Although many lakefront homes have exorbitant prices, there are also several areas in New York where you can find your dream lakefront home for less than $200,000. One of those places is Dunkirk, which was recently named the nation’s third most affordable lakefront real estate market by Realtor.com.
The small community is located on the shores of Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes, in Chautauqua County, the state’s westernmost county in the region that borders Pennsylvania.
A historic lighthouse, a lakeside marina, numerous stores, restaurants and beaches are located in downtown Dunkirk, although the region is still largely rural with farms and Amish markets. An added attraction is the thriving wine industry.
“The New York State Winery Trails have been booming for the past decade, and Dunkirk sits right within the Lake Erie Wine Country,” Mandy Gotham, managing broker at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Western New York Properties, told Travel + Leisure. The route is part of one of the nation’s greatest grape-growing areas in the country and stretches more than 50 miles. It leads to about 20 wineries.
The town is a great weekend getaway and a great choice for a second home due to its proximity to major urban centers such as Cleveland, Ohio, and the New York cities of Buffalo and Rochester. Dunkirk is also a fantastic winter getaway due to its proximity to the village of Ellicottville and Holiday Valley Resort, which offers skiing, snowboarding, tubing and snowshoeing opportunities.
“The housing market in Dunkirk is approachable, to say the least, with the average home price below $200,000 and ‘days on the market’ close to two months. A savvy buyer could easily come in and scoop up a good listing at a good price,” Gotham added.
The average list price for homes within a half-mile of the lake is just $122,750, according to Realtor.com statistics.
Potential buyers can find a variety of architectural styles in Dunkirk, including “1800’s brick manor to an adorable little lakefront cottage,” Gotham said, reflecting the town’s long history. Both the Dunkirk Lighthouse and the shipwreck archeological site, the Dunkirk Schooner Site, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
34 homes in Dunkirk were up for sale on Realtor.com at the time of publication. Many of them were priced below $100,000. The company says spring and fall are the seasons when buyers discover the most listings.