6715 Queens Chapel RoadUniversity Park, MD 20782Price: $749,000

Welcome to The University Park Garden Cottage: a 1935 brick Cape Cod with a separate 1-bedroom basement apartment, a private landscaped backyard and an owner leaseback that can start earning from day one. 5 bedrooms and 3 full baths, tucked onto one of University Park's tree-lined streets. Inside, it's cozy and charming without feeling precious. The open main level is full of light, with skylights, hardwood floors throughout and a wood-burning fireplace with a custom-built wood mantel. The updated kitchen has quartz counters and stainless steel appliances. Two main-level bedrooms and a full bath work for guests, a home office or multigenerational living, and the finished sunroom is ready to be your office, reading room or favorite place for morning coffee. Upstairs, two large bedrooms share a full bath, each with skylights and custom built-ins. Out back, a screened porch extends the living space into the garden and makes summer and fall evenings especially good. The backyard is the standout: a wide lawn under string lights, a brick patio for outdoor dining and a storage shed for bikes, garden gear and the projects you swear you're getting to this weekend. The garden parties you'll throw here! The walkout lower level is a true separate apartment: two private entrances, bedroom, living space, full bath, kitchenette and its own laundry. It has a proven rental history at $1,000+/month, and the sellers will lease it back for one year at $1,200/month for income without a tenant search. Prefer the space for yourself? Use it as an in-law suite, guest quarters or workspace. Central air, gas heat and driveway parking. Then there's the University Park lifestyle: watch the Azalea Classic runners go by from the porch, stroll to Whole Foods and the Route 1 corridor, or just enjoy the mature trees, generous lots and quiet rhythm of this much-loved neighborhood. Minutes to UMD, MARC, Metro and DC. It's the kind of home that makes it very easy to imagine staying awhile.