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I see a lot of relocation posts so I thought I would add my 2 cents to folks thinking of moving to NH (especially from southern regions) as I was one of you just a couple years ago.
To begin with - GREAT choice. New Hampshire is a BEAUTIFUL state with ocean front and mountains. Just keep in mind a few things:
If you are being relocated by a company, push back on the pressure to buy immediately. Rent for awhile. In the end, closing costs and the other perks aren't as important as finding the right place to call home.
If you are coming from the south or west, the winters are unlike ANYTHING you've ever experienced. Don't blow people off when they offer advice or think "I've got this and don't need help" because you don't and you will. The winters can be brutal, even on the seacoast. Thankfully, people tend to help each other out so if you dont' have a snowblower or yours just isn't cutting the mustard, neighbors are always happy to help. Don't be to proud to ask for help.
Think about the cost of heating your home. Most homes in NH are run off boilers that use propane or heating oil. Some homes have natural gas. Depending on the market cost, this can get expensive in winter. Shop around for the best oil company for you and I strongly recommend setting up automatic delivery. You don't want to be the person who runs out and has to pay extra to get your oil delivered at 1AM.
Understand that winter can be long and grueling...especially at the end when you are just ready to be done. Find a hobby that you can do inside or embrace the cold weather activities. One way or the other, you have to get through winter. Might as well find a way to do it happily.
Enjoy all of the seasons. If you don't love the cold weather, you might spend time indoors for a few months. make the most of the other seasons. Go apple picking, do a hay ride, take the scenic train in North Conway, visit the beach, drive up the coast, visit all the small towns enjoy the moment.
Understand and accept that not only is the scenery probably different from where you came from but the culture and amenities probably are too. Where I came from in Texas, there were new buildings and shopping and restaurants popping up everywhere. It was a town of 65,000 with a sizeable infrastructure of lots of new things. New England is different. There are places with new things - Portsmouth has a new shopping center near Pease and Epping has lots of new builds too, but it's not as common as I had in Texas. This was something I had to learn to get past and actually appreciate the more simplistic life which was actually very nice.
Shop at farmer's markets. NH is full of farms with excellent produce, meat and dairy. Yes, it will cost a little more, but the quality cannot be beat.
Enjoy ice cream in the summer! With so many dairy farms around, there's ice cream on every corner in the summer and early fall months and it's DELISH. If you're in the seacoast, go to Lago's, Annabelle's or Lone Oak. Can't go wrong with any of the ice cream places, but those three are my favorites.
And my last piece of advice, keep positive. Change is hard. Don't let the rapid change freak you out. Embrace it and work through it. NH is a beautiful state and I glad I was able to call it home for 2 years. It was a great experience and I hope you enjoy it too!
OH...one last piece - the folks on this site are very helpful - come here often and ask questions (even if you think it's a dumb question). It helps a lot!
Last edited by TxHeather; 11-09-2015 at 02:09 PM..
Reason: Added content
If you are being relocated by a company, push back on the pressure to buy immediately. Rent for awhile. In the end, closing costs and the other perks aren't as important as finding the right place to call home.
You made a lot of great points, but I wanted to emphasize this one. I had a great relocation package when I moved to NH and one of the perks in the package was that they would pay all my closing costs if I bought a place. I had to buy within 12 months of my start date, however. Well, that put me in a real rush and I made a poor decision in the house I ended up buying. The house itself and the location just didn't end up right for me. When I finally had had enough and moved last year, I ended up taking a pretty big loss. Far, far more than having the relocation pay my closing costs saved me.
Anyway, I wish I had rented for a couple of years and gotten a feel for where I wanted to be and what was going to be important to me. Live and learn. That was an expensive lesson.
You made a lot of great points, but I wanted to emphasize this one. I had a great relocation package when I moved to NH and one of the perks in the package was that they would pay all my closing costs if I bought a place. I had to buy within 12 months of my start date, however. Well, that put me in a real rush and I made a poor decision in the house I ended up buying. The house itself and the location just didn't end up right for me. When I finally had had enough and moved last year, I ended up taking a pretty big loss. Far, far more than having the relocation pay my closing costs saved me.
Anyway, I wish I had rented for a couple of years and gotten a feel for where I wanted to be and what was going to be important to me. Live and learn. That was an expensive lesson.
