Historic, Character Home, Garage
1825 Calais House with Dual Garages, Workshop, and Water Access — $149,900
6
out of 10
HousesUnder150K Score
Property Merit 50% · Condition 25% · Price/Sq Ft 15% · Market 10%
| Category | Wt. | Score | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property Merit | 50% | 7 | 1825 build, 4BR, 1656sqft, dual garages, workshop, water access, 0.46 acres |
| Condition | 25% | 5 | "Needs TLC but livable" — no system dates, no renovation history, vague but not condemned |
| Price / Sq Ft | 15% | 8 | Listing $90/sqft vs zip median $120/sqft — 25% below median; thin 8-comp dataset, directional |
| Price vs. Market | 5% | 6 | $149,900 is 35% below zip median of $229,500 — meaningful discount |
| Market Conditions | 5% | 7 | DOM 28, sale-to-list 93.8%, price drops 35.9% — clear buyer's market on two signals |
Two hundred years is a long time for a house to be standing. This one went up in 1825, which means it predates most of Maine's major infrastructure, both World Wars, and probably every neighbor on the street by a century. At 1,656 square feet across four bedrooms, it has the proportions of a house that was built to hold a family and get things done, not to impress anyone.
The price is $149,900. The zip median sits around $229,500, so you are coming in 35% below that. At $90 per square foot against a local median of $120, the gap is real. This is a buyer's market in Calais right now, over a third of listings have taken price cuts, and this one has been sitting 28 days. None of that means you should ignore what you are walking into, but it does mean you have leverage on the negotiating side if you want it.
What you get for that price: the 1825 house itself on 0.46 acres, an attached garage, a second detached garage with a workshop behind the house, an on-demand generator, and noted water access. That is a lot of structure for the money. The workshop alone has real utility if you do anything with your hands, and two garages in Maine winters is one of those things you appreciate more than you expect.
The condition is the honest part. The listing says "needs TLC but livable as is," and no renovation history or system dates are provided. That means you go in with eyes open: plan for a professional inspection and budget for unknowns. A 200-year-old house has had 200 years to accumulate both good decisions and bad ones, and you will need to find out which is which before you commit.
What the price makes possible is this: a four-bedroom house with land, outbuildings, and water access in a town where comparable listings cost eighty thousand dollars more. If you have the patience and the budget for what a house this age might need, the math on entry is genuinely hard to replicate.
