With the economy struggling it was no surprise that the real estate market was one of the first things to be hit, and hit hard. However, through the ups and downs of 2011, one thing stayed relatively consistent: the luxury real estate market. Even though 2011 did not compare to 2010 it still held an impressive standing, and Epoch Times reported on the highest sales of one of the most luxury markets in the country: the Hamptons.

ET noted that the biggest sale of 2011 in the Hamptons didn’t even come close to the biggest in 2010, which raked in a whopping $43.5 million.

As a matter of fact, the most expensive Hampton home sold in 2011 would have only grabbed the third top-spot in 2010. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that 2011 lacked any spectacular transactions. Here’s a list of the top five most expensive homes sold in the Hamptons in 2011:

1. 1280 Meadow Lane, Southampton

The most expensive home transactioned in the Hamptons in 2011 sold for $25 million on June 1. According to Curbed, the impressive oceanfront mansion was designed in 1930 by architect Leroy P. Ward in a French provincial style with incredible attention to detail.

2. 137 Crestview Lane, Sagaponack

This house in Sagaponack was originally listed in August 2010 for $26.75 million, according to Newsday. The house sits on 2.4 acres of oceanfront property and features an infinity pool, two laundry rooms, and a guest cottage. Our records indicate that the (now) previous owners put down $18 million back in 2007 to acquire the property before deciding to list it for sale three years later. The property finally sold for $24 million on Sept. 2, 2011.

3. 5 Eel Cove Road, East Hampton

Curbed revealed that the seller of this property was none other than Robert Benton, movie writer and director. He was one of the writers of 1978’s Superman and writer and director of Kramer vs. Kramer. With the latter, he won the Oscar for best director in 1980. Originally listed with an asking price of $29,900,000 on July 13, 2010, the property finally sold on Nov. 17, 2011 for $23 million.

4. 96 Meadow Lane, Southampton

This impressive home sits on the Atlantic oceanfront and it sold on Oct. 21 for $21.6 million. The home itself was custom built in 2009, but the lot was purchased back in 2005 for $10 million. The property was first listed on May 24, 2011 with an asking price of $26.9 million, before it was snatched up by an undisclosed buyer through Seacret LLC in October 2011.

5. 1251 Ocean Road, Southampton

Closing off the top 5 is the property located at 1251 Ocean Rd, Southampton, which sold on March 30, 2011 for $20.5 million. It was allegedly bought by the TV star Donny Deutsch through an LLC, 1251 Ocean Road LLC.

Finally, here’s the complete top 10 of the biggest single-family sales in the Hamptons in 2011:

Address                                                   Sale Price                    Sale Date

1280 Meadow Lane, Southampton           $25,000,000                   06/01

137 Crestview Lane, Sagaponack             $24,000,000                   09/02

5 Eel Cove Road, East Hampton               $23,000,000                   11/17

96 Meadow Lane, Southampton               $21,600,000                   10/21

1251 Ocean Road, Southampton             $20,500,000                    03/30

21 Old Beach Lane, East Hampton           $20,450,000                   05/25

1240 Meadow Lane, Southampton           $20,000,000                   04/15

33 Hwy Behind The Pond, East Hampton  $16,750,000                  11/10

450 Gin Lane, Southampton                     $14,500,000                   09/27

144 Meadowlark Lane, Southampton       $11,995,000                   11/02

*Source: Epoch Times