I don't know anything about this part of the country but if the price of some piece of real estate seems to good to be true it always makes me wonder what's nearby. I use Bing maps overhead view and google street view to see what might be lurking outside the camera angle of the realtor photos.

It looks like a great spot to me. Of course living in MN anything on the ocean looks so wonderful. Love my lake but it's not the ocean!

Check around Ogunquit and Kennebunkport .... we love that area!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: house

I love Ogunquit and Kennebunkport, but wouldn't they fall into the touristy category ... at least during the summer months? BIL lives in Kennebunk on the river.

Ogunquit and Kennebunkport are a bit further north than the OP wants, although not that much further.

The Portsmouth area would be a good fit. I don't know about the prices, though. There are a lot of good restaurants in the area. The University of NH is about one town over, and there's lots going on there, as well.

There's also Great Bay, which I think Portsmouth borders. It is a large bay that is sort of surrounded by land, but has an outlet to the ocean. The houses there are waterfront, but not ocean front. The beach would be either a short walk or a short drive away.

I'd also take a good hard look at Rye, NH. Just south of Portsmouth. There's bit of touristy stuff, but, well, I used to live there and I like it.

Also Salisbury, MA, which I don't think is as touristy as other MA coastal communities. I don't know anything about the amenities there.

New Hampshire has only 21 miles of coastline, though, so it's pretty built up.

There aren't too many beachfront spots on the East Coast that won't be, to some extent, touristy. That said, there are some that are more so and some that are less so. The farther north you go, the more it may seem less touristy. Still, come summer, you won't escape tourists anywhere, especially if you are right on the ocean. The Cape and islands would be out and Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island certainly is very popular. Beautiful and fun, though and the house you linked is a great price. If you want to go back to the Jersey shore, I would look at Avalon or Stone Harbor where I spent summers growing up and which are still charming towns. The link shows the last of our family homes there (actually, my uncle tore down the original house there and built this one-best view on any of the bays). The old oceanfront one isn't for sale anymore.

Maine is great-one of my favorite spots is Mt. Desert Island (pronounced as if it were spelled dessert). Last I was there, no real upscale grocery stores. Less crowded, but if you are looking for swimming beaches, the water is cold most of the year-at least for me, although I would love a house there or on the New Hampshire coast.

I hesitate to say this, but if you want the upscale amenities, you may need to put up with the touristy thing. Sounds as if you would enjoy something along the lines of the Hamptons (also haven't been there in years) or parts of the Cape in Massachusetts if you could ignore the tourists.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stone Harbor

Dh's family had a cottage at Scituate.

Here is a link that might be useful: waterfront homes in Scituate, MA

Oh, Natal! What a great place. DH worked there one summer as a kid! Love it!

Ogunquit, Wells and York are all seascoast towns located right about where the NH and Maine come together. As another poster said, most of the seacoast area in NE is touristy until you get aways up in Maine. How far from home base do you want to travel? I'm not an expert on the Cape, but I think there are some lesser known towns there that might fit the bill. Otoh, just getting to them might be more hassle than you want. "Way up Maine" as they say is spectacular.... Camden, Boothbay, Bar Harbor, all of those towns. Some wonderful restaurants, shops, etc. close by. They ARE touristy, but just because of the distance, they are less crowded. Not sure how to describe this. In other words, they are certainly tourist destinations, but probably lower down on the list than the previously mentioned locations.

Here is a link that might be useful: NE Magazine articles on coastal towns

Ogunquit, Wells and York are all seascoast towns located right about where the NH and Maine come together. As another poster said, most of the seacoast area in NE is touristy until you get aways up in Maine. How far from home base do you want to travel? I'm not an expert on the Cape, but I think there are some lesser known towns there that might fit the bill. Otoh, just getting to them might be more hassle than you want. "Way up Maine" as they say is spectacular.... Camden, Boothbay, Bar Harbor, all of those towns. Some wonderful restaurants, shops, etc. close by. They ARE touristy, but just because of the distance, they are less crowded. Not sure how to describe this. In other words, they are certainly tourist destinations, but probably lower down on the list than the previously mentioned locations.

Here is a link that might be useful: NE Magazine articles on coastal towns

What about Block Island? DH's brother and SIL have a beach house there.

If you don't mind the hassle of the ferry, Block Island is beautiful. For us, we wanted "quick and easy" access, so an island wasn't in the cards. Our place in RI is an hour and a half drive from our 'real' house. Having to deal with a ferry schedule, parking, etc., could add a lot to your travel time.

