New Haven, Conn. | $249,900
A Greek Revival house built in 1841, with two bedrooms and one and a half bathrooms, on a 0.1-acre lot
This house overlooking the Quinnipiac River was originally built for Benomi Gillett Jr., a New Haven oysterman. While oystering is not as integral to the local economy as it was in the 1840s, it is still popular along the river, which is within walking distance.
The seller bought the house in 2015 and used it as a vacation rental, adding upgrades like central air but maintaining historical character wherever possible. A pharmacy, a laundromat and several takeout restaurants are a few blocks away on Grand Ave., and the center of town, including the undergraduate campus of Yale University, is about two miles away.
Size: 916 square feet
Price per square foot: $273
Indoors: Wood steps lead from the street to the front entrance, which faces the side yard. A red door, set in the middle of a blue clapboard facade, opens to the foyer, where turning right leads to the living room. Windows face the river, and exposed beams run across the ceiling.
Hardwood floors continue into the dining area, which is bright thanks to glass doors that lead to the yard. A breakfast bar topped with butcher’s block and green tile divides the space from the compact kitchen, which has a farmhouse-style sink and a cabinet built into one corner. The kitchen appliances are new and include a stainless-steel range and dishwasher. Next to a built-in pantry closet is a door that leads to a bathroom with a porcelain pedestal sink and a shower with a glass door.
From the foyer, one set of wood steps leads upstairs to the lofted primary bedroom, which has an attached half bathroom. The walls and ceiling are trimmed with cream wood paneling, and the exposed brick of the home’s chimney stands just beneath a skylight.
Also from the foyer is a set of stairs leading to the lower level, which has its own exterior entrance. This room has rough-hewed ceiling beams and tiled floors and could be used as a bedroom or a home office.
Outdoor space: In addition to upgrades made to the house, the seller transformed the yard, set on a slope with unobstructed river views. Directly off the house is a pergola-covered patio with room for an outdoor dining table. The property is trimmed with perennial native plants and trees, and a flat grassy area has space for chairs and a fire pit. Next to the house is a driveway that holds two cars.
Taxes: $3,852 (estimated)
Contact: Jack Hill, Seabury Hill Realtors, 203-675-3942; seaburyhill.idxbroker.com
Baltimore | $245,900
A 1920 rowhouse with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, on a 0.1-acre lot
This home is part of a row of houses facing Clifton Park, bought by the city of Baltimore from Johns Hopkins University in the late 1800s. The park, which includes the city’s first public golf course, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 along with some surrounding streets. Since the house is within the historic district, it qualifies for reduced property taxes, and an application with the city is pending.
Downtown Baltimore is 15 minutes away by car. The Inner Harbor area, a tourist hub and home of the aquarium and the Camden Yards baseball stadium, is a few minutes farther.
Size: 1,928 square feet
Price per square foot: $128
Indoors: A paved path leads from the sidewalk to the stoop and covered front porch. Inside the front door, which is original to the house and recently restored, is a foyer with original pine floors, a feature shared by the rest of the house. To the immediate right is a sunny living room, where windows look out over the porch and a period-appropriate light fixture hangs from the ceiling.
Across the foyer is the formal dining room, where along one side of the room, a window faces the side of the property and a door set beneath an interior transom window leads to the kitchen.
The kitchen is a blend of old and new, with updated cabinets and countertops and original pressed metal ceilings. One door leads to the backyard, and another opens to a combination half bathroom and laundry room.
From the foyer, a staircase rises to the second floor, with a skylight built in for a bit of sunshine. At the landing, turning left leads to the primary suite, where a bay of windows looks toward Clifton Park. The walk-in closet has built-in shelves and cabinets.
Across the hall from the primary bedroom is a guest bedroom with a deep closet and space for a queen-size bed, and next door is a bathroom with black-and-white tile on the floors and walls. At the far end of the hallway is another guest room, where a door opens to a backyard-facing Juliet balcony, as well as an updated bathroom with a new vanity and a combination bathtub and shower.
Outdoor space: At the front of the house, the porch is large enough to hold a few chairs from which to observe the goings-on of the neighborhood. Behind the house, a wood deck off the kitchen has stairs leading to a backyard with ample sunlight that could hold a garden or a play area.
Taxes: $780 (estimated)
Contact: K. Dale Terrill, Monument Sotheby’s International Realty, 443-708-7074; sothebysrealty.com
St. Louis | $249,900
A 1942 brick house with four bedrooms and two bathrooms, on a 0.2-acre lot
Affton, a suburb in St. Louis County, was considered sleepy until the midcentury housing boom, when this house was built. Its proximity to downtown St. Louis, about 15 minutes away by car, has made it attractive to families looking for more space without a long commute.
Gravois Road, a few blocks away, is lined with retail and dining. Two miles away is Grant’s Farm, owned by the Busch family. In addition to the farm animals and a cabin built by Ulysses S. Grant, the property includes a beer garden and hosts Halloween and Christmas events.
Size: 2,355 square feet
Price per square foot: $106
Indoors: A footpath cuts through the front yard, leading to a covered porch where a door opens to the foyer. Hardwood floors extend into the living room, which has a gray brick fireplace built into one wall and a bay of windows facing the lawn.
To the left of the living room is a dining alcove with a window that peers out at the porch. A few steps beyond the dining area and living room is an updated kitchen, where a black-and-white tile backsplash and teal cabinets pop against gray floors. Off the kitchen is an all-season porch with a built-in china cabinet and direct access to the backyard.
A hallway extending from the living room connects the bathroom and two bedrooms on this floor. The bedrooms are about the same size and could each hold a queen-size bed. One room has a two closets and an arched doorway, and the other has a deep wall closet and a backyard-facing window. Between them is a full bathroom with a granite-topped vanity and a combination bathtub and shower.
From the living room, a set of stairs leads to the second level, which has two carpeted bedrooms with slanted ceilings and built-in shelving. One has a brick wall.
A second set of stairs leads from the main hallway to a finished basement, which has a large family room. An attached bathroom has a pedestal sink and a bathtub.
Outdoor space: Off the house is a paved patio that could easily hold a barbecue and a table. The backyard is grassy and fenced in on all sides, with a storage shed and room for raised garden boxes.
Taxes: $3,048 (estimated)
Contact: Matt Muren, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Select Properties, 314-853-6050; matrix.marismatrix.com
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Source: | This article originally belongs to Nytimes.com
