What is a great So. NH town for a young married couple? (Manchester: sales, real estate)

[ocean925]

Hi everyone!

I came across this website as I was browsing real estate in NH and I could definitely use some advice.

My fiance and I are from Massachusetts. I grew up on the North Shore and he grew up in the Western part of the state, and we're currently living in a Boston suburb. Our rent isn't terrible by greater Boston standards, but if you looked anywhere else in the country you'd probably laugh at what you get for the money around here.

We're also really fed up with the parking issues, the stressful driving, the general rudeness that so many people in our area seem to embody in their daily lives, and the cramped living quarters. It would be lovely to move closer to Rockport where I grew up, but we don't exactly have a small fortune to toss into a smaller-than-average house that costs an arm and a leg.

I decided to look at New Hampshire real estate for a kick and holy crap you can get a lot for very little! Even in the towns bordering Massachusetts, I was finding 3,000+ square foot homes for little more than $300,000. That is completely insane. Our price cap is around $350,000 though it would be great to find something in the 2s.

We've had our eye out for a house since I graduated college a few years ago, but to live anywhere remotely near my family or the city, we'd have to either:

a) buy a condo,
b) get a tiny, run-down old house with no yard, or
c) keep renting and hope to save enough to put a down payment on a half-decent house several years from now.

My question to you, dear New Hampshirites (?) Hampshirians? Hampshirics? is this:

What are some towns in southern/southeastern New Hampshire that would be conducive to a couple in their 20s that aren't intending on kids right away? We're not party animals by any means, we're actually turning into quite the little homebodies, but we also enjoy a good gourmet meal, music and theatre, the arts, and being near conveniences like a grocery store, drug store, not too far from a mall, etc.

Ideally we'd like to live somewhere where we have a decent sized yard but we don't really want to be in the middle of the woods/too far off the beaten path. Local schools/sports teams and such don't matter much to us so that's not a factor, and neither is local government (we're liberal I suppose but beyond voting for the president, we're not very politically involved at all).

I guess we just want to feel like we have some room to stretch our legs but don't want to be so isolated that it feels lonely, or that there aren't any other people our age around (we've lived in a few places that have felt that way and it's okay, but it's nice to not feel out of place, y'know what I mean?)

Since neither of us is familiar with NH, I thought I'd extend this question to you. Is Nashua a good mix? Are there any coastal towns that fall into this category at all? Or if not, are there any coastal towns that just have some fun things to do (nice restaurants, a local theater or some art galleries, etc.)?

Thank you in advance for any advice you may have. We'd love to find a place to call home for more than a year, with no more landlords. : )

Love,

Torn about leaving Mass, but tired of the drama

[GregW]

All of them south of Manchester. This is a good time to buy a house if you can get a mortgage. Contact ValarieC on this board for much more info.

[BF66389]

My wife and I were in a similar situation (we're in our late 20s). A lot really depends on what your priorities are and where you work. We work in MA (where 3s intersects 95/128) so we wanted to live off the route 3 corridor. 93 was just too busy for us since it's a straight shot into Boston.

As far as towns: Nashua has everything you could want, and the schools are ok. It has some so-so areas, but its generally ok. There are some surrounding towns that are more expensive but known for excellent schools and bigger properties (Hollis is only a few minutes from everything in Nashua...$350 is doable, less maybe...but you'll almost definately get some property as well and the town really has some great schools and a great reputation). Merrimack is a cheaper town with ok schools that is also very close to Nashua. Amherst is another option and is very similar to Hollis except it seems their zoning isn't as strict so there are a few more developments.

There are also great areas out by the seacoast, but for us they were impractical due to the commute. I seem to recall hearing about Exeter on here a lot.

Anyway, we ended up in Hollis for a few reasons:
1) Close to "everything" (Boston is only 45 minutes away off-rush hour, Nashua is minutes away anytime)
2) Great schools, we don't have kids but it keeps property values up
3) Open/Farmy atmosphere- plenty of space, country stores, farm stands...but not "out there"...we have 4.5 acres...but we also have plenty of neighbors.
4) Some nice houses, there is something to be said for living in a town known to be "nice"
5) Very New England with cute little downtown square

Basically- kind of the best of everything that we wanted.

I hear that the stimulus may include a 4% fixed rate mortgage for new home buyers and a $15k tax credit...you may want to see how that pans out as the low mortgage rate may help you afford a home closer to that $350k mark...but within your affordability threshold.

Let me know if you have anymore questions- we researched the "Around Nashua" area heavily when we were home shopping over the past year...

[sgthoskins]

Originally Posted by ocean925

Love,

Torn about leaving Mass, but tired of the drama

When you move here don't vote democrat or NH will be just like the socialist cesspool that MA is.

