Galveston, Texas | $799,000
An 1888 Queen Anne Revival house with four bedrooms and three bathrooms, on a 0.1-acre lot
This house is in the Silk Stocking Historic District, where the streets are lined with palm trees and well-preserved homes from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is within walking distance of a bagel shop, a CVS drugstore, a hardware store and a public library.
Driving to the city’s pier, to Stewart Beach, on the Gulf of Mexico, or to Galveston Historic Seaport, which has a maritime museum and several waterfront restaurants, takes about five minutes. Texas A&M University at Galveston is 10 minutes away. Houston is an hour’s drive.
Size: 3,078 square feet
Price per square foot: $260
Indoors: A white picket fence with a gate encloses the front yard. Beyond, a path crosses the lawn, stepping up to a covered entry adorned with original wood trim.
The front door opens into a long foyer with an original staircase and hardwood floors. Off one side of the foyer are a family room and a parlor used as a home office, linked by original wood pocket doors. Off the other side is a living room linked by pocket doors to a dining room. At the end of the foyer is a sunroom with access to a full bathroom and a wood deck.
The kitchen, at the back of the house, has brick floors, stainless steel appliances and access to a laundry room.
All four bedrooms are on the second floor, reached from the stairs in the foyer. The primary suite has French doors that open to a private balcony and a bathroom with a claw-foot soaking tub, penny-tile floors and subway-tile wainscoting. The smaller bedroom next door is currently used as a nursery. On the opposite side of the landing is a bedroom with enough space for a king-size bed. The fourth bedroom, which faces the street, has an en suite bathroom.
Outdoor space: The deck off the sunroom is big enough to hold a dining table and a grill. The backyard beyond is shaded by mature trees. A stone path leads to a detached one-car garage.
Taxes: $7,462 (estimated)
Contact: Kristi Buehring, Compass, 713-480-3042; compass.com
West Palm Beach, Fla. | $799,000
A midcentury-modern bungalow with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, on a 0.1-acre lot
This 1957 house is in Old Northwood Historic District, less than a five-minute drive from Palm Beach Opera, in Northwood Village, and a 10-minute drive from the Norton Museum of Art and Palm Harbor Marina. Driving across the Flagler Memorial Bridge to the oceanfront beaches and shopping in Palm Beach takes about 15 minutes.
Palm Beach International Airport is 20 minutes away. The wetlands around Lake Okeechobee are a 45-minute drive. Fort Lauderdale is a little more than an hour away. Miami is less than a two-hour drive.
Size: 1,219 square feet
Price per square foot: $655
Indoors: The bright blue front door is sheltered by a covered porch supported by white-painted brick columns. It opens into a dining area with refinished terrazzo floors and a wall of windows facing the palm trees in the front yard.
The terrazzo floors continue into an updated kitchen with white cabinetry, new stainless steel appliances, a white-tile backsplash and a garden window over the sink.
The living room, on the other side of the kitchen, has Spanish-style tile floors, new windows, sliding-glass doors that open to a patio and access to a bathroom with a stall shower and a laundry closet with a stacked washer and dryer.
A hallway extending from the dining area leads to both bedrooms, which have terrazzo floors. The larger has enough space for a king-size bed and a pair of night stands. They share a full bathroom with original pink tile and a combination tub and shower.
Outdoor space: The patio off the living room currently holds a grill and a fire table. The backyard beyond is landscaped with grass and palm trees, and enclosed by wood fencing. It holds a hot tub and is big enough to accommodate a swimming pool or small guest cottage, as well. There is room to park two cars in the driveway.
Taxes: $10,377 (estimated)
Contact: Lisa Mastronardi, Sotheby’s International Realty, Palm Beach Brokerage, 561-346-8220; sothebysrealty.com
Iowa City | $799,900
An 1890 house with three bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms, on a 0.5-acre lot
This house is on a wide, quiet street a block from a popular bakery and less than a 10-minute walk from a public elementary school and Longfellow Nature Trail. It is about a five-minute drive from the University of Iowa, the city center and a shopping center with a supermarket and drugstore. Hubbard Park, on the Iowa River, and several museums, including the Stanley Museum of Art and the University of Iowa Natural History Museum, are also nearby.
Des Moines is less than two hours away. Chicago is a three-and-a-half-hour drive.
Size: 3,240 square feet
Price per square foot: $247
Indoors: The house sits on a double lot, behind a large yard. The front door, off a wide, covered porch, opens into a foyer with hardwood floors and a staircase to the upper levels.
The living room, to the right, has pocket doors that open to a parlor with enough space for a baby grand piano. The dining room, also off the foyer, has direct access to an updated kitchen with white cabinetry, soapstone counters and a center island with room for several bar stools. A powder room, a back staircase and a butler’s pantry with a sink and a wine refrigerator are off the kitchen.
All three bedrooms are on the second floor. The primary bedroom has a bay of windows looking into the surrounding trees; it has the use of an updated bathroom across the hall with a wet room and a soaking tub surrounded by windows. The other two bedrooms and a bathroom with a walk-in shower are down the hall.
The open third floor could be used as a family room or additional bedroom.
A carpeted den, a full bathroom with a walk-in shower and a laundry area with a side-by-side washer and dryer are in the finished basement.
Outdoor space: The large backyard is landscaped with grass and mature trees, and has plenty of space for entertaining and planting a garden. The detached carport has one parking spot.
Taxes: $11,640 (estimated)
Contact: Terri Larson, Lepic-Kroeger, Realtors, 319-331-7879; lepickroeger.com
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