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This forum is great and this is my first post.
I have lived in the desert southwest my entire life and I am ready for a change. I have always loved New England and I'm seriously considering a move to New Hampshire. However, I don't know a soul there and I need some insight.
1) What is the employment outlook OUTSIDE of the Seacoast area? What about central of northern NH? My daughter and her husband are also considering moving and proximity to employment is key. She's an LPN and he's in construction.
2) I am hoping to have a little farm...chickens and possibly a couple goats. I want the rural feel yet easy access to a decent population. Possibly farther out but right off of an interstate.
3) I want to buy 2+ acres for around 30k.
4) I want to be able to live in a trailer on my land for an entire winter (I have never experienced a NE winter) before I build my modest house. Will I run into zoning issues regarding trailer?
On a recent visit I really liked the Rollinsford/Somersworth area and its proximity to Dover, however, I don't think I will find land there in my price range.
I wouldn't be opposed to a Vermont or Maine location that met my criteria.
If someone wouldn't mind indulging me, I have a few, possibly stupid, questions...
On my recent visit I discovered that quite a few properties are being offered on dirt roads. How on earth do you traverse those in the winter? Some of these roads were rough without snow. Will good tires and 4 wheel drive suffice? If there is a bad storm do you call into work? How likely is it to hit deer or moose?
My modest house will be 600sf and I plan on heating entirely with wood stove. Do people do that up there? Our desert fireplaces are for ambiance
I want to be able to tap maple trees. Is it likely that i will have maple on my land? Are they everywhere in NH?
Thanks for the question.
Are you doing this now in the Southwest?
I'd like to move to the Southwest and purchase 2+ acres. I'd like to live in a trailer.
I'd like to purchase land for about $30,000 or less.
I'd like the warmer parts of Arizona or New Mexico. No snow please.
Can I just plop down my trailer? Is there electricity available. Is there water and sewer for this type of land? Or do I have to pay to dig a well and dig a septic system?
What city/town/county areas provide this land at this price in these states?
If there is no water or sewer can I just pay to bring to water in? And have my trailer tank pumped out?
Are there any rules for setting up/building an outhouse in the Southwest area?
I don't know about some of your questions, so I will limit my answers to the things I do know.
The employment situation isn't bad in the southern part of the state, the further North you go, fewer jobs are available. Jobs in the medical field seem to be plentiful, construction, not so much. Go to NNEREN to see a plethora of properties for sale all over New England. IMHO, you could look at the towns along I-89 between Concord and Lebanon, at the halfway point between the two, you are about a half hour to either. Warner, Sutton, Grantham, all straddle I-89 and are largely rural. Dartmouth Hitchcock is a large hospital in Hanover, part of Dartmouth Univ. just North of Lebanon. There is also a VA hospital in White River Junction, just across the river in that other state. Lots of farms and land in the area. I don't know about zoning, you would probably have to address that with the individual towns.
I live on a paved road, cleared very quickly when it snows, but I'm close to the interstate and a school, so that probably helps. I would imagine that dirt roads have a lower priority, but I recommend four wheel drive anyway. I haven't found a road yet that my pickup can't navigate, and my jeep goes right along in any weather, you just have to plan for a little more time and some extra caution when the roads are bad. I had a black bear run across the road in front of me last week, and have had the same experience with deer but never a moose. It does pay to be vigilant whenever you are driving.
A 600 Sq Ft house can easily be heated by a wood stove, my house is a bit larger and I heat almost exclusively with wood. Just spend the extra few bucks and get a good one, and have it profesionally installed. You should have a fuel oil, gas, or electric heat source also so when you are gone, the pipes don't freeze. It really does make a difference on the heating bill. Also you won't need air conditioning, the few hot days in Summer don't last very long. Property taxes are a little high in NH, but there is no sales or income tax, I guess it balances out over time. Car registrations are a little pricey too, but insurance is very affordable.
Can't help you with your tree question, but I'm sure that someone can.
Good Luck.
There are a number of towns that do not have zoning laws so there shouldn't be issues with a trailer in these towns. I doubt you would have an issue heating one with a woodstove but I don't know how the roofs hold up to the snow load. There are a number of dirt roads in NH, some are maintained by the township and others are Class VI roads that are not maintained in the winter through April. I've noticed people still live on some of them and maintain the roads themselves. Job outlook of course is best in the southern and coastal areas and gets bleaker as you head up north. There are hospitals scattered all over, but the competition for employees drops off as you head north and the compensation gets a little flat.
Thanks for the question.
Are you doing this now in the Southwest?
I'd like to move to the Southwest and purchase 2+ acres. I'd like to live in a trailer.
I'd like to purchase land for about $30,000 or less.
I'd like the warmer parts of Arizona or New Mexico. No snow please.
Can I just plop down my trailer? Is there electricity available. Is there water and sewer for this type of land? Or do I have to pay to dig a well and dig a septic system?
What city/town/county areas provide this land at this price in these states?
If there is no water or sewer can I just pay to bring to water in? And have my trailer tank pumped out?
Are there any rules for setting up/building an outhouse in the Southwest area?
No, not doing this now, I live in a McMansion in Vegas.
If you don't need to be near a big city then this is absolutely possible nearly anywhere in Southwest. Check out areas surrounding Pahrump NV, Kingman AZ, Needles CA... the rural areas where CA/NV/AZ meet. You will bake in the summers though, average highs around 110, with resting nighttime temps around 100! Our winters are pretty much like NH Fall. I have a friend who lives in a very small town in AZ called Meadview. It's near the Colorado river and the grand canyon skywalk. If you're tired of snow then you would probably love it there. He has a trailer on a few (dirt cheap) acres with power, city sewer and water. It is too far from a large population for employment though. If that's important to you then I would check out areas around Kingman.
