Whats up with NH houses? (Derry, Bedford: sale, neighborhood, buyers)

[Sunday1]

Originally Posted by LexWest

There is this rather interesting theory about the house being vastly different and having different expectations when coming from other areas. Ever heard of cultural differences? People's values on everyday things are as varied as the climates each of us live in.

I never understood why one would move to a new area and be disappointed if it's not what they expected at "home". If I moved to CA, I wouldn't expect the houses or the suburbs to look like IL, nor would I expect NY to look like TX and vice versa. The same would apply if I moved to a new country

Considering NH is one of the least populated states in the country, "cities" and "suburbs" are going to different from more developed parts of the country. The same applies to what considered a "bad" parts of NH vs "bad" parts of CA. You're living among a new set of people, of course it's not going to feel like your old "home". Either appreciate the differences for what they are and learn to adapt, or stick closer to home, if that's you're comfortable with.

I completely disagree. Having lived in Seattle, San Francisco, Anchorage, Washington, DC area, Charlotte, Chicago, and now southern Maine -- you are wrong when you "judge" people relocating (which is the vast majority of CityData's audience, btw) for wanting things to be similiar to their points of origin. Most often the people who get vigorously defensive about an area haven't lived in many other places. I agree with the OP and a few others, in believing that the NH housing stock is atypically short of variety as opposed to other areas, including other states in New England such as Maine and Massachusetts. I now live in Maine and have shopped for houses in both of those states.

How about this? How about some photos of beautiful houses in New Hampshire? That gives those of you defending NH housing stock a chance to prove us wrong. Here's the challenge: How about 6 houses you think are gorgeous (under $600K which is slightly over the OP's range but still provides a boundary) and that together, give home buyers a choice in architectural style? Please subtitle with the town the houses are located in.

I can do this in a blink for every town and state I've lived in (including the New England states of Mass and Maine) so no more excuses -- and that's all we've had in comments thus far -- excuses (not even worth arguing they are so lame) so have at it~! So let's see all those beautiful houses, New Hampshire!

PS Anchorage doesn't have a very handsome mid-priced range of housing stock, either, but there was plenty good about living there. I see no point in taking these things personally. It's the differences that make the country worth detailed exploration!

[fauxCanadian]

Originally Posted by Sunday1

I completely disagree. Having lived in Seattle, San Francisco, Anchorage, Washington, DC area, Charlotte, Chicago, and now southern Maine -- you are wrong when you "judge" people relocating (which is the vast majority of CityData's audience, btw) for wanting things to be similiar to their points of origin. Most often the people who get vigorously defensive about an area haven't lived in many other places. I agree with the OP and a few others, in believing that the NH housing stock is atypically short of variety as opposed to other areas, including other states in New England such as Maine and Massachusetts. I now live in Maine and have shopped for houses in both of those states.

How about this? How about some photos of beautiful houses in New Hampshire? That gives those of you defending NH housing stock a chance to prove us wrong. Here's the challenge: How about 6 houses you think are gorgeous (under $600K which is slightly over the OP's range but still provides a boundary) and that together, give home buyers a choice in architectural style? Please subtitle with the town the houses are located in.

I can do this in a blink for every town and state I've lived in (including the New England states of Mass and Maine) so no more excuses -- and that's all we've had in comments thus far -- excuses (not even worth arguing they are so lame) so have at it~! So let's see all those beautiful houses, New Hampshire!

PS Anchorage doesn't have a very handsome mid-priced range of housing stock, either, but there was plenty good about living there. I see no point in taking these things personally. It's the differences that make the country worth detailed exploration!

Trust me, if the market for what you call "variety" was there, private enterprise would serve it. I haven't researched the type of houses you are looking for here because I don't care. But reading between the lines of what others are writing you might find a handful of them in some isolated areas in the south, dunno. Bottom line, if you find a few of them in the odd new developement they will still be few and far apart simply because private enterprise will not waste money when there is minimal demand.

