Buying a Lake Home? How many should I plan on touring in a day?
Viewing lake homes is more involved than viewing homes around town. Typically everyone wants to see as many homes as possible during their visit, but 4-5 homes are actually ideal for a day of touring homes. Remember your not only viewing the home, the lot lines but add a dock, shoreline and lake bottom structure along with travel time from lake to lake.
In NH, we have over 250 lakes in the greater lakes region! If your focus is on one of the many smaller lakes my advice is to get in your car and take a Sunday drive to view all the lakes that have homes you are interested in to determine if you like the area. You may find that some lakes are immediately discounted due to amenities in the area. The larger lakes tend to have all the attractions, shopping and hospitals close by. At this early stage, it is about the lifestyle, not the home.
Example if you want to use your home as a ski home what is an acceptable drive to a major ski area? Ossipee and Great East lake are wonderful lakes but major ski areas are about 1 hour away. Winnisquam, Newfound, Squam and Sunapee you can be slope side in 15 minutes. Washington NH is a remote paradise, woods, hiking, snowmobiling but the closest major grocery store is 35 minutes. Set your criteria to discuss with your agent what you are looking for because the web pictures shows you a wonderful home but you may be in shock when you view the home in person.
So in a normal setting, seeing 4 or 5 homes in a day is ideal. I personally feel that viewing more homes in a single day becomes overwhelming and homes start to blend together. You may take pictures and notes, but after 5 homes and 5 hours on the road, everything looks the same. Staying fresh and alert is important so we catch all the details of a home. If you flew into view homes to purchase we can set a day that works for your schedule.
1. Pre-qualification and price range to search in.
2. Home attributes and lake size?
3. Drive-by areas to get a feel for the lake and area.
4. Use the internet as a resource and discuss the homes with your agent to ensure they meet your expectations.
Once you are sure a lake home is right for you contact your bank and get a pre-qualification letter so you can move quickly on a home of your choice. Determine your price range and what amenities are you looking for then begin your search online.
3 Bedroom Cottage on a Quiet Lake
For additional information on New Hampshire lake homes call 1-888-737-5550 or e-mail at info@nhlakesrealty.com or visit our websites to view lake homes in New Hampshire at www.nhlakesrealty.com or www.lakeorskirealestate.com.
Contact Carl Sack or Paula Hinckley specializing in NH Lakes Realty #nhlakesrealty