A true turnkey experience for buyers harboring cherished dreams of running a traditional bed and breakfast inn is for sale within the North Grinnell Historic District, a short walk from the college and Grinnell’s downtown hub.

The home is grand in appearance and a familiar neighborhood marker on Broad Street. The property’s sale price of $485,000 includes all the interior furnishings, appliances, chairs, and decorations so the inn can continue as an ongoing commercial enterprise. From beds and bedding to towels and plates, new residents can opt to begin life as business operators on their first day of ownership.

“It’s shocking to think of the replacement costs if you had to furnish an inn, just starting with mattresses” explained broker Kevin Kolbe, who noted the condition of the home’s contents, “were really quite impressive when you walk through and think that all of this will be there when the current owners walk out.”

In the lead-up to the 2020 election, all eyes are on Iowa. Get updates of all things Iowa politics delivered to your inbox.

During the previous 37 years, the property has successfully operated as the Carriage House B&B Inn, a popular destination for parents, visitors, and interview prospects heading to the college a couple of blocks to the east. The convenient location, well-regarded hospitality, and relaxed pace have also created a charming alternative to the stretch of motels found south of the city.

Describing the concept as “tremendously appealing,” Kolbe commented their guests prefer “not having to beat a crowd at the hotel franchises or trying to get to the buffet before the eggs get cold.”

Following a couple of years of construction, the substantial home was completed in 1897, eventually filling its three floors with 11 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, and adding two upper-level balconies, a wraparound front porch, plus an eye-catching conical turret, a common aspect of Queen Anne-inspired architectural styling.

This 11-bedroom turnkey bed and breakfast in Grinnell is on the market for $485,000. Here is a look at parking at the home.

Built on almost a third of an acre at the corner of Broad Street and Seventh Avenue, the exterior’s emerald green siding has been carefully maintained, and the roof was replaced in 2024. The separate two-car garage can accommodate extra storage on an upper level.

Past the shaded porch and through a front door inlayed with stained glass, the ground floor includes a sitting area for guests, plus a formal dining space and 900 square feet of private living space for the owner. On the second floor, the five-bedroom suites all feature three-quarter bathrooms, and the sixth bedroom uses an unattached extra bathroom.

A two-bedroom apartment is constructed in the 1,147-square-foot attic, with an additional apartment available in the finished 1,042-square-foot basement.

While the house also presents opportunities as a multigenerational family home, an expansive prospect for a growing family, or a potential rental property, Kolbe expects initial enthusiasm to come from buyers fulfilling lifelong ambitions of becoming innkeepers. As an early incentive, tentative reservations are penciled into the calendar over the next two years.

“It's a treasure that a lot of communities don't have, and they're going by the wayside,” Kolbe said, but he cautioned that the next residents should be prepared to commit to the lifestyle. “I think you have to be ready to engage,” he said, referencing the flow of repeat and one-off guests who have sustained the inn as a successful venture.

“I do think it's somebody with a bit of maturity and life experience that they'll bring to that breakfast table,” Kolbe said.

The home is listed at $485,000 by Kevin Kolbe, broker and owner of Ramsey Weeks Real Estate. Contact Kolbe at 641-990-4995 for more information and a private showing.

More on this house

Where: 1133 Broad St., Grinnell

Asking price: $485,000

Year built: 1897

Square footage: 6,943 square feet

Lot size: 0.28 acres

Richard Lane is a freelance writer for the Des Moines Register. If you have a home we should feature, reach out to Susan Stapleton at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: $485,000 and you can work from home at this grand Victorian bed and breakfast