416 Raleigh Avenue, Carolina Beach

Built in 1947, this two-bedroom bungalow on Raleigh Street is the kind of cottage Carolina Beach grew up around — and there are fewer of them every year. What sets it apart is that the practical work is already done. A metal roof, newer vinyl windows and a tankless water heater are exactly the updates that matter this close to salt air, and they are the ones buyers of older beach cottages usually inherit as a to-do list. Here they are behind you. Mature palms frame the lot and give it the settled, unhurried look that only time produces. A large storage shed takes the boards, bikes, chairs and coolers that a cottage this size would rather not keep indoors. Then there's the location, which is the whole point. Downtown Carolina Beach is an easy walk — the boardwalk, the restaurants, the shops and the sand — so the car can stay parked all weekend. Walkability like this is the one thing no renovation can add. Two bedrooms, one full bath, and a footprint that is easy to own and easy to leave. It works as a primary residence, a second home at the beach, or an income-producing investment.