John Trentacoste of East Hampton has spent the last 20 years as a professional problem-solver.
Through his company, Beachhouse Hamptons, what began as a side gig helping friends with their vacation homes has turned into a full-time operation managing the unseen details of luxury living.
“I’m just solving problems, so my clients don’t have to,” Mr. Trentacoste, 57, said with a shrug that belies the complexity of his work.
Companies like Beachhouse Hamptons help to sustain an economy of electricians, landscapers, house cleaners, and other tradespeople. Mr. Trentacoste has spent decades curating his own network of people in these professions. His role mirrors what he said is a growing industry trend: professional property management firms now handle everything from 24/7 emergency response to private chef bookings, catering to clients who view their Hamptons houses as both investments and lifestyle assets.
After years of working at a Manhattan finance job, the post-9/11 era found Mr. Trentacoste craving change. What started as helping second-home owners coordinate deliveries led to running a Montauk nightclub, which in turn led to his current role. “It was organic,” he said. “I saw a need for someone local to handle things year round.”
His summer mornings begin at 7 a.m. — emails, scheduling vendors, prioritizing the day’s crises. By 9, he’s on the road, bouncing between houses where the problems range from mundane (a malfunctioning wine fridge) to bizarre (raccoons in a movie room). The season’s rhythm means his phone never stops. “Most people think summer is the time to relax,” he said. “For us, it’s when everything kicks into high gear.”
Beachhouse Hamptons is one of multitudes of players in the house managing game. Hamptons House Watching, for example, bills itself as a personalized, worry-free solution for second-home owners. The company offers 25-point weekly inspections, detailed email reports, and seasonal services ranging from storm preparation to opening pools and readying patios for summer. It
even provides small but telling touches — like flushing toilets, resetting thermostats, and arranging mail pickup — to give absentee owners peace of mind and keep houses looking lived in.
Meanwhile, Hamptons Property Services takes a large-scale approach, managing nearly 200 vacation homes with a team that has over 50 years of combined experience. This company says on its website that it coordinates more than 20,000 jobs per year, from vendor management to technology-driven monitoring systems that minimize ownership risks. Their selling point is efficiency: one contact, one invoice, one warranty, with digital reports after each property visit.
Against this backdrop, Mr. Trentacoste has carved out a niche by staying intentionally small-scale. “I don’t take on so many clients that I can’t react in the perfect amount of time,” he said. If a client calls, “I have to be ready to answer it.”
Mr. Trentacoste said that the days of “Tumbleweed Tuesday,” the mythical post-Labor Day exodus when the South Fork empties overnight, are gone. So after taking the day off to be with family, he was right back at it by midweek last week. “September in the Hamptons is actually a wonderful time of year. There’s no rush to leave. Farm stands are still producing fantastic local veggies. Yeah, everything’s just perfect — the weather is perfect, and the ocean is still warm,” he said.
His phone still buzzes well into fall, though the emergencies become less frantic. For Mr. Trentacoste, the true luxury he provides isn’t found in a wine fridge or a pristine pool, but in something far more valuable: the peace of mind that comes from knowing a trusted problem-solver is always on call. His is a year-round vocation built on a simple promise: He’ll answer the phone.
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Edlin Novogratz was a participant in The East Hampton Star Summer Academy.
