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My husband and I are looking to retire to NH. Our housing budget is about $400,000 but we do not want a cookie cutter four bedroom colonial. We would like a 2000SF house on some property near amenities (would love to be within walking distance of a town) in the southern part of the state. We would like the house to have some charm. Anything I like is just too big. Any ideas of where we could look for unique houses? Obviously schools don't matter to us - coming from NY so property taxes will not shock us. Can you help me focus my search?
What kind of "Unique" are you looking for? How old of a home are you willing to consider? In general, land within walking distance of a town center already will have had a cookie cutter colonial built on it... back in colonial times.
Assuming you can wait, why not have a house built?
Try Walpole. It is a small, friendly, peaceful town. It is not far from Keene and Brattleboro. Also it is very close to I-91 so trips North and South are quite easy. There is a Family Practice group in town and a 169 bed hospital in nearby Keene; both are part of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock system. Four hundred will get you a very nice home. There are several listed now in the 300 to 400K range, anywhere from one to 17 1/2 acres so you can choose how big a home and property you want.
There are unique homes everywhere in the state, but places with a town center (or homes within walking distance to an in-town area) are not. So in my opinion, you really need to pin down a region and concentrate on just a couple of towns that have the areas that you would like to walk to. For example, just thinking about my area: the town of Hampstead is lovely, but no defined town center-instead there are a couple of upscale strip-malls with locally owned businesses. The rural town of South Hampton, on the other hand, borders the town of Amesbury, MA which has a very nice and walkable downtown, and just a few minutes more drive gets you to Newburyport, MA, considered to be a north shore jewel of a town.
Your price range in the ballpark for a very nice home with unique features in much of the state (except for waterfront or certain coastal areas). Would you consider an updated antique home, or do you prefer to be in a neighborhood of newer homes? Perhaps a custom build (yes, this may be possible with your budget, depending on the area). We are seeing more and more homes being built in a craftsman-style, which may be to your liking. It's great that you don't have the need for superior schools (which can be the driving force for many of the higher-taxed towns), but keep in mind that school districts also cushion home prices during a down market.
And you are probably already aware of this, but just wanted to remind you that while there is no income or sales tax, there is a tax on meals & services, business taxes, investment income, taxes on interest and dividends, including some pensions. You will definitely want to check in with your tax professional to see how this tax burden could affect your retirement years.
Hi. Thank you for all your responses. You all make valid points - I know we have to zone in on an area but I'm having a hard time. Building is the most logical and I happen to work in construction so I am knowledgeable but I hesitate to do that for many reasons. I'm probably too cynical but like so few builders! Maybe they have a little more integrity in NH. : )
I would love a craftsman style home - open concept with a big kitchen/family room. No formal living or dining room and about 2000 SF. It appears that very few of these homes exist anywhere. If any builders are reading this, you need to build for empty nesters! All my friends are looking everywhere for these homes and they do not seem to exist.
I would love a craftsman style home - open concept with a big kitchen/family room. No formal living or dining room and about 2000 SF. It appears that very few of these homes exist anywhere. If any builders are reading this, you need to build for empty nesters! All my friends are looking everywhere for these homes and they do not seem to exist.
My house is more "modern" than "craftsman", built in the 1980's, but has much of what you are looking for (except walkability), so they are out there.
Regarding your "empty nester" comment, you make a good point -- to get the other features (open floorplan, large garage, etc) I wanted, I "settled" for a house with one more bedroom than I want/need. Handy when I have houseguests, everybody gets their own bedroom and at least a half-bath to themselves!
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Building is the most logical and I happen to work in construction so I am knowledgeable but I hesitate to do that for many reasons.
Building has it's downsides, but think of what you'll save on utility bills by designing for passive solar and using all the latest construction and insulation techniques.
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Walpole