If you want the "grand" Mediterranean/Italian reproduction stucco look and neighborhood you'll feel right at home in Niagara, Canada. They are everywhere you look, you can get them new from low 200k's, looks like a ghetto even before you move in and will probably not last 30 years.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by SuperSparkle928

Or Windham. Awesome town.

Yes it is. Props to the Windham Mobil Service Center shop as well. Great guys!

[FrugalYankee]

Originally Posted by Sunday1

I completely disagree. Having lived in Seattle, San Francisco, Anchorage, Washington, DC area, Charlotte, Chicago, and now southern Maine -- you are wrong when you "judge" people relocating (which is the vast majority of CityData's audience, btw) for wanting things to be similiar to their points of origin. Most often the people who get vigorously defensive about an area haven't lived in many other places. I agree with the OP and a few others, in believing that the NH housing stock is atypically short of variety as opposed to other areas, including other states in New England such as Maine and Massachusetts. I now live in Maine and have shopped for houses in both of those states.

How about this? How about some photos of beautiful houses in New Hampshire? That gives those of you defending NH housing stock a chance to prove us wrong. Here's the challenge: How about 6 houses you think are gorgeous (under $600K which is slightly over the OP's range but still provides a boundary) and that together, give home buyers a choice in architectural style? Please subtitle with the town the houses are located in.

I can do this in a blink for every town and state I've lived in (including the New England states of Mass and Maine) so no more excuses -- and that's all we've had in comments thus far -- excuses (not even worth arguing they are so lame) so have at it~! So let's see all those beautiful houses, New Hampshire!

PS Anchorage doesn't have a very handsome mid-priced range of housing stock, either, but there was plenty good about living there. I see no point in taking these things personally. It's the differences that make the country worth detailed exploration!

The problem is what is considered "beautiful."

I've also lived in plenty of places, including New England, California, Missouri and Germany so i've been around the block. Still, I like what I like and it may well be different from what you like - as it well should be!

I think McMansions are hideous. There is a town not too far from me with good sized lake and ski area. It's been taken over by Mass transplants who bought up the real estate on the lake, tore down the homes that were there and put up McMansions. Fugly if you ask me, the lake is now an eyesore.

Then again I wonder about some reas estate ads I see for properties in Florida. They have things like "less than 2 miles to the Home Depot" in the listing and I have to wonder how that makes it attractive. Do so many people like to kill time in building supply stores? Or is the place falling apart so you need to be near a building supply store?

Anyway, different strokes....

[Brave Stranger]

Originally Posted by Sunday1

I completely disagree. Having lived in Seattle, San Francisco, Anchorage, Washington, DC area, Charlotte, Chicago, and now southern Maine -- you are wrong when you "judge" people relocating (which is the vast majority of CityData's audience, btw) for wanting things to be similiar to their points of origin. Most often the people who get vigorously defensive about an area haven't lived in many other places. I agree with the OP and a few others, in believing that the NH housing stock is atypically short of variety as opposed to other areas, including other states in New England such as Maine and Massachusetts. I now live in Maine and have shopped for houses in both of those states.

How about this? How about some photos of beautiful houses in New Hampshire? That gives those of you defending NH housing stock a chance to prove us wrong. Here's the challenge: How about 6 houses you think are gorgeous (under $600K which is slightly over the OP's range but still provides a boundary) and that together, give home buyers a choice in architectural style? Please subtitle with the town the houses are located in.

I can do this in a blink for every town and state I've lived in (including the New England states of Mass and Maine) so no more excuses -- and that's all we've had in comments thus far -- excuses (not even worth arguing they are so lame) so have at it~! So let's see all those beautiful houses, New Hampshire!

PS Anchorage doesn't have a very handsome mid-priced range of housing stock, either, but there was plenty good about living there. I see no point in taking these things personally. It's the differences that make the country worth detailed exploration!

Your first mistake is thinking that most of us care about so-called "beautiful homes". NH folks like utility. We like it simple, we like it basic to meet our needs, we like to get value for our buck. We go our own way.....no income or sales taxes, no capital gains or death taxes.

