Cape Cod cottage positioned on edge of eroding ocean cliff sells for less than half its asking price | Real Estate Market Insights

A Cape Cod cottage that sits mere feet away from the edge of an eroding ocean bluff has traded palms for the cut price price of $100,000—less than two months after it was put on the market for more than double that quantity.

The property at 153 Brownell Road in Eastham, MA, was put on the market for $239,000 in September and drew quick consideration from home hunters who have been left captivated—and awed—by its proximity to the edge of a swiftly crumbling cliff.

On the floor, the deal may appear to be a dream for anybody who has been looking for their excellent beachfront home and, to an extent, it’s, significantly given that the median itemizing price in Eastham was $869,500 as of September 2025.

Yet possession of the property arguably comes with a ticking clock due to the looming risk of the home falling sufferer to coastal erosion.

Listing agent Jack Sullivan, of William Raveis Real Estate – Harwich Port, beforehand revealed the true extent of that risk in an interview with Realtor.com®, admitting that practically 60 toes of the land separating the home from the edge of the bluff had disappeared into the water in the 5 years since it was last offered.

“When the seller bought the property, it had 75 feet in front of the house, and now it has 16 feet from the house to the edge of the bluff,” he revealed.

However, he insisted that a purchaser would have round eight years to get pleasure from the home if there have been no major weather issues.

The property at 153 Brownell Road in Eastham, MA, was put on the market for $239,000 in September. instagram/jacksullivanrealtor/

“It is priced at just under the assessed value,” Sullivan said. “The home itself is great. It’s a shame. The seller lived there full time for five years, so you could have a year or eight years, if the weather stays calm.”

Yet the rising risk of the property’s potential collapse into the ocean didn’t deter potential consumers—fairly the reverse, in fact.

Within days of itemizing the home, Sullivan revealed that he had obtained two concrete presents, each of them from “current or retired builders.”

Known as “The Outer Most House,” the gray-shingled residence was described as offering a purchaser the probability to “live with the ocean as your nearest neighbor.”

Offering panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, the cozy cottage was inbuilt 1956 and was offered as is. It options just 972 sq. toes of dwelling space.

However, the modernized inside has laminate flooring, radiant warmth, and a wood-burning range.

According to the itemizing, there may be also “room to relax, garden, or simply sit with your morning coffee and take in the sights and sounds of the sea.”

It’s at present unclear who has bought the property or whether or not they plan to make any important structural adjustments to lengthen the life of the dwelling, which boasts unimaginable ocean views and an unmatched proximity to the seaside.

Either approach, the vendor has taken a very large hit on the home, which they bought for $450,000 just 5 years in the past.

Meanwhile, the proprietor of the neighboring property is dealing with a equally bleak outlook in the case of the sale of his home, 157 Brownell Road, which was initially listed in October for $199,000.

The price was slashed to just $99,000 a few weeks later.

Even if the vendor, David Moot, achieves that full ask, he’s also dealing with a major loss on his investment, having purchased the home for $395,000 less than two years in the past.

At the time, he opened up about his determination to purchase a home with such a short shelf life, revealing that, while he knew buying a home positioned just 25 toes from the bluff was dangerous, he needed to take benefit of its proximity to the ocean, even if just for a short time.

“Life’s too short, and I just said to myself: ‘Let’s just see what happens,’” he told Bloomberg.

It may properly be that his determination to offer such a important low cost is expounded to strain from the local city boards to hold out updates to the property that officers say would reduce the risk of the home collapsing over the cliff.

According to the Provincetown Independent, Eastham’s board of health and its conservation commission have accused Moot of failing to answer repeated notices asking him to “take steps to ensure the structure does not endanger the public.”

The key points at hand relate to the home’s septic system and leaching area, which officers imagine are at extreme risk of being uncovered to the cliff face, significantly after a brutal winter storm in December 2024 induced additional erosion of the bluff.

A letter despatched to Moot by local officers on Dec. 13, 2024, which was seen by the Independent, urged him to take swift action.

Offering panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, the cozy cottage was inbuilt 1956 and options just 972 sq. toes of dwelling space. instagram/jacksullivanrealtor/

“We urgently ask that you act now. Taking no action will be costly and cause significant environmental impacts and will render your property unlivable when there is no sewage disposal or water,” the letter acknowledged.

Officials say that, despite these warnings, Moot has didn’t take any action to update the property.

He has been slapped with fines totaling $300 per day as a result of that inaction, the outlet reviews.

“We’ve advised him of multiple different scenarios he could do in the short term,” Eastham Health Director Hillary Greenberg-Lemos reportedly told the board at a assembly in April. “The longer he waits, the more dangerous the situation is going to become.”

However, Moot has hit back at officers, insisting that the points with the property’s security date to its earlier house owners.

“There were things that were kept from me as the new buyer,” he told the Independent. “It seems everything has come down on me, but these issues should have been addressed by the prior owners.”

He also claimed that he has tried to sort out a relocation of the property’s leaching area, however said that he was unable to hold out that project because officers didn’t reply to his requests for help.

The itemizing for his dwelling hints at the dangers involving the home, advising events to not “walk on the property without permission,” while also noting that there are excellent circumstances that must be met by the purchaser once they take over homeownership.

“As per town of Eastham, the well and leach field need to be relocated,” it reads. “Conservation is requiring an engineered plan for a deconstruction protocol on file. Buyers are responsible for complying with all orders of conditions in order to close.”

Still, the itemizing makes sure to point out the many benefits of dwelling so close to the ocean, urging potential consumers to “imagine being so far East that you are one of the first to see the sunrise every morning!”

In distinction, the itemizing for the neighboring home called consideration to the many updates that have been made in the 5 years since it was last offered, including a number of “eco-conscious” renovations.

“This home is eco-conscious and turnkey,” it famous, before itemizing the numerous upgrades: photo voltaic panel set up in 2022; the addition of new insulation, flooring, radiant warmth, and charging station in 2021; an overhaul of the septic system in 2020; and upgrades to the properly in 2025.

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