[ocean925]

Thank you so much for the in-depth review, BF66389! That was so helpful. We're both working in MA right now and would likely continue to do so if we moved, so it's good to know it's not too too far. My fiance is working in Woburn and I'm two days in Rockport (it's a long haul either way. I'm driving about 40 minutes from our suburb now, but I don't mind it too much because I like my job and get to see my family, etc.), and the rest of the week mostly working from home, so that makes things pretty flexible.

Sgthoskins, I'm sorry to hear you feel that way, but to each his own. I didn't really want to start a political discussion on this thread, so I'll leave it at that for now, and I will try not to let your comment deter me from continuing to consider the move.

GregW, thanks for your advice! My fiance's mother is actually a mortgage broker, so we know we would be approved at a good interest rate, thankfully. The hurdle is just finding the 'right' spot. But with some of these suggestions, perhaps we can take a trip to a few of these towns and check them out for ourselves and see if any feel right to us.

I look forward to any further replies!

[WannaComeHome]

My first thought was Derry. Or maybe Hudson. or possibly Salem.

But please, NH is/was not a socialistic type of government. whether you vote much now or not - don't expect a lot of town/state programs like Mass has. NH covers bare basics, but that's it. You may actually have to haul your own trash to a transfer station! In case of emergency like the pre-christmas ice storm, most towns will set up a shelter for people. And, depending on which town you end up in - you may actually ahve to drive 30 min or more to the closest grocery store or pharmacy. There are very few highways, it's mostly back roads, but NHdrivers are mostly polite (if rushed). We like it like this and don't want it to become like Mass with cheaper housing. If you are good with the self-responsibility concepts, then Welcome! If you want the state to tell you how everyone should live, maybe check out Haverhill and stay in Mass - you'll be happier in the long run.

[nicolem]

I agree with sgthoskins and Wanna. We have too many people moving here for "cheaper housing" and then complain about the way of life here and want more and more government services provided for them-like they had in the state that they formerly lived in. NH people are self-suficient and do not want government involved in every step of their life-whether it be through taking away freedoms or more of our $$.

[BF66389]

We get off at exit 26 of 3 and work a few miles from there; it takes us 35-60 minutes door to door. With 40-45 minutes being the "norm". Woburn isn't that much further. Getting to Rockport might not be that bad traffic wise since once you get past 93 it's going the opposite direction; but I'm really not sure.

I also want to add into the political discussion. NH really believes in Live Free or Die, and that means upholding the constitution and a strong belief in fiscal conservatism/no-nanny state. For example: In NH if you don't want to wear a motorcycle helmet and would prefer to fall off your bike and die- that is your decision and the state isn't going to spend money to make sure that you are not an idiot.

Likewise with trash service...many more rural towns it would cost A LOT for town provided trash pickup; rather than charging for this with property taxes the option is up to the home-owner. You can either haul your own trash or higher a private company to do it for you (we pay $23/month to haul up to 5 BIG bags every 2 weeks). So its not like the services aren't available- they just aren't mandated on everyone.

[dognh]

Bravo sgthoskins!

We've got enough Obamabots here.

[Valerie C]

Good Morning Ocean, and welcome to the New Hampshire forum This is a great place for you to learn about life in New Hampshire. Like you, I also was raised in Massachusetts, came to New Hampshire, and found exactly what I was looking for...

First and most importantly, what do you need to be nearest to in terms of the commute? Life in NH won't be so great if you have a 3- hour commute every day The southern (Salem/Hudson/Nashua area), and coastal areas (Hampton/Portsmouth) would probably suit your needs best, with more to offer in terms of shopping, dining, etc. Once you get further north of Manchester, land is much more open (farmland) or wooded, towns are more of a "bedroom community" and while most towns will have a pharmacy, grocery & gas, it sounds like you'd like more conveniences close by.

You'll want to review each town that you consider carefully, as few towns have trash pick-up (people bring their recyclables and trash to the dump) and many homes in the burbs have well water and septic systems instead of public water & sewer, which is probably what you're used to.

I have to ask... besides the high housing prices and the constant raising of taxes, tolls and other programs to fill the government-feeding bowl, what are you wanting to escape? You mention that you're tired of the drama... we'd like to help you avoid that if possible.

I also suggest that you peek through the forum and see what the conversations are like... To be honest, as a Realtor it's my job to help people buy/sell houses, but it's really important to me that people moving to this state understand that it's just not the same here. There can be a certain amount of resentment when it seems that when people want to move up here from Mass JUST BECAUSE our real estate prices are lower, we have no sales or income tax, they also want all of the 'conveniences' of living in Massachusetts, and vote as they still lived there. When I lived there, it was just an automatic thing that you voted Dem, no matter who was running. It was a real learning experience to see that we have a choice up here, and that what we vote on affects our lives and our wallets.

Suggested reading: http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-h...achusetts.html

EDIT: Wanna makes a good point. There are many values to be found in the Massachusetts side of the border. Haverhill MA has some GREAT values, along with some of the nearby towns like Groveland, Amesbury, (with easy access to Rts 495 and 95 as well) Just a thought