February/March 2018 | view this story as a .pdf
Looking for a million-dollar view with a rock-bottom price tag? Each of these waterfront treasures offers a gateway to freedom for $225,000 or less.
By Sarah Moore and Madison Andrews
The Bridge to Home
21 Barney Cove Rd, Beals
$159,000 | 0.3 acres
Turn off Route 182 in West Jonesport and strike out across the bridge that connects Beals Island to the mainland. With your tires singing along the asphalt and sunlight glancing on the water, keep your eyes on the approaching shoreline. Halfway across, you’ll glimpse the little cream Cape situated just to the right of the bridge. You’re home.
The two-bed, two-bath cottage at 21 Barney Cove Road is perched on .3 acres of shoreline, gazing back at West Jonesport. The stunning view is framed to the right by the bridge–perfect for anyone who craves island life but wants a quick connection to reality for only $159,000. “The interior was completely remodeled in 2005, including improvements to the roof,” says broker Billy Milliken. “It’s a very well-appointed cottage.” Polished oak floorboards and a bright kitchen complete with inviting breakfast bar makes 21 Barney Cove a freshly primed canvas to create your dream vacation or family home. The house is a year-round property and won’t feel shuttered up and forgotten like so many vacation villages thanks to the working dock that borders the west side of the property. “The dock is owned by a local fisherman,” says Milliken. “You can see all his lobster traps stacked up from your window. During the afternoon, you can watch the boat return with the day’s catch.” Maybe you’ll even get friendly and strike up a shore-to-door deal on fresh lobsters. Think of the possibilities.
Taxes are $1,100.
House of the Rising Sun
318 Rays Point Rd, Milbridge
$199,300 | .53 acres
Situated just 20 feet from the ocean’s edge, the eastern-facing home at 318 Rays Point Road in Milbridge is impeccably positioned for watching those remarkable Maine sunrises. The house, called Sea Smoke, was built in 1974 when “setback requirements weren’t as strict as they are now,” says owner John Bettis. “You get the most beautiful view.” Except for the waterfront, the .53-acre property is surrounded by abundant pine trees and a grassy lawn. It’s listed at $199,300.
Tucked into a quiet neighborhood–“most of the activity comes from seagulls, terns, and bald eagles”–on the marshy coastline of Narraguagus Bay, the two-bed, one-and-a-half-bath dwelling has a prosperous track record as a vacation rental, but it was originally intended for a family home. “It’s a cottage-style place,” Bettis says of the single-story building, “and we wanted to keep it old-fashioned.” But not antiquated. Inside, Sea Smoke feels spacious, thanks to an open-concept floor plan which includes the living room, kitchen, and dining area, complete with a high-vaulted ceiling and “three large sliding glass doors overlooking the bay.” In winter, cozy up next to the hearth of the woodstove. Cool off in summer with a cocktail on the waterside patio, your front-row seat to the cinematic tidal bay.
Taxes are $2,248. –Madison Andrews
Rough Diamond
206 McCorison Lane, Isleboro
$180,000 | acres
Convinced a seafront home on Isleboro is out of your reach? Think again. You can call John Travolta and Kelly Preston neighbors once you collect the keys to your new home at 206 McCorison Lane, on the market for $180,000. Arriving on the Margaret Chase Smith ferry at Grindel Point, you’re just a three-minute drive to West Penobscot Bay and a 616-foot, open-plan bungalow that faces directly out onto the surf. Don’t hesitate–this opportunity won’t wait around. “It’s aggressively priced for a quick sale,” says broker John Oldham of Island Property in Isleboro. “The property has the potential to be a tiny home,” says Oldham. Full-length windows open to “northerly views of West Penobscot Bay and the wonderful beach. It’s a great place for boating enthusiasts,” Oldham says. You’ll need to work on the ceiling, electrics, and interiors, but the property at 206 McCorison Lane promises raw potential for the right owner.
Taxes are $1,755.
Artist Retreat
11 Indian Creek Rd, Vinalhaven
$225,000 | 0.28 acres
“Everyone is an artist at 11 Indian Creek. Perhaps it’s the old floorboards, still effusing [a fragrance] of spruce. Perhaps it’s the view of Indian Creek. Perhaps it’s the light on the water and the sun slanting into the windows each afternoon,” writes Martha Carlson on the Facebook page she created for 11 Indian Creek Road, the 1850s cottage on Vinalhaven she’s selling after 50 years of summer vacations and “three years of tears” spent reaching the decision to sell the property. “I made the page to share my writing and recollections of the house. Many visitors have stayed there over the years, and they often post and comment on the page.” Aspiring artists in search of a home have come to the right place–Vinalhaven has inspired the likes of author Margaret Wise Brown and pop art icon Robert Indiana.
