Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm seeking creative minds to help me land in the right spot for me. Have to escape Mass. Looking for a charming small to mid-sized town, one that has classic New England events like 4th of July parades, small festivals, etc. A good community spirit. No dysfunctional town government. One hour drive or less to Portsmouth. This guy (me) just wants a modest-sized home with 2 acres of land and not in ski country. No college towns. I know there are multiple good choices out there but I want this to be the last move I ever make. Who can think of an appealing town of this description? Once I am settled in I will invite you over to sit around my fire pit and give you fresh vegetables from my garden. Thanks in advance!
I can't give insider's info on community spirit or the nature of the town government, but Dover, Raymond and Newmarket are three pleasant small towns in the Portsmouth area that might fit your desires. They're not too pricey, and they have some larger rural lots more towards the outskirts as well as a downtown area with sidewalks and shops. Dover has the biggest downtown and Raymond is the most rural. Full disclosure is all three do have pretty high real estate taxes, but so do most towns in southern NH.
I've already got a fire pit and all the summer squash I can stomach, so...
Quote:
Originally Posted by eloyfan
I'm seeking creative minds to help me land in the right spot for me. Have to escape Mass. Looking for a charming small to mid-sized town, one that has classic New England events like 4th of July parades, small festivals, etc. A good community spirit. No dysfunctional town government. One hour drive or less to Portsmouth. This guy (me) just wants a modest-sized home with 2 acres of land and not in ski country. No college towns. I know there are multiple good choices out there but I want this to be the last move I ever make. Who can think of an appealing town of this description? Once I am settled in I will invite you over to sit around my fire pit and give you fresh vegetables from my garden. Thanks in advance!
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobspez
In all seriousness it sounds like a fantasy that can never be fulfilled.
TBH, my town hits nearly all the beats, but is just over an hour from Portsmouth, so sorry, not going to work for eloyfan.
Oh, and you're not going to find anyplace here up for sale with 2 acres for under a half mil.
Soooo many are coming to NH to escape the government that they created, hoping to find their own patch of paradise - and while I don't blame them a bit (I did the same thing myself 20 years ago...) - I also beg that they remember WHY they left MA (or CT, NY, RI, NJ, CA or other solid blue states) and vote accordingly - and vote locally because it all starts in your home town. (stepping off the soapbox now...)
So while a dozen or so towns come to mind, I'm going to walk it back a bit and get some basic questions answered first.
First and most importantly, your budget. The past 12 months have seen ever increasing frenzy for exactly what you are describing - many with boatloads of cash (driving locals who still need mortgages out of the market - cuz you cant compete with cash...) That said, we are in a market of "3 days on the market, a dozen+ offers, all over asking price, most typical contingencies waived and some very creative 'pick me' packages". Be ready to compete...
Next - you are describing a typical rural NH town (2 acres?) but my question is what else do you want locally? Towns
with 2-acre lot zoning won't have the population to support grocery stores, a Home Depot, Starbucks, Target and a world class hospital. Maybe not even a gas station. Prepare for private well & septic system, oil heat and driving a few miles if you forget to pick up a gallon of milk or extra TP...
And finally - schools. Any kids that might need a decent school system? If yes, would you need elementary, middle or high school? Believe it or not, some towns have GREAT early grades but quality falls in the higher grades. And in other towns, the opposite is true. If schools don't matter, you may (or may not) have the benefit of lower local property tax rates. THOSE vary tremendously - even for towns that share the same SEU...
If you understand and accept all of that, I'll give you my personal recommendations in a later post. Now it's time to get some shut eye...
Quote:
Originally Posted by eloyfan
I'm seeking creative minds to help me land in the right spot for me. Have to escape Mass. Looking for a charming small to mid-sized town, one that has classic New England events like 4th of July parades, small festivals, etc. A good community spirit. No dysfunctional town government. One hour drive or less to Portsmouth. This guy (me) just wants a modest-sized home with 2 acres of land and not in ski country. No college towns. I know there are multiple good choices out there but I want this to be the last move I ever make. Who can think of an appealing town of this description? Once I am settled in I will invite you over to sit around my fire pit and give you fresh vegetables from my garden. Thanks in advance!
Thanks for your input, everyone. I'm not looking for Mayberry. I am not political. I currently work in a small town with much dysfunction and pettiness. Maybe that can be found everywhere. I was a relocated Yankee in NC for 10 years and sometimes wish I never left there.
I'm looking for maybe what everyone else wants but I will be spending my retirement years quietly, volunteering, drinking coffee downtown and traveling as much as I can afford to. Budget a half mil, could easily settle for a humble abode with some buffer land and I would spend much time making new friends and growing vegetables and flowers, enjoying some peace after 55 years of grinding job sacrifices. I REALLY would spend little time indoors. I am no longer materialistic. I am divorced and keeping things real simple.
Thank you especially OutdoorLover for the town suggestions. I will do my necessary research and eventually hit the mark. As suggested in another thread, it may be most wise to rent for a year or two while exploring possibilities.
I was a relocated Yankee in NC for 10 years and sometimes wish I never left there.
Traffic in Cary get to you? J/K. I lived in NC for 10 years split across 4 different times and 3 decades. It has some quirks, but I liked living there.
I just finished up buying raw land here and saw a ton of house listings as well-that budget may work, but it likely will not come with the southern NH and small town festivals type stuff. Most of the existing structures that I saw below your budget were in sort of nothing places like Groton, Dorchester, Dalton, Monroe, etc. Luckily being close by and retired you can drive around the state to check it out.
Reading meeting minutes on town websites are also a fun way to get a read on the towns. Even the little "nothing towns" have volunteer opportunities, boards, and committees.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Thanks in advance!
I've already got a fire pit and all the summer squash I can stomach, so...
