OCEAN CITY — Located just a block and a half from the pristine white-sand beaches of America’s Greatest Family Resort, the first-floor condominium at 848 Third St. is a vacation paradise.
“The location is outstanding,” listing agent John Walton said.
The Northend home has curb-appeal aplenty and many low-maintenance features, freeing up the next owner’s time to spend more hours on the beach and world-famous boardwalk.
Out front, concrete and paver bricks lead up to the two-sided staircase to the wide, shady front porch with square pillars, a perfect place for people-watching with a cold drink in hand before or after hitting the beach and boardwalk. There is room for dining and several chairs for rocking away the day.
The home is sided in tan vinyl with white railings and accents, meaning there is no yearly painting required to keep the place looking great.
Nearly the entire front wall of the home, including the main entry door, is made of glass — double windows flank the door and side panels — making the area light, bright and welcoming.
The door opens into a wide-open great room, offering a comfortable living room, incredible kitchen and a dining area just steps away just inside the sunny front windows.
Most of the space is carpeted in wall-to-wall berber, including the living room where a sofa, love seat and two armchairs are arranged around a gas fireplace with a wood mantel. A large TV nook is above, able to accommodate a large-screen model for viewing in case of rain.
The dining area has a long wood table that seats six, while there are two stools at the center island just steps away in the kitchen.
Sporting white solid-wood cabinets and a tile floor, the kitchen includes a dishwasher to the left of the stainless steel sink, a four-burner gas range with a microwave above and a refrigerator.
Up a short flight of stairs is a foyer with a coat closet off the side entrance, accessible via a path down the west side of the home. The shared staircase is sheltered in case of inclement weather.
All four of the bedrooms are carpeted. The first, to the left, currently has twin beds but could accommodate a large single bed if desired.
Next door is the hall bathroom featuring a tub and shower, vanity and linen closet. The laundry, featuring a full-size washer and dryer, is hidden behind double bi-fold doors. The second bedroom is across the hall, while two more are in the rear.
In the back left, the primary bedroom has a large bed beneath a clerestory window and a private bathroom with a shower.
Out back, there is space for one car on the concrete pad and another inside the garage, where there is a full bathroom convenient for washing away beach sand before entering the home and a storage room for beach gear.
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 Asbury 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.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
