While we'd never turn down a beach house, our more practical side yearns for out-of-the-city escapes we could enjoy all year long, during every season.

Enter this $795,000 country retreat in Putnam County's Carmel, New York. It happens to be about a little over an hour north of the city, so it's also rather commutable, if you can't bear to spend just your weekends there.

The house stands on just over an acre of private land, and apparently there are more than five acres adjacent to the property for possible expansion. It's all located in Sedgewood Club, a private country club, which has a golf course, boating, non-motorboat lakes, tennis, and 1,200 acres of protected woodlands.

The house looks like it's being sold furnished, too.

Our favorite part, though, is the second-level library, complete with library ladder and fireplace.

The property has the vibe of an updated farmhouse, and the open plan keeps it airy and expansive.

Be forewarned: Taxes are high at just over $26,000 a year. But considering that this three-bedroom, two-bath house costs just about $100,000 more than a Manhattan one-bedroom, and its proximity to the city, extending its use to more than just weekends or holidays, there's plenty to recommend it.

Or maybe we just really love a handsome library.

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