Ever wanted a Sears kit home? Here's your chance
The Center Moriches home is The Mitchell model from Sears, which was originally available in 1928 for $2,061. This particular home was purchased and assembled in 1935, and is currently listed for $689,000 Credit: For Sale By Owner
There are two Sears kit homes on the Long Island real estate market right now. One is in Center Moriches (top) and the other on Shelter Island (below).
According to Sears’ archives, the Modern Homes program was active from 1908 to 1940, during which about 100,000 homes were sold. The housing styles -- all 447 of them -- ranged from elaborate to simple: The two-story Ivanhoe featured French doors and art glass windows, and the Goldenrod was a three-room, no-bathroom cottage. Outhouses were available as a separate purchase.
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The Center Moriches home is The Mitchell model, which was originally available in 1928 for $2,061. This particular home was purchased and assembled in 1935, and is currently listed for $689,000 on For Sale by Owner. It is on waterfront property and features a 20-by-40-foot in-ground pool, 75 feet of bulkhead and an enclosed boathouse. Homeowner Mark Shuster says all the lumber in the home, from the studs to the molding, is stamped, ostensibly to help with assembly. The 2,400-square-foot home has four bedrooms and 2.5 baths.
The Shelter Island home is a Drake Woods model and also sits on property with water views. It is listed with Peter McCracken of The Corcoran Group for $875,000. The Cape-style home has four to five bedrooms, two bathrooms and a separate guesthouse (non-Sears) that includes a kitchenette, a bedroom, and a full bath. "Drake Woods was a very popular model on Shelter Island," McCracken says. "There are still several left on the island and most are in or near original condition."
