After attempting to transform the Wedding Cake House into an inn and events venue, the owners of the historic home have put it on the market, and Instagram rejoiced.
The Wedding Cake House in Kennebunk, Maine hit the market for $2.65 million at the end of March, listed by Nathan McCabe at Pack Maynard & Associates.
Not long after, it made the ranks of other real estate lovers’ favorites on the Instagram account Zillow Gone Wild.
“There are so many cool pics of this it was hard to choose just 10!” the post reads. Thankfully, we have more space than the Instagram carousel. Here is what to know about the iconic Maine home:
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From ‘cottagecore’ to ‘weddingcakecore’
Zillow Gone Wild fans gushed over the yellow and white house with ornate trim.
“Oooof literal cottagecore,” the top comment reads, referring to the social media term for cozy, wholesome domestic vibes (or as Reddit describes it, “your grandma, but like, hip.”)
Someone else took it a step further, with the comment “weddingcakecore.”
Others commented on the price, saying it must be relatively low because it is located in Maine. The home is located in York County, where the median home sales price is $428,640, according to previous USA TODAY reporting.
Owners tried to turn home into inn and event space
Owners Hunt and Katie Edwards spent much of 2023 seeing their proposal to transform the place into an inn and venue through the town’s planning process. The project received pushback from neighbors as well as the Select Board.
One of the sources of pushback was a newly formed group called The Friends of the Wedding Cake House. The group hired an attorney, who attended public meetings and pressed the argument that an inn and venue at the site would generate too much noise, traffic, and safety concerns. They also said it would set a precedent for other private properties on Summer Street to turn commercial and would drastically alter the character of the neighborhood.
Edwards told the Planning Board they had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars restoring the Wedding Cake House and its property. He said he and his wife were seeking to establish an inn and venue to create a revenue stream to help them finish their renovations – specifically, the structure’s distinct trim and columns.
In January, the Select Board held off moving the project forward to voters. The couple decided to sell. “It’s a family decision that we made,” Edwards said.
Wedding Cake House on the market for $2.65M
The eight-bedroom, seven-bathroom home sits on 2.23 acres and has more than 300 feet of frontage along the Kennebunk River, according to the online listing.
Built in 1825, the Wedding Cake House is among the most photographed properties in the state of Maine. The home is formally known as the George W. Bourne House and gets its nickname from its wedding cake-like appearance.
According to local legend, Bourne, a sea captain and shipbuilder, had the house built to “atone for having not taken his bride, Jane, on a proper honeymoon.”
Contributing: Sara Chernikoff, Ramon Padilla
Well-maintained, full of character and customizable in a location that blends urban and suburban living: That was the common status of two North Jersey homes that sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars over asking price within days of one another.
Located on opposite ends of historic Glen Ridge are 28 Oakwood Ave. and 15 Sommer Ave., both listed at the end of January by Amy Owens, realtor and team leader of the Amy Owens Real Estate Team at Keller Williams NJ Metro Group. The homes yielded selling prices of $999,999 and $852,500 — or $350,000 and $253,500 over asking — on April 1 and March 28, respectively.
“Just nothing had come on the market at the time, and I thought to put these two homes on the market on the same weekend,” Owens said. “One of the reasons that I put them both on the same weekend was because a lot of buyers won’t come out just to see one house. So, I explained to both of the owners that it’s good to have another house because you’ll get more buyers out and then they’ll decide which one is right for them.”
Each home did in fact attract more buyers, with the properties collecting a combined total of 64 offers during their time on the market.
Owens said this popularity is credited to the centralized location of each property, and that each home offered the opportunity for the next owners to make their own improvements and add personal touches.
“That’s something that all buyers should be looking for right now when they buy a house, especially since we’re in such a high market,” she said. “What’s the upside of the house? What can I do to add value to it?”
