Real LI

The bad rap on Long Island is that there’s no affordable housing. Not true.

It’s back to the future for this three-bedroom cape in Levittown.

Built in 1948, the home was one of more than 17,000 houses mass produced there by Levitt and Sons so they could be affordable, especially for GIs coming back from the war and ready to raise families.

Such homes went for about $8,000 then; now, it’s listed at $299,000, below recent comps of about $360,000, said real estate agent Steve Leighton.

Unfortunately, the lower price is a sign of the times, said Leighton, an associate broker of the Keller Williams Realty office in Carle Place.

It’s a “short sale,” which means the house will be sold for less than market value, a tactic to avoid foreclosure. A short sale can be complicated because several parties, including the lender, must agree to being “shorted” on what they’re owed.

Leighton said the more affordable price attracted a lot of interest at an open house two weeks ago. “I had close to 20 people there at a time when you can’t really get any action,” he said.

The home has undergone changes since Levitt and Sons built it as a “no frills” type of shelter, Leighton said. The bedroom, once a place where people just slept, has been extended into the back yard and features a sitting room, he said, while the walkway between the garage and house has been enclosed. The kitchen has several updated features, including cabinets, he said.