New homes in NH (Nashua, Merrimack: real estate, homeowners association, buying a house)

[luvpiyo]

My husband and I are thinking of buying a house in NH. What city close by Nashua should we look into for new homes. Is there a town with new development like Irvine, CA?

[bryfry]

Southern New Hampshire is already quite built up but some areas are still developing, though. What you first need to do is grab a map, look around Nashua and pick a few towns. Search through NH on-line real estate ads on those specific towns. Use the search tab above as well and punch in your criteria. Most subjects have been covered in depth on this forum.

Set up your direct message section of this forum and I will send you some RE links. Forum rules prohibit us from posting them here.

[Valerie C]

luvpiyo, there are many towns near Nashua that have new construction. Each town has their own "flavor"; some are busy and congested, others are quiet and rural towns with many horse farms. However, if you're looking for "Master Planned Communities", they are few and far between here in New Hampshire. When I lived in Missouri, my subdivision was very close to one of these Planned Communities, with a downtown-style business area, shopping, restaurants, townhomes, single-family homes, etc, and this is what I assume you are looking for. The closest thing I can think of would be the Eastman Community, in Grantham area.

The link to the public search area for the New Hampshire MLS is Northern New England Real Estate Network - Official Website of the Northern New England MLS, where you can punch in your criteria, and do some general searching. (I hope it's ok that I posted that link--it was my understanding that we can share links, as long as it's not self-advertising ie: sending you to MY website to search instead of the public site.)

[buck naked]

I love that site.... It's how I found the land I built on in 2004, AND the house I want to buy someday...

[WannaComeHome]

also, just so's you know...

Nashua is already 'the city'. It's the second largest city in the state - and there aren't really a whole lot of cities. Mostly around are towns. They will each have a different flavor, different taxes and such. In general, 'develoment communities aren't the way most towns build (too many houses in one swoop), but you can find some. Actually, Nashua has some. Is there a reason you don't want Nashua?

[cmp1111]

I have to chime in that development is very ongoing in every town I can think of here in the Nashua area. New subdivisions all the time! Good or bad is your own decision, but I live in an area of houses built in the 70's in Merrimack - the next street away has a new offshoot with houses still being built. New houses are everywhere!

Good luck!

[Valerie C]

New homes ARE everywhere, but new subdivisions is NOT planned master development. I believe the OP was specifically asking:

Originally Posted by luvpiyo

Is there a town with new development like Irvine, CA?

In other words, planned master communities, themes, rec. centers, schools, etc, This type of development generally isn't seen in New England, especially New Hampshire. I can't imagine that in Irvine you'd see homes built in the 70's a street away from new homes... However, never been there and my mental picture could be all wrong...

This, from wikipedia, doesn't sound like anything I'm aware of in southern NH:
The layout of Irvine <snip> is nominally divided into townships called villages. The townships are separated by six-lane streets. Each township includes a spectrum of similar types of dwellings, along with shopping, religious institutions and schools. Commercial districts are checker-boarded in a periphery around the central townships. <snip> The design that ended up being used was based on the shape of a necklace (with the villages strung along two parallel main streets, which terminate at UCI, the "pendant") <snip> All streets have landscaping allowances. Rights-of-way for powerlines also serve as bicycle corridors, parks and greenbelts to tie together ecological preserves. The greenery is irrigated with reclaimed water.

The homeowners' associations which govern some village neighborhoods exercise varying degrees of control on the appearances of homes. In more restrictive areas, houses' roofing, paint colors, and landscaping are regulated. <snip>


The Villages

Each of the villages was initially planned to have a distinct architectural theme, though many have been clouded by later development.

College Park
Deerfield (mixed styles)
El Camino Real (Spanish/Neo-Eclectic)
Irvine Spectrum (Contemporary/Moroccan)
Laguna Crossing (future village)
Northwood (Bungalow, Craftsman)
Quail Hill (Spanish/Tuscan)
Northpark/Northpark Square (Spanish Mission)
University Park (California Modern)

[neoconkid]

unfortunately, there is no single place in NH even close as well planned as Irvine.

[bryfry]

Originally Posted by neoconkid

unfortunately, there is no single place in NH even close as well planned as Irvine.

Nor should I hope there to be. What you refer to as "well planned" sounds too sterile to me. That would drive me nuts. I much prefer to have some uniqueness in my living environment. All that "sameness" and homeowners associations.......ugh. Sounds like a vision of a really boring life. No thanks.

[Valerie C]

bryfry, when I lived in Missouri, I was "lucky" enough to see one of these planned communities going in from the ground up. We bought a home in a "small" (by comparison) subdivision of 48 homes, and could see the golf course from our deck. It was quite a process to see a town spring to life (starting with the cutting/bulldozing/burning of trees, seeing hills get flattened, roads come through... As it took shape, we referred to it as Stepford, but here is the website for Winghaven: Welcome to WingHaven®

This from their website: "We will create the space where business and community take place. The innate, human purpose of the villages as a gathering for all people will be re-discovered. Whether newly created or in response to the needs of existing urban areas, we will pursue these Integrated Developments to the betterment of our customers and the community. In the end, the impersonal division of Industrial Age development will be transformed into the interactive, mixed communities of the Information Age, where all have the opportunity to Live, Learn, Work, Play and Pray. The freedom and stability that comes from strengthening communities will prove that Life Truly Works."

Ick!
Nope, nothing like this in the Nashua area (again, that I am aware of...) Maybe in the western part of the state, near Keene, etc?