28 Oakwood Ave., Glen Ridge
28 Oakwood Ave, Glen Ridge, NJ 07028 | Zillow
Built in 1925, 28 Oakwood Ave. is a four-bedroom, two-bathroom side hall colonial-style home in the northernmost neighborhood of Glen Ridge. The property features a brick fireplace in the living room, a sunroom that can double as a home office or playroom, a finished basement, a fenced yard and a one-car garage. It is also located near Brookdale Park and the Glen Ridge Country Club.
Owens said that the previous owners of the home had opted to preserve some of the home’s character, rather than renovating the property to have a mainstream, modern look. She believes this played a big role in the demand for the home, as it felt warm and inviting to potential buyers.
“They didn’t bastardize the house,” she said. “There’s a beautiful marble used in the kitchen, which wasn’t pristine and perfect. You could tell it had been loved and used, but it was still really pretty.”
Cathy Miller, a realtor with Keller Williams NJ Metro Group who represented the buyers of the home, said her clients were relocating from Italy, having been transferred to New Jersey for work. They were specifically drawn to Glen Ridge because of its proximity to New York City for work, as well as for the area’s highly-rated school system.
“Interestingly, my clients were doing research and this area was coming up as the highest on their Internet searches, so that shows you also that there’s a lot of press about this area internationally,” she said.
Miller said her clients were ideally looking for a smaller home. She said that while the home on Oakwood Avenue was on the smaller side for Glen Ridge, it was a normal size property for her clients’ European standards.
Additionally, she said they were drawn to the property not only because it didn’t require a lot of money in repairs, but also because it had some features that reminded them of Italy.
“They told me they particularly felt at home in the house because it had some characteristics that reminded them of Italian properties, like the ribbon trim and the wood floors,” she said. “They also didn’t want an open layout. They wanted a kitchen that was more enclosed. Open layouts are a very American concept, and in European homes, that’s not really a concept that caught on. So, they liked the fact that the kitchen was a little more separate from the rest of the house.”
15 Sommer Ave., Glen Ridge
15 Sommer Ave, Glen Ridge, NJ 07028 | Zillow
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom colonial-style home at 15 Sommer Ave. is located at the southernmost end of Glen Ridge, near neighboring West Orange and East Orange. Built in 1937, the home offers a living room with a brick fireplace, a sunroom that opens to the backyard, a one-car attached garage and a spacious backyard with a patio.
“It has this great sunroom off of the back that looks over the yard, which is the perfect size,” Owens said. “It also has the opportunity for the new owners to make a true primary suite, and I think that’s something that appealed to a lot of people.”
Sara Whitley, a realtor on the Amy Owens Real Estate Team at Keller Williams NJ Metro Group, represented the buyers of the home. She said that the mix between suburban neighborhoods with large homes and spacious yards, as well as access to vibrant downtown areas, is what attracted her clients to Glen Ridge.
When looking at the property at 15 Sommer Ave., Whitley said her clients were attracted to the homes layout, as well as the fact that the property had not been overly updated. She said one of the biggest factors for them was that it was a clean slate for them to add in their own style.
“Part of what spoke to them was actually that the layout was almost identical to the home of their friends in Montclair. So, they felt kind of this kindred spirit with the home,” she said. “This home, while staged beautifully and maintained impeccably, certainly needed a bit more updating over time, and they were actually looking for something they could really put their mark on.”
During their home search, Whitley said her clients had put in offers on three other homes, including the property on Oakwood Avenue, but were not accepted. Because of this, Whitley said they had to regroup to determine what steps they needed to take to secure the home on Sommer Avenue.
“I think a lot of buyers get frustrated and feel like there’s some sort of bait-and-switch happening. I think that it’s important for them to understand that that’s not what’s happening. What’s happening is that the demand is simply extremely high and inventory is incredibly low,” Whitley said. “So, it’s really important to work with someone who can at least try and meet those expectations and guide you to what a winning number should be in a particular house.”
Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay, on X @maddiemcgayy, and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at MMcGay@gannett.com.
