$456,000

The sellers built this cottage in the woods in 1987 and have kept it beautifully ever since. It sits well back from the road under towering oaks, nearly surrounded by New England stone walls, on a lane most people don't know exists. Permanently protected land is across the way, and no other house can be seen. Wind moves through the trees, birds are everywhere, and turkeys, deer, foxes and hummingbirds cross the yard. Inside, a wood stove anchors one large open room, with two bedrooms and a full bath on the first floor. A screened porch keeps the evenings bug free, and the newer two-car garage has a finished room above. The Otis beach on Big Pond is a 0.7 mile walk, and Tanglewood for music is about 30 minutes away. Priced within reach for year-round residents and part-timers alike. The first floor is easy to live in. One large room of warm pine walls holds the kitchen, dining and sitting areas around a wood stove, with windows that look into the trees. Two bedrooms and a full bath are on the same level. The floors are carpet and linoleum today. Wood floors throughout would suit the pine and the light, and it is an easy project to take on. A screened porch runs along the side of the house. It is where the sellers sit to listen to the birds and the wind, without bugs or weather. Below is a full walkout lower level, unfinished, with nearly three sides above grade, so there is a real opportunity to add space to the house later. The detached two-car garage is newer. The room above it, about 400 finished square feet, works for guests, a studio or a game room. That space is part of the 1,480 square feet in the listing, so the house itself is closer to 1,080. The land is 1.19 acres of wooded ground, a mown lawn around the house, a drive lined with hostas, and perennial plantings. The Town of Otis owns the land to the north, south and east. Across the country lane is permanently conserved Massachusetts Wildlife Management Area, and only one home lies beyond before the road ends and where more protected land begins. Wild turkeys, deer, foxes, bobcats and porcupines pass through, hummingbirds visit the yard, and the birds are constant. The wind in the trees is the loudest sound you will hear. With no city lights, the stars and the Milky Way are clear overhead.