I'm sure there are much better places that meet your criteria in AZ and NM than surrounding Kingman area, that's just the only area that I'm familiar with. I'm not familiar with New Mexico al all (outside of watching Breaking Bad).
I don't know about some of your questions, so I will limit my answers to the things I do know.
The employment situation isn't bad in the southern part of the state, the further North you go, fewer jobs are available. Jobs in the medical field seem to be plentiful, construction, not so much. Go to NNEREN to see a plethora of properties for sale all over New England. IMHO, you could look at the towns along I-89 between Concord and Lebanon, at the halfway point between the two, you are about a half hour to either. Warner, Sutton, Grantham, all straddle I-89 and are largely rural. Dartmouth Hitchcock is a large hospital in Hanover, part of Dartmouth Univ. just North of Lebanon. There is also a VA hospital in White River Junction, just across the river in that other state. Lots of farms and land in the area. I don't know about zoning, you would probably have to address that with the individual towns.
I live on a paved road, cleared very quickly when it snows, but I'm close to the interstate and a school, so that probably helps. I would imagine that dirt roads have a lower priority, but I recommend four wheel drive anyway. I haven't found a road yet that my pickup can't navigate, and my jeep goes right along in any weather, you just have to plan for a little more time and some extra caution when the roads are bad. I had a black bear run across the road in front of me last week, and have had the same experience with deer but never a moose. It does pay to be vigilant whenever you are driving.
A 600 Sq Ft house can easily be heated by a wood stove, my house is a bit larger and I heat almost exclusively with wood. Just spend the extra few bucks and get a good one, and have it profesionally installed. You should have a fuel oil, gas, or electric heat source also so when you are gone, the pipes don't freeze. It really does make a difference on the heating bill. Also you won't need air conditioning, the few hot days in Summer don't last very long. Property taxes are a little high in NH, but there is no sales or income tax, I guess it balances out over time. Car registrations are a little pricey too, but insurance is very affordable.
Can't help you with your tree question, but I'm sure that someone can.
Good Luck.
Thank you so much for your info. Never heard of NNEREN. I was wondering about the Dartmouth area.
I'm glad to hear that you can navigate easily with your truck, I was stressing about this.
Your advice to have an alternative heat source is something that I, being from the desert, would never anticipate (but hopefully my builder will haha). Thanks
The very idea of not needing AC makes me smile. We have life-threatening heat here and I'm done with it! We do have a very brief Spring and Fall and a complete respite in the winter that lasts 2 months. I know this probably sounds good to people who are tired of the snow, but I long for the seasons.
Thank You!
NNEREN=Northern New England Real Estate Network a multiple listing service for all of New England. It doesn't have every piece of land for sale in the area, but it is pretty thorough.
Dartmouth/Hanover is a nice area, pricey because of the College, but a lot of surrounding towns are quite reasonable. I am partial to the I-89 area because I live there, but it is a nice combo of lakes, mountains, and small towns.
I haven't used my heat yet this Fall, but my wood stove is going almost every night, a "regular" heating system is good if you are going to be away for a time during the Winter, water pipes will freeze if it remains below freezing inside the house. The wood stove is a big soapstone and iron job built in Vermont, I absolutely love it, I have a fireplace too, but might use that only once a week or so in the Winter.
A/C might come in handy once in a while, there were a few really hot days this Summer, but I made due with some fans and open windows. I lived in Florida for a good while so I know where you are coming from on heat. I have lived in other states and countries, but still prefer NH.
There are a number of towns that do not have zoning laws so there shouldn't be issues with a trailer in these towns. I doubt you would have an issue heating one with a woodstove but I don't know how the roofs hold up to the snow load. There are a number of dirt roads in NH, some are maintained by the township and others are Class VI roads that are not maintained in the winter through April. I've noticed people still live on some of them and maintain the roads themselves. Job outlook of course is best in the southern and coastal areas and gets bleaker as you head up north. There are hospitals scattered all over, but the competition for employees drops off as you head north and the compensation gets a little flat.
NNEREN=Northern New England Real Estate Network a multiple listing service for all of New England. It doesn't have every piece of land for sale in the area, but it is pretty thorough.
Dartmouth/Hanover is a nice area, pricey because of the College, but a lot of surrounding towns are quite reasonable. I am partial to the I-89 area because I live there, but it is a nice combo of lakes, mountains, and small towns.
I haven't used my heat yet this Fall, but my wood stove is going almost every night, a "regular" heating system is good if you are going to be away for a time during the Winter, water pipes will freeze if it remains below freezing inside the house. The wood stove is a big soapstone and iron job built in Vermont, I absolutely love it, I have a fireplace too, but might use that only once a week or so in the Winter.
A/C might come in handy once in a while, there were a few really hot days this Summer, but I made due with some fans and open windows. I lived in Florida for a good while so I know where you are coming from on heat. I have lived in other states and countries, but still prefer NH.
Canaan and Orford are probably the easiest commutes to the Dartmouth area. Many towns would allow a trailer while you build as well. Don't know the rules on the VT side of the river but there are many towns on that side that commute to the Dartmouth area.
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) before I build my modest house. Will I run into zoning issues regarding trailer?
, questions...
