Riegelwood, N.C. | $420,000
A four-bedroom, two-bathroom farmhouse built in 1917, on a three-acre lot
The owners of this house spent years returning it to its original state and chronicled the project on Instagram, where an account dedicated to the house has more than 65,000 followers. The work included restoring the hardwood floors and ceilings; adding new electric, plumbing and HVAC systems; repainting the exterior; and installing a new roof.
The home is a 10-minute drive from a post office and a number of businesses, including a Piggly Wiggly supermarket and a hardware store. It is about a half-hour drive from the historic Wilmington Riverwalk, Wrightsville Beach and the beach at Oak Island.
Size: 3,117 square feet
Price per square foot: $135
Indoors: The house is set back from the street, behind a lawn planted with mature trees. The covered porch is big enough for several chairs, and the front door opens into a living room with a brick fireplace and restored hardwood floors and wood ceilings.
Off this space is a guest room that the sellers turned into a study with bookshelves that stretch to the ceiling and a ladder for accessing volumes on the highest shelves. This room also has a decorative brick fireplace painted teal and outdoor access.
French doors in the living room open to a dining room with floral wallpaper and white wainscoting. Behind it is a farmhouse-style kitchen with a stainless steel dishwasher and a blue-and-gold Ilve range.
A tiled mudroom off the kitchen has access to a full bathroom with a claw-foot tub and to a sunny room that the sellers use as a children’s playroom.
Three bedrooms are on the second floor. At the top of the stairs is the primary bedroom, which is big enough for a king-size bed and a home office setup. Another bedroom is next door, and a third is at the end of the hall. All three share a bathroom with a console sink and a combined tub and shower. Next to the bathroom is a laundry room with tiled walls and rear-facing windows.
Outdoor space: Fruit-bearing trees surround the property, including fig trees that produce a robust amount of fruit. The covered back patio has a brick fireplace and enough room for a large dining setup.
Taxes: $1,476 (estimated)
Contact: Fran Downey and Jennifer Wheeler, Doors 2 Dreams Team, Fathom Realty NC, 910-900-7955; doors2dreamsteam.com
Philadelphia | $425,000
An 1812 brick rowhouse with two bedrooms and one bathroom, on a 0.01-acre lot
This house is in Washington Square West, a historic neighborhood in downtown Philadelphia, where the streets are lined with well-kept brick rowhouses built in the early 19th century. It is less than a mile from Independence Hall and within walking distance of some of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. The Thomas Jefferson University Hospital complex is a few blocks away, and a PATCO station is half a block away, making the location convenient for commuting to other parts of the city.
Philadelphia International Airport is 20 minutes away by car. Driving across the Delaware River into Camden, N.J., takes about 15 minutes.
Size: 1,081 square feet
Price per square foot: $393
Indoors: This house sits between two taller rowhouses, and has green shutters framing the windows on the first and second floors.
The front door opens directly into the living room, which has hardwood floors, a red-brick fireplace, a staircase to the upper floors and recessed lights that brighten the space. The door was replaced in 2009 with one designed to resemble the original, as were the two street-facing windows, which are replicas of what may have originally been there (although they are fitted with double-paned glass).
At the back of the main level is a kitchen with wood cabinets, granite counters, space for a dining table and a door that opens to the side patio.
One bedroom is on the second level, at the back of the house, with enough space for a double bed. Next door is a bathroom with blue tile and white cabinets.
The entire third floor is a loft-style bedroom, with room for a queen-size bed, a bright sitting area and access to the rear deck.
Outdoor space: The wood deck on the third floor gets plenty of sunlight, with views of the neighboring rooftops; it is big enough to accommodate a table and chairs. The small patio off the kitchen could hold an herb garden and a small cafe table and chairs.
Taxes: $6,576 (estimated)
Contact: Stephan Sitzai, Houwzer, 215-688-7516; houwzer.com
Manchester, Vt. | $425,000
A 1920 bungalow with two bedrooms and one bathroom, on a 0.3-acre lot
Fewer than 4,500 people live year-round in Manchester, which is a little over three hours from Boston, just over two hours from Hartford, Conn., and slightly more than an hour from Albany, N.Y. The area is a popular weekend destination for lovers of shopping and history: Outlet stores make up a good chunk of the retail businesses, and historic offerings include an old gristmill, the American Museum of Fly Fishing and Hildene, a Georgian Revival home with guided tours — all within 10 minutes of this house.
There are a number of small businesses in the area as well, including Northshire Bookstore, an independent bookshop housed in a 19th-century inn building, and Al Ducci’s Italian Pantry, a specialty food store and deli known for its Italian sandwiches.
Size: 1,262 square feet
Price per square foot: $337
Indoors: The orange front door opens directly into a living room with front- and side-facing windows and a decorative fireplace. This space flows into a windowed dining area with a chandelier-style hanging fixture. The kitchen beyond was recently updated with gray cabinets and stainless steel appliances.
At the back of the house is a mudroom that doubles as a sitting room, with a deep closet and access to the backyard.
One of the two bedrooms, off the living room, is big enough to comfortably hold a queen-size bed and a desk. It is connected to a bathroom with a combined tub and shower and hallway access. The second bedroom is off the dining room.
Outdoor space: The wood deck steps down to the backyard, which is landscaped with grass and perennials. A stone firepit with room for chairs around it is off to one side. The gravel driveway has space for two parked cars. The basement, which has concrete floors, is used for storage.
Taxes: $3,120 (estimated)
Contact: Tatsiana Clark, Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty, 802-379-3595; sothebysrealty.com
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