Canal-Front on Bayou Des Allemands, Dock, Launch, Furnished — $149,900

The reason to look at this place is the water. The canal out back connects directly to Bayou Des Allemands, and there's a private boat launch and dock right on the property. The dock has water and electricity hooked up to it. You can pull up, unload, and get out on the bayou without dealing with a ramp somewhere down the road.

The house itself is a 2007 build, 1,121 square feet, three bedrooms and two baths. Tight but workable. There's a screened-in back patio that faces the water, which in South Louisiana is the room that matters most from April through November. Inside laundry, which saves you from hauling things out. The whole interior comes furnished, appliances included. Whatever is in there when you walk through stays.

Two years ago they put on a 22-gauge metal roof and replaced the AC unit. Both of those are meaningful given where this sits. Heat and humidity and storm exposure age things fast down here, and knowing the roof and the system are recent takes some of the anxiety out of buying on the water in Louisiana.

There's a storage shed out back for gear, and the bulkhead along the canal has been updated. A soft or failing bulkhead is a real problem on a property like this, so that's the right thing to have addressed.

At 1,121 square feet, this is a small house. It functions well as a weekend camp or a fishing base, and could be a permanent residence for someone who keeps a light footprint. The price reflects the square footage, but what you're paying for is the access. Direct water to Bayou Des Allemands, your own launch, a dock with utilities, and a roof and AC that are two years old. That's a workable package for what it costs.

Des Allemands sits about 30 miles southwest of New Orleans, on the edge of the Atchafalaya Basin country. The bayou draws people who want to fish and be on the water without driving an hour to get there.