Lakes Region Living
 

We're looking to retire to the Lakes Region within the next 8 years±.
Can anyone offer advice on relocating? Originally from Michigan, but have been in Florida the last 30 years.

Thanks

What part of Michigan (out of curiosity)?

Are you looking for something on the water or inland?
Do you want a "small town" feel, or more stuff around you?
Have been to the area before?
Budget?
Year round or seasonal?

http://i44.tinypic.com/1499wms.gif finnegan, I just noticed that you are fairly new to posting on the forum and glad you have joined us. Have fun and enjoy the Winni Forum while making many new friends.

Your request is had for this individual to answer. My suggestion would be to look on a map and see if there is an area/areas you like and then Google the areas. Then all I can suggest is to come here and check out the areas in person to help ya make a decision.
Best of luck:)

http://i54.tinypic.com/2e56yqf.gif

Welcome to the Forum.

There have been several threads over the years that might be helpful such as:

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...ght=relocating

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...ght=relocating

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...ght=relocating

Great links... thanks!
 

My wife and I are looking at property on the east side of Winni. Her family has ties to Wolfeboro that go back 60 years and we've visited several times a year for the last 30 years. With retirement about 10 years away we think it might be nice to relocate closer to family than the 8 hours we currently drive to get here.

We believe that we're priced out of waterfront but are looking at properties north of Wolfeboro from Ossipee & Tuftonboro up to Holderness, Moultonborough, Sandwich & Tamworth.

Our concern is that we're unfamiliar with the logistics outside of Wolfeboro. Where do folks farther north shop for the basics... grocery, auto repair & gas, wine & liquor, hardware, etc... And, what are the current realities of high-speed internet and cell phone reception. Are there online resources that map these amenities in the Lakes region?

Any comments are welcome, thanks in advance.

CBR451: Look at Alton
 

If you compare the tax rate around the lake, you may find the Alton tax rate may turn things a little toward our end of the lake.;):)

Alton has a nice, new Hannaford's, Fiddleheads and a respectable cigar shop. That makes it a-okay in my book. :)

I just happen to be selling a nice little 3 bedroom home in Suissevale in Moultonborough....I know, Shameless plug. :D Oh and our taxes are downright cheap compared to other towns.....;)

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ps6c1469c6.jpg

Homeowner's Association
 

Actually, I am looking to get out of a homeowner's association as the rules and regulations are a bit restrictive for my taste. How about no seasonal decorations outside the unit for example.

LakeRider, how bad is Suissevale? I recall an old girl friend of mine had property there back in 1970. She said the association was pretty much hands off at the time.

As a person who has recently relocated to Wolfeboro from NJ, I would highly recommend looking in the Wolfeboro area. After a 2 years of exhaustive research on the lakes region I chose Wolfeboro because of the year-round activity, local services, vibrant culture of arts and music, proximity to the lake, reliable electricity and internet to name a few. The surrounding towns are lovely, but somewhat remote. Highly recommend renting in the area to get a feel for where things are before buying.

banks
 

here's one I don't think we've covered yet... are there any local banks that you would recommend? and why?

thanks

Local banks
 

Franklin Savings and Northway Bank appears to be a favorite among the locals. Bank of NH has grown so big, folks are turned off by it.

I stick with my credit union of 40 years. Great savings and loans rates. Great website and phone app. There is even a great credit union service center off Rte 106 near the Heights.

My car died and I needed a new vehicle, the credit union approved the loan instantly over the phone.

Financing
 

Closed a mortgage last spring for our new lakefront Laconia house. A friend recommended schaeffer mortgage co in Derry. Got a 2.75 percent 15 year term..I was very happy with them. Local banks were not that helpful especially bank of nh. Low appraisals of lake homes is a real problem for financing. The appraisers are overly conservative in many cases. Good luck

Banks
 

We have had great experience over the last several years with Meredith Village Savings Bank, (MVSB). Getting a mortgage through them was not a hassle at all. Their staff has been friendly, polite, and willing to help with any question or issue that we have had. I think any of the smaller community banks or credit unions will probably be similar.

