Moving to Dover, NH, from NYC -- need advice

[NH2NCMom]

Originally Posted by minibrings

Today is my first day as a NH (and Dover) resident. I arrived by 1pm and started looking for rental apartments after having a decent Thai lunch.

Has anyone been inside the converted mills that were turned into apartments (Sawyer Mills)? I also drove towards Rollinsford to check out a renovated mill house. I love old buildings.

I have always wanted to live in Maine (I used to go to Kennebunkport and Portland at least once a year to visit my best friend) but I've come to realize NH is a better alternative, when you look at taxation and closer proximity to Boston. I love the countryside!

My one gripe is rental offices seem to be open M-F from 9-5. You would think they'd be open late at least one night a week for people who work during the day to pay the rent?

I thought of Portsmouth but I think I'd rather be close to town, since its been a few years since I've actually driven in snow storms. In Toronto I did not drive as I used the subway (car stayed in heated garage) and in Adelaide we did not worry about winter weather (people wore winter coats on the rare occasion it went down to the upper 40s).

Welcome to NH and more importantly Dover. Yes I was in Sawyer Mills a few years back and I loved the apartments. It's so cool to walk over the falls into the building. I haven't been in them in awhile so not sure if it's still as good as it was. It is very convenient to the highway at least if you work in Portsmouth or even uptown Dover/Rochester.

[WannaComeHome]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

I understand what you are saying. However, check the MLS listings on the Northern New England real estate site for Greenville. I think a new subdivision is going in with dozens of lots.

GraniteStater- I was talking with my real estate agent this evening, and mentioned that Hemlock Rd development. She said there's a long story behind it and those 5 houses have been on the market for 3 years now... while there may be a ' big development' planned, it ain't happening any time soon. They certainly aren't going to build any more until these sell, they keep dropping the price and they still aren't moving.

[OCCASparky]

Originally Posted by BF66389

Semi-related to the OP:

Does NH really have a reputation that it is back-woods? I've heard it come up with folks I know from MA; but since I have spent the much larger majority of my life in NJ and then VA (near DC) none of the people there have ever thought of it that way. Generally what I get from other areas is the belief that NH has abundant scenery & natural beauty as well as being a very safe & fairly wealthy state... Now "metropolitan" doesn't enter the mix; but its far the opposite of back-woods as well.

Just wondering!

Considering that when you go from a city with a metro area population of over a million (Boston) to a town of 20,000 like Dover, even that is considered "the sticks", despite it not being far off the beaten path at all.

What I would suggest to the OP is, don't just restrict your cultural activites to just Dover. Rochester has the Opera House, there are plenty of farmers markets during the summer months, etc. Travel to the different towns and find out what appeals to you. You may in fact find that you're in love with someplace MORE than Dover in the long run.

While my area has "built up" over the last couple of years, it's still far enough off the beaten path that it's no problem to open the windows at night, as long as a tornado isn't blowing through like it did yesterday--lol.

The thing you've got to consider is this--NH has much the same cultural attractions as NYC (aside from the high-end museums) but they're just a little more spread out. So you have to drive there versus take a subway or cab ride. Slow down, enjoy the ride--that's the biggest thing I can suggest to anyone moving here. You don't have to do EVERYTHING in one day.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by WannaComeHome

GraniteStater- I was talking with my real estate agent this evening, and mentioned that Hemlock Rd development. She said there's a long story behind it and those 5 houses have been on the market for 3 years now... while there may be a ' big development' planned, it ain't happening any time soon. They certainly aren't going to build any more until these sell, they keep dropping the price and they still aren't moving.

"They certainly aren't going to build any more until these sell, they keep dropping the price and they still aren't moving"

I wonder why Take a look at the aesthetics of the exterior and the plopped nature of the propertie(s)!

It sort of sounds like a situation where the developer ran short of cash/resources once the housing market collapsed about a year ago. I would assume quite a few who live in Greenville commute to jobs in some of the surrounding communities.

[WannaComeHome]

matter of fact that developer did run out of money and sold it off to someone else! Now San-Ken/Remax is trying to sell them (Idon't think they're the developer who owns it).

Pretty much everyone in Greenville commutes to somewhere else for work. There's not all that much employment in that tiny town.

[dubthang]

Sawyer Mills can be nice. Some of the apartments aren't as good as others ones there, yet you'll pay the same amount. They do let renters swap apartments when they become available though so if you get a basement unit, some day you could swap it for a waterfall view unit.

I used to live in the New Meadows which was decent back then (5 years ago.) If I was to move back, I'd much rather live closer to downtown. The downtown area really makes Dover, Dover. That is something to consider. There are many rentals available around the downtown area.

Congrats on your move.