It’s easy to find an expensive Maine home with a gorgeous view. But if you know where to look, you can find a more affordable one as well.

Most of those kinds of homes will be located inland or Down East, which is just about the last area of affordable coastline in Maine. On that inflated coast, many will be seasonal camps, homes in need of renovation or those on hard-to-access islands.

We rounded up four Maine homes with beautiful views at a range of price points, from a pricey one with a harbor view to a modest one overlooking the Machias River.

A coastal home near mountains and water

62 York Road, Blue Hill, $1.2 million

This 3-bedroom home just outside the East Blue Hill village sits on 5 acres and offers views of both the scenic harbor and the mountains of Acadia National Park, listing agent Christine Lutz of Realty of Maine said. The small harbor has made this area a coveted one, in part because it is a working waterfront on a cove.

The property is on a quiet, private road but is only a couple miles from village amenities, and is less than an hour from Acadia and the Bangor international airport. The home has hardwood floors throughout, and comes with a 1-bedroom guest cottage, though that needs a complete renovation, Lutz said.

“We’ve had some good interest,” Lutz said of the two weeks the property has been on the market. “That was a nice surprise: the million and over market still seems to be strong.”

A seasonal artist’s island escape

272 Green Island, $695,000, Vinalhaven

This seasonal home sits on two coves, meaning that both the back and front yards of the house look out onto the ocean. Though the home is an hour-long ferry ride from Rockland, it is only a short skiff ride from the Vinalhaven landing and the limited amenities offered on the island, listing agent Peter Christine of Drum & Drum Real Estate Inc. said.

The 3-bedroom house was built in 1990 by an artist, Buckley Smith, who lived there in the summers and took inspiration from his surroundings for his maritime-themed artwork.

The property’s features include an antique cookstove, a deepwater dock and mooring, and a cottage adjacent to the main home. It’s a seasonal property but could be lived in year-round with some investment, Christine said. The home was listed a month or so ago, and has attracted mostly artist-types like its builder.

“It grabs people’s imagination. It’s got a lot of character,” Christine said. “That gets people who have an artistic bent.”

Two oceanview cottages with investment potential

276 Harbor Road, $295,000, Swan’s Island

This property on Swan’s Island, just off Deer Isle and Mount Desert Island, includes two oceanview cottages.

“It’s a small property, but it’s got incredible value on the water,” Steve Shelton, the listing agent and a broker with Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate/The Masiello Group, said.

One building is a one-bedroom cottage. The other was used as an office. Though they both need renovating, Shelton said they each already have heat and bathrooms installed, and the office cottage has a custom fireplace and laundry room.

With only $50,000 put into improvements, Shelton reckons the value of the property would increase by $200,000. The home has already received a fresh coat of paint, though the listing pictures haven’t been updated to reflect that, Shelton said.

The unique property has been listed for nine months. Though two buyers have gone under contract, both deals fell through because though they loved the house they couldn’t make the renovations work given the island’s inaccessibility and strict ferry schedule.

“Anything you do on an island is at least 25 percent more, for construction,” Shelton said. “It’s a challenge to get contractors out there.”

A home overlooking the Machias River

17 Monaghan Lane, $189,000, Whitneyville

We’re returning to the mainland for this 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom home in a small Washington County town that offers picturesque views of the Machias River from atop a hill.

It has been recently renovated, according to the home’s listing, and has new flooring and new light fixtures as well as a new paint job. The Whitneyville home is only a few minutes by car to the town of Machias, the population hub in the southern part of the rural county.

More articles from the BDN

WELLS, Maine (WABI) – Officials are monitoring a dead humpback whale off of Wells, the third dead whale that’s been found off the coast of southern Maine in the past two months.

Wells Police said Friday afternoon the humpback was floating approximately two miles off the coast.

Police say the whale’s carcass is drifting northwest and has a GPS tracker on it.

Marine Mammals of Maine identified the whale as an adult female named “Lollipop” who had been outfitted with a tracking tab by the Center for Coastal Studies to assist stranding networks with response efforts.

Officials say they will monitor the whale’s location over the next several days as it gets closer to shore.

Copyright 2024 WABI. All rights reserved.

For those who prefer glamping to camping, a destination in Maine ranks among the best in the U.S., according to Vogue.

The publication recently released a list of the 20 best glamping resorts in America and included Under Canvas Acadia in Surry, Maine. Glamping is glamorous camping noted for its luxurious amenities in the wild.

The Montana-based adventure-hospitality company opened the glamping location in 2020 near Acadia National Park. Travelers who stay there enjoy “glamping accommodations inspired by the African safari experience that provide a bridge to the outdoors, allowing guests to be immersed in nature in luxury and style,” according to the company.

Here’s what Vogue wrote about Under Canvas Acadia:

Since its first camp opened in 2012 and subsequent expansion, Under Canvas has been the gold standard for glamping across the states. The brand’s outpost in Maine’s Acadia National Park is particularly of note thanks to its 100 acres of waterfront property and tents designed with king-size beds, wood-burning stoves, and ensuite bathrooms with hot showers.

The Under Canvas Acadia glampground is about 35 minutes from Acadia National Park, which stretches for nearly 50,000 acres along the Atlantic coastline in Maine and offers 27 miles of historic motor roads, 45 miles of carriage roads, and 158 miles of hiking trails.

For those who enjoy hiking when they camp, earlier this year Conde Nast Traveler named an Acadia National Park hike one of the best in the U.S.: the Beehive Loop Trail.

Check out Vogue’s list of the 20 best glamping resorts in America.