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I've made an offer on a very nice house in Hampton. It's in a neighborhood about a mile from the Ocean. I don't know Hampton well; mainly from driving thru there coming back (to Mass.) from day trips to Portsmouth. Seems like a very nice area. I've driven along the beaches off of 1A too, before it gets into that sort of "honky tonk" area. My budget for a single fam. house is in the mid to high $300K's.
I'm early 60-ish, single, semi-retired so probably won't be looking for work. A Democrat/"progressive" FWIW. (I'm pretty sure tho I don't fit into any of the bizarre stereotypes of "Liberals" that's sometimes put forth on some of these forums). Apart from living in Mass. for 30 years, I'm from the Mid-West originally; friendly, but kind of "mind my own business"; & like that kind of attitude from neighbors.
Just wondering what it's like living there year round? Any negatives, besides the horrible winters? (Part of me says I'm crazy for moving from a state with horrible winters, to another state with horrible winters). I've lived in FL tho a couple of times, & don't get me started on a lot of the negative stuff to deal with there (IMO).
And Comcast--I've heard it's not that great. How is the internet, & cable TV? Also, does anyone know if they get bloomberg, & CNBC TV channels on Comcast?--I'm getting conflicting info. Or do some people like DISH TV & internet?
I like the idea of being near the ocean. Years ago I was looking in Newburyport MA, but it's way too expensive there now. Also did a lot of looking in the Kennebunk ME area, & also Portland & Cape Elizabeth.
Being 1/2 way between Newburyport & Portsmouth appeals to me.........TIA for any info. or feedback!
I'm pretty sure nobody will complain about your origins and political affiliations as long as you don't try to change anything. If you can't handle long winter and mud season, you probably should move to Wyoming because the tax benefits are just as good there.
The download speed is reported as 31.4 mb/s with an upload speed of 8.6mb/s, that's not bad at all, but it's not spectacular either. Depending on how much you are willing to pay, you can increase your download speed.
This is probably the standard package deal from Comcast, but if you're like me and you know you're going to download 300GB+ (~60+ movies) a month, you might want to upgrade. As for the complaints about comcast, most of the time they are "customer service" related complaints, Comcast is not a reliable company to constantly call for advice.
Don't use DISH internet, you're going to be sorry. 7mb/s download speed with latency issues ESPECIALLY in cloudy areas, you only do this if you are absolutely desperate. This is just not a great idea in New England.
Seems a little late to be asking some of these questions--didn't you just have an offer accepted in Hampton a couple of days ago? Anyway, we did have a couple of Hampton locals a few years back (FishnFool, where'd you go?) but many of us know the area pretty well even if we don't live there...
Comcast isn't great, but sadly it is the monopoly here in the northeast. Metrocast is available in some towns, but I'm pretty sure that Hampton is Comcast. You can check in directly with the property address to see what channels are included in the line-up you want. There are usually 3 packages, each with a different price and different channel included. I have a more basic package, and get both CNBC and bloomberg. Each town is contracts for it's residents differently. We're not big TV watchers though, and so the basic package works for us, and we mostly stream movies and old tv shows through NetFlicks.
Personally I would love to live closer to the coast than I do now (I grew up about 20 minutes away from Salisbury Reservation) and miss being able to take a quick drive or (longer) bike ride BUT as I get older, I find that we spend much more time on the beach from October through April than in the summer months. The rowdy crowds are not my thing any more. Lots to do in both Portsmouth and NBPT, festivals and lots of ways to spend time and $$ in both towns. We do spend more time in NBPT than in Portsmouth, since we know that area like the back of our hands--It was the place to be back in my 20s & 30s (days long gone...) Maudslay State Park is still one of my favorite places to ride bikes or hike (locally), and to watch eagles down near the water.
Best of luck through your home purchase-hope it all goes your way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WoodyWW
I've made an offer on a very nice house in Hampton. It's in a neighborhood about a mile from the Ocean. I don't know Hampton well; mainly from driving thru there coming back (to Mass.) from day trips to Portsmouth. Seems like a very nice area. I've driven along the beaches off of 1A too, before it gets into that sort of "honky tonk" area. My budget for a single fam. house is in the mid to high $300K's.
I'm early 60-ish, single, semi-retired so probably won't be looking for work. A Democrat/"progressive" FWIW. (I'm pretty sure tho I don't fit into any of the bizarre stereotypes of "Liberals" that's sometimes put forth on some of these forums). Apart from living in Mass. for 30 years, I'm from the Mid-West originally; friendly, but kind of "mind my own business"; & like that kind of attitude from neighbors.
Just wondering what it's like living there year round? Any negatives, besides the horrible winters? (Part of me says I'm crazy for moving from a state with horrible winters, to another state with horrible winters). I've lived in FL tho a couple of times, & don't get me started on a lot of the negative stuff to deal with there (IMO).
And Comcast--I've heard it's not that great. How is the internet, & cable TV? Also, does anyone know if they get bloomberg, & CNBC TV channels on Comcast?--I'm getting conflicting info. Or do some people like DISH TV & internet?
I like the idea of being near the ocean. Years ago I was looking in Newburyport MA, but it's way too expensive there now. Also did a lot of looking in the Kennebunk ME area, & also Portland & Cape Elizabeth.
