Real Estate Thread for Newcomers

[CateP]

Cate here. I thought I would start a new thread that focuses on real estate in the area. As some of you may know, my family (partner, 2 dogs, maybe fish if they survive the trip) is planning a move to the area and will be purchasing a home. Several of you fine forum people have made suggestions on the "We're Moving to the Lakes Region!!" thread. I thought I might share a little more info about what we are looking for and document our progress here.

Size and Land: We are looking for a house with 7-8 rooms (about 2000-2500 sq ft.) on at least an acre of land. Seek privacy and room for doggies to run about.

Price: Our top price is 300k.

Type: We love older houses that have been renovated with modern plumbing, electric, septic etc. OR newer houses that have some architectural character (no developments)

Parking Space: We want a 2-car garage. Also, we will have two small boats on trailers that we will store on the property. It would be nice if they were hidden away and didn't invade our view.

Other: I need an office space with high speed internet. We would like a great room or livingroom that would allow us to entertain a number of guests. Also looking for space where I can build stuff with wood. (barn or workshop area)

Location: We would prefer to be on the Meredith side of the lake for commuting reasons. We are looking in Meredith, Guilford, Laconia, Sanbornton. Possibly Tilton and Northfield. ( In know the quiet side of the lake is beautiful and has low taxes, but I need easy access to 93).

And to top it all off: We would love a mountain view or a small pond on the property.

I know this type of property exists because there a several for sale right now. (96 Pease Rd. Meredith is our current favorite, 205 Chemung Rd too.) Our dream home is 3 Carleton Rd., a log house on Randlett Pond, but it is 50k above our price range and is in contingent status. Hopefully some of these properties will be available when we are ready to buy (after we sell the NJ house).

Maybe we should apply to be on HGTV House Hunters

[ishoot308]

Hi Cate;

Here is a great site to search for a home.

http://www.nneren.com/

Simply pick the town you want and max price you want to pay and everything for sale (except private sales) show up. FYI, Gilford has a few that fit your specifications!!

Good luck and welcome to the neighborhood!!

Dan

[robmac]

try newenglandmoves.com,I took a quick peek and there are some available that might meet your needs.

[CateP]

We have become NNREN addicts. Our routine is to sit at the kitchen counter and check listings. We do this for hours. We even know when a new property has been listed. When we are not on NNREN or the Bean Group site (where we keep our list of favorites) we are talking about the various attributes of each property.

I tell you we are addicted to house hunting online. We may need to seek professional therapeutic help when we actually find our house and close.

[MAXUM]

One thing to keep in mind as you're looking is the property taxes. They vary from town to town, some are better than others. May want to get yourself a property tax rate matrix by town for the entire state.

[CateP]

Originally Posted by MAXUM

One thing to keep in mind as you're looking is the property taxes. They vary from town to town, some are better than others. May want to get yourself a property tax rate matrix by town for the entire state.

Excellent advice. I was able to get the 2010 tax rates for NH from this site.

I've also seen Meredith's tax history and was curious about why it was so high in 2005 and then went way down in 2006. It seems to be creeping up again.

[LIforrelaxin]

Some thoughts on loaction:

In the area that you have mentioned I would also recommend looking in Franklin, Which is next to Tilton, and also New Hampton, and Ashland

These loactions are all right off the Instate, and as such should help with commuting aspects.

[AllAbourdon]

My wife is a Realtor and I am sure she would be happy to point you in the right direction. I'll shoot you a PM with her info.

We live in the Seacoast area of NH now but I grew up in the lakes region in Andover, NH. My family has a place on a small lake in Andover, NH. My parents also have a home in Andover which they are selling which is a renovated farmhouse on 118 acres. Andover is the next town over from Franklin heading toward New London.

[Waterbaby]

Originally Posted by CateP

Excellent advice. I was able to get the 2010 tax rates for NH from this site.

I've also seen Meredith's tax history and was curious about why it was so high in 2005 and then went way down in 2006. It seems to be creeping up again.

There could have been a major property reevaluation done in Meredith at the time - that could have changed the tax rate in a drastic way. Another reason could be that there had been a surplus from years gone by and the selectmen voted to offset the tax rate with the surplus............. I'm sure FatLazyLess will chime in here at some point, he lives in Meredith and is very well voiced on the ups and downs and ins and outs of taxation in Meredith.

