Jersey Shore’s backyard bungalows | Real Estate Newsletter
And a potential record home sale.
Maryellen Paget has a home in North Wildwood. And in her backyard, she’s got another one.
The roughly 1,000-square-foot main house can be considered small by today’s measures, as developers up and down the Shore build houses three times that size or bigger.
But the house in the backyard is tiny. It’s an example of an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU — an independent living quarter on the same lot as a single-family home. You may have heard them called granny flats or in-law suites.
The Wildwoods have a lot of them, and they’re having a moment.
Keep scrolling for that story and more in this week’s edition:
Beachfront property: Peek inside this Stone Harbor home for sale that could break a record.
Homes for rent: Learn which group of Philly-area renters is growing the fastest.
Home reimagined: Take a look at this Toll Brothers house in Bucks County that the owners — a homebuilder and an interior designer — extensively renovated.
Pollinator haven: Explore the flower-filled grounds of a Montgomery County property owned by two former farmers.
📮Could you see yourself renting out an ADU in your backyard? Why or why not? Let me know.
— Michaelle Bond
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Last year, two of my colleagues wrote about Jersey Shore homeowners holding onto their small bungalows as multimillion-dollar homes go up around them.
Those homes were the only ones on their lots. But on properties in various Shore towns, the bungalow is the accessory dwelling unit in the back.
Maryellen Paget’s backyard ADU in North Wildwood is small but fits two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a living room. She said teachers used to rent it out.
Real estate agents at the Shore said ADUs can make their owners a nice chunk of change. Owners can use them as short-term or long-term rentals or subdivide their lot and sell off the ADU.
Keep reading to learn more about ADUs and how some towns are looking to them as part of the solution to the housing affordability problem.
If this beachfront property in Stone Harbor sells for close to the asking price of about $13.5 million, it would be the highest recorded residential sale in the Shore town’s history.
That’s according to the agent who listed the home for sale. He also said the property is on “one of the most exclusive streets in Stone Harbor.”
Some fast facts about the home:
🏠 It’s 2,800 square feet.
🛏️ It has five bedrooms and 5½ bathrooms.
⛱️ It’s got a pool and cabana.
💉 It’s owned by a prominent Philly biotech executive.
💰 The asking price is more than double what the house went for in 2019.
The home was built in 2015 and has been renovated. It features cathedral ceilings, custom bunk rooms, a gas fireplace, and more.
Peek inside this potentially record-breaking property.
The latest news to pay attention to
The fastest-growing population of renters in the Philly area is people age 65+.
The Philly area is among the places where renting is trending with millionaires.
Northeast Philly families whose homes were damaged when a medical jet fell from the sky in January are still waiting for help.
Once listed on Zillow for $1 million, Philly’s Mount Vernon Cemetery sold for $1.
Here’s what activists and politicians had to say about the demise of plans to build wind farms near the Jersey Shore.
House of the week: For $944,900 near Media, an end-of-the-row townhouse with access to a fitness center and clubhouse.
Luxe listing: A homebuilder and an interior designer fully renovated a Toll Brothers house that they’re now selling for $3.5 million.
Suzanne Shank and her husband, Doug, used to live on a 35-acre farm in Skippack. They grew flowers and vegetables and had cattle.
But in 2016, they decided to downsize.
So they moved into the brick Victorian in Worcester that they’d bought as an investment property. The three-story house had been converted to apartments, so they extended the first floor so they could live there.
The yard was pretty basic back then. The Shanks restored the gazebo and dug up the grass. After years of hard work, the Shanks’ backyard has turned into a destination for bees, birds, and butterflies.
Suzanne rehomed hostas from the farm and planted lots of flowers. She also grows produce.
Her garden is dotted with birdfeeders and glass flowers. A walking path is made of butterfly- and frog-shaped pavers.
Peek inside Suzanne’s garden and find out what treat the Shanks grow for giraffes and gorillas at the Philadelphia Zoo.
📷 Photo quiz
Do you know the location this photo shows?
📮 If you think you do, email me back. You and your memories of visiting this spot might be featured in the newsletter.
It seems last week’s quiz was easier than I thought. A bunch of readers knew that the featured photo showed the 23rd Street Armory at 23rd and Ranstead Streets.
Shout-out to Bruce R., Lucila C., and Hunter L. for being a few of the readers who got that right. Hunter said he served in the National Guard at this location.
Enjoy the rest of your week.
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