Scituate or Cohasset could be nice and not too touristy. I haven't spent much time there so I'm not sure about RE prices or the beaches.

It is true that URI students rent out houses in certain areas of Narragansett, but if you are spending around $1M for a nice house, you are unlikely to be in an area of houses where the owners rent to college students. We have been in both situations -- the lower-price area (near Scarborough Beach) where college kids abound (which is why we sold) and now, a higher-priced area where we don't have any college kids nearby.

I happen to think RI is the best beach location in NE because it is the least crowded/touristy. We had done Cape Cod and Ogunquit repeatedly before discovering RI, and then there was no turning back.

The house you linked to in Narragansett is in an area I don't know a lot about, but I don't think it's terribly "desirable". I could be wrong. You could have college kids in that area.

If I were you, I'd plan a summer vacation week in Narragansett or Charlestown and check it out. We rented for two summers in a row, two weeks each time, before we decided to buy. It gave us an opportunity to try out two different areas of town. We spent a fair amount of each vacation driving around, looking at the real estate books, etc.

Rockport, MA, is also a lovely coastal town with a quaint downtown that I love.

Ok, here's a house for you in Narragansett. A little over budget? Well, but it's right on the water. This is actually about 4 blocks from my house, so we could hang out. I love this house but it has one big drawback as far as I'm concerned -- it is RIGHT NEXT TO the walkway to the beach. So all day, you have people walking by your windows to get to and from the beach. But it is a beautiful house. And just so you don't get the wrong idea about me, my house is not this stunning and definitely not in this price range!!

Here is a link that might be useful: House for you!

We are going to BI for a few days in August. SueB, I agree, we will need to spend some time vacationing there to get an idea. We spent some time in MV last summer and while it certainly is lovely, that trip and ferry were a pain. Not to mention the place we rented, while quite nice, was not on the beach and was 2mn

Oh and, yes, that house is a lovely suggestion. And it would be fun to hang out! Only I'd probably be pretty busy, what with running a bordello to replenish my portfolio and all that.

Oh no, not *another* bordello in the neighborhood. I really can't handle the competition.

I live on Cape Cod and there are a lot of really lovely towns here. I live on the Upper Cape, close to the bridges and the world beyond. I think the biggest downer about having a place here is the weekend commute. Sometimes the traffic is backed up for miles....

That said, it is glorious here in the Summer and Fall. I don't feel it is so "touristy" here. It's more like a regular suburban town with a really nice shoreline. (though we are starting to have a lot more crime than we ever did...thanks Oxycontin).

A million dollars won't buy you beachfront in Mashpee or Falmouth, but two will get you a fixer upper! I love Woods Hole, West Falmouth and sippewisset. There are some great areas of Bourne and Pocasset that I don't' know enough about as well. I looked at listings for about 20 minutes. I like this one. :)

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/44-Naushon-Cir-West-Falmouth-MA-02574/2119334638_zpid/

Happy Hunting!

Beth P.

My inlaws are in Brooklin, ME, close to the tony area of Blue Hill but a little more affordable. There is decent upscale grocery shopping in Blue Hill at a souped up Hannaford (good wine selection too) and there's a Rite-Aid pharmacy, dry cleaner, etc., right there as well. The shoreline tends to be rocky and not that walkable IMO (nothing like the cape) and the water is c-c-c-c-cold, even in August.

If you're not wedded to salt water, what about the eastern shore of Lake Ontario (an inland sea)? Miles of sandy beaches to walk, the water is clean and swimmable, upscale groceries are available in Watertown, tubing, waterskiing, sailing, motorboating, historical attractions, world class fishing, good restaurants, a very, *very* laid back atmosphere (it's not a place to see and be seen) and ice fishing, snow skiing, snowmobiling, etc., in the winter. It's probably 6 hours from CT, so may be a deal breaker, but the eastern shore of Lake Ontario is right off of I-81, and Henderson Harbor, Sacket's Harbor, Thousand Islands, etc., all have very nice areas and are pretty affordable compared to NE coastline.

Here's one example:

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/8391-Littlefield-Pl_Henderson_NY_13650_M48250-40049

Good luck-

sandyponder

Here is a link that might be useful: Sacket's Harbor

Beth,
I am not too worried about traffic since we can travel when we want to. The house is nice but too nice. I want something more cottagey (like the one I linked to). Plus I would never spend 2mn. Unfortunately, I have calculated the per night cost of owning a second home based one expected usage. Many of my friends own second homes and they have never done that. In fact they think I am carzy. It's an eye opener! And, as I said, it leads one to believe you shouldn't spend 2mn (or prob even 1mn) on a second home unless you expect it to be a good investment. With carrying costs being what they are, Im not sure of that.