Go to most any neighborhood in Bedford or Windham & you will see the same houses there that you see most any where else in New England. To say that there are not neighborhoods in NH that don't look like the same neighborhoods in other states with the same cookie-cutter houses is absurd.

[Inkpoe]

Originally Posted by Sunday1

Please. Seattle is heavily forested (and once a major timber industry state) as you put it, and there is plenty of brick housing stock.

Incorrect. There isn't "plenty" of brick housing stock. There are more houses that have a brick veneer than actual houses of brick. You should already know that Earthquakes and Bricks do not go together... which is why it isn't a favored choice here. Of course Seattle does have really old homes and custom homes that have brick... but I don't know really know any locals that are inclined to live there. It seems more of a transplant thing to want bricks.

Originally Posted by Brave Stranger

Your first mistake is thinking that most of us care about so-called "beautiful homes". NH folks like utility. We like it simple, we like it basic to meet our needs, we like to get value for our buck. We go our own way.....no income or sales taxes, no capital gains or death taxes.

Agreed. I actually like the houses in NH. The houses and (both town and natural) settings go together very well and that to me makes it very beautiful.

[unit731]

Originally Posted by offmove

WTF? Why are some replies like this? Why do people seem insulted, when I am trying to figure out why NH houses are expensive and still look not grand? (some of you know who you are) Is this the general attitude of NH? Maybe too many angry rednecks out of the woods already..hmmm

I completely understand about the point about split heating, open floor plans and heating costs etc. which makes sense. Good point. Maybe thats why you don't see open floor plans.

I also plan to work only in NH.. I do understand I will hit with MA taxes if I work there.. In my research I found more jobs in the southern NH area..

Thanks Verseau, NewNHGUy, WannaComeHome, Supersparkle, CaseyB for your comments. Also thanks to the guy who posted the nneren link..

That's because most of New Hampshire natives are rednecks. They don't consider or call themselves rednecks. The term is yankee. These folks are mostly Fox News and Rush Limbaugh folks.

New Hampshire is basically a poor state with much hidden poverty. Wages are low for only but a few in the professional trades.

Then there are the Mass Whole transplants. A whole nother genre of folks. A mixed bag.

New Hampshire folks are not as friendly as other areas of this country. Oh, some will sream here that they are. But they are not.

Back to houses. Most spec builder homes are made with the cheapest of materials. Look at the roof shingles on homes. So many are faded and worn because the cheapest of shingles were used. Same goes for windows and everything else in homes. Cheap spec built homes.

Oh, there are neighborhoods in Amherst, Bedford and other places with nice homes.

Taxes are low to some but high compared to actual income.

In the end New Hampshire is a lower level version of Massachusetts.

[Brave Stranger]

Originally Posted by unit731

That's because most of New Hampshire natives are rednecks. They don't consider or call themselves rednecks. The term is yankee. These folks are mostly Fox News and Rush Limbaugh folks.

New Hampshire is basically a poor state with much hidden poverty. Wages are low for only but a few in the professional trades.

Then there are the Mass Whole transplants. A whole nother genre of folks. A mixed bag.

New Hampshire folks are not as friendly as other areas of this country. Oh, some will sream here that they are. But they are not.

Back to houses. Most spec builder homes are made with the cheapest of materials. Look at the roof shingles on homes. So many are faded and worn because the cheapest of shingles were used. Same goes for windows and everything else in homes. Cheap spec built homes.

Oh, there are neighborhoods in Amherst, Bedford and other places with nice homes.

Taxes are low to some but high compared to actual income.

In the end New Hampshire is a lower level version of Massachusetts.

Look folks......the anti-NH bigot is back with his same old bag of insults. Grow up.

[unit731]

"Look folks......the anti-NH bigot is back with his same old bag of insults. Grow up."

I rest my case with above response. Thanks!

[Ken E]

Originally Posted by unit731

"Look folks......the anti-NH bigot is back with his same old bag of insults. Grow up."

I rest my case with above response. Thanks!

Please do. Take a rest.