Ridgefield, Conn. | $458,000
A one-bedroom, one-bathroom cottage built in 1950, on a 0.1-acre lot
This house is part of a small community of homes with easy access to Mamanasco Lake, where popular activities include kayaking, swimming and bird-watching. It is about a 10-minute drive from small shops and restaurants, a theater and a post office in the center of town.
The train station in Danbury is about 20 minutes away; from there, trains make the trip to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan in about two hours. Driving to Manhattan can take a little less than two hours, depending on traffic. Hartford is about 90 minutes away.
Size: 560 square feet
Price per square foot: $818
Indoors: The house is set back from the street, and the main entrance is to the side, off a gravel courtyard.
The front door, sheltered by a small portico with decorative trim, opens into a living area with high ceilings and walls finished in light wood. The sitting area, to the left, is surrounded by windows and has space for a small sofa and a coffee table. The kitchen, to the right, has stainless steel appliances, a stone counter that extends to form a small breakfast bar and glass doors that open to the back of the property.
Behind this part of the house is the bedroom, which has a built-in platform bed, a wall of closets and other built-in storage added by the sellers to maximize space and more glass doors offering outdoor access. Off the bedroom is a small room that could be used as a den or home office, with a wide window facing the lake.
The nearby bathroom has a walk-in shower finished in penny tile and brightened by a tall window facing the back of the property.
Outdoor space: The gravel area surrounding the house is shaded by mature trees and offers ample space for outdoor dining. Directly behind the house is a stone fireplace with room for chairs in front. A storage shed is opposite the main entrance.
Taxes: $3,900 (estimated) and a $150 monthly homeowner association fee
Contact: Inger Stringfellow, William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, 203-321-9361; sothebysrealty.com
Durham, N.C. | $450,000
A 1950 bungalow with four bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, on a 0.1-acre lot
This house is in a bustling part of the city known as the Hayti District, near the main campus of North Carolina Central University, an H.B.C.U. with about 8,000 students. It is less than a mile from Hillside Park, which has a playground and a picnicking area, and from Ponysaurus Brewing Company, a popular local brewery.
Duke University is less than 10 minutes away by car. Driving to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill or downtown Raleigh takes about half an hour. Charlotte is a two-hour drive.
Size: 2,657 square feet
Price per square foot: $169
Indoors: This house has two entrances: the front door, which opens directly into the living room, and a side door that opens into the kitchen.
The living room has a large, street-facing window and a decorative fireplace with a white-painted brick surround. From there, a hallway extends to a room at the back of the house that was once a screened porch but is now winterized and could serve as a playroom or home office.
The kitchen, at the side of the house, has custom-made cabinets and Thermador appliances. It faces a sunny dining area with a large window and French doors that open to the living room.
Two bedrooms are on this level, off the main hallway. The primary bedroom has hardwood floors and enough space for a king-size bed. This bedroom and the second one share the bathroom in between, which has a combined tub and shower.
The other two bedrooms are upstairs, reached by a staircase at the far end of the main hall. A full bathroom and a lofted area overlooking the property’s mature trees are also on this level.
A half bathroom is on the basement level.
Outdoor space: The yard is landscaped with mature trees and enclosed by a white wood fence. It includes a patio with space for a small table and chairs.
Taxes: $4,164 (estimated)
Contact: Kirsten Wikstrom Lambert, Compass, 919-904-4401; compass.com
Pittsburgh | $450,000
A three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom condominium in an 1896 building
This condominium occupies half of a rowhouse on a tree-lined street in the Shadyside neighborhood. It is close to a stretch of Walnut Street lined with retail and dining options, including an Apple Store, a Sephora and restaurants serving crepes and sushi.
The campus of Chatham University, founded in the 19th century as a women’s college, is within walking distance. Carnegie Mellon University is about a mile away.
The Andy Warhol Museum and the Senator John Heinz History Center are about 20 minutes away, on the waterfront in the city’s downtown. Driving to Pittsburgh International Airport takes about 40 minutes.
Size: 1,330 square feet
Price per square foot: $338
Indoors: Steps lead up from the street to the front entrance, where double glass doors open into the building’s foyer.
From there, a door opens into this condominium’s living room, which has a white-painted brick fireplace, built-in cabinetry and shelving, a wet bar and glass doors that open to a small, front-facing balcony and to a small, enclosed patio at the side of the house.
A staircase at the back of the room leads up to the kitchen and dining room on the second floor. The dining area, at the top of the stairs, has a brass chandelier. The adjacent kitchen, which can be partially closed off with a pair of slatted doors, has black-and-white checkerboard floors, white cabinetry, granite counters and a pass-through window to the dining room.
All three bedrooms are on the level above. The primary suite has sloped ceilings, a wall of closets and a bathroom with a combined tub and shower. The other two bedrooms, one of which is currently used as a study, share a full bathroom.
A powder room and a side-by-side washer and dryer are in the finished basement.
Outdoor space: The patio off the living room has tall brick walls on either side and offers a view of the neighborhood’s trees over a shorter wood wall facing the street. The detached garage has one parking spot.
Taxes: $3,804 (estimated) a $150 monthly homeowner association fee
Contact: Julie Rost, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, 412-370-3711; julierost.theprefferedrealty.com
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