Old-School East Hampton Beach Cottage 515K

STEPS — NO, REALLY — STEPS TO BEACH. Lots of real estate listings say it. In this case, it’s true. This is the third house in from the water at Maidstone Beach, East Hampton, below, a long sandy crescent on Gardiner’s Bay that I never get tired of touting as the Hamptons’ best-kept secret (actually there are a couple of other equally well-kept secrets, but it’s one of the top three).

The house (at left in photo at top) is a shingled cottage from the 1950s, probably, with a glassed-in front room that probably used to be an open porch, and a garage out back. Two bedrooms, two baths, a working fireplace, and a whole lot of clutter, which I hope you can see through.

It’s been on the market for about two months, which surprises me. I should have thought it would be gone by now.

You can see the listing, with more photos, here. 

 

Vintage Cottage in Spring(s) 435K

BUYING PROPERTY IN WINTER takes a lot of creative visualization. It’s hard to imagine lush greenery and abundant flowers when the ground is covered with snow, or plants are fifty shades of brown.

View at rear of property into Town-owned, undeveloped woods, which seems to extend the backyard forever

That’s why I’m populating this blog post with inspiring springtime images — they inspire me, anyway, and hopefully, prospective buyers will feel the same — showing how things will look as the season progresses at my c.1940, cedar-shingled 2BR  Springs (East Hampton, N.Y.) cottage.

The house is still on the market. I rejected a few lowball offers and had two near-deals fall through. I’m tired of riding the roller coaster, and hoping the winter of my real-estate discontent is made glorious summer (apologies to William Shakespeare) by a reasonable offer from mortgage-worthy applicants.

The official Corcoran listing is here. For photos of the interior, the deck, the outdoor shower, and more nitty-gritty info, like taxes (low!), go here. And feel free to email me at caramia447@gmail.com with any questions.

Meanwhile, please scroll down to see what things will look like as the world renews itself in months to come.

Magnolia, spring bulbs, sweet william, golden spirea

Gravel path from front of property to rear, lined with perennial beds (i.e. all this comes back, bigger and better from year to year).

Same path, looking back to front in early morning. Forsythia in bloom in background, boxwoods and Alberta spruce along property line at right.

Another view of main perennial bed, with lamium, perennial geranium, ferns, barberry, hakonechloa, iris, Alberta spruce and more

Found driftwood in a bed of lily-of-the-valley

Fragrant olive and other flowering shrubs at front of property

Euphorbia, above, with Korean box and golden spirea

Doublefile viburnum, 10 feet across

Below, a few photos showing what’s to come a little later on in the season.

Perennial geraniums and irises in flower…

Elephant ears (these are annuals) with Korean box, hakonechloa, Japanese painted fern

Accabonac Harbor in Springs (East Hampton, N.Y.)

Vintage Hamptons Cottage Near Bay 435K

NOTE: This house is also available for rent through Labor Day 2014. Contact caramia447@gmail.com for info.

A PERSON CAN ONLY LIVE in so many houses, and I find myself with one house too many.

My Springs (East Hampton, N.Y.) cottage, above and below, will be familiar to followers of this blog. I’ve owned it for four-plus years and have put an enormous amount of work, time, love, and money into both the house and the 4/10-acre property surrounding it. I’ve moved on to another project nearby, and need to cash in my chips on this one.

Here are the details, and if you can think of better adjectives than charming, sweet or adorable, please let me know.

BRIGHT AND BEACHY 2BR VINTAGE COTTAGE IN MOVE-IN CONDITION ON LANDSCAPED .41 ACRE.
SECLUDED BACKYARD BORDERED BY WOODS.
NEW PARKING COURT WITH JAPANESE-STYLE WOODEN GATE.
LIVING ROOM WITH VAULTED CEILING, SKYLIGHTS; OPEN KITCHEN/DINING WITH NEW APPLIANCES.
FRENCH DOORS LEAD TO SCREENED PORCH, HUGE DECK.
NEW COTTAGE-STYLE BATH OPENS TO SECOND DECK WITH ENORMOUS OUTDOOR SHOWER.
FULL BASEMENT WITH WASHER/DRYER.
NEW ROOF, EFFICIENT OIL FURNACE, NEW HOT WATER HEATER.
TAXES 1,700/YEAR.
WALK, BIKE TO MAIDSTONE BEACH.

Please forward to anyone you think may be interested. For more photos and info, email caramia447[at]gmail[dot]com

Come be my neighbor!

  

      

Sweet Philly Trinity 199K

YOU’VE HEARD OF THE TINY HOUSE MOVEMENT? They invented that in Philadelphia a couple of centuries ago. The compact ‘trinity houses’ of the late 18th and 19th centuries are now much-coveted for their coziness, charm, and economy. And a dollhouse can be quite livable for 1 or 2, once you get used to the stairs.

This c.1830 trinity, set off the street behind a larger row house, is new to market and very well-priced. It’s in Queen Village, one of the city’s quietest and most attractive neighborhoods. I happen to own a building just around the corner from this one, so I know the area well.

There are actually four floors of usable space: kitchen/dining on the basement level; a living room with fireplace on the ground level; a hall, ‘dressing room,’ and full bath (with fireplace!) on the 2nd floor; and a large open bedroom with a sloping ceiling at the top of the house, for a grand total of about 600 square feet.

The taxes are $1,300/year. For the official listing, go here. To learn more about Philadelphia trinities, click here and here.

Bottom Fishing: East Hampton Cottage 299K

HOW LOW CAN THEY GO? This is the first time I’ve seen a house in Springs (East Hampton) below the 300K mark, and it’s in a generally desirable section: the Maidstone Park area, a few minutes’ walk to a miles-long stretch of pristine Gardiner’s Bay beach on Long Island’s South Fork. (See some of the more appealing cottages in the neighborhood here.)

It’s a 700 square foot, 2BR, 1 bath cedar-shingled cottage built in 1975, on a slip of a lot (.19 acre).

It’s located in a cul-de-sac that happens to be less charming, more Beverly Hillbillies (toys, junk in the yards) than most in the neighborhood; one can only hope that will change eventually. When I went to take a look for myself, I remembered going to a yard sale in front of that house; it was a young family who didn’t have much to offer, goods-wise, and I was saddened to see recently, in my research, that they paid over 500K (!) for the house a few years ago, and that this is a foreclosure/short sale.

Could something cute be done with it? Sure! Could it be a profitable rental? Probably not. Maybe a break-even.

To check it out for yourself, call John Brady at 631/294-4216. The listing, with more photos, is here.