Cape Cod Cottage Perched Precariously on the Edge of an Ocean Cliff Sells for Less Than Half Its $239K Asking Price

A Cape Cod cottage that sits mere feet away from the edge of an eroding ocean bluff has traded hands for the bargain price of $100,000—less than two months after it was put on the market for more than double that amount.

The property at 153 Brownell Road in Eastham, MA, was put on the market for $239,000 in September and drew immediate attention from house hunters who were left captivated—and awed—by its proximity to the edge of a swiftly crumbling cliff.

On the surface, the deal might seem like a dream for anyone who has been seeking their perfect beachfront home and, to an extent, it is, particularly given that the median listing price in Eastham was $869,500 as of September 2025.

Yet ownership of the property arguably comes with a ticking clock due to the looming threat of the home falling victim to coastal erosion.

Listing agent Jack Sullivan, of William Raveis Real Estate - Harwich Port, previously revealed the true extent of that risk in an interview with Realtor.com®, admitting that nearly 60 feet of the land separating the home from the edge of the bluff had disappeared into the water in the five years since it was last sold.

"When the seller bought the property, it had 75 feet in front of the house, and now it has 16 feet from the house to the edge of the bluff," he revealed.

However, he insisted that a buyer would have around eight years to enjoy the home if there were no major weather issues.

"It is priced at just under the assessed value," Sullivan said. "The home itself is great. It's a shame. The seller lived there full time for five years, so you could have a year or eight years, if the weather stays calm."

Yet the rising threat of the property's potential collapse into the ocean did not deter prospective buyers—quite the opposite, in fact. Within days of listing the home, Sullivan revealed that he had received two concrete offers, both of them from "current or retired builders."

Known as "The Outer Most House," the gray-shingled residence was described as offering a buyer the chance to "live with the ocean as your nearest neighbor."

Offering panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, the cozy cottage was built in 1956 and was sold as is. It features just 972 square feet of living space. However, the modernized interior has laminate floors, radiant heat, and a wood-burning stove.

According to the listing, there is also "room to relax, garden, or simply sit with your morning coffee and take in the sights and sounds of the sea."

It's currently unclear who has purchased the property or whether they plan to make any significant structural changes to prolong the life of the dwelling, which boasts incredible ocean views and an unrivaled proximity to the beach.

Either way, the seller has taken a very large hit on the home, which they purchased for $450,000 just five years ago.

Meanwhile, the owner of the neighboring property is facing a similarly bleak outlook when it comes to the sale of his home, 157 Brownell Road, which was initially listed in October for $199,000. The price was slashed to just $99,000 a few weeks later.

Even if the seller, David Moot, achieves that full ask, he is also facing a major loss on his investment, having bought the home for $395,000 less than two years ago.

At the time, he opened up about his decision to buy a home with such a short shelf life, revealing that, while he knew purchasing a home located just 25 feet from the bluff was risky, he wanted to take advantage of its proximity to the ocean, even if just for a short time.

"Life’s too short, and I just said to myself: 'Let’s just see what happens,'" he told Bloomberg.

It could well be that his decision to offer such a significant discount is related to pressure from the local town boards to carry out updates to the property that officials say would lessen the risk of the home collapsing over the cliff.

According to the Provincetown Independent, Eastham's board of health and its conservation commission have accused Moot of failing to respond to repeated notices asking him to "take steps to ensure the structure does not endanger the public."

The key issues at hand relate to the home's septic system and leaching field, which officials believe are at severe risk of being exposed to the cliff face, particularly after a brutal winter storm in December 2024 caused further erosion of the bluff.

A letter sent to Moot by local officials on Dec. 13, 2024, which was seen by the Independent, urged him to take swift action.

"We urgently ask that you act now. Taking no action will be costly and cause significant environmental impacts and will render your property unlivable when there is no sewage disposal or water," the letter stated.

Officials say that, despite these warnings, Moot has failed to take any action to update the property.

He has been slapped with fines totaling $300 per day as a result of that inaction, the outlet reports.

"We’ve advised him of multiple different scenarios he could do in the short term," Eastham Health Director Hillary Greenberg-Lemos reportedly told the board at a meeting in April. "The longer he waits, the more dangerous the situation is going to become."

However, Moot has hit back at officials, insisting that the issues with the property's safety date to its previous owners.

"There were things that were kept from me as the new buyer," he told the Independent. "It seems everything has come down on me, but these issues should have been addressed by the prior owners."

He also claimed that he has attempted to tackle a relocation of the property's leaching field, but said that he was unable to carry out that project because officials did not respond to his requests for assistance.

The listing for his dwelling hints at the risks involving the home, advising interested parties to not "walk on the property without permission," while also noting that there are outstanding conditions that must be met by the buyer when they take over homeownership.

"As per town of Eastham, the well and leach field need to be relocated," it reads. "Conservation is requiring an engineered plan for a deconstruction protocol on file. Buyers are responsible for complying with all orders of conditions in order to close."

Still, the listing makes sure to point out the many advantages of living so close to the ocean, urging prospective buyers to "imagine being so far East that you are one of the first to see the sunrise every morning!"

In contrast, the listing for the neighboring home called attention to the many updates that have been made in the five years since it was last sold, including several "eco-conscious" renovations.

"This home is eco-conscious and turnkey," it noted, before listing the various upgrades: solar panel installation in 2022; the addition of new insulation, flooring, radiant heat, and charging station in 2021; an overhaul of the septic system in 2020; and upgrades to the well in 2025.