Moving to New Hampshire and need advice :) (Rochester, Dover: real estate, renting)

[jay23]

Hello! I was hoping someone would be willing to offer some information to me! I am moving to New hampshire soon- due to a accepting job in Portsmouth. I have been looking into affordable real estate and have found some that i am interested in. Of course, moving to an area i know nothing about, i wanted to see if anyone could suggest areas that are reasonably priced, no further than about a half hour to 40 mins drive from portsmouth. I have been finding lots of real estate priced in my range in Rochester and Dover but i am fearful that the reason for the pricing is that it is a bad area- is it? Rochester and Dover so far seem the best for me (purely based on price), but again i am nervous and skeptical. Any information would be helpful! Thanks so much for your time and any info you can offer!!
-j.

[hollys0822]

Hey

There are bad areas in Rochester and Dover. I actually live in Wakefield, NH about 30 minutes North of Rochester and commute to Dover for work. There are nice areas in Rochester and Dover of course, but not knowing the price range you are in? If you happen to find anything in either area under $200,000, watch out.

If you know the areas in which you are considering I can help you out more. For instance, In Rochester stay away from streets named after trees, Maple Street, Pine Street, etc. River Street, North and South Main Streets, Portland Street, Signal Street, Lafayette Street. there is a whole area to stay away from but there are a lot of nice parts too.

Same with Dover and Rochester, most of the bad parts are close to the downtown areas.

Wakefield is quite, woods, lakes, mountains, peaceful, worth the commute depending on what you are looking for. May be selling my house soon and moving South. But the communte to Portsmouth is about an hour, all highway though.

[lowelltoco]

I would recommend renting for awhile first.
This will give you some time to figure out what areas you like.
Also real estate prices seem to be headed in the downward direction so waiting a bit could save you some money.

[unknown stuntman]

Even despite an abnormally high increase in local taxes in recent years by NH standards, I would highly advise you to take a close look at Dover. Housing for the time being, but not for too much longer I forecast, is much more affordable than in Portsmouth and you are only a 15 minute drive away. I have had reservations in the past regarding Dover too, but it is getting better and downtown always has been an alluring area to take a stroll. I mentioned in a past post that some of what I think plagues Dover is the fact that it is a "mecca" so to speak, for residents in Somersworth and occasionally Rochester. There is somewhat a problem with drug trade, crystal meth in some instances, but I think the town is changing for the better. When I first saw downtown Dover, I was surprised to even hear mention of the "Dirty Dover" cracks. I understand some what better peeling away the petals, but overall the prospects are looking to be on the upswing. To boot, consider what was said here: Relocate-America's™ 2007 Top 100 Places to Live [/url]

Restrictive zoning and development issues along with exorbitant rents and home prices are starting to take their toll on Portsmouth, especially the more desirable historic downtown location. Portsmouth's loss is Dover's gain- in fact year round, Dover has started to surpass Portsmouth in regards to vitality after dark in its beautiful downtown section highlighted by Coheco Falls Millworks, inclusive of much office space, a great selection of bars and restaurants inside and adjacent to, and a 17th century mural. Portsmouth is flooded with tourists in the summer, but the rest of the year, downtown has become more and more baron after dark. It is a special place, but I have slowly come around to the fact that Portsmouth has become a less and less "livable" town and in fact many of the supposed issues of drug problems at Dover High School have become synonomous with PHS. Yes Dover is still cleaning up its act, but I think it has turned the corner and any investment in real estate in the upcoming years I would venture to guess will pay far more dividends than in Portsmouth. The "Dirty Dover" jokes by Seacoast residents are slowly eroding and are quickly becoming a thing of the past.

Consider this too: a riverfront project just passed in Dover w/ overwhelming support from the community, which further will attract visitors, business, and new residents. The controversy in short revolved around how much control over the project should be administered by the local town council as opposed to the local housing authority.

Buildings running parallel to the riverfront will include ground-level retail or office space with residential units on upper floors, as well as a 5,000-square-foot restaurant. There will be an estimated 180 residential units with condominiums and townhouses in the $500,000 range, and 18 buildings for commercial, residential and garage space, along with more than 1,000 commercial and residential parking spaces. There will also be a river walk leading to a large boat landing surrounded by a plaza with four kiosks housing restrooms, a food stand, a ticketing booth and maps and brochures, a picnic area, and docking opportunities for boats that also gives pedestrians with viewing sites along the Cocheco river.

I've slowly come around to liking Dover more and more, and the long term prospects are excellent, especially given the problems that are beginning to plague Portsmouth. It has its benefits and drawbacks at present, but I suspect the pendulum has already started to swing favorably and I think Dover is an excellent long term investment if you do it soon. Rochester? Your talking an extra 10 minute drive to Portsmouth and frankly, you want to avoid it like the plague, unless your only concern is very affordable housing.

[jay23]

Thanks so much to everyone for the information- extremely helpful!!! Our price range is really no higher than $300,000- but i was kind of hoping for less than that, for a two bedroom. I just dont want to be afraid of where i am living you know? Hollys0822 thanks so much for all the information about what to beware of- thats always good to know and stuntman i greatly appreciate all your information and description about the town- we are of course, going up there to visit and look at places with a real estate agent- but ya know its always better to get the opinions of those that live there and not those trying to get some extra dollars
but it really is obviously a combination of money, safety of course and proximity to portsmouth. No children- so i dont have to look into school systems just yet- years before that

[unknown stuntman]

Good luck jay- and yes $300,000 is feasible for a decent 2br in a good neighborhood in Dover- just watch those taxes (not just property taxes)! They are on the high side given the normal parmeters of New Hampshire towns.

[dutch10]

My sister attended UNH and decided to stay in the area after graduation. It's been 10 years and I don't think she's coming back to RI, she loves the Portsmouth area. She lived in Dover, close to downtown, it's actually quite nice and I agree with it being a solid long term investment. As for Rochester, I agree with the Fall Guy avoid it like the plague. Try looking in the Epping and Stratham areas, close to Portsmouth and reasonably priced both are growing a bit. Good luck..

[jnnfr_brnr]

I WOULDN'T move to Rochester. Having lived in NH for 15 years, I wouldn't advice Rochester to you. Dover isn't bad, but the property taxes are high.

[jay23]

Thanks again to everyone for all the information!! I have decided Rochester is a no go! -- i was wondering if there were any other cities or areas that anyone could suggest i look into? Again- looking for within 40 mins or so from Portsmouth. thanks again!

[Annabelle]

Check out the Exeter area. Real estate prices have come down and there are decent houses on the market for under $300K. Just 15-20 minutes to Portsmouth. Exeter is a fairly safe community, has a great downtown, easy access to Rt. 95 and Rt. 101 and is a very nice place to live.