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A few years ago this thread's title would have read "living ON Lake Winnepesaukee" but a quick Zillow search shows that even a million dollar scratch ticket wouldn't be enough to get us ON the lake. I live on Lake Norman (north of Charlotte, NC) right now and even though I could get close to $800k for my house (perhaps more as of late) I'd still fall uncomfortably short of affording a lakefront home on Winnepesaukee.
However, my wife and I are unhappy here and after finally achieving what I thought was my life's dream, it turns out it's just a bucket list thing. I would still love a house very close to the lake and it would be awesome if it had a deeded boat slip but I'm only just starting this "where to live" research project and don't want to get too specific. If it wasn't for the pandemic, I would have visited by now.
So you heard my life's dream; my wife's has always been to live in VT. She's only been there a couple of times and she gets that the taxes might do us in (I'm retired) and she's actually fine with NH too (whew!). As long as it snows enough, she'd be happy almost anywhere (she doesn't shovel it anyway so I get more say!).
You're going to ask what we don't like about here so I'll cover it now. After all we have great weather, low cost of living (and low taxes) and I'm already living in a lakefront home on a huge lake. There are a couple of reasons: The summers are starting to get to us. We pretty much reach similar temps and humidity as does most parts of FL (but for fewer months). The other main reason is these just aren't "our people." It's tough making friends when the first thing people you meet ask you what church you belong to. We're not atheist's but they just don't want anything to do with people who aren't completely sucked into their stuff. I got my real estate license but do boat brokering because too many home sellers and buyers will only use an agent who attends their church. Boat shoppers - not so picky. Please don't focus on this, the weather is more of a factor.
Also related to the paragraph above are the politics that go with it. I just read a good chunk of a couple of 10+ year old threads (that are still active to this day) discussing the political make-up of the state but your worst seems 10 times better than here. We've always been middle of the road, unaffiliated, etc. We've always either described ourselves as Libertarian or fiscal conservatives/social progressives and the like but if we were forced G.O.T. style to live in the bowels of Mississippi or in London, we'd pick London (and I don't mean London, KY!). Someone in one of those threads put it very well when they clarified the differences between the conservatives in your area vs where we live now so I don't think this will be an issue at all but I wouldn't want to land in either a far right or far left "excessively active" political hotbed. I'm all for NH's motto, your gun rights and low taxes but I'm also for the environment and choice too. Again, please don't focus on our reasons, I just included them so there would be some context to your recommendations.
I didn't mean to put all of that in a "where should I look for a home" thread but many seem to go in this direction so I thought I'd cover it all up front. I've watched several youtube videos on the lake area and I've even talked to some people who have moved to my area from yours (there are actually a lot of them it seems) but I'd like to hear from some of the folks here. I would prefer someone who thinks they "get" me from everything I've written above to contact me via private message and doesn't mind lots of typing and reading. I'm even okay with a real estate agent contacting me but know that it's way too early and I'm an agent myself so it will end up costing you a referral (I'd be referring myself to you provided it's within the rules).
So to sum it up, I'm looking for the best town around the lake for us. I don't want to be in the middle of nowhere with poor internet, cell service and a 30 plus minute drive for basics but I don't want to be in gridlocked tourist traffic every season either. I know you have no sales or income tax but I have to be careful with the higher property taxes since our savings on the former won't be enough to cover a giant increase in the latter. We expect a large increase but a $20k a year property tax bill would be a deal breaker.
Gilford. More spread out and less congested with summer tourists than Meredith, Wolfeboro, or Alton Bay. Closer to amenities and to the highway if you want to go somewhere. You still won’t be able to afford a SFH on the lake but a place with great views might be doable. Note that prices in NH have skyrocketed in the past six months and lord knows what the market will be like when you’re ready to buy.
An alternative might be Lake Sunapee. Prices aren’t quite so insane in the surrounding area.
If you also are looking for easy access to the White Mountains and a short drive to all the lakes, Thornton is a great area.
The eastern portion of the Lakes Region is also nice and has fewer population centers. Madison is a nice town with reasonable property prices, in the Mount Washington Valley close to lakes, but avoids the tourist trap of North Conway.
Prices on Winnie are insane, There are tons of nice lakes in NH, maybe find one in the lakes region near the boat business that is more affordable, Winnisquam is really nice and much more reasonable. I think you will regret giving up lakefront for lake access. Nothing beats having your own private beach, dock and unobstructed views.
I like the boros: Moultonborough, Tuftonboro and Wolfeboro, lower tax towns on the east side of the lake with good access to other amenities in Conway to the north or Rochester to the South.
Hmm...well .... I have lived on Winnepesaukee and I have lived a few miles off the lake. Personally, I found the lake itself lovely. I think if you had millions of dollars for a nice camp or island with a boat house it would be an amazing summer place. Summers on the lake are wonderful especially in places like wolfboro, moultonboro, etc. on the quiet side of the lake. But in the end the reality for us was, we did not stay there. I lived over by weirs beach and on pagus bay for awhile. The summer was filled with tourists and crowds. The lake over there filled with idiots in speed boats. Motorcycle weekend and sort of a new money crowd from Massachusetts. The boro side of the lake is removed from this scene and you might expect to find the mitt Romney crowd over there. You will also need an antique wood cris-craft. Yes very nice, send your kids to brewster academy. Anyway, if I were wealthy I would be on the boro side of the lake..Now living away from the lake is a whole other story. Personally I see little benefit in that. If that is your plan then , whats the point? You'll hardly see the lake. Maybe you can put a boat in at one of the marinas and go out once a week. Soon enough though, you are just living in the country and driving by the lake on occasion. This was my experience. I moved off the lake several miles inland, someplace like guliford which was suggested and basically you could just be living in the anywhere in the USA, not that guilford is'nt a nice community, it is. So that is my thoughts, if you are there for the lake, be on the lake. Now, I didn't stay in the area, and that is because I found the area sort of socially devoid. The summers were packed with tourists, once they were gone the place shuddered up and the brutal winter began. Laconia the main town, when I lived there was a dump. There simply was not enough there for me 9 months out of the year, then the glorious summer arrived but along with crowds that spoiled it. The Lake is wonderful if I could live along side mitt romney I would probably be there, since that was not happening I moved to Vermont and have found that to be a more fulfilling place. Best of Luck
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