My House, My Valentine 

  

Valentine's Day got me thinking about how sometimes people fall in love with a house. I have, too many times! Maybe I'm a promiscuous house lover...maybe that's what it takes to survive and thrive in my profession....

 

Is there such a thing as a "house crush"? I think so, and it comes with most of the stuff that a "person crush" comes with: that light in your eyes when you see the object of your affections, your desire to be close, even dreaming of what life will be like when you're together.

 

As a real estate broker, what's my role in this? Matchmaker, surely, and I believe that this is what I do best. After all these years, I've given up trying to figure out the science behind it. I have a good intuition about people and houses, and it's a joy for me when I see love happen. Thank you all for continuing to recommend your friends and families to me, and allowing me to continue to experience that moment when my clients see for the first time the "one" that will be theirs. True love!

 

Although Valentine's Day was last week, here are some homes presently for sale that will make someone's heart beat just a little faster:

A few years ago, a woman called me because she wanted to look at a condo I had for sale. She explained that she was married, intended to stay married, but just wanted her own place. We looked, she liked, we negotiated an offer; and then her husband called. He wanted his own condo in the same building. We looked, he liked, we negotiated an offer; and husband and wife moved into separate condos in the same building. Last I heard, he was still making dinner for them both most evenings, and they retired to their own spaces for the night. No sleep number beds for this couple!

 

In the spirit of nearby homes for people who love each other - most often, family members or really close lifelong friends - I've gathered homes next door, across the street, or within a few houses of each other that happen to be for sale concurrently. Here they are:

 

#21400288 

  

Your place in the sun is guaranteed with this New Silver Beach cottage! Only 818 sf, with 3 small bedrooms and 1 bathroom, the classic little beach house has been updated. It has plenty of space to play or park the cars of the visitors you'll surely have. 

 

NSB offers warm water swimming and a sandy beach, tennis, volleyball, arcade, snack bar, and summer outdoor movies, and is possibly the most family-friendly of all Falmouth beaches. Everyone loves it! Most homes still have a balance remaining from a sewer betterment of about $20,000, payable with taxes over 20 or so years. 

 

 

#21307364

 

With a double lot, this house too has plenty of space for play and parking, but needs some cosmetics. With 936 sf, it has 2 bigger bedrooms than the house above, and also one bathroom. (Remember in the old days when that was all most houses had, especially beach cottages?) The house is already raised, so perhaps flood zone insurance will be less.

 

 

#21310725

 

 

You could have a family compound with this third house on the block, and next door to #137! This one is strictly for the summer, heated only with a coal stove to take the chill off cool mornings and evenings. But it does have a 2-car garage, and has been maintained, although not appreciably updated. It's an old-time beach cottage, with 4 bedrooms and one bath in 1,094 sf. Very cute!

 

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#21310272

 

 

This is a brand-spankingly-newly-redone bungalow, with 2 bedrooms/1 bathroom and 762 sf. In addition, there is a staircase to an unfinished second floor, so there is room for expansion. With water access at the end of the street for your kayak; a hop, skip, and jump to Walmart, Shaw's, and Home Goods; and a mile down the road to Bristol Beach, you can understand why I think of this location as "marvelous Maravista". It's also almost across the street from the Teaticket Elementary School and the new 10-acre Teaticket Park. Great price for a home in this condition and in this location.

 

 

#21400936

 6 Milton Street, Maravista (Falmouth)

 

Directly across the street from #9, this is a house with lots of elbow room, 2,863 sf on three floors - and that doesn't include the finished basement. Built in 2005, this is a newer house in our world, so it offers all the good things that come with a younger home, like tight insulation, windows that fit, and a great floor plan.

 

Big house, little house; #6 and #9 Milton Street offer two very different possibilities across the street from each other.

 

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#21309162

 

Moving east, and with either Menauhant or Bristol Beach about 2 miles away, this 4-bedroom, 2-bath, 1,414 sf house with big in-ground swimming pool rents for $3000 a week in the summer. Close to beaches, and on the "shore route" to town, this is a reasonably-priced house for sharing or not.

 

 

#21306472

 

 

So this one does need work, and for a lot more money, it's a lot less space (2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 666 sf) than #285. But it's ON the water, has its own dock, and is assessed at more than the asking price ($692,700).

 

Which do you prefer - on the water, or with a pool? Something for everyone!

 

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#21400720

 

Back to West Falmouth we go, to the homes in Pine Bay. The claim to fame here is deeded rights to the beach at Little Island, one of the most beautiful private beaches on the west (Buzzards Bay) side of town. There are no parking spaces here, but there is a bike rack. On the hottest weekend days of the summer, there might be about 20 people at the beach. You can also explore Little Island, and find an even more secluded beach. Once, a friend and I came upon a seal here. It's the kind of beach you dream about but rarely find.

 

Oh, and did I mention proximity to the bike path? When I lived here, I pretty much spent the summer on my bike. But this was only a few years ago, not when I was a kid. I loved it! There's a private tennis club, too; a public boat launch; and the West Falmouth Market, so good it should be in a movie! 

 

 

#21310493

 

Not next door or exactly across the street from #78, but close enough, this 4-bedroom, 3-bath home is bigger (2,382 sf), is at the end of a cul-de-sac, and has a new kitchen, first-floor main bedroom suite, and 2-car garage.

 

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#21303716

 86 Loop Road, Sippewissett (Falmouth)

 

 

You've seen this one before in this space; it's still not sold! A 3-bedroom, 4-bath, 2,500 sf Post and Beam, it is directly marshfront with wide views of Woodneck Beach and those sensational sunsets. Answering your unspoken question of why it's still on the market, I think it came on when the market was anemic, at too high a price, and now it's just been on too long and will sell for less than what it might have, had it come on at a more realistic price in a stronger market. It's in a highly desirable location, on the west side and near town; and really, the views are practically priceless.

 

 

#21202854

 

 

Directly across the street from #86, this has the same views, but slightly less direct because of the road and #86. But the house is bigger, with 4 bedrooms, 4 baths, and 2,970 sf; and it's been renovated. It feels less like a beach house than does #86.

 

If you had a bigger budget, you could buy both, and go back and forth between the two, using #86 as your summer house with #87 being the guest house; and in the winter, live in #87 and close down #86. Or buy both with a sibling, and swap every other year!

 

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#21302969

 

 

Heading back to the east side, this 4-bedroom, 3-bath, 2,803 sf Contemporary home is directly on the water, and has stunning westerly views. You can go to the Vineyard in your own boat from here. Nothing like lunch on the Vineyard without having to deal with a ferry! Or drinks on the deck, watching the sun go down.

 

 

#21400139

 

 

Not next door or across the street, but just a few houses away, this is also directly on the water. With 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, and 2,043 sf (not including the finished lower level), this house and #9 are more comparable in space and price than many of the other coupled choices I'm describing. 

 

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#21307815

 

Moving back across town to the west, Buzzards Bay side, this 3-bedroom, 2-bath, 1,428 sf Cape has an absolutely breathtaking private beach just at the end of the short road. This one is for the sibling with less money, because the sibling with more money can buy:  

 

 

#21306973

 

You pay more, you get more. #28 is a mini-compound, with a main house, guest house, AND bunk house. AND gorgeous ocean views, and a path to the sandy beach shared by just these few neighbors on Nemasket. You've seen this before in this space if you're a regular reader; this is the property I have my current "house crush" on. What do you think?

 

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So ends my little tour of "coupled houses". Have any made you smile as you looked at it? Any possible house crushes here? I love hearing from you - let me know, or post on my Facebook page what you think! What do you think of my idea about having a house crush - does it resonate with you?