If anything about a 20-year-old town could be described as historic, this shingle-style house would make the registry: In 2005, when Seabrook founders Casey and Laura Roloff first ventured to forge an idyllic seaside village from Washington’s coastline, this was the first place they called home.

At 2,752 square feet (including the finished carriage house), the three-bedroom home skews bigger than the average Seabrook estate. And the exceptionally large backyard paver patio offers ample space for entertaining when blustery coastal weather allows. Otherwise, the home’s pre-weather-beaten shingles and narrow lot blend right in with its 500-or-so neighbors.

Like every home in Seabrook, this one has a name (though Lot 63 reads definitively less cutesy than Beaches-n-Cream). At the time of Seabrook’s founding, it was the furthest lot away from the ocean. The Roloffs “wanted buyers to understand that the community was going to become as valuable as the ocean itself,” says Lily Walsh, marketing director of Seabrook’s real estate development. That’s real estate speak for “sorry, no beach view.”

What Lot 63 lacks in vistas it makes up for in details: Beadboard ceilings bring a beachy look to the downstairs living area. Craftsman-esque built-ins abound, from the massive entryway storage unit to two full beds custom-made for the third-floor bonus room. 

Seabrook’s idealistic founders figured that a vacation town built on architectural charm and density, which drops off precipitously outside the town’s perimeter, might help urbanites see the Washington coast as destination-worthy rather than desolate. As with all Seabrook real estate, Lot 63’s walkability rating gives cities a run for their money: It sits right across the street from Crescent Park, about half a mile from the beach, and a quarter-mile jaunt from a strawberry margarita at Koko's.

Critics say Seabrook’s careful planning and stringent aesthetic regulations make the place feel contrived—even uncanny-valley creepy. But those rules have built a coastal village that at least looks more like the genuine article than tourist corridors anchored by shirt shops. Is “cookie-cutter” still an insult when the shape is so compelling?

If anything shatters the utopian illusion, it’s the fact that only 15 percent of homeowners live in town year-round (though rentals are in high demand). Practiced authenticity makes for a great escape; few would pack their bags and move to Fantasyland. That could explain why a large home replete with personal touches has sat on the market for eight months. For someone with big ideas about life by the beach, though, there’s no better place.

Listing Fast Facts

71 Seastar Lane, Pacific Beach
Size:  2,752 square feet/ 3,998 square foot lot / 3 bedroom / 4 baths
List Date: 16/20/2023
List Price: $1,474,500
Listing Agent: Belinda Roberts, Seabrook Real Estate