Ferești | $860,000 (750,000 euros)
A complex of five traditional wood cottages in the countryside
These five wood cottages were built more than a century ago and brought to the property from different parts of Maramureş, in northern Transylvania, starting in 2014. They have the region’s signature architectural features, including sharply sloping roofs, rounded dormer windows and wooden porches. The homes are clustered around a central lawn, an arrangement ideal for socializing. In total, there are 14 bedrooms with 22 beds and six full bathrooms. The largest house has around 2,000 square feet.
Maramureș is a largely rural region where traditional local architecture and customs have been well preserved. Eight of the area’s historic wooden churches, built between the 17th and 19th centuries, comprise a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This property is in Ferești, a village where hiking, cycling and cultural tourism are the main tourist attractions. The Mocănița Maramureș steam train, with a locomotive that is more than 100 years old, is another draw in the region.
The closest large city, Baia Mare, is about an hour west by car and has a medieval area and museums. Five miles west of the city’s center is Maramureș International Airport, with flights to some European cities, as well as Tunisia. Cluj-Napoca International Airport, which has connections to Bucharest and many European cities, is about three hours by car.
Size: 7,534 square feet (including the tree house)
Price per square foot: $115
Indoors: The largest of the five cottages has three bedrooms and two bathrooms with showers. The others range in size, most with two bedrooms and one bathroom. Two of the homes are over a small bridge that crosses a fishing pond. All the cottages have white walls and colorful wooden doors and window frames, some green and others blue. The homes are sold turnkey, with traditional furnishings including vessel sinks, colorful ceramic plates on the walls, wood burning stoves and a large loom.
Outdoor space: A traditional wooden gate greets residents and their guests. The property, on almost an acre, has outdoor amenities including a pond with fish, a stone storage room, a timber pavilion, a sauna, a hot tub and areas for grilling and eating. A zip line runs over the pond and is attached to a tree house studio apartment.
Costs: The projected estimated property tax is around $300 per year.
Contact: Daniel Lengyel | Romania Sotheby’s International Realty | +40-722-235-083
Mănăstireni | $880,000 (750,000 euros)
A stable and farmhouse converted to a residence and a workshop
This unusual property bordering a forest has a bohemian flair that could appeal to artists. The property’s large stable was part of an equestrian facility built in 1960 and is now a residence, after a conversion that began in 2021. The farmhouse is a studio workshop. A third building serves as a guest house. In all, there are four bedrooms and three bathrooms.
The property is in Mănăstireni, a Transylvanian village in Cluj County with angled red and brown rooftops engineered to withstand winter snows and summer rains. Mănăstireni is one of several closely knit villages about a one-hour drive west of Cluj-Napoca, the largest city in Transylvania and Romania’s second-largest city, where traces of Roman walls coexist with restored Gothic, Baroque and Art Nouveau buildings.
Bucharest is about an hour by plane from Cluj-Napoca.
Size: 5,813 square feet
Price per square foot: $148
Indoors: The property’s approximately 4,700-square-foot main residence and workshop occupy two buildings connected by an open air, landscaped walkway. The two-story main house, formerly the stable, blends rustic, industrial construction with contemporary décor and fixtures. There is an open kitchen with butcher block counters, and the living room has a wood-burning stove and soaring cathedral ceilings. An en suite bedroom with a soaking tub and shower with stone walls is off the living room. Upstairs, a semiprivate study and bedroom is open to the floor below. A workshop in the former farmhouse can be used as a studio or other creative space and could be converted to a five-bedroom residence.
The roughly 1,100-square-foot guesthouse has a wood burning furnace between an L-shaped open living and dining room. It has one bedroom and one bathroom, and traditional painted wooden doors and embroidered textiles.
Outdoor space: Rolling hills surround the fenced 1.85-acre lot. The large grassy area between the home and the workshop has stone paths, an outdoor covered dining room, a wood burning oven and sitting area. There is a garage with storage and outdoor parking next to it.
Costs: The estimated annual property tax of this home is projected to be about $500.
Contact: Daniel Lengyel | Romania Sotheby’s International Realty | +40-722-235-083
Breb | $875,000 (760,000 euros)
A four-house complex with a gazebo, in a traditional village
This property has four homes built starting in 2020, with local architectural flavor and modern amenities. Two have three bedrooms and two bathrooms, two have two bedrooms and one bathroom. Two of these homes have been built and furnished, and two are under construction and will be sold as-is. These need furniture, flooring and appliances. They all share a gazebo, barbecue and grill.
The postcard village of Breb is in central Maramureș. It is considered the heart of a culturally rich area where old Romanian peasant customs persevere and people continue to wear traditional outfits. Several guesthouses and restaurants are near the property.
Size: Around 8,200 square feet
Price per square foot: $107
Indoors: All the houses have the same layout, with shared living areas downstairs and the bedrooms upstairs. Their exteriors are traditional, starting with the carved wooden gate and woven cane fence that surrounds the property. Each house has a stone foundation, a raised wooden veranda on the ground floor and a high sloping roof. One finished cottage has a kitchen with pale green cabinets, hardwood floors and exposed wood beam ceiling. Upstairs, the two bedrooms have sloping ceilings, also with exposed beams, and are furnished with queen-size beds. One bedroom has an office area. The other completed cottage has two bedrooms. These homes are sold furnished.
Outdoor space: The cottages are on a fenced, grassy lot of 1.1 acres. A paved stone walkway connects the buildings. Outbuildings include a storage shed, a gazebo with a brick oven and a shade trellis. One cottage has underground storage for potatoes or other dry goods.
Costs: The estimated annual property taxes on this property are at most $500.
Contact: Daniel Lengyel | Romania Sotheby’s International Realty | +40-722-235-083
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