Relocating from RI to Lebanon, NH; anyone know anything about Eastman Community? (Claremont: middle-class, for sale)

[Birdbaths]

My husband and I are moving to the Lebanon-area of New Hampshire within the next year and a half to two years d/t his new job; I've just begun the search for an affordable home and/or land, and this community I discovered called 'Eastman Community' sounds absolutely wonderful.

We are not planning on having children, but do have 2 cats (25% bobcat!) and are planning on having a few dogs later on; we'd like at least an acre of land where we can build a nice 'starter' home and the recreational community of Eastman has piqued our interest. It seems to have all the 'aspects' of New Hampshire that come to mind when we think of moving to NH, with the 'security' of a resort (that's the closest thing I can compare it to thus far) but I'm wondering if it's a place for folks who are affluent, or if middle-class folks like ourselves who are just starting out would be able to afford it?

Rhode Island has rapidly deteriorated in the past 10 years; there's hardly any open land, and if there is, it costs a fortune to buy, and there is an inordinate amount of congestion permeating to even the once 'remote' corners of RI. I have never seen so much roadkill in my whole life as I have in the past few years, and every time you blink, a housing complex or strip mall is being constructed, not to mention the unemployment rate is very high, the taxes are outrageous, and the crime is increasing like you can't imagine. RI seems like it's on the path to becoming a Detroit....not good...

Anyway, we want to see tall trees and wildlife!!!

It's time to 'Live Free or Die', and we can't think of a better relocation destination than New Hampshire.

Thanks so much if you're able to give us some helpful hints

[vter]

Is that community near Grantham? If it is, I think it's mostly made up of second homes....I could be wrong though.

[buck naked]

we looked at Eastman 4 years ago when we were looking to move north - it's a very nice area. The homes are mostly modern with solar and are fairly expensive. There is a home owner's association that has it's own rules to abide by.

It's easy access off of I-89.

[Valerie C]

I don't know much about the community (sounds interesting tho). If it's the community in Grantham as vter said, the homes are fairly expensive, at least by NH standards. And there are Eastman Community Association dues to be paid at closing ($2058 for 2007/$3,000 Membership fee) But the homes are just BEAUTIFUL.

I'm curious about your 25% bobcats. Not to highjack the thread, but are these pixiebobs that I've heard about? Or actual bobcat hybrids? Maybe you could post about them in the cat forum

[loriem]

My family has lived in Eastman for 12 years and it is a great spot. I'm working from home at my dining room table watching the snow fall.
Anyway, I also work for Eastman and can send you information about the community if you'd like. Here is a bit of information to start with.
It used to be a second home/retiree community but that has changed in the past several years. There is a great mix of people here: families, retirees, singles working at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center; and all age groups. We used to be one of the youngest couples here but not after 12 years!
The community does have association fees and user fees for most amenities. We do have coventants and restrictions to live here and bylaws concerning use of property (as all community associations do). There are plenty of lots available to build your own home and there are many homes on the market as well.
I see you have pets. We have no regulations regarding pets, but do follow NH's law on dogs: they cannot run free and must be under the owner's control at all times. There are many properties here with electric fences.
I don't know what else to tell you, but please contact me at the above email address for more information if you'd like.
Have a great new year! Lorie

[tres-chic]

I lived on lake Sunapee (one exit south) of the Eastman Project for fifteen years. The property is very expensive and it is my opionion that you could get a much nicer home for a lot less money and not have so many people to answer to and no dues to pay. There definetly is a lot of wildlife in the lebanon -Sunapee-Claremont area and you can find as much peace and adventure that you need. Claremont is an old mill town that has seen better days but, is making a concerted effort at a rebirth. It would be a great time to buy because a lot of companies and high end condos are moving in. I personally would look in Plainfield, Cornish, Sunapee for higher end beautiful living and Claremont, Newport, Unity, Enfield for a more modest but, up and coming lifestyle. I do not sell anything-just my thoughts. Good Luck.