Regards,

MM

We are in Melvin Village. Taxes are lower here, as are the taxes in Moultonboro. We are only a 10 minute ride from Wolfeboro. It's a great small community feel and the locals are wonderful. Services are good, although we are in the annoying no mans land of Portland, Maine broadcasting. So you can't get big city programming.
I do miss being near bigger stores, especially around the holidays. I hear Rochester is a good alternative for shopping...about 30minutes away.
Good luck! We love retiring up here.

I will take WMTW broadcasting over WMUR and day! Since Belknap County was designated part of the Boston market, many of us complain about the lack of Portland stations in our line up. I beg to differ!

WMUR is Manchester. Not exactly big city news. I'll trade you Portland for Boston...!

CateP,
I thoroughly enjoyed the thread you started that was linked to earlier. All our family and friends are in Wolfeboro and love it there. We love it too but want to make sure we consider all the alternatives before we make any decisions. Since our actual/physical relocation may be 8 to 10 years away it requires some crystal ball thinking about how the area will develop in that time frame. My family has a lake front property that was purchased in the 1960s and that kind of purchase is out of range for us financially. We will have it available to us for water activities and so it seems that a larger parcel of land might be a good compliment overall. Proximity to Portsmouth and Wolfeboro are very real considerations but also having a buffer to development is appealing although very expensive (and somewhat rare) in the immediate Wolfeboro area.

We need to spend more time in the area doing research before we "jump" but, as you may appreciate, time is a rare commodity at present. I'd love to rent for a month or two while shopping for land but the reality is that we will be making decisions during our short visits to family, luckily with their help, friends advice and the guidance of real estate agents and builder friends.

Thanks again for your post! :)

We have JUST moved permanently year-round to the Lakes Region! We're originally from Mass. but have been living for the last five years in Vero Beach, Florida, in a condo we owned (six months a year) and then we rented a small waterfront cottage in West Alton for six months a year. Finally we decided we are NOT Florida people and wanted to be up here for good. So we bought a house in Gilford with beach rights. Couldn't afford waterfront but beach rights works just fine! Sold the Florida condo and flew down two weeks ago to await the movers. Sooooo happy to be back here!

Since we've been renters here for the last five years, we know the area pretty darn well. And so I agree with Cate who advised you to RENT up here and get to know the area again and decide where you think you'll be the happiest.

Thank you Chaselady,
We are concerned about the long term impact of real estate prices/tax assessment and valuation and how it can be a drain on us as retirees. We will want to have some financial freedom, including the ability to take an occasional travel break when the long winters or mud season take their toll. We feel lucky to have a connection to the area and to have people there to help us make the "adjustment" of the first few winters which, by all accounts, can be daunting to newcomers.

Your well wishes are much appreciated!

Thank you Jeanzb1,
Good advice for sure! My wife has spent summers in Wolfeboro all her youth and has taught me to appreciate the area on our visits over the last 30 years. We still have much to learn though and the insight gained on this forum is much appreciated.

Rick,

Suissevale is still pretty casual with the association and reasonable (approx $850/yr IIRC) fee wise which includes water.

Ummm, well, don't forget the new member fees, property transfer fee and the infrastructure impact fees, summer rental fee per week (if you wan to rent your house), etc, etc... its not cheap during the onset of joining. Not mocking, the (many) past associations all went bankrupt, this one has a handle on reality and is doing well. Water is billed thru Lakes Region Water, last I knew, flat rate, except I was told they are putting in meters. Vita, is that correct, don't you get a separate water bill ?

Understood!

We bought a house in Suissevale 11 years ago with my sister and brother before moving to town full time (our house house is on Holland (the road to da dump!)). We still "vacation" at Suissevale, I think the fee is $875, but my wife pays the bills:) It includes water. The board seems reasonable regarding expenses. So far so good!

I had not heard about meters, but anything is possible. I will say, we have water pressure like a fire hose at Suissevale- I wish I could say the same thing here on our private well.