What you should know when buying a waterfront property!

Helpful Tips to achieve your dreams - memories - investment.

1. Buying a waterfront home, it might be your primary home purchase, second home, or future retirement home. You are buying more than a lake home it is a lifestyle. 
2. Hire a Waterfront Expert! If you have a toothache you go to a dentist not to a chiropractor. Interview agents, why settle for an inexperienced agent. Ask your agent for past client testimonial lake sales and what lakes they have sold properties on. 
3. Get your financing lined up. Get a bank pre-approval letter, home equity loan or cash as an option. In this competitive market the seller wants to see your proof you can pay.  Some sellers will not even show their home unless the buyer has a bank letter in hand. 
4. What is your goal in purchasing a waterfront home? Memories! It may be a four-season home that has close proximity to ski areas and snowmobiling or a seasonal cottage for summer usage. Motorboating or a kayaking non-motoring lake. List your must-have options and start comparing homes and lakes. 
5. Buy the lake and location! You can change the home!  You can’t change the - sunsets - sandy beach - mountain views - deep water dock - fishing - non-motoring lake - privacy - proximity to attractions - shopping - restaurants. Take a day and drive-by lakes of interest. Why spend a day looking at homes when you have ruled out the area after the first showing. 
6. Talk to us about the lake that fits your lifestyle. Winnipesaukee and Squam are wonderful lakes but if you have young boaters they can easily get lost with all the islands and inlets. On a smaller lake, your whole family can view them enjoying all watersports from shore and not get lost. 
7. Research the lake, ask your agent if the lake has milfoil, average depth, lake size, general water quality rating, and if the lake has occurrences of cyanobacteria blooms.  Again buy the lake! 
8. Talk to the neighbors! 
9. Lady of the Lake Realty is familiar with shoreline rules. The in-depth rules cover tree cutting, home expansion, dock rules, swim platform rules and boating restrictions. We have or can get the answers for you. 
10. Look at the Fema maps to determine if you will need flood insurance. If in the flood zone an elevation certificate may help with insurance costs. 
11. Lake experts like Lady of the Lake Realty can offer you expert opinions on lakes. Example Belleau Lake water quality was just reduced to Eutrophic ( Worst Water Quality ) Information you need to know for future resale.  

For additional information on lake homes call Lady of the Lake Realty LLC at 1-888-737-5550 or e-mail at info@nhlakesrealty.com  or visit our website to view lake homes in New Hampshire at www.nhlakesrealty.com

Contact Carl Sack or Paula Hinckley   #nhlakesrealty

Scroll to the bottom of the page for individual lake searches. 

 

 

 

 

 

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NH Lakefront Property Inventory!

My wife Paula and I cover the entire Lakes Region including Ossipee and Sunapee markets. What this means to you!  You can put your wish list in front of us and we will search for a lakefront home that matches your lifestyle. Put the computer away, we know all the quality lakes in the area and can recommend a home to fit your family and price point.  If you are not familiar with New Hampshire Lakes Region we have over 250 lakes to choose from. The lakes most are familiar with are Winnipesaukee, 43,000 acres - Squam, 6750 acres -  Newfound, Sunapee, Winnisquam all around 4000 plus acres - Wentworth, Ossipee, 3000 acres -   Merrymeeting, Bow, Silver, Waukewan, Great East are in the 1000 acre range. Plus a batch of lake in the 300 to 600 acre range.

When starting your search call us, your price point may dictate if we can find you a home on Winnisquam or 370 acre  Lake Kanasatka.( example )   If you are looking for a newer home close to ski areas in the $500,000 range Squam is not the lake to be searching.  That home is located on 600 acre Suncook Lake.  If  you are looking for a quiet lake or a lake close to a town with great salmon fishing or golf close by we can find that home to.

Interest Rates are still low, inventory is up, pricing is still reasonable. What are you waiting for?

 

NH Lakefront Inventory by price point.

$200,000 to $500,000 -  330 homes

$500,000 to $750,000 - 125 homes

$750,000 to $1 million - 77 homes

$1 million to $1.5 million - 48 homes

$1.5 million to $2 million - 49 homes

$2 million to $3 million 46 - homes

$3 million to $4 million - 12 homes

Over $4 million 25 homes are available topping out at $13 million

There is a home available to fit your life style and budget, all you need to do is call us so you can start building family memories that you will look back on and cherish forever.

 

For additional information on homes call Four Seasons | Sotheby's International Realty at 1-888-737-5550 or e-mail at info@nhlakesrealty.com or visit our website to view lake homes in New Hampshire at www.nhlakesrealty.com or www.lakeorskirealestate.com.

Stop and call us today.

August and September are typically slow months with summer vacations, school opening, high school sports starting and the summer ending most lake home shoppers were too busy to get out on the weekends to view what is available. October on the other hand was a very busy month showing lake homes across the lakes region. In talking with agents I found that other offices found that same to be true.