Looking at the tax history in the towns you are interested in is a great idea - I would also suggest logging onto all of those towns' websites and reading any board of selectmen's and other departmental minutes you can find, to get a handle on what is going on in each town.

[kauriel]

Realtor.com is also very useful because you can search within 20 miles of a specific town and set parameters such as waterview.

Based on your parameters I would suggest checking out:

11 Mountain Vista Drive New Hampton, NH

166 Pinnacle Hill Rd, New Hampton NH

60 Wicom, Bristol, NH

11 Wakeman Road Belmont, NH

367 WEBSTER LAKE ROAD Franklin, NH

335 Pickerel Pond Rd Laconia, NH (note we have a place in Laconia and have been pleased with tax rate!)

158 KNOWLES POND ROAD Northfield, NH

59 Sandogardy Pond Rd. Northfield, NH

[CateP]

Originally Posted by kauriel

Realtor.com is also very useful because you can search within 20 miles of a specific town and set parameters such as waterview.

Thanks, but we're using NNREN and the Bean Group site. Best we have found.

WOW. Thanks for taking the time to list all these properties. My responses are in bold.

Based on your parameters I would suggest checking out:

11 Mountain Vista Drive New Hampton, NH
Taxes too high, $6898

166 Pinnacle Hill Rd, New Hampton NH
Possibly, but not thrilled with ranch style houses. Like post and beam or renovated antique

60 Wicom, Bristol, NH
Umm. That's a shack...

11 Wakeman Road Belmont, NH
Possible, but pretty bland architecture.

367 WEBSTER LAKE ROAD Franklin, NH
Franklin is not on list.

335 Pickerel Pond Rd Laconia, NH (note we have a place in Laconia and have been pleased with tax rate!)
This house is on our list and we will be checking it out if it's still on the market.

158 KNOWLES POND ROAD Northfield, NH
This house is on our list , but is in contingent status, which means someone has made an offer.

59 Sandogardy Pond Rd. Northfield, NH
Taxes a bit high, house by pond looks shabby, lots of updating needed, could probably find better.

Thanks again for the list kauriel. It's fun to look at houses isn't it? We do it almost every night so we're pretty familiar with what's out there.

[Slickcraft]

Originally Posted by CateP

Thanks, but we're using NNREN and the Bean Group site. Best we have found.

Agree that these are very good. Bean Group http://www.beangroup.com/ makes it easy to select towns by clicking on the maps. We then copy and paste MLS numbers into the NNEREN site http://www.nneren.com/ which has map/lot data and deed reference data (which often but not always is correct).

Many counties, such as Belknap, support on-line deed search http://www.nhdeeds.com/ where you can find out the last sale price (tax stamp data) and read the deed. If the lot had been sub-divided there is often a reference to the plan which may also be viewed on-line.
Many Towns such as Alton http://data.visionappraisal.com/AltonNH/DEFAULT.asp and Gilford http://www.mapsonline.net/gilfordnh/ support on-line access to tax card data.

[Seeker]

I know it's not on your list Cate but you might check out the Ossipee/Wakefield/Effingham areas. You can find some outstanding properties with lots of acreage for decent money. I'm sure you would find the house you are looking for BUT, as in my case, you'd get the nice 15 mile drive to the nearest so-called supermarket, a 20+ minute drive to a real restaurant. I guess you get the idea, right?

[TheProfessor]

Make sure you hire (not the bank one) an good home inspector that is being paid by you.

We have some excellent local builders here and some hacks. And some of the hacks can make a home really look good.

Check for signs of water in basement. This can be fixed most times but can be quite expensive to fix.

If possible view home in winter during cold weather. Check if ice forms on roof edges. Check age of shinges.

If you plan on having driveway plowed make sure you understand where all the snow is placed.

And don't take for granted that cable TV is offered everywhere - it is NOT.

Taxes can be a real hard expense.

If home is on hill expect to get some real good snow tires or 4 wheel/All wheel drive vehicle.

Hire yourself a good real estate attorney. Yes, the buyer should have an attorney. There are over 40 pages to sign at closing. Do you really know what you are signing?

And finally, the scam. This one was in the newspapers a few years back. The water well went dry. The seller was bringing in a tanker truck to fill the well while showing house. You got it. When all the papers were signed and new folks moved in - the well went dry. Yes, the new owners ultimately did get a new well - but the lawyers did profit from all of this.