Sandy,
I will have to look in to Blue Hill etc. Dumb q about Lake Ontario; can you hear the waves?

I live in Scituate and there are lots of waterfront homes under a million. It has the most beautiful harbor and incredible restaurants. All the coastal towns nearby have those amenities. That being said, in the summer we go to Bridgton Maine lol. We have a charming cottage on Moose pond which is surrounded by mountains. The pond is 20 miles long and connects to other lakes. It's a quiet area yet close to No. Conway which is 17 miles away. Luckily we have the ocean and the lake so you may think in terms of Maine of Scituate. Maine is much much lower in cost.

Yup, you can hear the waves, the Eastern Shore is at the end of 193 miles of open water, there is a lot of wave action all year long. There are times when it sounds like a freight train, it just howls, sometimes for a couple of days straight (we call that a "three day blow"). There are also spectacular sunsets.

Oh, these pics were not nearly as large in the preview, sorry, I'm on an iPad learning curve and not navigating well, obviously. Sorry, folks.

sandyponder

This one is really cottage-y and has a beach.

It is fun to look!

http://www.sothebyshomes.com/capecod/sales/0840411

Beth p

OK, one more. This looks like it could be a blast. I can see Kids and Grandkids and dogs...

http://www.sothebyshomes.com/capecod/sales/0402288

Sandy - gorgeous! DH says it is toooo far, but we should think about taking a vacation there probably!

Beth - My DH's ex is in Falmouth, so that's out. : ) The second one is intriguing, I wonder if you can connect them? Or is that like a public right of way to the beach that divides them??

Here is a link that might be useful: my fave so far

mtnrdredux...I was just going to say that the first listing bethpen posted is in my town, but then I saw your response, so I guess we won't be neighbors!!!!
Anyway, I would suggest a 3 day weekend trip to the Cape to do some house hunting. It's really beautiful here.

Lol, DeclansMom!

Yes, I think we will need to do that. But I already sense that, if we are wiling to go 4 hrs, we will prob get more for our money in Maine.

Every summer we usually take a big trip someplace for a few weeks, and then a 4day weekend somewhere. This yr the 4day is in Block Island. So we continue to investigate!

PS juts curious, I am guessing that Falmouth place is in a pretty busy area?

That last house on the cove is wonderful! And you could take out all those picture windows and but a solid bank of windows in every room. I was born in the Portsmouth area and still have a fondness for Maine and NH.

Falmouth is spectacular especially in the spring and fall.
Yes, there are tourists in the summer, but if you know the backroads and know to stay out of town during the weekends, you can pretty much do anything you want.
We found that we had so many visitors during the summer, that you pretty much go to the beach and hang out at home barbequing and riding bikes, going for walks, etc.
If you ever decide to take a trip here, I would be happy to give you whatever info you need!

maybe the north fork of long island would work for you?
try nassau point in peconic, or orient point has lots of sound front.
my dream of salt water frontage comes from being a kid on the north fork in the 60s and 70s. god it was so beautiful!
lol, plum island is for sale too---anyone wanna go in on it?!

FW - No NY, for tax reasons. Our lakehouse is in NY, and because I own that property in NY, I am deemed a resident if I spend more than 180 days working at or for a NY company, or in the state of NY for any purpose. If I am deemed a NY resident, I am then taxed as a NY resident, including on my heretofore tax free municipal bonds.

I have to prove where I am every day, and corroborate it with cell phone bills, bank statements, etc. Otherwise it is assumed that I was in NY that day, and if its more than 180 days a year, i'm a New Yorker for tax purposes. That includes going into NYC to meet friends for dinner, or to Westchester for my kids doctor. It also includes any day I work for a NY based company, even if I am physically home. I left the industry but I do some consulting from time to time, but since it is for a NY firm, even if I do it from home, it counts as a day in NY.

As you can probably tell from the venom spewing over the keyboard, I was audited for this. I won. But what a pain in the neck. Tax court is run on presumption of guilt.

More than you ever wanted to know about NY's taxation policies.

PS I love PEI! I was there as a kid. My girls are reading the Anne books. I would love to take them there!

Here is a link that might be useful: do not but a second home in NY!

I forgot to say, thank you DeclansMom.

Kswl, it sure is a beautiful coastline!