Nantucket Home on Road Where Homes Have Been Demolished Due to Beach Erosion Is Listed for $2.4 Million

A house on a Nantucket road where the coastline is slowly creeping inland is on the market for nearly $2.4 million—despite being 120 feet from a house demolished in 2023 due to beach erosion.

In fact, much of Sheep Pond Road, a jagged back road on the southwest end of the Massachusetts vacation island near Madaket, is in big trouble.

Homes on the formerly coveted road have seen their values plummet as the precious coastline disintegrates, with rising sea levels due to climate change likely playing a role.

Since 2014, seven structures along Sheep Pond Road have been demolished due to erosion, according to Nantucket Current. Three others have been relocated farther back from the coastal bank.

“Sheep Pond is going in the drink,” local real estate agent Shelly Lockwood, of Pepper Frazier Real Estate, tells Realtor.com®.

“Part of Sheep Pond Road is already gone,” she says. “It’s been washed away for years. You used to be able to drive all along that coast. You can’t anymore. It’s going to continue to wash away. How fast, nobody knows.”

Sheep Pond Road is disappearing

According to the island’s Natural Resources Department, the erosion rate in the area is roughly 7 to 10 feet per year. However, that seems to be speeding up, with 3 to 5 feet having been lost in some areas in just the first few months of 2025.

For years, the town has been trying to figure out a solution. In January, town staff presented an alternative access road project to the County Commission.

The new road would run through property owned by the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, and homeowners will likely get stuck with some of the costs.

“The town is seeking execution of a memorandum of understanding between the NCF, Sheep Pond Road property owners, and the county, which would outline the responsibility of each entity under the proposed arrangement for the new road,” says the outlet.

Still, some homes in the area continue to ask for millions as the sellers aren’t necessarily in any rush to sell.

In the case of 22 Sheep Pond Road, the four-bedroom, three-bath home is on the market for $2,395,000.

The house has many recent upgrades, including a five-bedroom septic system, a new roof, a new water heater, a new bluestone patio, and even fresh paint, but the listing does not mention the road’s troubles with beach erosion.

The listing gushes about the home’s “unobstructed ocean views,” yet fails to note that the stunning view was created when the house across the street was torn down to keep it from becoming shark bait.

While 22 Sheep Pond Road is on the inland side of the road, Lockwood doesn’t think the setback will save it.

“It’s one of the most at-risk houses,” she says. “It would be a very irresponsible agent who would allow anyone to buy 22 Sheep Pond Road unless—and this is key—they can afford to lose the money.”

Buyers seem to know it, too, given that the home has sat for two years without a taker.

Realtor.com has contacted listing agent Susan Shepherd for comment.

A three-minute walk away is 36 Sheep Pond Road, a 25-year-old four-bedroom house, which is similarly priced at $2,995,000. It has lingered on the market for 856 days despite a $1.55 million price shave.

But Lockwood, who holds continuing education classes for local agents focused on coastal erosion, rising sea levels, and realistic home pricing on the island, thinks this house is better positioned.

“It is a safer buy, but nobody knows for sure how many years it will have,” she says.

Listing agent Morgan Winn was contacted for comment.

Discounts help

Sometimes, a hefty discount can move even the most at-risk homes.

In May, records show that 35 & 37 Sheep Pond Road were short-sold for $400,000 to the Arlene Hogan Living Trust after being listed for $895,000.

“Property is subject to coastal erosion and interested Buyer should have lot lines re-surveyed and consult an erosion expert,” the listing stated.

A local says that work is currently being done on the property.

Local agent J. Brent Tartamella, of Fisher Real Estate, says that despite its risks, Sheep Pond Road still has strong appeal for certain buyers.

“The location is epic,” he says. “You get to wake up and fall asleep to the crashing sounds of the waves.”

Nor is the street the only at-risk area still asking big prices. Take 334 Madaket Road, which was listed in June for $1,895,000.

The listing admits the house has recently been picked up and moved back from the ocean (one can see the sandy area where the house used to sit), but the home has come to the end of its plot.

Yet the price has only gone up since a year ago, when it was listed for $1,495,000.

“It’s worth it for some people,” says Lockwood. “They say, ‘I’ll have that house by the ocean for as long as I can before it falls in, and when it does, it won’t hurt my portfolio.'”

Despite headlines about beach erosion and plummeting valuations, Lockwood says, the island is still highly coveted, and 2025 has thus far been a record one for sales.

According to Fisher Real Estate, total dollar volume on the island is up 26% year over year, to $756 million. And the number of transactions is up 46%, to 201.

However, the median sales prices have dropped 24%, to $2.5 million.

“There are a few places on the island that are at risk,” Lockwood says. “But most of the island is a solid investment.”