11 rockin' ranch houses for sale now

Houston

• 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 4,071 square feet
• Built: 1971
• Price: $669,000
• Realtor.com: Find more Houston homes for sale

The largest city in Texas really exploded in size after World War II, when ranch houses were hot. This home in the Briargrove Park area sits on a great cul-de-sac with a park at street's end. The large, open rooms have a great flow for parties and get-togethers. The house also has tons of storage, including more than 1,000 square feet of attic space.

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Albuquerque, N.M.

• 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2,203 square feet
• Built: Not available
• Price: $325,000
• Realtor.com: Find more Albuquerque homes for sale

This newly renovated ranch home, painted in warm, neutral colors and with clean lines, is soaked in natural desert light. The home has hardwood floors in the main living areas, tile in the wet areas and fresh carpeting in the bedrooms. The master bedroom opens to a big master bathroom with a jetted tub, separate shower and walk-in closet. Out back is a large patio that opens onto the large yard. The garage has a workbench and storage.

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Sandwich, Mass.

• 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1,592 square feet
• Built: 1988
• Price: $329,000
• Realtor.com: Find more homes for sale in Sandwich

This modern ranch in Sandwich, at the beginning of the Cape Cod peninsula, sits on the outskirts of the neighborhood, within walking distance of the local elementary school and a pond for swimming and boating. The home, well-cared-for by its original owners, has been upgraded with an atrium great room that extends into the yard and a finished lower level with lots of recreation space. The formal living room has a brick fireplace.

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Dallas 

• 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4,634 square feet
• Built: 1951
• Price: $949,000
• Realtor.com: Find more Dallas homes for sale

Dallas really boomed in the post-WWII years, and this ranch home in the Preston Hollow neighborhood was part of that housing explosion. The house, whose interior was painted last August, has an updated kitchen with top-of-the-line steel appliances, custom cabinets and an eat-in breakfast area. The kitchen overlooks a family room with built-in cabinets. French doors off the great room lead to a backyard with two patios and a saltwater pool — which is great on your skin during those repeated dips to escape the burning Dallas summers.

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Denver 

• 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4,149 square feet
• Built: 1954
• Price: $950,000
• Realtor.com: Find more Denver homes for sale

This classic brick ranch is in one of the city's best neighborhoods. It still retains some popular vintage details — original '50s tile inside, a clay tile roof and metal kitchen cabinets — yet has been updated to include Marvin windows, two gas furnaces, air conditioning, wood plantation shutters, and new gutters and downspouts. French doors open from the family room onto a patio and a large backyard, which is important in Denver, where residents enjoy the outdoors much of the year. The neighborhood has a voluntary homeowners association that aims to preserve the architectural integrity of the neighborhood. Residents can walk to nearby amenities or take a short bike ride to Cherry Creek shopping, restaurants and downtown Denver.

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Dayton, Texas 

• 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, 4,734 square feet
• Built: 1958
• Price: $325,000
• Realtor.com: Find more homes for sale in Dayton

This classic midcentury-modern home sits on 1.5 acres in this small town on the Texas Gulf Coast. It was constructed by a prominent builder for his family of 10, and has more than 4,700 square feet of living space. The house has flagstone floors in the formal dining room and den, three-quarter-inch parquet flooring in the library, cypress paneling and interior brick walls throughout, a double-sided gas fireplace, built-in drawers and cabinets in all bathrooms, and 10 French doors leading to four separate yards. A new, modern gourmet kitchen has brick flooring, a Viking range, soapstone countertops, a marble-topped island and custom cabinetry and hardware.

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Phoenix 

• 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2,900 square feet
• Built: 1979
• Price: $699,900
• Realtor.com: Find more Phoenix homes for sale

Phoenix, as much as any city, typifies the booming American metropolis in which the ranch house thrived. This remodeled home has all sorts of nice touches that help make it feel completely up-to-date. It has hardwood floors, French doors throughout, Venetian plaster accents, and a kitchen designed by an award-winning decorator with an oversized, granite-topped island, stainless-steel appliances and a pantry. That kitchen opens to a great room with built-in bookcases. The home has dual master bedrooms, including a "master retreat" with a sitting room/office with a fireplace for cool desert nights. Behind the home, with a view of Camelback Mountain, are a pool and several patios.

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Atlanta 

• 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2,244 square feet
• Built: 1951
• Price: $824,000
• Realtor.com: Find more Atlanta homes for sale

This ranch on a corner lot in Atlanta's leafy Sherwood Forest neighborhood has been completely renovated and modernized with lots of nice touches, including the robin's-egg-blue paint in the kitchen and its numerous cubbyholes in which to put utensils and odds and ends. The hardwood floors extend nearly throughout the home. Downstairs is a large, finished “man cave” with a pool table and fireplace. The front of the home has a large, landscaped patio.

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Scottsdale, Ariz. 

• 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 3,854 square feet
• Built: 1963
• Price: $1.25 million
• Realtor.com: Find more Scottsdale homes for sale

This home with an airy floor plan in the Arcadia community has been remodeled with hardwood parquet floors, coffered ceilings, crown molding and French doors throughout. The kitchen now sports granite counters, an oversized island and a SubZero refrigerator. The breakfast room opens to a large game room/family room with a brick fireplace. The home has dual master suites, one with an oversized tub and shower. The "master wing" also has an office and sitting room. Out back is a built-in barbecue, a fire pit and a patio with great views of that area landmark, Camelback Mountain.

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Denver 

• 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 5,513 square feet
• Built: 1952
• Price: $995,000
• Realtor.com: Find more Denver homes for sale

It's unusual to find an older ranch house that is this spacious. This 5,513-square-foot home sits on a 15,000-square-foot lot in the Observatory Park neighborhood, convenient to light rail, shopping and restaurants. The red brick home was built in 1952 and expanded and remodeled in 2000. The basement has 900 square feet of space, unfinished but already roughed in with electrical, plumbing and heating. The home has an open floor plan with loads of natural light, a slate outer entryway, hardwood floors throughout the main rooms, and a large stone patio that's great for summer barbecues.

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Philadelphia 

• 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2,364 square feet
• Built: 1954
• Price: $635,000
• Realtor.com: Find more Philadelphia homes for sale

This East Coast ranch has been upgraded with all sorts of additions. The 1.25-acre private, fully fenced backyard has a heated pool with a covered pagoda and a hot tub, a koi pond and perennial flowers. Just inside, a 33-foot-long sunroom overlooks the grounds. The home has built-in furniture in the office, ceiling fans, hardwood floors, a four-zone sound system with built-in speakers and a master bath with marble counters and an oversized steam shower. The kitchen has an induction cooktop, a pantry with pull-out shelves, a side-by-side fridge and a double convection oven.

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