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We've just found a buyer for our home in RI and we are moving to NH. We are considering a move to the Seacoast area. We've visted the greater Exeter area and it seems convenient to different amenities. We also seek good schools and have heard the Oyster River School district to the North of Exeter has a good reputation. My son (7 years old) is a good student and likes to be engaged at school - he's also an only child (so far) and we need to be in an area where he can have the chance to hangout with neighboring kids...vs being in a remote area.
We like areas with a great sense of community and plenty of childrens activities. We prefer neighborhoods/areas with at least 1 acre lot sizes and a good selection of homes between 300K & 400K. So far we are considering East Kingston up to Madbury. Are there any communities in this area to be careful of? fiscal issues,external issues such as noise/smells/water issues. etc. We've noticed lots of houses for sale in the Exeter area which may have been impacted by this years flooding in March(?).
We like to socialize, bike, hike, swim, fish, play sports etc. We will be visiting the area again very soon so I'm trying to get feedback prior to our visit so we can perhaps include other areas in our search or even exclude some areas if warranated. Thanks in advance!
As far as school systems on the seacoast, SAU 16 (Exeter area) and Oyster River school systems are two of the best. We moved to Exeter several years ago when our kids were in elementary and middle schools. We specifically wanted the same things you are looking for and after much searching, chose to live in Exeter because of its sense of community,(many wonderful neighborhoods), wealth of activities for all ages (especially kids) and easy access to shopping, highways, beach, etc. Exeter has just about everything you would want in a town.
You mentioned East Kingston which as you know is in the SAU16 school system. East Kingston is very nice, yet on the rural side which can be a pro or a con depending on your lifestyle. The big concern for us as to why East Kingston was not an option was the fact that the bus ride for kids traveling to the Cooperative Middle School in Stratham would be about 10 miles with half of it being on country roads with 12-15 stops along the way. Not so great in the dark winter months. Kids in some areas of East Kingston are picked up at the bus stop at 6:30 am to be at school by 7:25. East K was a bit far "out" for us but maybe to your liking. Just be aware of the need to travel to the middle school/shopping, etc.
In Exeter, the low-lying areas near the Exeter River have had some awful flooding in the past especially neighborhoods off Court Street. Most areas of Exeter do not flood.
Good luck in your search and if you have any specific questions about Exeter, please send me a direct message.
The reason for the number of houses for sale in Exeter has more to do with the market itself - there are a lot of houses in Exeter and many were purchased at the height of the market. While low lying areas do flood - that is not the reason for the volume (hee hee) of sales.
Keep in mind Exeter also has high property taxes. SAU 16 has 6 towns filtering - so you may want to check some of the other towns to compare prices/taxes. For example, prices in East Kingston are lower and you still get the benefit of SAU 16 schools.
Unless you live in central Exeter or southern Stratham you will have a decent bus ride to school, but that's always going to happen in a co-op.
In terms of neighborhoods - all of the SAU16 towns have cul-d-sac type neighborhoods, so while East Kingston or Kensington may be more rural, you could still find a "neighborhood" type development.
Thanks for the replies. We took a ride around yesterday and although we saw some nice homes, East Kingston does seem a little less convenient than Exeter. We also checked out Brentwood and Lee. We currently live a half mile from the ocean and after checking out Hollis, Amherst and Bedford we wanted to explore the seacoast areas as well- we no longer "need" to be near the water but would not mind being a short drive away. Exeter seemed to offer a nice balance. We heard how expensive Hollis, Amherst and Bedford could be, however, we seem to be finding more homes there which suit our needs and are still in the same price range as we had been looking at around Exeter- another couple of road trips should help us narrow our search focus a bit more. Thanks again..
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