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WTF? Why are some replies like this? Why do people seem insulted, when I am trying to figure out why NH houses are expensive and still look not grand? (some of you know who you are) Is this the general attitude of NH? Maybe too many angry rednecks out of the woods already..hmmm
I completely understand about the point about split heating, open floor plans and heating costs etc. which makes sense. Good point. Maybe thats why you don't see open floor plans.
I also plan to work only in NH.. I do understand I will hit with MA taxes if I work there.. In my research I found more jobs in the southern NH area..
Thanks Verseau, NewNHGUy, WannaComeHome, Supersparkle, CaseyB for your comments. Also thanks to the guy who posted the nneren link..
'cause you said the houses look like crap. I plan on building a "crappy" house. "grand" is a subjective thing. A cape or colonial on 10 acres of woods is grand to me. Stucco in NH is not grand to me. Bottom line - your definition of grand is from So Cal or Long Island or some other Keeping up With the Kardashians kind of mentality.
Honest feedback. No insult intended. Don't call a state's houses crap and not expect some honest feedback...
While I would not have stated it so harshly I agree that the houses here are disappointing for the price. I did live in TX for 13 years though and am used to brick homes and very open floor plans. The prices are shocking too and the rent prices! I guess I just don't get it. I don't see many frugul people around here. High housing, high taxes, the moms I see at school all carry designer purses, wear north face and drive fancy cars. I don't see why everyone gets in a tizzy about how everyone here is so used to living without, so frugal blah blah. I don't see much difference here than the moms living in Mcmansionville TX.
While I would not have stated it so harshly I agree that the houses here are disappointing for the price. I did live in TX for 13 years though and am used to brick homes and very open floor plans. The prices are shocking too and the rent prices! I guess I just don't get it. I don't see many frugul people around here. High housing, high taxes, the moms I see at school all carry designer purses, wear north face and drive fancy cars. I don't see why everyone gets in a tizzy about how everyone here is so used to living without, so frugal blah blah. I don't see much difference here than the moms living in Mcmansionville TX.
I bet they're all 'from away'! they should be wearing LL Bean, not North Face. although LLB has gotten expensive, it lasts forever and they replace if it does wear out... which leads to thrifty again.
I think he is probably trying to make a point that there are wonderful homes and disagreeing your comment about scratching off NH..
Now all of you:
I actually love the fact that there are no cookie cutter homes. I love the individualism and that is one of the things that keeps getting me attracted to NH. I love the state attitude in general. But financially speaking, what I am used to in terms of home interior preferences and even exterior (to some degree), is way too expensive. That is what I am trying to figure out, why.
I Like what supersparkle said : I live only a few miles from one of the largest cities in the state, live on a lake, surrounded by my 40 acres of forest. There are only 5 houses on my street, and the rest of the lake is protected by conservation land."
I think this is wonderful. I live in a similar place.. surrounded by hundred+ acers of curvy / hilly roads and protected forests/parks. Great to bike in summer.. 10 minutes from a lake where you can go Kayak.. An hour from DE beaches.. The one exception: Homes are not that expensive like in NH. I think some would consider 400k for a home is already high end.. but i am surprised by some of the nature of your replies! Maybe you guys are "rich"!!
Someone else suggested that there are homes with open floor plans and nice architecture. Hope to find one. if anyone knows any specific subdivision or towns that I should look.. please suggest. But 400-450k is my limit.
I used to live in NJ, and know that PA house prices are cheap. Same happens here. If you come to NH from NJ you'll find prices cheap, but since your are coming from PA area you're getting sticker shock.
The problem is the land is very expensive here. There are zoning restrictions (towns require big lots), not many subdivisions (I'm glad about that) and mostly the housing stock is old.
I follow the NH real estate market very closely and prices in rural areas of the state continue to fall in most cases. The real estate meltdown took longer to hit NH, but the downside is prices seem to be in a continual downward trend for sellers. Buyers are in an excellent position w/ good credit and sub 4% interest rates on houses that are of GOOD quality. Prices have held up well in the very high income towns, but have fallen the most in parts of the Lakes Region that have lots of 2nd homes and seasonal homes. Wakefield, for example, has been especially hard hit with prices that have fallen a large amount over the past few years. Bedford or Bow still command high prices, but sales were lower there. New construction nearly came to a halt in many places with 0 new building permits issued in Bow in 2009.
I bet they're all 'from away'! they should be wearing LL Bean, not North Face. although LLB has gotten expensive, it lasts forever and they replace if it does wear out... which leads to thrifty again.
I never knew much about LLB prior to moving to Maine. Used to buy North Face for just about all winter gear. Now I've become a big LLBean fan. The world's best customer service! They are what Nordstrom used to be: service perfection. Always friendly and respectful. Customer comes first, and they strive to make you happy, etc. I just placed an order that had to be back-ordered and they went the extra mile to try to locate a pair of Bean Boots before Christmas. We just don't see that kind of customer service much any more!
There is this rather interesting theory about the house being vastly different and having different expectations when coming from other areas. Ever heard of cultural differences? People's values on everyday things are as varied as the climates each of us live in.
I never understood why one would move to a new area and be disappointed if it's not what they expected at "home". If I moved to CA, I wouldn't expect the houses or the suburbs to look like IL, nor would I expect NY to look like TX and vice versa. The same would apply if I moved to a new country
Considering NH is one of the least populated states in the country, "cities" and "suburbs" are going to different from more developed parts of the country. The same applies to what considered a "bad" parts of NH vs "bad" parts of CA. You're living among a new set of people, of course it's not going to feel like your old "home". Either appreciate the differences for what they are and learn to adapt, or stick closer to home, if that's you're comfortable with.
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