We’re officially in the thick of the spring housing market, and we’ve already seen an increase in real estate activity across the country. But there’s always one week that’s expected to stand out the most for homeowners looking to sell their property.
This year, Realtor.com has deemed the week of April 14-20 as the best week to sell nationwide. This week is expected to combine higher buyer demand, lower competition from other sellers and fewer price reductions than what is seen during a typical week.
“We looked at six different metrics that all kind of captured inventory on the market, time on the market and prices,” said Hannah Jones, senior economic research analyst at Realtor.com. “So, we looked at all six of those metrics and we looked at how those metrics move both nationally and within a metro area over the course of a year. We weighted all of those equally and looked at where that perfect sweet spot is where you’re bringing together all of those metrics.”
What makes the third week of April the best time to sell nationwide?
The third week of April is expected to have a favorable balance of market conditions for sellers, including elevated prices, increase buyer demand and lower competition from other sellers, Jones said.
“We kind of found that optimization point where you’re seeing prices that are over the average price for the year but time on market that’s faster and less competition from other sellers,” Jones said. “You can expect to see good demand for you home because there aren’t too many sellers in the market quite yet, and you can see your home sell quickly.”
In terms of home prices, media listing prices are expected to be about 1.1% higher — or $7,400 more — than the average week, and home costs could be about 10.4% higher — or $34,000 more — than they were at the start of 2024.
While active inventory was 7.9% higher at the start of 2024 compared to 2023, the highest beginning-of-year inventory since 2020, inventory was still 39.7% lower than pre-pandemic levels, according to the report. As a result, it is predicted that there will be 13.7% fewer homes on the market during the best week compared to the average week.
Home listings are also expected to receive about 18.4% more views during the best week than the rest of the year. According to the report, this week in 2023 had 22.8% more views per listing. So, if mortgage rates see a significant drop this spring, we could see a greater surge in buyer demand sooner.
Homes are also expected to sit on the market for as few as nine days, or about 17% faster than during an average week.
When is the best week to sell in North Jersey?
While the week of April 14-20 may be the best time to sell nationally, March 31 to April 6 is the best week to sell in the New York metropolitan area.
In our region, median listing prices are expected to be 5.2% more — or $38,000 — during this week than they were at the start of 2024, according to the report. There are also expected to be 16.7% fewer price reductions during this week than there are during the average week.
This week is also anticipated to yield 7.1% fewer active listings than during an average week, resulting in 16% more views per property. And, active listings are expected to stay on the market for 11 fewer days than during an average week.
“While we did determine that this is the optimal week, the weeks surrounding it are also really good weeks to sell. This may bring together a tiny bit of favorability either on price or other seller competition, whatever it may be, to make it really the best week. But, in general, if you’re not ready to sell that week, that’s okay,” Jones said. “It’s still a good time of year to start thinking about putting your home on the market, being on the early side of spring and the busy season, so you can get in there and get buyer attention before there are a ton of other sellers in the market who are also vying for that same attention.
Sellers should start preparing their homes to sell now
There’s just about a month until the national best week to sell arrives, and even less time until the best week to sell in the New York metropolitan area. So, if you’d like to take advantage of this time, you better start preparing now.
“Even though it is the best time to sell — it’s the selling season and there are going to be buyers looking for a home — buyers are still probably going to be a little bit picky because they’re paying a lot for a home right now. So, the best way to prepare is to have realistic expectations,” Jones said.
Preparation not only involves doing things like finding a real estate agent and ensuring that your home is priced attractively, but also making any repairs, deep cleaning the interior and adding a fresh coat of paint to the inside of the home. You can also take some time to improve your home’s curb appeal by adding plants and colorful flowers to the front of your home, as well as repainting things like your garage door, fences and railings.
“I think that, in general, the consistency of it is a little bit comforting because even though mortgage rates are moving around and all of this stuff feels very out of control, those typical seasonal housing dynamics do continue and they do persist,” Jones said.
Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things worth celebrating about living in North Jersey. Find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay, on X @maddiemcgayy, and sign up for her North Jersey Living newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or terrific house she should know about? Email her at MMcGay@gannett.com.
A London home that formerly belonged to Freddie Mercury hit the market for more than £30 million (approximately $38 million).
Listed by Knight Frank, the home known as the Garden Lodge was bought by the Queen rock star in 1980, according to a Monday press release.
He left the house and all its possessions to friend Mary Austin when he died in 1991.
In 2023, Austin announced she was moving on from her role as keeper of his belongings. Later that year Sotheby’s hosted the “Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own,” auction, selling his possessions including the piano he used to write “Bohemian Rhapsody”, which sold for more than $2 million.
Now, it is time to sell his former home itself.
“This house has been the most glorious memory box, because it has such love and warmth in every room,” Austin said, according to the release. “Now that it is empty, I’m transported back to the first time we viewed it. Ever since Freddie and I stepped through the fabled green door, it has been a place of peace, a true artist’s house, and now is the time to entrust that sense of peace to the next person.”
A private island:Pumpkin Key off the Florida Keys for sale at $75 million: It includes multiple houses
Primary bedroom, dressing room like a ‘stage set’
The home was built in Neo-Georgian style in 1907, and Mercury commissioned interior architect Robin Moore Ede to redesign the home to fit his unique style.
Knight Frank says the property “offers grand proportions yet a comfortable homely feel.” It includes a two-floor drawing room with grand windows where he kept his piano, an intimate dining room painted his favorite color and a garden secluded from the busy city streets.
Upstairs, the principal suite is accessible through a dressing room mirrored from floor to ceiling, which Knight Frank said is “in itself a stage set.”
“With huge enthusiasm for entertaining his close circle of friends, Freddie designed the house to be a memorable, inviting place that reflected his vibrant personality and eclectic vision,” the release states.
Contributing: Associated Press
A landmarked house that won an award for historic preservation has sold in Midtown Palm Beach for $12.7 million, the price recorded Feb. 28 with the deed.
Known as Tradewinds, the house at 424 Brazilian Ave. was built in 1930 and restored by retired investment banker Lynn Foster, who sold it as co-trustee of The Claflin Family Trust, the deed shows.
The buyer was another Palm Beach property owner, Timothy Sanford, acting as trustee of the LRG Land Trust. Sanford and the same trust have owned another house across town since late 2021, courthouse records show.
Because of privacy rules governing trusts, no other information about the LRG Land Trust was readily available in public records.
The property Foster just sold has a main two-story house with three bedroom suites and 3,306 total square feet of living space, inside and out. At the rear of the property, on the other side of the swimming pool, is a two-bedroom guesthouse with1,294 total square feet, a living room and a kitchen.
The property is in the lake block of Brazilian Avenue near the Palm Beach Marina and a few blocks north of Worth Avenue.
The Spanish-style house was designed by Maurice Fatio, a noted Palm Beach society architect.
Foster paid a recorded $2.575 million for the house in 2011. Among its features is an impressive banyan tree in the front courtyard.
Originally from Hawaii, Foster spent her banking career in Philadelphia and New York City. Upon retiring, she began house-hunting in Palm Beach.
“I was looking for a house, and it obviously responded to my DNA,” she said. “It was tropical. The banyan tree was perfect. I felt at home here before I even realized the architectural history of the house,” she told the Palm Beach Daily News in 2014.
Brown Harris Stevens handled both sides of the sale recorded Feb. 14. Agent Carole Hogan represented Foster, while her colleague Maureen R. Woodward handled the buyer’s side.
Hogan listed the house for sale at $14.85 million in October, and the price never wavererd, the multiple listing service shows.
Although the house had been renovated several years before Foster bought it, she embarked on her own extensive renovation and restoration, which took a year to complete.
The project ended up winning the 2014 Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach’s Polly Earl Award, which recognizes small-scale, historically sensitive renovation and restoration projects.
