OCEAN CITY — “This is the best porch; you have the best view of the whole island,” homeowner Lorna Dragon said of the rooftop deck atop her home at 13 Asbury Ave. “You have a 360 degree view of fireworks from multiple towns.”
The Northend condominium, featuring three bedrooms and two bathrooms, is newly listed and turn-key ready. Built in 2014, used only seasonally and recently upgraded, the 1,163-square-foot home and its amenities are like new.
The duplex is on the ocean side of Asbury Avenue and surrounded by mom-and-pop shops such as Cousin’s Restaurant, Island Grill and Express Pizza.
“I love that it’s equidistant between the beach and downtown. We like to walk, so Surf Road beach is one direction and the downtown in another,” Dragon said.
A grassy front yard gives way to low shrubs flanking steps up to the first-floor porch, while a concrete walk down the north side leads to the top-floor unit’s private entrance.
A glass door opens into a tiled foyer with access to the garage. Carpeted stairs rise to the home’s entrance and continue up to that amazing rooftop deck, where cushioned furniture awaits the next fortunate owners.
The main door opens into the great room, where narrow-plank hardwood flooring runs throughout. The space is divided among the sitting area to the right, kitchen to the left rear and dining area to the left front.
Spacious and filled with light, the room has a 12-foot-high cathedral ceiling that slopes down to each side and a set of double windows to each side of a sliding glass door. Out front, the covered porch provides a great place to relax after a long day of shopping, sunbathing and play on the bay.
“The sunsets are just fantastic,” Dragon said.
The sitting area features a sectional sofa arranged around the gas fireplace, which was upgraded recently with a new stile and wood surround and mantel. A flat-screen television hangs above the fireplace.
Set up for cooking convenience, the kitchen has a center island from preparation work where the granite top has space for three stools.
Wellborn cabinets with a distressed look line the side wall, where stainless-steel GE appliances include a refrigerator, dishwasher to the right of a stainless steel sink and a four-burner range/oven with a microwave above. A long wood table that seats eight is snuggled up in the corner, just steps away from the kitchen.
A short flight of steps ascends to the upper level.
The hall bathroom on the right has a tile floor, granite-topped vanity, porcelain tub and tiled shower with a curtain.
On the left, the first bedroom has two sets of bunk beds atop wall-to-wall carpeting and a closet with a swinging door. A oversized window allows easy access to firefighters in case of an emergency.
The second bedroom is in the rear left. Also carpeted, it has a queen-size bed.
On the back right, the primary bedroom also has a queen-size bed, along with a sliding glass door opening onto a private back deck. The primary bathroom has a tiled shower with a swinging glass door.
Ocean City is one of the most popular shore resorts on the East Coast, featuring an oceanfront boardwalk filled with hundreds of shopping, dining and entertainment venues, as well as miles and miles of pristine beaches.
A great location doesn’t only mean beachfront or bayfront on this 8-mile-long island — there are 10 distinct neighborhoods, each with its own characteristics.
The beach and boardwalk — 2.5 miles of oceanfront entertainment, restaurants, thrill rides and souvenir shops — get most of the attention in this seaside resort, but the island has much more to offer.
An award-winning downtown stretches from Sixth to 14th streets along Bay Avenue and has expanded onto other nearby streets, offering more than 100 shops and cafes.
There’s also the popular watersports district around Third Street on Bay Avenue, where the brave can rent powerboats, go parasailing, join the crew of a pirate ship and take a kayak tour of the back bays. Private and party boat fishing tours are also available.
The Northend contains many of the island’s historic homes. It’s heavily residential but there are many mom-and-pop shops and corner cafes that are traditional stops for families for generations.
Extending from North Street to Sixth Street, the Northend is an eclectic blend of single-family, duplex and triplex properties. The boardwalk begins its 2½-mile span here.
The 14-story Gardens Plaza, the tallest structure on the island, sits on the Boardwalk in the very center of the Northend. In addition, it contains the Historic District, from Third to Eighth streets and Ocean Avenue to Central Avenue. Designated as such by Ocean City’s Historic Preservation Commission, the district seeks to maintain the look and feel of classic island architecture.
Out back, there is room for one car on the concrete parking pad and another in the garage. There’s also an enclosed outside shower for washing away beach sand before heading inside to make plans for the next adventure.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
