Contemporary Thought

A modern home isn?t just about architecture, it?s also about lifestyle.

$499,000
87 PITMAN ROAD, MARBLEHEAD
SQUARE FOOTAGE 1,200
LOT SIZE 4,081 square feet
BEDROOMS 3
BATHS 1 full, 1 half
2008 TAXES $4,637
LAST SOLD FOR $235,000 in 1989

PROS With deeded beach access and views of Salem Harbor from nearly every room, this just-renovated split-level home is a water lover's dream. Its striking interior features dark-stained wide-pine floors and whitewashed beamed ceilings. On the main level, the living room has a wood-burning fireplace; up a few stairs is the stainless-and-granite kitchen, and up a few more is the dining room. Two bedrooms share the floor below the living room, and another bedroom or office is down a few more steps. CONS The office/third-bedroom level has no bathroom. Contact Jack Attridge, William Raveis RE, Marblehead, 781-883-3200, allmarblehead.com.

$699,900
37 WOODLAND STREET, SHERBORN
SQUARE FOOTAGE 2,987
LOT SIZE 1 acre
BEDROOMS 4
BATHS 2 full
2007 TAXES $10,484
LAST SOLD FOR $367,500 in 1997

PROS This house has a striking interior, with ceilings that slope from more or less average height to a soaring 26 feet. The main floor's living room has a wood-burning fireplace and is open to a screened porch that overlooks the yard below, including a sweet Japanese-style garden. The entry level and the level above the main floor both have two bedrooms and a bath, and the garden level contains an office or den with another wood-burning fireplace. CONS The bathrooms need updating. Contact Beverly Winthrop, Hammond Residential, Waban, 617-332-8700, hammondre.com.

$1,195,000
480 BEACON STREET, NEWTON
SQUARE FOOTAGE 3,000
LOT SIZE 25,032 square feet
BEDROOMS 3
BATHS 1 full, 2 three-quarter, 1 half
2008 TAXES $12,132
LAST SOLD FOR $470,000 in 1993

PROS The entrance to this 1982 Chestnut Hill split provides a dramatic vista from a mezzanine overlooking the high-ceilinged white living room, with its modern woodburning fireplace and wall of windows. Off the mezzanine level is an entrance to the oversize two-car garage, a half bath, and a master suite with separate three-quarter bathrooms. One flight up are another two bedrooms with a Jack and Jill bath. The living room shares the main level with a family room, dining room, and gleaming white kitchen. CONS The second-floor bathroom could use updating. Contact Elaine Boyer Kateman, Coldwell Banker, Newton, 617-549-6481, newenglandmoves.com.