Housing
This section of the BDN aims to help readers understand Maine’s housing crisis, the volatile real estate market and the public policy behind them. Read more Housing coverage here.
If you’re looking for something more architecturally out there than a Colonial, ranch or McMansion, Maine’s real estate market has plenty of options.
We rounded up four unique properties for sale around the state, from an oddly-shaped camp in rural Somerset County to a multi-million dollar summer home perched right on a southern Maine beach.
A contemporary seaside retreat
This home on Godfrey’s Cove in York has a distinctive, angular roof that is aesthetically pleasing but was also built to be aerodynamic, listing agent Lynne Joyce said. Both that and the fact that the home is only one story has made it fairly impervious to the storms that have decimated coastal homes, even though it is almost directly on the beach.
“Some of the larger homes that have multiple stories had a little more wear and tear because they stand out more,” Joyce, a real estate agent with Tate & Foss Sotheby’s International Realty, said. “This one really blends in with the landscape.”
The 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom home was built in 1972 and designed by William Spence Black, according to its listing. Joyce said the property is best suited for weekend or seasonal use. The current homeowners live there seasonally and rent it for the rest of the year, she said. Though the beach the home sits on is public, Joyce said it tends to only be used by the neighborhood.
This polygonal fixer-upper in central Maine
This home for sale in Fairfield is a classic A-Frame with a polygonal addition, making it a unique offering on today’s real estate market.
“I don’t know the original owners, … but generally, people build A-Frames because they like the look, or they feel it’s cost-effective,” Robert Weisman, the property’s listing agent, said.
Despite its polished exterior and attractive features including a spiral staircase, detached two-car garage and vaulted ceilings — the home has some interior issues, Weisman, a real estate agent with EXP Realty, said. It lacks a heating system and is missing some kitchen cabinets. But it comes with an assumable, low-interest VA loan, the agent said.
“It’s a good long-term deal for investors. The numbers don’t quite work as a rental,” Weisman said. “The people who have been interested in it and the assumption are looking a little bit more long term.”
This was a firehouse?
You’d never guess that this $1.5 million home for sale in Maine’s southernmost town was once the original Kittery Point Village Firehouse. But it was indeed recently renovated into a modern 2-bedroom, 3-bathroom residence that sticks out in this area of smaller homes.
The exterior of the home is a blend of different architectural styles, with a classic gable roof and a sleek, modern addition tacked on its back, but the home’s interior is thoroughly contemporary. It includes open concept living areas, high-end appliances and custom cabinetry. There is a view of nearby Pepperrell Cove, too.
A circular camp on 51 acres
This camp for sale in the rural Somerset County town of Anson is truly unique. The 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom hut was built on a 51-acre plot that includes a large pond, listing agent Isaiah White said.
Though he hasn’t been able to get in touch with the property’s original owner, the agent believes that the overlapping circles that make up the camp’s roof were designed that way to keep snow off of it and to keep frost out of the foundation.
The home itself is a nice, open space that would make a good retreat for someone enthusiastic about outdoor recreation and hunting, White suggested. The property is only a few minutes from Madison, and about 20 minutes to Skowhegan.
“It’s tranquil out there,” White said. “The vision the original builder had for the property, I think he nailed it.”