[CateP]

Originally Posted by Slickcraft

Agree that these are very good. Bean Group http://www.beangroup.com/ makes it easy to select towns by clicking on the maps. We then copy and paste MLS numbers into the NNEREN site http://www.nneren.com/ which has map/lot data and deed reference data (which often but not always is correct).

Many counties, such as Belknap, support on-line deed search http://www.nhdeeds.com/ where you can find out the last sale price (tax stamp data) and read the deed. If the lot had been sub-divided there is often a reference to the plan which may also be viewed on-line.
Many Towns such as Alton http://data.visionappraisal.com/AltonNH/DEFAULT.asp and Gilford http://www.mapsonline.net/gilfordnh/ support on-line access to tax card data.

Excellent information!! Thank you

[CateP]

Originally Posted by Seeker

I know it's not on your list Cate but you might check out the Ossipee/Wakefield/Effingham areas. You can find some outstanding properties with lots of acreage for decent money. I'm sure you would find the house you are looking for BUT, as in my case, you'd get the nice 15 mile drive to the nearest so-called supermarket, a 20+ minute drive to a real restaurant. I guess you get the idea, right?

Yeah. we've seen some awesome properties in those towns, but they are a bit too remote for us. I need to be near 93 (or Rt. 106). Gilford is our first choice town.

[CateP]

Thanks Professor for all this GREAT ADVICE. MY replies below in bold.

Make sure you hire (not the bank one) an good home inspector that is being paid by you.
This is a key priority and we are budgeting for this. A guy named Jerry Thibodeau has been recommended to us. Any other recommendations?

If possible view home in winter during cold weather. Check if ice forms on roof edges. Check age of shinges.
We are coming up in March. One of properties we are interested in (96 Pease Rd. Meredith) mentioned ceiling stains caused by snow back up in the disclosure documentation. A new roof was put on 5 years ago. Seems odd such a new roof would have ice dams.

If you plan on having driveway plowed make sure you understand where all the snow is placed. Why is this important? Can you explain?

And don't take for granted that cable TV is offered everywhere - it is NOT.
We plan on getting Direct TV and Metrocast Internet. We know this is available in Gilford, but will make sure high speed internet is available in other locations.

Taxes can be a real hard expense.
Taxes are a top criteria for us and luckily that information is in the disclosure materials. We are also paying attention to tax history. No high tax towns for us.

If home is on hill expect to get some real good snow tires or 4 wheel/All wheel drive vehicle.
Subaru Forester here. We will have two small boat trailers so we're looking for a level lot where we can park them. No steep drievways for us.

Hire yourself a good real estate attorney. Yes, the buyer should have an attorney. There are over 40 pages to sign at closing. Do you really know what you are signing?
Indeed. We will be sure to have one and will seek recommendations. I have a friend in Gilford who is a lawyer and I'm sure she will also have some recommendations.

And finally, the scam. This one was in the newspapers a few years back. The water well went dry. The seller was bringing in a tanker truck to fill the well while showing house. You got it. When all the papers were signed and new folks moved in - the well went dry. Yes, the new owners ultimately did get a new well - but the lawyers did profit from all of this.
We will have our house inspector inspect the well and septic. That is why we are going to pay extra for these inspections. We want no surprises down the road with these systems. As far as people filling their dry wells for sale...well that would be a bad bout of luck for a buyer. Not sure how one could avoid such a deception, but hopefully we will not be in that situation.

[Waterbaby]

Originally Posted by CateP

Thanks Professor for all this GREAT ADVICE. MY replies below in bold.

Make sure you hire (not the bank one) an good home inspector that is being paid by you.
This is a key priority and we are budgeting for this. A guy named Jerry Thibodeau has been recommended to us. Any other recommendations?

If possible view home in winter during cold weather. Check if ice forms on roof edges. Check age of shinges.
We are coming up in March. One of properties we are interested in (96 Pease Rd. Meredith) mentioned ceiling stains caused by snow back up in the disclosure documentation. A new roof was put on 5 years ago. Seems odd such a new roof would have ice dams.


