Cedar Cottage on a Wooded Bluff. Mississippi River Access. $130,000.

The Massey Marina community sits on the bluffs above the Mississippi River outside Dubuque, and this cedar cottage is near the end of a private road, tucked back into the trees in a way that makes it feel further from everything than it actually is.

The house itself is 880 square feet, built in 1960, one bedroom and one bath. What it has going for it beyond the size is the layout. There's a living room with a fireplace, a kitchen, a den, and a sunroom that looks out into the woods. The deck runs along the back of the house and gives you the trees in every direction. For a small footprint, there are a lot of different ways to use the space depending on what you need from a place like this.

The Massey Marina community gives you access to the Mississippi River. The Mines of Spain recreation area, which is about 1,600 acres of trails and bluffs along the river, is a few minutes away by car. Crystal Lake Caves is close as well. Downtown Dubuque is about ten minutes out.

The listing description doesn't go deep on what's been updated, so I can't give you a rundown of recent mechanicals or work done. That's worth asking about directly before you go further.

What you're looking at here is a cedar cottage on a wooded lot with river community access, a fireplace, a sunroom, a deck, and proximity to a serious stretch of public land, all outside a real city with actual infrastructure. At $130,000, that combination is genuinely hard to put together anywhere on the Mississippi, let alone this close to trails and water.

Originally listed for $130,000, this property sold for $85,000 on September 1, 2023.