The lack of showing  activity July through September is reflected in only 54 lakefront homes were sold in the last 30 days but consistent with the previous sales in September of 50 sales. Of the sales during October ten were over $850,000 with a top sales price of $3.6 million in Wolfeboro. The towns of Sunapee and Wolfeboro were the overall top producing towns. November sales numbers should reflect the increase in showing activity but the elections I believe are keeping many high end buyers at home, inventory for lake homes above 1 million dollars is around 200 homes. Many buyers in October are finding the time to come up but taking the time to visit mid-week to view homes.  There is an abundance of quality homes on excellent lakes available right now for you to view.

Lake Home inventory stands right now at the end of October ( lakefront owned )

$100,000 to $300,000 - 127 homes

$300,000 to $500,000 - 130 homes

$500,000 to $900,000 - 133 homes

$900,000 to $1.5 million - 68 homes

$1.5 million and over - 117 homes

As you can see there is an inventory of homes at all price points.  Many of the homes in the lower price range are in need of some TLC and are not on the larger lakes.  In order to get on one of the lakes that are 1000 acres or greater you need to be in the $500,000 plus range.

The above numbers do not reflect shared waterfront sales or available inventory.  Effective date July 14th For additional information on lake homes call Lady of the Lake Realty at 1-888-737-5550 or e-mail at info@nhlakesrealty.com or visit our website to view lake homes in New Hampshire at www.nhlakesrealty.com or www.lakeorskirealestate.com.

Contact us today to see if this home is still available??

Lady of the Lake Realty, Established in 1999, is a small niche agency catering to Buyers looking for waterfront or water-access properties. We discuss the different aspects a Buyer may want to consider when searching for a waterfront/ water-access properties with every Buyer. A synopsis follows:

1. Waterbody Size- Types of Activities you plan to engage in: Canoeing, kayaking Motor-boating, jet-skiing Fishing warm water vs. colder water 2. Water Quality- Oligotropic Mesotropic Eutropic

3. Use- Seasonal versus Year-Round-

4. Price Parameters ??

Waterbody Size- First and foremost a Buyer should understand that water bodies offer a different experience based on size. But, as the size increases, generally so does the price. Each Buyer must consider what he/she is looking for in a waterfront property so that we can find the best match..

Small Waterbodies- Less than 100 acres in size. There are small ponds perfect for kayaking and interacting with wildlife. They are usually fine for swimming but sometimes they will have a mucky bottom so a Buyer will want to jump in off a swim raft or pontoon boat versus wading in. Some small ponds have sandy or gravelly bottoms. Waterbodies of this size make great little swimming holes, and are good for limited fishing. They are not good for someone looking to motorboat around. These water bodies will be the most affordable.

Medium Sized Waterbodies- 100- 300 acres in size. These water bodies are great for small boating, waterskiing and tubing, fishing, and swimming. These are great all-around water bodies and a Buyer can usually enter the market here at a reasonable price.

Large Waterbodies- 300-750 acres in size. These water bodies will command a higher price as Buyers who are interested in motorboating will need a larger Lake . The benefit to this size is that a Buyer will not be in the price range of the 1000+ acre water bodies, but will be able to enjoy all water activities.

Largest Waterbodies- 750+ acres in size. These water bodies are highly desirable, more expensive, and offer the Buyer all Waterbody activities. Some also offer on water amenities such as boat up eateries and bars. In NH we have 12 water bodies that are larger than 1000 acres, with 2 others that are 900+ acres.

Water Quality- Another consideration when purchasing a waterfront/water-access property is the quality of the water. The State of New Hampshire has identified 3 levels of water quality. Oligatropic is the highest quality. The water is clear, and nutrient poor, meaning it is not a good source for the nutrients that support algae. It is the most desirable. Often, the Oligatropic Waterbodies are the deeper glacial water bodies. These water bodies are generally the most expensive. Mesotropic is medium range water quality. The water is usually fairly clear to light tea color and may have some surface vegetation but usually around the edges. Many water bodies fall in this category. These water bodies are perfectly fine for purchase and are usually more affordable than the Oligatrophic. Eutropic are nutrient rich water bodies. They usually have much surface vegetation and can be darker in color. We do not recommend Eutropic water bodies because the water quality is not conducive for swimming and boating and the resale will be negatively affected by the poor water quality.

Seasonal or Year Round Use? There are lots of great summer cottages that offer 3 season enjoyment. Many Buyers do not plan on using a cottage over the winter and are happy to use the cottage from May to November and shut the property down for the winter. Actually, improvements are being made every season but there are still many areas around are water bodies that are difficult to access during the winter months. To purchase a property that is already year-round, or can easily be converted to year-round use a Buyer will be paying a premium. If a Buyer needs year-round, and price is a factor, opt for a smaller waterbody.

Lastly, a Buyer needs to identify their price parameters so that we can search for the best possible properties WITHIN THEIR PRICE RANGE. There are many good quality lakes and ponds from throughout the lakes region and the central part of the state. We can find you a property that will work for you. For additional information  call Lady of the Lake Realty at 1-888-737-5550 or e-mail at info@nhlakesrealty.com or visit our website to view  homes in New Hampshire at www.nhlakesrealty.com or www.lakeorskirealestate.com.

Contact us today!