Character Home, Pool, Lake Access, New Roof, Updated HVAC
1959 Brick Corner Lot with Pool, 3 Miles from Lake Russell — $139,000
7
out of 10
HousesUnder150K Score
Property Merit 50% · Condition 25% · Price/Sq Ft 15% · Market 10%
| Category | Wt. | Score | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property Merit | 50% | 7 | Brick 1959, corner lot, pool, 3 mi to Lake Russell, boat parking room |
| Condition | 25% | 8 | Roof 2021, HVAC 2024 — two major systems confirmed; pool "fair condition" |
| Price / Sq Ft | 15% | 6 | Listing $117/sqft vs zip median $114/sqft — essentially at median; thin data |
| Price vs. Market | 5% | 8 | $139K vs $275K zip median — 50% below; thin market of 4 sales noted |
| Market Conditions | 5% | 7 | 45% price drops, 96.6% sale-to-list, 112 median DOM — clear buyer's market |
The price is the first thing. At $139,000, you are buying a solid brick house in a buyer's market where the zip code median sits around $275,000. That gap is wide enough to make you slow down and look at why. Some of it is the town, some of it is the market conditions here, and some of it is that this is a small, plain house. But the bones are brick, the roof went on in 2021, and the HVAC was replaced in 2024. The two systems that tend to hurt buyers the most are already done.
The house is 1,189 square feet, three bedrooms, one bath, built in 1959. It reads like what it is: a modest postwar house that has been maintained rather than transformed. The layout includes an eat-in kitchen, a separate laundry and utility room that gives you actual storage and workspace, and bedrooms the agent describes as spacious. The bathroom is one, and it is one. If you need two, this is not the house.
The corner lot is probably the best thing about the property outside the price. There is room for a boat, room for a garden, room for kids or dogs or both. The above-ground pool is already in place, though the listing calls its condition fair, which means you should look at it carefully before assuming it is usable as-is. That could mean it runs fine and needs cosmetic work, or it could mean more than that. Worth asking.
Lake Russell is three miles away. It is 26,000 acres, managed by the Army Corps of Engineers, with public land around it for fishing and boating. If you have a boat, or want one, you have a place to park it and a lake nearby to use it.
This is a weekend house for someone who wants to be near the water, or a full-time house for someone who does not need much square footage and wants a low price with the big-ticket repairs already handled.
