Maine’s ski resorts are opening for the season. If your dream is to live minutes from those slopes, there are a number of options on the market right now at a wide range of prices.
Typically, Maine’s real estate market cools off in the fall, but in towns near the state’s largest ski resorts, winter is when home sales “go off,” said Dan Hickman, a real estate agent who’s been working in Bridgton since he was 16 years old.
We combed through hundreds of homes listed on Zillow and came up with five options, from the priciest to those well below Maine’s median home value of roughly $387,000.
A camp in Carrabassett Valley
3091 Carrabassett Drive, Carrabassett Valley, $249,900
This cozy camp is five minutes from the base of Sugarloaf Mountain. It is just under 1,000 square feet in size and has four bedrooms and one bathroom. It has been owned and maintained by the same family since its construction in the 1970s, listing agent Kayla Sterling said. The owners used it seasonally and came up on weekends to ski and explore as a family, and would like to pass it onto a young family to enjoy it in the same way, Sterling said.
It would need a new plumbing system to make it a year-round residence, said Sterling of Coldwell Banker Team Real Estate.
A Rangeley log cabin
33 Big Snow Way, Rangeley, $345,000
This two-bedroom, one-bathroom log cabin in Rangeley is a 10-minute drive from the Saddleback Mountain ski resort, and it’s close to Rangeley Lake and a snowmobile trail, too.
The cabin is small but cozy, according to listing agent Aimee Danforth of Noyes Realty. It was outfitted by one of the current homeowners, an interior designer, and is being sold fully furnished. The home is just over 700 square feet and sits on a 1.6acre wooded lot. It includes a new heating system and a small yard with a firepit.
The current homeowners live there seasonally, coming up from southern Maine for boating in the summer and skiing in the winter, Danforth said.
A family farm in Bethel
104 Annis Road, Bethel, $499,000
Minutes from Bethel village and the base lodge at Sunday River Resort, this four-bedroom, one-bathroom home sits on an 8-acre parcel that was formerly an apple orchard and family farm and has a snowmobile trail that runs through it.
Originally built in 1860, the house itself has been home to the Annis family for decades, but they no longer have any use for it, said listing agent Michael Magner with Berkshire Hathaway Northeast Real Estate. While the property’s heating system, hot water and basic utilities are all up to date, the agent said he’d recommend a new buyer make some aesthetic upgrades to cabinets, walls and the carpet.
The property, which boasts beautiful views of Mt. Abram, could be a year-round residence and has the potential for a subdivision on the property.
“It makes sense from a development point of view,” Magner said. “[But] if you want to score a place for under $500,000, and have an awesome ski house that you can go in and just clean up and be working right from day one, it checks the box for that as well.”
A Greenwood chalet
487 Howe Hill Road, Greenwood, $625,000
Skiers and mountain bikers will find this three-bedroom, three-bathroom log-sided chalet an attractive prospect, as it’s walking distance from the lodge at Mt. Abram.
The property was built in 2010 and includes a wrap-around deck, fireplace, dog kennel and backyard with a fire pit. There’s a hot tub, too, but it needs a new cover and control panel to be used, listing agent Anthony Deiulio said.
The home, which is being sold partially furnished, was used as a seasonal property by its current owners who came up on weekends, but it could be used as a primary residence or as a short-term rental property, Deiulio said.
“It’d make a great vacation home. Good condition, and a reasonable price point for the vacation homes around here,” Deiulio, broker-owner of the Deiulio Realty Group, said.
A mountainview retreat in Bridgton
48 White Mountain Way, Bridgton, $835,000
Though this four-bedroom, three-bathroom single-family residence is less than 10 minutes from the Pleasant Mountain Ski Area and myriad lakes and ponds, its listing agent says the home’s main allure is its views.
“Every window facing west frames Mount Washington beautifully — it’s like the crown on this property,” said listing agent Dan Hickman, owner of Heritage Real Estate.
The 3,500-square-foot property sits on a roughly 2-acre lot looking out onto the Presidential Range. That view, Hickman said, is forever protected by an easement in place over three lots below the home. The house itself is an open concept, Hickman said, with hardwood floors, granite countertops and a cathedral ceiling. Amenities include a hot tub, screened-in porch, a gas fireplace and a two-car garage.
The current homeowners used this property as a year-round residence, said Hickman.
Though no offers have come in on the property yet, Hickman said that the property will likely be bought by someone north of Boston who wants to work remotely from this region.
“It’s the perfect property for somebody who wants to relocate and be in the western Maine mountains and beautiful water bodies. Just somebody who really wants to love Maine,” Hickman said.
