It’s easy to find an expensive Maine home with a gorgeous view. But if you know where to look, you can find a more affordable one as well.
Most of those kinds of homes will be located inland or Down East, which is just about the last area of affordable coastline in Maine. On that inflated coast, many will be seasonal camps, homes in need of renovation or those on hard-to-access islands.
We rounded up four Maine homes with beautiful views at a range of price points, from a pricey one with a harbor view to a modest one overlooking the Machias River.
A coastal home near mountains and water
62 York Road, Blue Hill, $1.2 million
This 3-bedroom home just outside the East Blue Hill village sits on 5 acres and offers views of both the scenic harbor and the mountains of Acadia National Park, listing agent Christine Lutz of Realty of Maine said. The small harbor has made this area a coveted one, in part because it is a working waterfront on a cove.
The property is on a quiet, private road but is only a couple miles from village amenities, and is less than an hour from Acadia and the Bangor international airport. The home has hardwood floors throughout, and comes with a 1-bedroom guest cottage, though that needs a complete renovation, Lutz said.
“We’ve had some good interest,” Lutz said of the two weeks the property has been on the market. “That was a nice surprise: the million and over market still seems to be strong.”
A seasonal artist’s island escape
272 Green Island, $695,000, Vinalhaven
This seasonal home sits on two coves, meaning that both the back and front yards of the house look out onto the ocean. Though the home is an hour-long ferry ride from Rockland, it is only a short skiff ride from the Vinalhaven landing and the limited amenities offered on the island, listing agent Peter Christine of Drum & Drum Real Estate Inc. said.
The 3-bedroom house was built in 1990 by an artist, Buckley Smith, who lived there in the summers and took inspiration from his surroundings for his maritime-themed artwork.
The property’s features include an antique cookstove, a deepwater dock and mooring, and a cottage adjacent to the main home. It’s a seasonal property but could be lived in year-round with some investment, Christine said. The home was listed a month or so ago, and has attracted mostly artist-types like its builder.
“It grabs people’s imagination. It’s got a lot of character,” Christine said. “That gets people who have an artistic bent.”
Two oceanview cottages with investment potential
276 Harbor Road, $295,000, Swan’s Island
This property on Swan’s Island, just off Deer Isle and Mount Desert Island, includes two oceanview cottages.
“It’s a small property, but it’s got incredible value on the water,” Steve Shelton, the listing agent and a broker with Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate/The Masiello Group, said.
One building is a one-bedroom cottage. The other was used as an office. Though they both need renovating, Shelton said they each already have heat and bathrooms installed, and the office cottage has a custom fireplace and laundry room.
With only $50,000 put into improvements, Shelton reckons the value of the property would increase by $200,000. The home has already received a fresh coat of paint, though the listing pictures haven’t been updated to reflect that, Shelton said.
The unique property has been listed for nine months. Though two buyers have gone under contract, both deals fell through because though they loved the house they couldn’t make the renovations work given the island’s inaccessibility and strict ferry schedule.
“Anything you do on an island is at least 25 percent more, for construction,” Shelton said. “It’s a challenge to get contractors out there.”
A home overlooking the Machias River
17 Monaghan Lane, $189,000, Whitneyville
We’re returning to the mainland for this 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom home in a small Washington County town that offers picturesque views of the Machias River from atop a hill.
It has been recently renovated, according to the home’s listing, and has new flooring and new light fixtures as well as a new paint job. The Whitneyville home is only a few minutes by car to the town of Machias, the population hub in the southern part of the rural county.