The restoration, Foster said in 2014, was literally a labor of love.
“It’s about a love affair rather than just a home. I fell in love with this house,” Foster said at the time the award was presented.
The house earned its landmark status from the town in 2001, a designation that protects its exterior walls from significant alteration unless the changes are approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Architect Patrick Segraves of SKA Architect + Planner, who had worked at the property previously, designed the renovation.
“We wanted to make the house 21st-century-livable while keeping its integrity and charm,” Segraves said in 2014.
Original features of the house include Cuban-tile floors and a saltbox style, pecky-cypress ceiling that crowns the two-story-tall living room.
The renovation included a 348-square-foot addition at the rear of the main residence that provided enough space on the ground floor for an en-suite third bedroom, which Foster used as a sitting room, and a new primary bedroom above it. Both rooms have views of the pool.
Each of the original windows and doors were replaced with mahogany-framed, impact-resistant versions. And two of the living room’s arched windows, which were in Fatio’s original drawings but had been removed at some point, were restored on either side of the fireplace.
Other projects included replacing the original wrought-iron stair banister and gallery railings with replicas, adding and enlarging openings to bring more natural light into the interior, rebuilding walls, replacing the home’s stucco, and installing and refinishing wood details.
In addition, new coral key stone was installed in the redesigned front courtyard and on other patio areas.
Foster sold the house with her two sons, John A. Claflin and Richard M. Claflin II serving as her co-trustees, the deed shows.
The North End house at 250 Country Club Road owned by buyer Sandford and The LRG Land Trust last changed hands for a recorded $8.5 million in December 2021. In that sale, Woodward represented the seller, a limited liability company linked to Paula S. Butler, with agents Paulette Koch and Dana Koch of the Corcoran Group handling the buyer’s side.
The two-story, Mediterranean-style house on Country Club Road was built in 2001 and has three bedrooms and 4,849 square feet.
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This is a developing story. Check back for any updates. Portions of this story appeared previously in the Palm Beach Daily News.
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Darrell Hofheinz is a USA TODAY Network of Florida journalist who writes about Palm Beach real estate in his weekly “Beyond the Hedges” column. He welcomes tips about real estate news on the island. Emaildhofheinz@pbdailynews.com, call 561-820-3831 or tweet @PBDN_Hofheinz.
A 26-acre private island know as Pumpkin Key is on the market for $75 million.
The listing managed by Liz Hogan of Compass offers combo deal including a mainland home in Key Largo and the entire island with multiple amenities for convenient management of the estate.
“There are two ways this will sell,” Hogan told USA TODAY in an interview. “Either it will go for a family looking for a family compound and a legacy property or a developer will buy it to build on the island and sell the parts.”
The estate’s current owner, a family from the Midwest, has used it as a family compound but its generations are growing out of it, Hogan said.
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Listing includes mainland home with dock, 4-minute boat ride to island
The mainland home as part of the listing is on the Key Largo coast closest to Pumpkin Key, and includes a dock that stretches more than 100 feet long to be able to boat quickly between the mainland and the island.
The home is also part of the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, which Hogan says is a fully sufficient yearlong resort. It has its own airport for private jets, a member-only hotel, another marina and two 18-hole golf courses.
If a buyer wants to give up that house, the island has its own 23-slip marina capable of accommodating a mega-yacht and tennis courts that convert into a helicopter pad for the brief jet to Miami.
Private island listing comes with 2 homes, 3 apartments and office
The listing comes with:
- A mainland house with four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a 140-foot dock
- A ranch-style house on the island with three bedrooms, four-and-a-half bathrooms and a pool
- Three apartments spread across two structures on the island, ranging from studio to two-bedrooms. The current owners have used these to house caretakers
- A 23-slip marina on the island with a dock office and master quarters
Each structure on the island has fiber optic cable, water and electricity. The 11 undeveloped lots on the island have the infrastructure ready for building as well.
Hogan said an acre-lot on the mainland sold for $24.5 million recently.