Being 1/2 way between Newburyport & Portsmouth appeals to me.........TIA for any info. or feedback!
DISH is fine for TV, assuming you don't need truly fast Internet. If you want high-speed "broadband" Internet, unless you're in one of the few areas with FiOS, it's Comcast or expensive cellular LTE wireless.
Quote:
Just wondering what it's like living there year round? Any negatives, besides the horrible winters?
Winter, mud season, black fly week, tick season, one nice weekend of crisp fall weather, then come Halloween we're back to winter again.
And those darn Liberal progressives keep moving up here and trying to change our laws and vote in new taxes
On the subject of FiOS, IF you can find it, always take Verizon FiOS over Comcast. The internet is too good to pass up. Never use Uverse, unless you like pain.
Comcast has been batting zero for quite a while, one constant PR nightmare after another, but for some people they have no other choice, it's them or nothing. If you have another choice, take it.
Seems a little late to be asking some of these questions--didn't you just have an offer accepted in Hampton a couple of days ago? Anyway, we did have a couple of Hampton locals a few years back (FishnFool, where'd you go?) but many of us know the area pretty well even if we don't live there...
Well......yeah, but I've been looking in so many towns & areas over the last few years; would've been hard to ask about every one. I felt in a rush to make an offer, b/c the house is in such beautiful condition, w/so many updates, new-ish vinyl siding, windows, heating system, really nice kitchen, on & on-- & I've had so many nice houses "get away from me" over the years. Also the agent "said" she had a bunch of 2nd showings for the (past) weekend--I thought, I could dither, wait until I saw it again myself, & then possibly get into a bidding situation. Also I've been looking--online--at Hampton listings for a few years--seems like the really nice ones around $400K-ish are U.A. by the time I even call to see them.
And my "dump" in Mass. has so many problems, + ridiculous property taxes--several $$thousand more than the house in Hampton; that I just felt like "now's the time". Also Seacoast NH--it's close enough to "here" that it didn't seem as daunting as moving to maine, Portland say.
Question: the agent says she already has a back-up offer for more than my offer, if I should bail after the inspection. (The seller's agent, who I made the offer thru, so it seems she's both buyer's, & seller's agent). Would an agent be likely to "mis-represent" such a thing? I really doubt it; & I think this is a pretty good agent.
Oh, I just found out about my 1/2 of the gargantuan NH "transfer tax"; would've been nice if the agent had clued me in about that. But I know buying & seller R.E. is never cheap.
Thanks for the good wishes, & thanks to everyone for all the good info........
Did you sign a contract with her earlier as a "Buyers Agent" or just used her to present your offer to the seller? If not, then she represents the seller only. There is nothing wrong with that, but details like the NH transfer tax would probably not come up unless you specifically asked. If she was representing you as the Buyers Agent I would have expected her to discuss things like dual representation, fees and some of the other items (transfer tax) when you initially signed the agent agreement. At least that's how it worked with the Buyer's Agent we used when we purchased our property in NH. In any case, it sounds like you found what you were looking for so good luck with the inspection and closing.
Question: the agent says she already has a back-up offer for more than my offer, if I should bail after the inspection. (The seller's agent, who I made the offer thru, so it seems she's both buyer's, & seller's agent). Would an agent be likely to "mis-represent" such a thing? I really doubt it; & I think this is a pretty good agent.
Oh, I just found out about my 1/2 of the gargantuan NH "transfer tax"; would've been nice if the agent had clued me in about that. But I know buying & seller R.E. is never cheap.
Thanks for the good wishes, & thanks to everyone for all the good info........
The seller is definitely the client of this agent.
You may be an unrepresented customer, or you may be working under a Disclosed Dual Agency.
Were you working with her prior to seeing this property? IF you signed an exclusive Buyer Agency contract with her PRIOR to seeing the property, and definitely PRIOR to making the offer, you must have followed it up by signing a Disclosed Dual Agency agreement with her. If you have not done both of these things, you are an unrepresented customer. If this is the situation, it's important to realize that while she owes her CLIENT the duties of Confidentiality, Loyalty (serving one master), Disclosure (disclosing anything and everything she can about a possible buyer), Reasonable Care, Accounting, Lawful Obedience, and Diligence.
If you are a customer, she owes you honesty and fair dealing. We have a NH Brokerage Relationship Disclosure that is to be presented at the 1st business meeting. The language to a customer is pretty much that you shouldn't expect the agent to promote your best interest or to keep your information confidential. She is under contract to the Seller to promote the Seller's best interest at all times. Anything less would be a breach of contract.
And IF you have a signed Buyer Agency Agreement with her, it basically means that she can't promote the best interests of either party. She has to keep all information on both sides confidential, and can't advocate for either side. Many sellers do not agree to Disclosed Dual Agency, because while they are paying the commission for both sides of the transaction to one agent, they in effect, lose the agent who is supposed to be representing them.
Going back to your earlier question on getting a home inspector, I would definitely be cautious on using an inspector recommended by the seller's agent. I wish you all the best with the transaction and hope it all works out for you
No advice, but it sounds like you have found a great house and are excited about your move. Congratulations and good luck with everything!
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But I know buying & seller R.E. is never cheap.
