ESSEX, CT — Water runs through Essex's list of the most expensive homes for sale: four of the top six sit on or look out over Middle Cove, the Falls River or the Connecticut River, according to listings on Zillow.com. A tie at No. 5 puts six homes on the list.
No. 1 on the list is 10 Scholes Lane, the Frederick Scholes House, built about 1890 in the heart of Essex Village, listed at $3,595,000. The listing says the current owners have had it for 49 years. On a quiet lane along Middle Cove just off the Connecticut River, the 3,769-square-foot house has five bedrooms and four full bathrooms on 0.45 acres, with water views from its landscaped grounds. It has been on Zillow for 105 days.
Just behind it is 21 River Road, listed at $2,850,000 after a $400,000 price cut on Oct. 8. The listing says the house, on a private 2.57-acre peninsula surrounded by the Falls River and Falls River Cove, began as an 18th-century water mill and was converted to a home in the 1900s; Zillow dates it to 1900. It has 3,502 square feet, five bedrooms, four full bathrooms and one half bathroom and a wood-paneled library with built-in bookcases. It has been on Zillow for 45 days.
Rounding out the top three is 15 Novelty Lane, a one-level 1935 home between Middle Cove and the Connecticut River, listed at $2,499,000. It has 190 feet of direct waterfront, its own bulkhead with dockage and views of both sunrises and sunsets over the water, according to the listing. The 2,384-square-foot house has three bedrooms, two full bathrooms and one half bathroom on 0.71 acres and has been on Zillow for 20 days.
No. 4 is 25 River Road, an 1803 house within walking distance of the village by sidewalk, listed at $2,250,000. The sale includes an adjacent 0.48-acre waterfront parcel, and the property looks across a meadow and stream to the Falls River. Zillow lists 3,232 square feet, while the listing says 3,032, along with four bedrooms, two full bathrooms and one half bathroom, four fireplaces and original wooden beams on 1.38 acres. It has been on Zillow for 39 days.
Tied for No. 5 at $2,200,000 each are 88 Main St. in Ivoryton and Lot 2 at 160 Saybrook Road. The first is a reimagined 1849 compound behind new hedges on nearly 2 flat acres, with 5,234 square feet, five bedrooms, five full bathrooms and one half bathroom, a 20-by-40-foot gunite pool, three bluestone patios and a new two-car garage ready for an EV charger. It has been on Zillow for 67 days. The second is a new-construction modern French Country cottage on 3 acres minutes from downtown Essex, where the listing says buyers can still customize the design. Plans show 4,750 square feet, five bedrooms, four full bathrooms and one half bathroom; it has been on Zillow for 119 days. Lot 1 at the same address is listed at $1,985,000.
Prices, listing status and days on market are from each property's Zillow.com listing as of Oct. 26, 2026, and may change. Only homes marked "For sale" or offered as new construction were included; pending, coming-soon, land-only and multifamily listings were left out.
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