroom walls to transform the building into a large living room and open kitchen. After another check after the repair, they re-invested and “cashed out.”

“The cash out basically means we refinanced and started paying a very high mortgage, but we were able to afford that because of the high rent we could charge on the renovated property, and the cash out allowed us to buy a second home,” Graham-Jones explained.

The second home they bought was in the Springs area of ​​East Hampton.

“The next one we bought was a post-COVID steep, but not peak, in the fall of 2020, for $895,000,” Graham-Jones said. “About $250,000 worth of equity repair work, and two rental periods, we sold in 2022 for $1.55 million.”

Since then, their real estate portfolio has continued to grow, including a property they just closed on this week that they plan to lease soon, a property they have under contract in Montauk that they hope to close by the end of the summer, and one more they’re holding on to on the Springs/Amagansett border that they bought for $1.4 million and is now worth about $2.3 million, after approx. at $2.30.0000000.

“We’re not ready to sell it yet because we haven’t done all the work needed to get it fixed up, and perfect as a rental,” added Graham-Jones.

But the process also allowed Graham-Jones to realize that he has an affinity for this type of work. In 2022, he quit his advertising job to focus on buying and renovating—then renting, owning, and flipping—homes in the Hamptons.

Why the Hamptons is a smart place to build a real estate portfolio

Although Graham-Jones has done projects and helped rent the family’s homes on Airbnb in California, the Berkshires, and Westchester, NY, she certainly thinks the Hamptons deserve attention.

“There’s no place like the Hamptons in terms of the rent you can do in a short window. You can cover the mortgage and other holding costs for a year just by renting. [it out] 10 to 12 weeks in the summer,” Graham-Jones said.

In some markets, he sees shifts throughout the seasons, but not anything dramatic, he adds.

“Prices can vary by 50% or more between peak and off-peak nights in the Berkshires, but in the Hamptons, they can vary by 200% or more.”

Because the Hamptons tends to be a hot market, the risk is also low in holding property.

“Even the turnovers, we love that turnover,” Graham-Jones said. “If the house doesn’t sell or the market goes out of its way to buy, we know we can rent it. [out] and cover the cost and refinance it to sell later, if we want.”

Now, after participating in the home renovation/rental/transition market for nearly a decade, Graham-Jones is still hot on the heels of the Hamptons.

“Right now, it’s hard to think about setting things up outside of the Hamptons because of how deep my relationship is—I’ve worked with the same team for almost 10 years,” Graham-Jones said.

“My contractor, electrician, landscaper, photographer were all involved in my first project in 2017 and throughout history since. When things go wrong, as they inevitably do, the depth of those trusted relationships is critical.”

What should you look for in a house to rent or answer

How does Graham-Jones decide which homes are good rentals and which might be the best flip? He definitely has his criteria at this point, and good instincts.

“In any home I’m thinking of buying to renovate, I look for good things that the average buyer might not see,” said Graham-Jones.

For example, maybe the roof of the house is low, but it is a farmhouse style, and you realize that raising it is not complicated.

Or maybe it is already a six-bedroom from a construction point of view, but the owner never faced the headache of changing the septic to legalize the site as a rental. Or maybe the home has bad flow or a small, dark kitchen, but he can envision a new layout by moving the walls.

“Most buyers can see ahead of the odd paint color or ugly bathroom tile, so I won’t have a competitive edge if that’s all that needs to be done. But most buyers can’t visualize the energy in a home when there’s more structural or complex work that needs to happen,” explains Graham-Jones.

When it comes to a flipping home, you look at space and limitations.

“I have to think like the main consumer – what is the real street, is it desirable, where is the proximity of amenities like the beach or the city, and will they be able to see themselves there for a long time?” says Graham-Jones, who adds that he can’t fix things like making train or car noise disappear.

In a potential rental home, you are looking for ways to fill it to capacity.

“It’s all about the heads on the beds for rent, so I always try to look for properties where there is an opportunity to do that, and/or add extra bedrooms and bathrooms to accommodate a larger capacity.”

How the genius of social media made his preparation even better

Using her advertising background helped Graham-Jones with her projects. Not only do his management skills translate perfectly to project management, but his social media marketing experience has allowed him to talk and negotiate with top brands through partnerships (meaning he can get better deals than his budget would otherwise allow).

“I do a lot of design research to find hacks to achieve the aesthetic or build I want, without spending too much money,” says Graham-Jones. “The big difference between an interior designer or an architect hired to do projects for clients is that I spend my dollars.”

It’s one of the reasons he started documenting his recovery journey on Instagram and YouTube.

“A lot of creators with big followings do this, but I do it more in terms of content/delivery of goods that I can brand, especially if it’s for products that I’ll be paying for anyway,” he adds.

Anyone interested in learning more of his tricks and watching the completion of one of his latest projects can tune in to see the progress of his current baby: a six-bedroom, five-bathroom house he’s preparing for the Hamptons’ summer 2026 rental season.

“I call it ‘The Big House’ because it’s my biggest project,” Graham-Jones said of the building they closed on a few weeks ago. “I’m really prioritizing amenities and I plan to make it the ultimate party space, with its own 60-foot pool, and add a sauna and a full outdoor kitchen under the pergola.”

In other words, if you haven’t closed on your summer rental this year, you might want to watch this space!