[/B]

Just about any house can get ice dams, even with a brand new roof......... There are so many variables contributing to this, including venting and ice shield under the shingles and roof pitch.......... a good subject to Google, and to speak to your home inspector about. Even raking the snow off the roof can cause secondary ice damming.........Ice dams can do a whole lot of damage, and not just to the shingles - think insulation replacement, ceiling replacement, and on it goes, and insurance companies are reluctant to cover anything more than painting over the ceiling. Am I speaking from personal experience? You bet!

[bigRazor]

Originally Posted by CateP

158 KNOWLES POND ROAD Northfield, NH
This house is on our list , but is in contingent status, which means someone has made an offer.

Contingent doesn't mean someone has made an offer. It means the property is under contract with a contingency clause. It's past the offer stage.

[TheProfessor]

. A new roof was put on 5 years ago. Seems odd such a new roof would have ice dams.


The reason or answer can be more complicated. All goes back to how well the house was constructed. Ridge vents. Soffit vents. Cold air is supposed to go from bottom of roof to top and exit. This is supposed to prevent any melting caused by inside heat trying to exit the house. If enough heat gets to the inside roof then melting occurs outside causing ice, icicles, and ice dams. A replacement of roof shingles does not solve a ventilation issue. Ice and Water Shield or sometimes called bitchathane placed under new shingles does help. But a poorly ventilated or poorly insulated attic can still cause issues even with a new roof. The more peaks and valleys and dormers specially on the north side is a potential water/ice issue. Drive around in the winter time and view houses. Some will have icicles while others will have none.

Driveway
. Why is this important? Can you explain?

This is not a real important issue. But note that the plowed snow has to go somewhere. A paved driveway is best. Some here love the look of blue stone and some driveways are gravel. Any plow truck will cause havoc with loose stones in driveway - and also if you obtain a snow thrower - the stones will cause the snow thrower maintenance issues. And note placement of shrubs as plow can ruin shrubs with piled up snow. And if the home has garage doors - examine how the snow will be removed from in front of the garage doors.

[CateP]

The more peaks and valleys and dormers specially on the north side is a potential water/ice issue. Drive around in the winter time and view houses. Some will have icicles while others will have none.

No wonder you are called The Professor. The house in question DOES have peaks and valleys on the north side and from what I could tell in the pictures, the ceiling stains happen right underneath these roof angles. Is the solution to insulate the attic floor so heat does not go up there?

This is not a real important issue. But note that the plowed snow has to go somewhere. A paved driveway is best. Some here love the look of blue stone and some driveways are gravel. Any plow truck will cause havoc with loose stones in driveway - and also if you obtain a snow thrower - the stones will cause the snow thrower maintenance issues. And note placement of shrubs as plow can ruin shrubs with piled up snow. And if the home has garage doors - examine how the snow will be removed from in front of the garage doors.

Ahh. Yes. I grew up with a driveway with loose stones and they often got plowed up. In the spring we'd have to rake them back into the driveway. As for plows running into things, I believe there are tall stakes with blazing orange color one can put into the ground to provide a guide path for the plow? Not sure about garage doors and snow removal. I'll have to get advice from the plow person I guess. We plan on getting a Troybuilt snowblower so I may be able to clear that myself.

[TheProfessor]

Insulating the attic floor certainly does help.

I am not there. I cannot view house in question. I can only give general guidelines. In some situations the roof is properly done. But on the north side, snow builds up and will not melt as does the southern side. Ice can build up and actually enter the inside through the exterior walls/siding. A good builder will actually place the Ice and Water Shield on the exterior plywood at these dormers before putting the roof shingles and siding. And a good builder will place copper or aluminum flashing - one large single piece and step flashing in the valleys before siding and roofing is done. Fixing items such as this could require removal of siding and roof shingles. If you are viewing such issues do find a reputable builder/contractor. Some roofers are builders also. This potentially is an issue above and beyond the pervue of a standard home inspector. Always obtain a 2nd opinion.

Snow Throwers.

The short answer is to go to a big box store and purchase one. Some have electric start with a cord. The long answer is to purchase one from one of the local retail stores that actually repairs such. Some of the local retailers will come and pick up when repairs are needed. My biased opinion is to stay away from any product manufactured by MTD. And to stay away from any engine manufactured in China. You do have to ask. MTD has purchased many brand names and cheapified them all. Briggs & Stratton manufactures some engines in China now. Do some serious homework on this item and do ask others. Repairs are needed for snow throwers and it can be a hassle getting machine to a repair facility. Saving a few dollars up front may not be the best answer.