[Sporin]

Eastman is nice but I personally can't stomach covenants and restrictions and dues, it goes against the "live free or die" code if you ask me. There are LOTS of small towns in the area, on both sides of the river, where you can buy more land for less, and do what you want to do with it.

That said, I know a lot of people who lived and live in Eastman and it is very nice if you can afford it and don't mind the covenants and restrictions.

A big thing about this area is property taxes, they vary WIDELY from town to town and I highly suggest you research that before you settle down.

[Birdbaths]

Originally Posted by Valerie C

I don't know much about the community (sounds interesting tho). If it's the community in Grantham as vter said, the homes are fairly expensive, at least by NH standards. And there are Eastman Community Association dues to be paid at closing ($2058 for 2007/$3,000 Membership fee) But the homes are just BEAUTIFUL.

I'm curious about your 25% bobcats. Not to highjack the thread, but are these pixiebobs that I've heard about? Or actual bobcat hybrids? Maybe you could post about them in the cat forum

Dear Valerie,
You probably thought I had passed on since I haven't replied for sooooooooo long, but the truth is, at the time I made the posting about Eastman, I kept going back on the thread to read and reply to folks, but I had the absolute most difficult time logging-in, so I basically threw my hands in the air and said 'Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!! Forget it!!'

Anyhoo, about 9 months later, w/ a beautiful piece of land in Eastman purchased and a budding jewelry business that I'm trying to launch, my patience and clarity has been restored and I will be more than happy to answer your question about our babies

Otis Firefly (male) and Jigsaw Birdbaths (female, who we refer to as 'Birdbathers' or 'Birdy' or the 'Bird Woman' most of the the time), were acquired in January in 2006, Martin Luther King weekend, to be precise.

My husband, Chris, used to work for a biotech company in Lexington, MA, and one of the employees there has several sons, one of whom has passed (RIP), one of whom resides in Lawrence, MA, and the other whom resides in nearby (to MA) NH. Apparently, her son's female cat in NH mated w/ a bobcat from the nearby woods, and that female had a litter (obviously 50% bobcat).

The NH son gave a male kitten to his younger brother in Lawrence, MA, and that younger brother's girlfriend (whom he lives w/), has a female cat (100% domestic from what I know), and then those 2 mated and produced the first litter of 25% bobcats.

Chris had mentioned to his co-worker at the time that he and I were interested in getting some indoor cats and his co-worker said that her son's cat and his g-friend's cat were about to have a 2nd litter, and she gave us their phone number, etc. and we asked if we could adopt 2 of the babies.

They said 'sure' and we picked 2 up in January of 2006; they were born on November 26, 2005 so they were quite little.

I have had cats all my life, and these two are by far the most unique cats I've ever owned. Otis is now @ 16.5 lbs and very solid; he is gray w/ black spots on his belly and the typical stripes on his sides and face; he has a few whiskers on either side of his chin which, apparently, are a throwback to Sabre Toothed Tigers, which are descendants of bobcats.

Our baby girl, Birdbaths, has little tufts of black fur on the tips of her ears and the sharpest claws you can imagine!! Our vet was very leery about them being 25% bobcat, but there is no doubt in our mind (or anyone else's mind who has met them) that they are: they are extremely, extremely, extremely alert, somewhat more aggressive than 'regular' cats, very territorial and very protective. Otis actually fetches, which I've never seen a cat do. He loves Q-tips, and he brings one to me in his mouth, drops it at my feet, and promptly retrieves it when I throw it. He does this over and over; I've never seen anything like it.

I can show you pictures sometime if you want, but please don't be alarmed by their non-hardcore bobcat appearances. I've done some research on this, and apparently, w/ Pixie Bobs and other hybrids, you may get the hardcore 'look' of the bobcat but minus the temperment b/c of the way the breeder has bred them; our cats have some bobcat features, but their entire way of 'being' is unlike any domestic cat I've ever come into contact w/ (and I've come into contact w/ many cats throughout my life).