The property in question is a petite former quarryman’s cottage located a short walk from downtown Vinalhaven, on the market for $225,000. “The island had one of the state’s largest granite quarry. Many of the homes around here are little dollhouse cottages built for the quarry workers with additions and extensions added over the decades,” says Carlson. She and her husband, Rudy, have not expanded upon the property’s original footprint. “It looks tiny. But then again, Rudy and I were private school teachers for many years and would host around eight students for a week of oceanography every summer, so it’s deceptively spacious inside.” Many of these former students are those liking and commenting on the Facebook page, nostalgic for the rustic cottage perched at the very edge of the marshy waters of Indian Creek, with a view of Ambrust Hill to one side, and a little row of houses and a causeway of quarried granite known as East Boston to the other. “It’s about a mile walk along the trail around Indian Creek and over the causeway bridge. I can walk out and turn to wave at Rudy at the house at almost any point,” says Carlson.
Martha Carlson describes the interior of the two-bed, one-bath home as “accidental interior decorating.” The kitchen is straight from the 1970s, with funky floral wallpaper and pine units. Highlights include the two wood stoves, one a Vermont casting and the other a Franklin fireplace, and the little window seat in the living room looking onto the gentle tumble of grass leading to Indian Creek. You can’t help but imagine yourself sketching the view from this enchanted spot.
Taxes $2,375.
Swan’s Way
13 Mill Pond Road, Swan’s Island
$195,000
Put your stamp on this former post office on Swan’s Island for only $195,000. The turn-of-the-century shingled Cape at 13 Mill Pond Road sits on a grass and wildflower slope that rushes down to 140 feet of private waterfront on Burnt Coat Harbor. The four-bed, one-bath home has been well maintained, possessing a well and full septic system, but will require renovations to upgrade the existing structure. But what the property lacks in modern amenities, it makes up for in heart and soul. The seller has retained the Minturn Post Office’s original mailboxes and features, perhaps a nod to nostalgia, given “she’s the daughter of the former postmistress,” says broker Belinda Doliber. The charm of the home extends out back, where a picturesque shack offers views of the bay beyond. “The seller’s father was a fisherman. The building was the workshop where he repaired his nets,” says Doliber. Today it would make the ideal workshop or studio for a craftsman or creative type.
The peaceful fishing villages of Swan’s Island are just a skip away from glitz and glamour. “The Swan’s Island ferry service takes you to Bass Harbor on Mount Desert Island in around 35 minutes,” says Doliber. You can be sure you won’t find waterfront properties of this price at the other end of the ferry route.
Taxes are $2,583.
Gazebo Dreams
103 Fickett’s Point Rd, Milbridge
$215,000 | 4 acres
Just 12 miles north of the Acadia Schoodic Peninsula lies the town Milbridge, nestled at the point where the Narraguagus River opens into the ocean. The picturesque town, with its commercial wharf, firehouse, and town hall, is the living painting that captivates you from a tiny gazebo on the opposite shore. “I built the gazebo a couple of years ago,” says Bob Ensslen, the current owner of 103 Fickett’s Point Road. “You can look across the bay and see a great view of the town and the lobster boats coming and going.” Turn your back, if you can, on the view and make your way along the grassy path lined by goldenrod and wild blueberries, leading back to a 3-bed, 2-bath clapboard home. “The property was built in 1870 by Captain Kelley,” says Ensslen. “His family occupied the house for several generations. Much of the original plasterwork remains.” Modernity hasn’t been kept at bay, however. “There’s a two-and-a-half car pull-in garage and some of the interior walls have been knocked through to create more space.” The house sits on four acres of land, giving you 360-degree privacy. You need only stroll to the 200-feet of shoreline for evidence of life across the water in Milbridge. If that feels too far away? “It’s only a short cycle ride across the bridge into town,” says Ensslen.
Taxes are $2,358
Sittin’ on the Deck of the Bay
31 Hardy Point Rd, Pembroke
$159,000 | 1.6 acres
On a quiet point of land in Pembroke, just a hop, skip, and a jump from the Canadian border, you’ll find a peaceful haven at 31 Hardy Point Road. Here, a three-bed family home sits upon 1.6-acres of lawn that ambles gently down to the mouth of Pennamaquan Bay.
Already have one foot through the door? Lucky for you the house is move-in ready. There’s ample space both inside and out, including a 2,200-square-foot garage with power for any motorheads. The generous lawn, dotted with birch trees, allows direct access to the bay, making it an easy spot to launch kayaks and canoes for a day paddle past the tiny islands and coves that scatter along Pennamaquan Bay. A highlight of the property is undoubtedly the second deck (the first is right outside the back door), perched right over the shoreline, complete with wooden pergola. Imagine yourself there on a summer afternoon, the trellis wound with clematis and Virginia creeper, relaxing with sundowner cocktail in hand as the water slips slowly past.
Taxes are $1,730.
These places are lovely! Who would have thought you can find oceanfront homes for around $200k these days. And I heard that the cost in northern Maine is beautiful and less touristy than down south. Thanks for letting me know about these finds.