With the first snow falling across some areas of Maine in recent days, many are gearing up for ski season.
Seasonal homes at or near Maine’s ski destinations, such as Sunday River, Sugarloaf and Saddleback mountains, tend to be coveted, but pricey.
Here are a few homes for sale within a 20-minute drive to the state’s most popular ski resorts with asking prices less than $500,000.
Newry, $496,000
This three-bedroom, two-bathroom farmhouse-style home offers 1,750 square feet of living space and is less than 10 minutes from Sunday River Resort.
With an asking price of $496,000, the house in Newry has wood floors throughout, a gas fireplace, pellet stove, and a renovated kitchen with a butcher block island and custom sink.
The property’s detached two-car garage has a bonus room that can accommodate the buyer’s needs, said Anthony Deiulio of Deiulio Realty Group, the listing agent for the property.
“It has a really nice garage and the upstairs could be an in-law apartment, game room or fitness room,” Deiulio said.
The home sits on about 2 acres and has 180 feet of frontage on Bear River. Aside from Sunday River, the property is near a public boat launch and local snowmobile trails, making it a perfect home base for year-round recreation, Deiulio said.
“The sellers use it as their primary residence and the people before them used it as their vacation home, so it could go either way,” Deiulio said.
Regardless of whether a future buyer plans to use it year-round or seasonally, the home is ideal for “someone who wants an older-style home but doesn’t want the constant upkeep because this house has been maintained very well,” Deiulio said.
Carrabassett Valley, $415,000
Tucked along the Carrabassett River, this $415,000 property is less than a 15-minute drive to Sugarloaf Mountain and includes two buildings: a main home and a smaller A-frame.
“It’s hard enough to get one house in that price range, let alone two,” said listing agent Liz Walker-Feeney, broker and owner of Sugarloaf Region Real Estate.
With a little more than 1,000 square feet, the main home has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and an open concept main floor and woodstove.
The nearby A-frame has one bedroom and one bathroom.
The property offers the perfect opportunity to someone who’s interested in entering the rental market, as the buyer could live in one home and rent the other, Walker-Feeney said.
Aside from being just a few miles from Sugarloaf Mountain and the site’s year-round recreation offerings, the home is close to a popular swimming hole and Riverside Park, which has a swimming pool, playground, basketball court and more, according to Walker-Feeney.
Rangeley, $429,000
Built in 2021, this three-bedroom, two-bath Cape Cod style home in Rangeley is about 10 miles from Saddleback Mountain.
“Every day when you leave this house, you have the most beautiful view of Saddleback,” said Walker-Feeney, who also owns Rangeley Lake Real Estate.
The energy-efficient house offers an open-concept living space with cathedral ceilings and a handcrafted staircase and porch.
While the large shed on the property isn’t big enough to fit a vehicle, it offers plenty of space for lawn care equipment, snowmobiles or any other storage needs the buyer may have, Walker-Feeney said.
With an asking price of $429,000, the 1,600-square-foot house sits on a .62-acre lot in a quiet neighborhood. The property borders 18 acres of shared woodland and offers direct access to snowmobile and all-terrain vehicle trails, Walker-Feeney said.
The home would be ideal for owners of any age, especially those with children, as the Rangeley Lakes Regional School is a five-minute drive away.
“It could easily be a seasonal property as well, since you could rent it when you’re not using it,” Walker-Feeney said.
