SACO – The most desirable oceanfront properties have essential qualities in common, said Sandra Murray of Keller Williams Realty.

The view, of course, comes first to mind. After that, the type of ocean frontage (rocky, sandy, deepwater, etc.)

Next, the degree of privacy that the property provides. And then, the home – its siting and spaciousness, its vintage, and its amenities.

A specialist in southern Maine coastal homes, Murray recognizes a special house when she sees one. And this property – named “Seadrift” – in the very desirable Bay View neighborhood, she called “the perfect opportunity to realize your dream beach home.

“The year-round house was quality-built in 1971, but it has great bones, and 4,458 square feet of living space with five bedrooms, four of which have en suite baths, and also access the deck or a balcony,” she noted.

“There is floor-plan flexibility. The north wing, which now includes an ocean-facing bedroom, a full bath, and a second bedroom, could easily be converted to create a first-floor master suite.

“The kitchen, which most buyers would probably want to update, can be opened up and combined with the dining room,” Murray continued. “That change would fit perfectly with the open-concept nature of the home.”

Vaulted ceilings, skylights, wide hallways, and many full-view doors to decks and balconies enhance that open appeal; and the oak-floored great room, which features a brick fireplace with twin wood boxes, and extensive custom built-ins, embodies “open-concept,” for sheer size.

It’s perfect for entertaining. So is the newer, beautifully paneled, walls-of-windows sunroom, which truly is at one with the beach environment.

Privacy? Due-east orientation puts the focus always on the beach and the Atlantic, not on nearby homes, which are well-screened. Even better: The home’s facade is behind mature trees, and it is set well back from Seaside Avenue – so well back, this offering includes an additional lot. It can be built on, or preserved to maintain this rare degree of privacy.

Frontage: On its 0.85-acre lot, the house comes with 84 feet of lovely, level sand on Saco Bay, in a well-protected section. It’s a short stroll away, down a path through the seagrass. “Maine has no finer beach” than this seven-mile expanse, Murray observed.

And the ocean views? In every season, they are enthralling and panoramic. And especially spectacular when you gaze to the horizon from the third-floor cupola of “Seadrift.”

The home at 371 Seaside Ave., Saco, is listed at $1.795 million by Sandra Murray, Luxury Real Estate Marketing Specialist at Keller Williams Realty. Please contact Sandra at 415-5175 or at sandramurray@kw.com.