The last thing I can attest to is that their father, 'Stormy', was a very very large cat and had a huge face; he wouldn't come out from under their bed (he literally dug a hole into the couple's box spring, totally destroying it, in order to create a 'den' for the brood to live. He was absolutely beautiful, but he definitely did NOT look domestic; he was definitely a true half-bobcat.

Again, sorry for getting back to you so late, but I did't forget my post and I will definitely write back to thank everyone for their help

PS: We're building in Eastman in Summer of 2011, at the latest; can't wait!!!

-Kim

[Birdbaths]

Dear everyone who responded to my post,

I would like to apologize for taking approximately 9 months for getting back to everyone!! This past year has been a whirlwind (good and bad), and when I tried to log-in, I kept getting redirected, then rejected, and I got so frustrated that I gave up.

Anyhoo, I gave it another shot and it worked Just wanted to let you all know that my husband and I did purchase a piece of land at Eastman a few months ago and we shall be re-locating there in Summer of 2011 at the latest. The land was very affordable (especially to the land for sale in RI, which there isn't much of, since it's so overdeveloped) and we liked the idea of living in recreational community where there's lots to do and new people to meet.

We do not have any children, so it'll be just us and our 2 cats; with all the activities, clubs, etc., I'm sure we'll meet plenty of nice people to 'hang out' with so we won't feel so isolated. I know the covenants, rules, fees, etc. may seem incongruent w/ the 'Live Free Or Die' motto of NH, but I look at it this way: at least you know 'what' your'e getting. You pretty much know that you're neighbors are going to be, at least somewhat, environmentally responsible, and have similar 'living' habits to yours. The example that comes shooting to my mind is this: where we live now, we do have some great neighbors, but there are also some neighbors who have an extremely unkempt yard, tons of random vehicles parked near their house, and several eye-sores in their backyard which I'm not going to discuss in detail. Unfortunately, you can't 'control' how your neighbors choose to live, and if they choose a lifestyle that is totally opposite and unacceptable to yours, that's your tough luck........you can either put up a huge stink and fight about it, or try to ignore it and pray that they've 'cleaned up' a bit in the event you are showing your home to potential buyers.

Another little incident burnished in my mind is when 2 male teens, probably about 14 or 15 years old, were walking down my street 2 years ago and proceeded, in BROAD DAYLIGHT, to smash a '40' (40-ounce bottle of BEER, no less!!!!) in the middle of the street where they were walking, of course (God forbid they walk on either side of the road; they walk in the middle)......that did it. I just happened to have my window open and heard a 'crash' of what sounded like glass, and sure enough, the two youths kept on walking, not even looking back, nor trying to run away so no one would see them, or anything like that. It was as if they had just spat out a piece of gum or something small like that (which still is littering) and couldn't care less.

Well, I did care, and so did my parents since they heard it as well, and my dad went outside and swept up the broken glass. As trite as it seems, someone could have slashed their tires on it, an animal could have stepped on it and got his/her paw injured, etc., and it was just plain old disrespectful and unnecessary. I'm not saying it's the worst thing in the world, but it was definitely a testament to how my neighborhood is deteriorating and why I need to get the Hell out before it gets worse. I have a feeling I'll never, ever have to worry about that type of incident at Eastman, since there are standards and rules, which I don't mind one bit. We'd rather live in a quiet, respectful, and safe community rather than a free-for-all, which is what many working-class neighborhoods in RI are morphing into.

That's our take on it, and we're looking forward to moving to New Hampshire; it is a beautiful state with people who seem to really want to preserve that, so we couldn't be happier.

Thanks again for your replies

[WannaComeHome]

sorry to hear your part of RI has gone so bad. Congrats on buying the property, though! Welcome to NH!!!