Check out the amazing waterfront homes and real estate in Newport and southern Rhode Island.

Bowen's Wharf, Newport, 10/29/12

RI FLOOD INSURANCE UPENDED

Flood risk across the country, particularly in coastal areas like Newport, RI is on the rise.  The Beggert-Waters Act of 2012, resulted in the redrawing of all flood insurance rate maps to reflect current elevated risks.  As a result, some properties that have never needed flood insurance are now in high risk zones, some properties are no longer insurable at all, and flood insurance rates are skyrocketing.

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?

The Federal Government's flood insurance program has lost $19 billion in recent years. To continue to have a viable flood insurance program, the government plans to make those who have the risk pay for it.  As a first step, all of the flood maps are being…

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Waterfront real estate in Newport County is as good as it gets for summer vacation homes.  For many buyers, however, sticker shock can get in the way.  Don’t lose hope!  Take a step back and consider the advantages of only a water view?  Walking distance to the beach is almost as good, right?  Or maybe you’re just looking for a place to get away.  Here are a few helpful tips to help in your search and get you into a life-enhancing beach home for less!

-Search a bit further from the beaches than you typically would

            Most “beach homes” are on the water or within a ¼ to ½ mile of the beach, but these are in high demand, making them much more expensive.  But if you search just a tad further you can find a much better deal and only have to…

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Bailey's Beach215 Coggeshall Rd. Just 4 doors from Bailey's

Beach houses come in many shapes and sizes in Newport, RI.   Mansions adorn our coastline, condominiums overlook the harbor, and summer cottages line sandy roads leading to Hazards, Gooseberry and Bailey's Beaches off Ocean Drive.  While all offer the promise of lazy days on the shore, few can match the location, condition and charm of this restored bungalow on Almy Pond.

Not only is this newly renovated cottage on a pristine estuarial pond teeming with wild life, it's also just four doors away from Bailey's Beach, one of the most beautiful and exclusive beaches in the Northeast.  One part of Bailey's is a very private club, but the eastern end is a scenic stretch of sand accessible to neighbors by foot or…

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Dockominiums - a permanent berth for your vessel

It's that time of year again when every Newport, RI boat owner wonders where they're going to put their boat for the summer.  One option many overlook is buying their own dockominium and securing their space forever.  As the economy improves so does the size of the waiting lists for space in the marinas.

Newport Harbor has 2 different spots to buy a dockominium.  One is at Lee's Wharf Marina and the other is Newport Onshore Marina.  In the last five years both associations have completely renovated all the docks making for a great experience. 

Many people ask the form of ownership they will get if they buy a dockominium.  Dockominiums are transferred just like any other condominium in Rhode Island …

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Luxurious Ocean Drive Home at 18 Winans Av, Newport, Rhode Island, 02840 - MLS® #1027978

View the video for this incredible ocean view Cape Cod home on Ocean Drive that includes deeded beach rights on a half acre lot.

Get more information about this Ocean Drive home, or feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

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Astor's Beechwood renovationRestoration of Astor's Beechwood underway 12/30/12



on Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI

Yesterday, while cruising down Newport's Bellevue Avenue, I glanced over at Astors' Beechwood and, much to my surprise, it wasn't there!  After a quick double take I realized the big, beige Italiante mansion WAS in fact there, but it was no longer the cream-colored wedding-cake-of-a-house I remembered, but rather a somber red brick edifice with pale quoining along the corners and roof line.

It's a temporary look, as plans call for the reapplication of the stucco, but the mansion's current "nakedness" combined with the wintery, leafless landscape accentuates the dignity of the original architecture.

Astors' Beechwood is undergoing a complete restoration thanks…

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Hopedene Newport RIHopedene, Newport, RI, sold $16M 12/19/12

It was another stellar day for Newport, RI luxury real estate as word spread that Gustave White Sotheby's brokered the sale of Hopedene for $16M. The sale was Rhode Island's highest recorded sale this year and the second highest ever. 

Located on Cliff Avenue with a sweeping lawn and stunning views of First Beach and the Atlantic, Hopedene was designed by Peabody and Stearns and completed in 1902 for Elizabeth Hope Gammell Slater.

Interior designer Ogden Codman, Jr. built an addition in 1913 and redesigned the Georgian Revival mansion when Charles P. Patterson, a NY antiques dealer purchased the home.

When he died, Mr. Patterson left Hopedene to Newport's Preservation Society and in 1983 Britty Cudlip…

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The intricate ins and outs of Newport’s streets are typically explored by those who have exhausted the main street attractions. Once you are numb to the typical sights you begin to crave more, and Newport has much much more to see. In grade school my friends and I wandered around town looking for things to do. In doing so we discovered many hidden spots with amazing views of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. I now love taking friends to these spots to show them Newport’s beauty the way I grew up seeing it. These are my top spots in Newport RI to enjoy the waterfront:

The Point: The Point is at the end of the downtown area just before the bridge to Goat Island. This historic part of Newport right by the Newport Bridge has…

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Postcard Portsmouth RI Coal MinePortsmouth, RI Coal Mine

COAL MINES BENEATH CARNEGIE ABBEY GOLF COURSE

PORTSMOUTH, RI - Most golfers at Carnegie Abbey Club are unaware that the water used to irrigate the golf course comes from miles and miles of abandoned coal mines running east/west from Narragansett Bay to East Main Rd. and north/south from Portsmouth town hall and to Melville Marina.  Today, the mines contain an estimated 400 million gallons of fresh water. Carnegie Abbey's original developer briefly considered bottling this fresh water under a private Carnegie Abbey label. 

HISTORY OF MINING PORTSMOUTH RI

In the early 19th century they were teeming with men and mules mining coal to fuel America's industrial revolution. The mules hauled the coal bins in and out of the…

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I married into a family of native Newporters descended from the European immigrants who worked in Newport's mansions.  As I result, I have heard many amazing stories about Newport's gilded age families.  Among my favorites are my husband Paul's recollections of Elizabeth Parke Firestone and his visits to her Newport, RI Firestone Estate, Ocean Lawn. 

After her husband died, Mrs. Firestone (a.k.a Betty) summered alone at Ocean Lawn, a sprawling 1888 Peabody & Stearns mansion overlooking the water on the corner of Narragansett Avenue and Cliff Walk. She was the widow of the late Harvey Firestone, Jr., son of the founder of Firestone Tire. 

In those days, Mrs. Firestone didn't get out much, but she enjoyed a little sherry and conversation with…

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