The exact same thing happened to us...we are still trying to sell. They pushed us to find a home within a couple of days of being in the state and rather than pushing back, we went with it. Wrong move. Now we are renting for the next couple years - Lesson Learned!
Invest in good winter gear (Hat, gloves, coats). Old Navy has cute stuff that's perfect for fall and spring, but it's not gonna keep you warm during winter. Spend the extra cash and be thankful for the extra warmth and protection from the elements.
Invest in good winter gear (Hat, gloves, coats). Old Navy has cute stuff that's perfect for fall and spring, but it's not gonna keep you warm during winter. Spend the extra cash and be thankful for the extra warmth and protection from the elements.
Just got my husband a HEAVY parka from there last week. Great price for a coat of that quality.
I agree that it's not a good idea to cheap out on winter stuff/gear. The best way to find deals though is to shop after the holidays are over. Still plenty of winter left and there are great sales!
If you are being relocated by a company, push back on the pressure to buy immediately. Rent for awhile. In the end, closing costs and the other perks aren't as important as finding the right place to call home.
Thank you for bringing this up. It's really so important, and something that I have recommended to each and every person that I've been fortunate enough to work with moving here from another state. We do not have the amount of rental property here that you might find in other states, but becoming acclimated to this, or any new area from a rental is much preferred to making the costly mistake of buying in the wrong town. Those closing costs that the relo company paid for you will seem paltry when compared to what it will cost in terms of stress, regret and possibly having to list/sell your home and move to the right town. People rarely make good decisions when under that type of deadline. Speaking from personal experience, when we moved from Massachusetts to the St. Louis area, we found a rental property that allowed us to evaluate many towns & school systems. The sheer number of subdivisions with houses that all looked alike was very disorienting, and finding something without a nasty HOA and pages of restrictive covenants was quite challenging. We also learned that just because an agent was assigned to us didn't mean we had to use that agent. Both of our assigned buyers agents seemed more eager to sell us a house than to educate us on the area. We found our own agent, worked with her after we had narrowed down to a handful of towns, and at all times, I felt like she had our back. Actively coached us which houses not to buy, and why. She eventually became my mentor
I often give that same advice even to people who are making a change within the state, like moving from one of the cities to a more rural town. It all looks nice on paper, till people realize that they're not ready to drive 30 minutes to get to a pharmacy or a hospial, or that they prefer a full-time fire department...
Great tips, thank you, and thank you for the positive encouragement. I've already decided that I'm going to stock up on a winters' worth of canned and dry goods just in case I come down with winter driving panic. Other than getting nervous about picking out a suitable house up north all by myself (completely different things to look at), I'm really looking forward to all the differences and challenges. I guess I'm an oddity wanting to NOT retire in Florida after being here so long! (My winter season LL Bean and Plow & Hearth catalogues have been coming so I'm really getting excited!)
Great tips, thank you, and thank you for the positive encouragement. I've already decided that I'm going to stock up on a winters' worth of canned and dry goods just in case I come down with winter driving panic. Other than getting nervous about picking out a suitable house up north all by myself (completely different things to look at), I'm really looking forward to all the differences and challenges. I guess I'm an oddity wanting to NOT retire in Florida after being here so long! (My winter season LL Bean and Plow & Hearth catalogues have been coming so I'm really getting excited!)
You're welcome! And YES - definitely stock up on all emergency supplies and don't forget an alternate heat source and first aid kit. I grew up with hurricanes so I was the queen of preparation and didn't have to do the run around at the last minute which was super helpful (it can get chaotic in the stores before a blizzard). I recommend you do the same.
Choosing a home can be scary...it's good that you are taking time to do it. Be sure of the area. We didn't buy in a desirable area, but we loved our home and can honestly say that it's location (on a busy road) actually worked out really well for us in the winter. When a lot of ppl lost power (ie most of the state), we didn't. Our road had to be clear and even if power went out, we would've been one of the first to have it restored because the fire department was on our grid. We lucked out on that one. So now I know to check on power grids to ensure that even if I do lose power, I will get it back on quickly.
Good luck to you!
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Other than getting nervous about picking out a suitable house up north all by myself (completely different things to look at), I'm really looking forward to all the differences and challenges. I guess I'm an oddity wanting to NOT retire in Florida after being here so long! (My winter season LL Bean and Plow & Hearth catalogues have been coming so I'm really getting excited!)
