Is THIS The One?

Having been in the market for a lake house in Maine as long as we have means that you become well acquainted with a number of real estate selling apps like Zillow and Redfin. Every day of your life for going on three years now Pam and I receive dozens of new listings that allegedly meet our search criteria. Only, this last part isn’t entirely true. Actually, it isn’t anywhere near true. Our search criteria clearly states that we are looking for a Lake front cabin within a 45 minute radius around the town of Camden, Maine. So, imagine our surprise and agitation when we are constantly bombarded with anything but what we are looking for. Take this beauty that landed in Pam’s email inbox today…

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, for a mere $327,500 we could be the proud new owners of this…church.

This magnificently inappropriate property has the advantage of having been continuously held by the same owner since 1883! The description of the place assures me that it has been “meticulously cared for and updated as the years have gone by and is ready for its new owners to use it in any way they see fit. The Winthrop Center Friends Church has been lovingly maintained for nearly 150 years!!” Although this particular property is nowhere near a lake and sits an hour and eleven minutes away from Camden, it does already come with what may end up being a crucial feature as we enter our golden years…it’s handicap accessible. But, that’s not all, below I have listed some of the many unique features of the soon to be former Winthrop Center Friends Church…

Right inside the front door in the spacious foyer there’s the one thing that I have always secretly wanted in my house… a bell rope.

Just in case you didn’t notice, this church comes complete with a working bell on the roof. Imagine how quickly we would ingratiate ourselves to our neighbors by yanking on that rope every time we walked past!

Talk about your spacious kitchen, this baby comes with a double stove and two refrigerators. Its almost as if the previous owners had to feed an army.

And from the looks of this dining room table, I’m sure of it!

And what could possibly be better for after dinner entertainment than a pipe organ concert?

While this enormously spacious family room would require a couple moving vans full of furniture, on the positive side you would never ever feel cramped again, plus the room comes with its own echo, at no extra charge.

This upstairs apartment features two stunning windows, lots of natural light and thoughtfully a second access point to the bell rope just in case you get a hankering to give the old guy a ring but don’t feel like walking back downstairs.

When you count the upstairs, the attic and the full basement, this baby offers you just under 10,000 square feet to let your imagination run wild. Thinking about hosting the family for the holidays? No worries since this place comes with a paved parking lot big enough for a regulation hockey rink…

Shopping for a Maine lake house requires two qualities in equal measure…patience and a sense of humor.